A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you are all safe at home reading this new chapter to pass the time and taking measures to keep yourself, and everyone around you, safe from this virus. For those that can't stay home because they have to go to work, for whatever reason, a big thank you!

I work in an institution for kids, so I had to go to work (if it's hard with one or two kids closed inside the house, imagine having twenty-three problematic ones, it gets really crazy).

Then I got sick, went to the doctor yesterday and they didn't risk it and made me stay home in quarantine. It's probably just a really nasty cold, but we can never be too careful.

Anyway, just wanted to send some love out there. We'll get through this eventually, but let's all be really careful so we can minimize the damage and it goes by as fast as possible.

Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Abraço :)

Chapter 22

"You can come in now," Dennee called hurriedly over her shoulder, knowing they didn't have much time before the Mord'Sith died in agony.

Estalt, Bryus and Thoros entered the room, momentarily taken aback by the scene they encountered.

"She must be in horrible pain already," Thoros commented with a furrowed brow as he looked with some reluctance at the way Cara clawed at the carpet in anguish but never diverted her adoring eyes from Dennee.

"Then don't waste time with pity," Dennee chastised. "I can assure you she deserves none," she said and turned to look at Cara. "You will answer truthfully to anything these men ask you," she commanded.

"I will, Mistress," Cara assured and looked expectantly at the wizards, gritting her teeth in obvious pain.

"Who is Sarah?" Estalt asked with no more delay.

"She's mine and Kahlan's daughter; she travelled back from the future to look for her sister Alys, which in turn had been shoved into a portal to the past by a wizard named Farkas," she relayed efficiently, but not being able to stop the tears falling down her cheeks.

"Search inside yourself, you will be able to feel it and tell me," Thoros started. "Are you under the influence of any spell or illusion?" he asked the question that had forced their hand to resort to confessing this woman.

Cara glanced at Dennee and after an encouraging nod from the Confessor, the blonde paused for a moment, seeming to be assessing something. After a couple seconds, that to them felt like an eternity, the anguished Mord'Sith replied with obvious difficulty; not being able anymore to support her weight, she toppled to the side.

"No," she wheezed, looking up at them. "I'm under no spell or illusion of any kind," she confirmed, making the wizards pale and glance at Dennee to see her reaction.

The Confessor couldn't take her eyes of Cara. Being now sure that her sister and her companions were not under the influence of any spell, she felt conflicted. She had done what she though was right, protecting her sister was at the forefront of her thoughts; but she was no fool, she knew Kahlan would not be pleased with Cara's fate. Could it be possible that the monster that had killed her and her family, could have actually changed? Did she make a mistake? If she did, it was for the greater good, it was for her sister; Kahlan would understand her reasoning eventually. Looking at the dying woman, she couldn't help one more question before Cara succumbed; she kneeled close to the Mord'Sith and whispered.

"Do you regret what you did on Valeria?" she asked. "Do you regret killing all those Confessors?" she looked deep into the blonde's eyes.

"I do, Mistress," Cara vowed, her face contorting in an expression of pure regret as she gasped for air. "Darken Rahl ordered me to do it and I did it, but it didn't feel right; that's one of the reasons why I helped Richard to kill him," she managed to say, tears streaming down her face, before she let out a scream of pure agony and her body stilled lifeless on the floor.

"Back so soon, my dear," Darken Rahl's voice sounded behind her, the arrogant smirk discernable in his tone.

"Missed me?" Cara quipped, looking around at the various bodies contorting in agony around her. "I see you did nothing to improve the décor," she sniffed disgustingly before she turned to face her former master.

"It's a little grim, but one gets used to it," he shrugged calmly. "Unless one wants to make a deal for the second time," he hinted, the smirk never leaving his face.

"I'll pass," the blonde said, tilting her head and putting her hands on her hips, not one bit intimidated by Rahl. "Being a baneling was much to tiring for me, tight schedule; I prefer not to be tied down to anything," she smirked back at him, her lips pursing in a defiant pout.

"But apparently you were enjoying being tied down to someone," he said and was rewarded with a stare, the Mord'Sith meeting his challenge head on; not that he was expecting anything else.

"I see your new friend Farkas has kept you informed about the gossip," she raised one eyebrow. "How exactly did you meet?" she tilted her head in curiosity. "Come on, you can tell me," she said with an indifferent shrug. "It's not like I'll spill the beans," she reasoned, looking pointedly up at the massive dome of the gigantic cavern.

"No, that I can assure you," he said with gusto before continuing. "The wizard Farkas and I have similar interests," he began. "Since that last prophecy appeared on the walls of the Palace of the Prophets, I've been trying to kill the Mother Confessor," he explained unnecessarily. "Seemed to me like a good way to stop her pure heart from beating," he shrugged with a wicked half smile.

"So, you fooled us into thinking two of your little experiments were our daughters," she started, looking Rahl up and down. "Playing on our emotions to help the little freaks worm their way to Aydindril and seize power to themselves, or should I say, to you; and letting the wizard kill Kahlan in the meantime," she continued. "I gotta give it you, that was an intricate plan," she nodded impressed.

"Little experiments?" he furrowed his brow in thought. "Who are you talking about?" he asked, already having an inkling.

"The two girls that appeared out of nowhere and claim to be mine and Kahlan's daughters," Cara clarified. "Coming from the future nonetheless," she rolled her eyes for good measure.

"Oh, my dear Cara," Darken Rahl said. "Always ready to assume the worst of me," he shook his head slowly. "I'm hurt," the man mocked, looking closely at the Mord'Sith's reaction.

"It's not true?" Cara challenged, not looking convinced. "You're telling me you have never broken Confessor children into Mord'Sith?" Cara asked, trying desperately to prevent hope from showing on her face and maintaining an air of boredom.

"Oh, I did," he confirmed, smirking even more when he noticed the disappointment that flashed in green eyes, even if Cara was doing a very good job of schooling her features. "I just never had satisfying results, they all ended up dead eventually," he finally revealed after a dramatic pause, shrugging indifferently.

"Then it is true," Cara smiled, letting her features relax. "They really are our daughters and travelled back in time," she lifted her head disbelievingly to look at Darken Rahl.

"Well, not anymore they won't," Rahl's smirk grew even bigger if that could be possible as Cara's smile fell. "You're dead after all, my dear Cara," he recalled. "Those girls are already dead without knowing, they will never be born after all," he shrugged, enjoying Cara's worried frown.

Kahlan's head shot up in alarm when she heard the gut-wrenching scream down the hall. She was coming back from the dungeons, to the room she had left earlier, so she could talk to Cara and patch things up between them. But the moment she heard that scream, she knew the horrible sound had come from Cara and her blood ran cold. She darted down the hall and froze at the threshold of the room, seeing Cara's body lying on the ground while the wizards and her sister stood beside it.

"Cara!" she shouted in horror as she ran to the blonde's side, dropping to her knees and turning Cara around so her lover's upper body was lying limp on her lap. "Cara, no! Talk to me!" she screamed while she shook the blonde.

Kahlan couldn't believe what was happening. She lay her ear on Cara's chest, desperate to hear the comforting thump she was used to; but all she heard was a terrifying silence. Cara was dead in her arms; the green eyes she got used to seek comfort from, now closed permanently.

"What have you done?" she demanded in a hoarse voice, her tearful eyes immediately going to her sister.

"You have to understand, Kahlan," Dennee started to said, but not really managing to stay unaffected in the face of her sister's despair, as well as the hint of black she could spot appearing in the blue eyes. "We had to know for sure, it was the only way we had to be sure of the truth," she reasoned, pleading wither eyes for Kahlan to understand her motives.

"You confessed her?" Kahlan presumed in a disbelieving whisper, looking from her sister to the wizards.

"It was the only option we had to know if you were under a spell without putting you or the girl in danger," Estalt explained, but took a fearful step back when Kahlan focused her attention on him; black swirling more strongly in her irises as her grief consumed her.

"Kahlan!" Richard called in confusion after barging through the door, Zedd close behind him. "What happened? We heard a scream," he said but stopped as he took in the scene in front of him, not needing an explanation anymore as he spotted Cara's lifeless body in Kahlan's arms.

"Richard," Kahlan pleaded for help, lost between anger, grief and desperation; her eyes using the Seeker's as an anchor in a desperate attempt to prevent herself from losing control.

"Sarah," Zedd said ungently after assessing the gravity of the situation and knowing they didn't have much time before Cara's body went cold. "The girl can give her the Breath of Life," he said with hope in his voice, but furrowed when he saw Kahlan shaking her head sadly.

"She can't," Kahlan hiccupped and hugged Cara to her; desperation and heartache clouding her mind to anything else right now. "She told me she was never able to do it," she continued crying, without realizing that the tiny pool of tears on Cara's leathers materialized into a little shiny stone.

"I can't accept that," Richard shook his head, his always present optimism fueling him. "Release Sarah right now, or we'll do it ourselves," Richard demanded as he unsheathed his sword, Zedd threateningly igniting his hand on fire beside him.

Dennee nodded towards the guards at the door, giving her authorization for the girl to be brought to her. Richard wasted no time, he grabbed the guard's collar and shoved him in the direction of the dungeons, the Sword of Truth a very good encouragement for the man to run as fast as he could.

Alys sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. She cried alone for some time, grieving for her mom and loosing hope in ever getting out of here. But gradually she had calmed down, a good cry always had that effect on her, and she started to think a little clearer. Even when things looked bleak, she couldn't give up. 'Especially when things look bleak', she remembered her mom saying to her once. With this though in mind, she cleaned her face of tears the best she could and looked around to look for an opportunity to get out of here. Farkas had left for a while now. After he was gone, two Mord'Sith had entered the hut, watching her wearily and keeping their distance. The wizard had most likely instructed them to guard her.

"So," Alys started conversationally, sucking her teeth distractedly. "You're supposed to guard me?" she asked the two Mord'Sith that stood in front of her.

Since none of the women replied, she tried her luck again. She could talk all day, that didn't bother her; but she could bet that it bothered the Mord'Sith.

"I see, not big talkers, are you?" the girl sighed boringly. "Bet you're not big fighters either," the little Confessor mumbled musingly.

"What did you say, girl?" one of the Mord'Sith bristled predictably, making Alys's lips twitch in a little victorious smile.

"I'm just saying you must be the less competent Mord'Sith available," she continued nonchalantly. "How hard can it be to guard a child, with her hands chained to the wall and a Rada'Han around her neck?" she asked rhetorically, observing the growing irritation in the women's faces at the dismissive way she talked about them.

"What an acerbic tongue you have, little girl," one of them said, pulling out the agiel at her waist. "I wonder if you would talk like that with this glued to your gut," she threatened, the agiel whirring lowly as she got it closer to Alys's stomach.

Before the Mord'Sith could see it coming, Alys spat on her face, startling the now enraged Mord'Sith into shoving the agiel against the girl's stomach. Alys screamed as soon as the weapon touched her, the whales of the agiel mixing with her cries.

"Not so disrespectful now, are we?" the Mord'Sith mocked, kicking Alys's shoulder to make her roll on her back, after the girl had curled into a protective ball on the floor.

"It's easy to talk when you're beating a child chained to a wall," Alys replied insolently. "That's all the Mord'Sith do after all, isn't it?" she accused, spitting out blood, she must have bitten the inside of her lip. "I would love to see you do the same to me if my hands were free," she challenged, looking defiantly at her captor.

The Mord'Sith looked at her companion, both sharing a sadistic laugh.

"If it's pain you want, little girl," she said, picking up the key to the chains and freeing Alys. "We are more than willing to give it to you," she promised, sticking the agiel against the child's stomach and marveling at the screams she heard as the Confessor dropped to the floor again.

Alys kept screaming, the Mord'Sith was furious with her comments and was bent on giving her a lesson. The girl clawed at the wood floor under her, screaming some more until the screams morphed into amused laughter.

This completely out of place reaction confused the Mord'Sith, but the woman's stubbornness made her push the weapon even more against the girl's body, in an attempt to shut her up. But before she could react, the girl closed both hands over the agiel, effectively keeping it against her stomach and using the pulling momentum of the Mord'Sith to get up.

"Oops," she smirked at the surprised woman. "Forgot to tell you these things don't hurt me much," she quipped before using the surprise effect to wrench the weapon from the woman's hand, flip it and shove it with all the force she could muster against the Mord'Sith's heart, the high pitched hum of the weapon testimony to the pain it was causing it's owner.

With one final gasp, the red clad woman dropped dead at the blonde's feet. Alys twirled her newly acquired weapon in her hand and tilted her head in challenge at the remaining Mord'Sith. At first the woman just stared at her in shock, but that lasted only a second, for the next moment the woman lunged at her and Alys was dodging attacks left and right. The Mord'Sith obviously was not expecting her to be so quick and nimble, least of all to be able to wield an agiel. Alys avoided trading direct blows, for she new the woman could take her in a sheer force confrontation, so she used all the evasive maneuvers she acquired from her training, admitting ruefully to herself that they did come in handy. In a move, that she recognized probably had much to do with skill as it had with pure luck, she managed to swipe the Mord'Sith's legs from under her, the agiel leaving the woman's grip with the impact of her hand on the ground. Sarah wasted no time and surrounded the Mord'Sith's exposed neck with her bare hand, fixing her eyes on the woman's and watching terror cross the Mord'Sith's face; surely expecting to be confessed.

"Rada'Han remember, stupid?" Sarah jested with a smirk and with a skillful movement of her wrist, plunged the agiel directly in the Mord'Sith's heart, killing her too.

She panted tiredly and got up with some difficulty. Next, she carefully approached both bodies to make sure the Mord'Sith were really dead, taking a deep calming breath after confirming it.

"Creator and all the Spirits in the whole wide world!" she cursed in a low voice. "I can't believe I actually killed them both!" she whispered to herself in awe.

Picking at the Rada'Han around her neck, Alys frowned in annoyance and looked at the hook on the wall where she had seen Farkas hang the key earlier. Smiling victoriously after spotting the wanted item hanging there, she stepped over the bodies to get it.

"Wait till Sarah hears about this," she mused to herself as she approached the wall. "Killing two Mord'Sith and managing to escape all on my own, it will get me bragging rights for ages!" she grinned as she stretched her arm to get the key, but her grin quickly disappeared and she lightly banged her head on the wall in frustration.

She couldn't reach the key.

The girl placed the agiel she was still holding on a nearby table and looked around for something that could help her reach the hook. Spotting a chair, she promptly went to retrieve it, mumbling a soft 'sorry' after she bumped the head of one of the bodies while dragging the chair towards the wall.

"Maybe leaving this bit out when I tell Sarah is a good idea," she pondered to herself, climbing the chair to finally get the key. "She teases me enough about being short, no need to give her more ammunition," she grinned when she heard the satisfying click of the Rada'Han being opened and threw the binding collar to the ground.

Hopping out of the chair, she grabbed the agiel back and took a step towards the door, but halted, looking behind her. She backtracked and picked up the other agiel lying forgotten on the floor, smiling down at the weapon.

"This is better," she said to herself, testing the weapon's weight in both her hands. With a cautious look at the surrounding area, she left the hut and took off in the direction of the tall towers she could see beyond the trees ahead.

"Just run, little thing, run," she whispered encouragingly, unconsciously comforting herself with the term her sister frequently used to address her, and kept running to find shelter.

"Sarah!" Richard shouted as he got to the girl's cell. "You need to come with me right now, it's Cara," he gulped, hurrying the guard with his eyes as the man struggled slightly to get the right key to open the cell.

"What happened?" Sarah questioned, perceiving the urgency in the Seeker's tone.

"She's dead," he said without preamble, pulling open the door of the cell once unlocked. "You have to move fast," he urged and pulled the girl with him as they ran back towards the room.

At hearing her mother was dead, Sarah sprinted as fast as she could, tears burning her eyes as a sense of déjà vu took over her. They both stormed inside the room and Sarah stopped in her tracks as she saw her mom lying dead in her mother's arms.

"No, please, not again," Sarah whimpered as she approached them and fell to her knees opposite Kahlan.

"You need to give her the Breath of Life, Sarah," Zedd urged the girl, coming to stand behind her and looking worriedly at Cara's body.

"But… but I can't do it," she hiccupped, fisting her hand in her mom's leathers as if begging her with the gesture to wake up. "I was never able to do it," she shook her head in despair.

"Sweetie, look at me," Kahlan's tired voice got her attention. "Just try it, that's all you can do," she smiled weakly, and squeezed the girl's hand encouragingly.

Sarah looked from Kahlan to Cara's body and nodded once, taking a deep breath before trying to revive her mother. She lowered herself over Cara's lips and slightly parted her own, willing some force she didn't really know how to tap into, to leave her lips in a reviving breath. She paused for an anxious second… but nothing happened.

Sarah exhaled dejectedly and squeezed her eyes shut is frustration, as she struggled to breath. The teen jumped slightly when she felt a pair of cold hands encircle her head; fingers gently pressing into her temples and emanating a sense of calmness that was gradually helping her focus.

"Don't fight the magic, Sarah, let it calm you down," Zedd instructed the nervous teen, nodding encouragingly at Kahlan. "Now focus and try again," the wizard prompted, observing expectantly with the others.

And try again she did. Sarah took a deep breath and lowered herself again towards her motionless mother; this time a faint, but visible, glowing breath left Sarah's lips and entered Cara's.

Darken Rahl was enjoying himself immensely as he watched the silent blonde's expression twist and turn as she thought about what he had confirmed to her and the implications of it all. But his amusement left way to confusion as he noticed Cara's body slowly become transparent.

"Looks like my ride back is here," Cara said pleased, looking down at her increasingly translucent body. "Took a little longer than I was expecting, but thank you for the intel," she said, a mocking smirk appearing on her lips as her previous worried expression disappeared quickly.

"Well played, my dear Cara; I do not like to lose," Darken Rahl said slowly, realizing that Cara had made him reveal information she wanted to know. "But it's good to see my little brother's company has not dulled your strategic mind," he added with a half-smile.

"You and your wizard friend should get together more often to discuss your moves," Cara suggested. "It's so indecorous to unintentionally reveal other people's plans," she shook her head slowly.

As the Mord'Sith's body disappeared from the Underworld, the last thing Rahl saw was Cara's victorious smirk and the mock salute the blonde threw at him.

"Just one battle," he shrugged indifferently, certain that time was on his side. "I'll get you all eventually, one way or another," he said to himself as he walked away.

Cara gasped as she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Kahlan's relieved smile above her. As she turned her head to the side, she saw Sarah's astounded face, mouth slightly hanging open.

"Cara!" Kahlan gasped and hugged the blonde to herself. "Are you okay?" she asked as she let go of the embrace to cup Cara's cheek carefully, relieved when the blonde nodded slowly and kissing her soundly on the lips.

"Now that's a breath of life," Cara whispered with a very pleased smirk on her lips, making Kahan shake her head fondly, before turning to look at Sarah. "Took you long enough," Cara said dryly. "If you knew how bad the Underworld smells and the dreadful company one has there, you would have hurried," she ended with a playful wink at the still stunned teen.

"You are okay if you're berating people already," Zedd said with a scoff, sharing a relieved look with Richard now that their friend was well and alive.

Cara chuckled and tried to get up, but found herself unable to do it gracefully. She squeezed Kahlan's hand thankfully as the brunette noticed her struggle and pushed her up without anyone really noticing.

"So, did you learn everything you wanted?" she asked matter-of-factly, her intense look piercing Dennee.

"We did," Dennee gulped and had the decency to lower her eyes.

"And?" Cara tilted her head, waiting for the Confessor to continue.

"You are under no spell or illusion," Dennee confirmed, looking around at the others and not really letting her eyes stay too long on Kahlan's.

"As we have told you from the moment we got here," Kahlan stressed, now that the scare had passed, her anger was making its presence known. "But you decided that the right thing to do was confess her, to be sure?" Kahlan looked at her sister in disappointment as Dennee opened and closed her mouth without saying anything.

"Oh well, I have always wondered if what they say was true," Cara started with levity. "Turns out death by confession is indeed the worst of fates," she nodded and suddenly got threateningly close to Dennee. "But don't you even think of trying that stunt on me again; you won't be able to succeed and I won't kill you so swiftly this time," she warned the Confessor.

"Cara," Richard said suspiciously, a small smile forming. "Did you let Dennee confess you on purpose?" the Seeker asked, making every pair of eyes snap to Cara in bewilderment.

"They wanted answers and weren't believing us in the slightest," she shrugged, as if she had done nothing out of the ordinary. "Plus, I wanted to run the other theory by Darken Rahl, once I got down there," she continued, immensely enjoying the shocked look on Dennee's face. "I was sure the kid here would bring me back, so the way I see it, win-win," she finished simply with a small smile directed at Sarah.

The smile died on her lips as soon as she turned to face Kahlan. Her lover was definitely not happy with this so-called win-win situation, and Cara could tell just by the shared look between them that Kahlan would have words with her once they were alone.

"Just when I think you can't be more reckless," Zedd chuckled in amused incredulity. "I don't know if that was either really brave or incredibly stupid," he shook his head, knowing which one the Mord'Sith chose just by the proud smirk on her face.

"The method we used was indeed unorthodox," Estalt interrupted, bringing everyone's attention to the problem at hand. "But we had to be sure, Mother Confessor," he said, his head slightly bowed in deference to Kahlan. "We could not risk you, or the girls, in the eventual possibility that they could be related to you," he finished apologetically.

"To us," Kahlan pointed out through a clenched jaw. "The girls are related to me and Cara, and you still put them in danger of not even being born," she said with barely kept anger.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Bryus started, obviously not wanting to provoke the Mother Confessor but feeling like he needed to point out what they were ignoring. "But there's still the possibility of these girls being Darken Rahl's paws, we can't be sure they're yours," he stated, looking wearily at a very confused Sarah.

"And I'm not sorry to disappoint you," Cara addressed the wizard with a false sweet smile. "But as I was saying, before being interrupted," she said with a glare to Richard. "I had a little chat with Darken Rahl and he confirmed to me that yes, he had tried to break Confessor children before," she said as the others gasped. "Nonetheless he never succeeded, the children died young," she said with finality.

"How can we be sure that's true?" Dennee asked.

"Want to confess me again?" Cara snapped.

"I didn't mean to imply you were lying," Denne said calmly, obviously not wanting to anger the Mord'Sith even more. "I was talking about Rahl," she clarified.

"He was telling the truth," Cara said surely. "There's nothing the man likes more than to boost when he has the upper hand," she said. "And he thought I was very distraught, so he took the opportunity to mock me, realizing too late that he was being played and telling me what I wanted to know," she explained with pride.

"We can all agree that the girls are telling the truth then?" Richard asked. "And we are under no spell that distorts our perception of reality?" he added.

"The matter has been entirely clarified, I would say," Thoros said, clearing his throat as he approached Cara. "I apologize to you, I hope you understand our motives, but nonetheless we harmed you," he bowed his head slightly in apology, only getting a stiff nod from Cara, but Kahlan was not about to let this go so easily.

"You killed her," the Mother Confessor stressed. "Euphemisms won't minimize what you did," Kalan pointedly said.

"Not a single one of you thought about looking at me, then looking at her," Sarah said, pointing to herself and then to Cara. "Then looking back at me and just plain notice the resemblance?" the teen questioned, motioning to her face.

"Looks can be deceiving," Bryus automatically said and cleared his throat awkwardly as he noticed the glare Kahlan was sending his way.

"I wouldn't keep provoking my mother, if I were you," Sarah warned, shaking her head, as she also noticed Kahlan's irritation.

"I think we would all benefit from some time to rest," Zedd interrupted, before heads rolled. "Maybe we should meet in a while to-," the wizard started but was abruptly interrupted by Cara, something he was rather used to by now.

"I don't need any rest," Cara argued. "I've died before, multiple times," she said indifferently. "What we need is to find Alys," she stated, getting a vigorous nod from Sarah.

"Unfortunately, we have no way to contact Farkas," Zedd said. "Without him, we have no idea where Alys is," he shrugged.

"He has to be near the city," Sarah estimated. "He said he was taking Alys close to Aydindril," she said, looking expectantly at both her mothers.

"I could send soldiers out to search for the girl," Dennee hurriedly said, clearly trying to find a way to redeem herself to her sister.

"I will not send anyone out," Kahlan said, making sure Dennee got the message that the Mother Confessor was in charge of Aydindril, not her sister. "They would do more harm than good, Farkas could kill Alys if he feels cornered," she explained, seeing the others nod in agreement.

"Then what?" Sarah questioned. "We just wait around for him to reach out to us?" she asked, clearly not happy with the plan.

"Yes, sweetie, it's the best thing we can do for now," Kahlan said, her voice softening as she addressed the teen. "Meanwhile, I have to talk to your mom," she said, making Cara cringe internally.

"We'll leave you to it," Denne said, already making her way towards the exit, followed close by the wizards. "We can talk about how to get Alys after," she promised, looking at Kahlan.

"This conversation isn't over, Dennee," Kahlan said seriously, watching Dennee nod her head in understanding and leave the room with the wizards.

Kahlan kept her eyes on the retreating party until they completely left the room. The brunette was so angry right now, how could Dennee have killed the woman she loved so recklessly? And how could Cara have let her do it? The brunette was having a hard time figuring out who she was madder at. She was brough out of her thoughts by Zedd's voice.

"You did good, child," the wizard congratulated Sarah with a smile as he patted her shoulder amicably.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at Zedd before turning to Cara. "How did you know I would be able to bring you back?" Sarah asked curiously.

"I guess this faith thing rubbed off on me after spending so much time with them," Cara said, motioning with her eyes to the remaining three adults in the room as she stepped closer to Sarah. "Thank you though, if it weren't for you, I would be dead," she smiled, an honest smile that she rarely showed with so much public.

"I was really scared," Sarah confided as she hugged Cara. "But I did it," she sighed. "If only I had…" she hugged Cara tighter, leaving unsaid what the others could guess; she regretted not having tried it on Cara, on her own timeline, after the woman died in her arms.

"Oh sweetie, you had no way of knowing, you did your very best," Kahlan rubbed circles on the distraught girl's back as she shared a sad knowing look with Cara. "Besides, you had Zedd's help today," she pointed out, looking thankfully to the wizard.

"Right, what exactly did you do to me?" she asked turning to Zedd.

"I just helped you focus," Zedd explained. "Mord'Sith magic is much more calculating than that of a Confessor's, which has a higher connection to their emotions," he said. "Your spiraling emotions made you go into the Con Dar earlier; but to accomplish giving the Breath of Life, you needed to be on the other end of the spectrum, completely calm and focused," he watched as understanding came over the teen's eyes.

"I was anything but calm when I watched my mom die and Alys be thrown into that portal," she realized, receiving an understanding nod from Zedd.

"Well, why don't we take Zedd's advice and have a little rest to collect ourselves," Richard suggested with a smile. "And then we find a way to get Alys back," he said.

"We should do that," Kahlan agreed with Richard, cupping Sarah's cheek and kissing the teen's other cheek tenderly. "I'm sure Farkas knows I'm here already and he will make some form of contact," she reassured the young brunette. "Have some rest for now; I'll talk to your mom," she said, watching by the corner of her eye as Cara stiffened. "And we'll see you soon," she assured.

"Okay," Sarah nodded and hugged Kahlan. "Thanks mommy," she smiled warmly, finally being able to be open with Kahlan.

Sarah stepped into Cara's arms next and hugged her tightly, extremely pleased that the woman hugged her just as tight.

"I told you you were good at this comforting thing," Sarah said in Cara's ear, making the blonde chuckle good-naturedly. "And by the way," she continued, whispering conspiratorially in Cara's ear. "Mommy's going to bite your head off," she said, barely able to keep from laughing.

"I know," Cara simply said, squeezing her daughter one more time as the girl grinned and stepped away from her.

"We'll leave you too," Richard said. "Me and Zedd are going to walk around, see if we can pick up anything," he suggested, looking at his grandfather as the wizard nodded in agreement.

They left the room, Sarah close behind them. None of them noticed as the teen bent down to pick something shiny from the floor that had attracted her attention; seemed like a little stone, very shiny. Absentmindedly, she put it in one of her leather's tiny pockets and left her mothers to talk.

"How could you let her confess you?" Kahlan wasted no time in asking, as their bedroom's door closed.

"I didn't," Cara said simply, hands up in a pacifying gesture.

"You didn't?" Kahlan raised one eyebrow, her hands going to her hips. "You just boasted to everyone about your big brilliant plan of being confessed by my sister," she said, starting to pace back and forth. "You subjected yourself to an extremely painful death, so you could go to the Underworld and clarify some things with Darken Rahl," she continued, getting more furious by the second. "And you hoped that Sarah, who had told you before couldn't give the Breath of Life, would bring you back," Kahlan finished, stopping her pacing abruptly and looking at a very still Cara. "Did I miss anything?" she asked.

Kahlan's emotions had taken a full turn in the last few hours. She went from confusion, to anger, to panic, to despair, to regret, to bliss and to anger again in a really small amount of time. She was still processing what had happened in the last minutes; she was incredibly grateful and relieved that Cara was alive, but knowing the Mord'Sith had willingly put her life in danger like that, in such a definite way, left her angrier at Cara than anyone else, because Cara had been the one responsible for taking away the most important person to her, Cara herself.

"Can you please stop ranting and listen to me?" Cara said, slowly approaching the visibly upset brunette.

"Ranting?" Kahlan said exasperated, watching as Cara got closer and closer to her. "How can you have such a frivolous attitude about this?" the brunette protested, refusing to let the blonde get away with this behavior.

Cara had no intention of upsetting Kahlan even more. She had already said some things she regretted, mainly voicing her doubts about the veracity of Kahlan's feelings for her. As if she hadn't done enough already, this dying thing was not playing in her favor either; but the thing was, Cara couldn't help but be distracted, a furious Kahlan was always, without exception, a very sexy Kahlan.

So, while the brunette kept accusing her of Creator knew what – she was having a little difficulty concentrating on the words – Cara cupped Kahlan's face while she was still talking and silenced her with a kiss.

Kahlan immediately melted into the kiss, her arms going on their own accord around Cara's back, pulling the blonde to her. As her lover pressed her plump lips to hers, not really moving, Kahlan felt the urgency behind it, as well as the peaceful feeling of being with the one you loved.

Cara pulled herself away just enough to look into the brunette's eyes and watched as a lone tear fell and was caught in her gloved fingers. She captured Kahlan's lips again, sighing as she felt her lover kiss her back with a fervor that was a reflection of the fear the brunette surely felt moments before.

"I hate to see you cry," Cara whispered against the Confessor's lips, using her fingers to wipe Kahlan's cheeks gently.

"You've told me that before," Kahlan whispered back, her forehead resting against Cara's.

"And yet I caused it," the blonde said with a frown.

"You can't expect me to condone this crazy decision of yours," Kahlan shook her head, moving away from Cara to look into her eyes seriously. "This was too reckless, Cara," she said, her voice gaining momentum.

"What I was trying to tell you," Cara began, gently putting a silencing finger on Kahlan's lips. "Is that I didn't do it on purpose, your sister did catch me by surprise," she revealed, watching as Kahlan's eyes widened.

"How could my sister catch you by surprise?" Kahlan asked disbelievingly. "How can anyone catch you by surprise, I thought that was impossible," she said.

"Thank you for the confidence," Cara grinned, earning herself a slap on the arm as Kahlan was impatiently waiting for an explanation. "I just never thought she had the courage to pull off something like that," she said. "I assumed that if she wanted to kill me, she would have done it after we resurrected Richard," she continued. "How could I know confessing me would shed any light on this matter?" she shrugged.

"Then why did you make them think you let her confess you?" Kahlan started to ask, but as she watched the blonde raise a single eyebrow, realization dawned on her. "You had to have the upper hand, Creator forbid the great Cara Mason was actually bested," she said.

"I was not bested!" Cara automatically denied. "She caught me off guard, that's all," she said, clearly ashamed. "And besides, that's not it," she continued. "Not entirely anyway," she admitted after Kahlan fixed her with a knowing look. "Better to let her and those wizards know they can't play us; if they try something like that again, they'll think twice, knowing that we'll probably be two steps ahead," she concluded.

"My Cara, always the strategist," Kahlan smiled, lifting one hand to caress the blonde's cheek.

Kahlan's words made something stir inside her. The fear she had felt before, when she pondered the idea of Kahlan's feelings for her being part of some illusion casted upon them, had nothing against the fear she felt right before being confessed, the fear of losing Kahlan for certain. She couldn't help the tears that brimmed in her eyes as she recalled the anguish she had felt knowing there was nothing she could do to prevent leaving Kahlan's side.

"Yours," Cara simply said, a lone tear sliding down her cheek.

"As I'm yours," Kahlan confirmed, quietly but surely, searching Cara's face closely while giving the blonde some time, knowing she needed it to deal with what she was feeling.

"I'm sorry for what I've told you before," Cara started, taking Kahlan's hands in her own and looking deeply into blue eyes. "I never should have doubted your feelings for me," she admitted.

"No, you really shouldn't have," Kahlan said pointedly. "But I understand why you did," her voice softening. "What we have is so intense that I forget that is also relatively new," she said with a small smile. "And I'm not just talking about time, I never felt this way about anyone, Cara," she clarified.

"Me neither, as I'm sure you can guess," the Mord'Sith said with a rueful smile.

"I know, that's why I also want to apologize to you," Kahlan said. "I know how difficult it is for you to open up and make yourself vulnerable," she continued, lifting one hand to comb her fingers soothingly through Cara's hair. "And I have to admit that what my sister told us wasn't entirely preposterous, I also found myself having doubts when I went down to talk to Sarah," she admitted with a sigh.

"You did?" Cara asked, moving her free hand to Kahlan's lower back, pulling the brunette closer to her. "But you seemed so resolute," she said, her head tilting slightly to the side.

"I was letting my fear talk for me," Kahlan acknowledged. "I think the mere hypothesis that what we have could be the result of an illusion, blocked my ability to think clearly," she shook her head, letting her hand drop to rest on Cara's chest.

"So, we both let the fear of the same thing control us," Cara started, surrounding Kahlan's waist with her arms. "But each of us went in an opposite direction."

"You couldn't believe and I couldn't let go," Kahlan agreed, lifting her other hand to caress the blonde's nape hair. "Neither was the ideal and we ended up hurting each other," the brunette said, kissing Cara's cheek softly and making small circles with her fingers on the blonde's chest.

"Next time we'll just have to find the middle ground," Cara chuckled, enjoying her lover's sweet caresses.

"We'll learn together, I'm sure of it," Kahlan said confidently, pausing her caresses and looking deeply into the bright green eyes in front of her. "Just promise me you'll be careful with yourself," she pleaded as much with her voice as with her eyes. "When I heard you scream and then saw you lying there-" she closed her eyes tightly and her voice broke with emotion.

"Hey, hey, look at me," Cara requested in a soothing whisper, cupping Kahlan's chin and making the brunette meet her eyes.

Cara looked deep into Kahlan's eyes, letting her own walls fall before the Confessor. She knew already that being with Kahlan was the scariest thing she has ever done; but after waking up again in the Underworld, not really knowing if Sarah would be able to bring her back, she was surer than ever that she would do anything to be with Kahlan. The feelings she was taught to identify as weaknesses, next to this woman only made her stronger; she would fight against her old instincts and let Kahlan lead her when she felt her insecurities hold her back again. She would follow Kahlan and grow with her.

"I'm right here," Cara assured, kissing Kahlan's lips reassuringly. "I'm not going to leave you," she promised in between soft kisses.

"You better not," Kahlan warned with a smile, tracing Cara's lower lip gently with her finger. "I don't want to feel like that ever again," she mused, her eyes suddenly loosing focus as she went inside her head.

"Stop," Cara simply said, kissing the brunette's wandering finger and watching as Kahlan focused her eyes questioningly on her again. "I know what you are thinking about, don't," the blonde insisted.

"When Sarah told us about how she watched you die in the future, she yelled at me saying I had no idea how bad I would feel," Kahlan recalled as Cara rubbed comforting circles on her lower back. "Now I know," she shrugged weakly.

"All you need to know is that I'm right here in front of you," Cara insisted.

"I'm sorry, you're right," Kahlan shook her head. "Too many intense emotions, my mind just got away from me," she said, taking a deep breath.

"I love you," Cara said softly, watching Kahlan's worried expression soften.

"I love you, too," Kahlan replied with a watery smile, before pulling the blonde into a meaningful kiss.

Cara reciprocated the kiss with intensity, pulling the brunette even closer to her. She didn't care what the future had in store for them, all she cared about right now was making this amazing woman happy. All her life she was never afraid of dying, she lived to serve and if she succumbed it would have been while doing her duty. But now, if she was completely honest with herself, she was afraid of dying, she didn't want to leave Kahlan. But fearing death didn't meant she was afraid of living. With Kahlan by her side, she would never be afraid of life and of love.

"No more gloomy thoughts?" Cara questioned with a smile as she trailed kisses up Kahlan's jawline.

"Mmmm, no," Kahlan moaned, getting lost in the blonde's increasingly hot caresses. "You're very good at chasing any thoughts away," she guaranteed, her hand moving from Cara's chest to slid up the blonde's back and grab a leather clad shoulder.

"Glad to be of service," Cara chuckled and stepped away from Kahlan, smirking at the disappointed look on the brunette's flustered face.

Cara unbuckled her belt and let it fall to the floor, along with her agiels, watching Kahlan raise her brow in understanding. She then took off her gloves slowly, all the while enjoying Kahlan's barely kept eagerness. Not making her wait anymore, Cara placed her hands on Kahlan's hips and met the brunette's lips hungrily. She pushed Kahlan back until the brunette's backside hit a table behind her. Grinning into the kiss, Cara lowered her hands to caress the other woman's bottom, making her moan into the kiss; then she moved her hands to the back of Kahlan's thighs and pushed the brunette up on the table, not caring that the trinkets that were adorning it scattered to the floor.

Kahlan moaned into the kiss and opened her legs to accommodate Cara between them. She smiled when she heard the blonde's moan as she hooked one leg over Cara's hip and pulled the blonde against her center, while they kept kissing each other hotly. Kahlan needed this; she needed to feel Cara close to her, kissing her, loving her, to make sure her lover was here, alive, with her.

Cara trailed one hand up Kahlan's calf as she explored the brunette's mouth with her tongue, feeling Kahlan melt more and more in her arms. She continued to move her hand up the brunette's leg, slipping it under the hem of the dress to feel the soft skin beneath. She flattened her palm on Kahlan's muscular thigh, moaning as the brunette instinctively pulled her closer. Cara broke the intense kiss and trailed kisses down the brunette's neck, nipping at the juncture of Kahlan's neck and shoulder.

Kahlan hissed in pleasure as she felt her lover's teeth sink into her skin, not hard enough to break it, but hard enough to send a jolt directly to her center, making her press more into Cara. She tangled her fingers in blonde locks, as Cara lavished her neck with hot kisses. Her breathing was becoming shallower as she felt the blonde's hand move along the inside of her thigh, making her gasp when it cupped her center through her underwear.

"Want me to stop?" Cara asked mischievously on the brunette's ear, before trailing kisses along her jaw and watching Kahlan's eyes as she pressed her fingers against the brunette's clit.

"Don't you dare," Kahlan half said half moaned, as she bit her lower lip and put one of her hands flat on the table to push herself more against Cara's warm fingers.

Cara readily complied, starting a circling motion with her fingers on the brunette's clit and watching in delight as Kahlan arched her back, undulating her hips onto the blonde's fingers. The Mord'Sith supported Kahlan's lower back, never stopping her finger's motion as she bent to kiss and lick Kahlan's cleavage.

Kahlan whimpered when Cara's plum lips traveled along the top of her breasts, leaving scorching kisses and she went. Feeling a pleasant tingling in her lower stomach, Kahlan cupped the blonde's cheek to get her attention.

"Cara, wait," Kahlan said, making the blonde stop her ministrations and face her.

"Hmm?" Cara nipped at the brunette's lower lip with her teeth.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Kahlan smiled at her lover's playful bite and chuckled as Cara just looked blankly back at her. "Rada'Han," she mouthed to the blonde.

"Right," Cara said, finally understanding. "We don't want a repeat of earlier, it's definitely not pleasant," she said as she went to their bags to retrieve the Rada'Han.

"Please don't kill the mood," Kahlan said while watching her lover walk back to her, the needed item in her hand.

"Sorry," Cara said sheepishly, closing the metal collar around the brunette's neck. "How can I make it up to you?" she asked enticingly, rubbing Kahlan's exposed thighs and then lifting the brunette's legs to wrap them around her own waist.

"You can start by kissing me," Kahlan suggested, pulling Cara by the leather collar so she could capture the blonde's lips in a heated kiss, sighing contently at the perfect dance their lips already knew by heart. "And then," she whispered hotly against Cara's lips while she grabbed the blonde's hand and guided it under her dress. "You can make me scream your name," she finished, guiding Cara's hand under her underwear and prompting the blonde's fingers to resume their pleasant ministrations.

Cara bit her lower lip and exhaled the breath she had been holding while Kahlan spoke to her seductively and directed her hand. It marveled her how Kahlan could be so damn sexy and uninhibited with her; she always suspected the brunette had this fire inside her, but experiencing it first hand was always exhilarating. She pressed her fingers more firmly to Kahlan's clit and started to move them on her own as the brunette's hand left hers to cup her cheek and bring her back into a passionate kiss.

With a guttural moan, Kahlan arched her back and placed both hands flat on the table, pushing herself against Cara's fingers. The blonde left her lips to kiss a path down her neck, never stopping the circling motion of her fingers over the brunette's clit.

Cara clumsily unlaced the front of Kahlan's dress, loosening the fabric to give her more access to the brunette's ample breasts that were pushing against the black leather underneath. Sucking softly on a creamy mound, Cara eased one finger slowly inside Kahlan, feeling the brunette's walls squeeze her welcomingly.

"More," Kahlan begged huskily, her eyes getting darker with desire.

Cara wasted no time and slid another finger inside the brunette's warm center, biting her lip as Kahlan kept rubbing herself on the heel of her hand. Curling her fingers, Cara watched the brunette gasp in pleasure and let herself be guided by her lover back into an ardent kiss, groaning when Kahlan fisted her hair.

Kahlan kissed Cara with abandon, letting her tongue duel with the blonde's until she had to stop for air. Circling Cara's neck, the brunette pushed her body against her lover's as her movements became more erratic with the crescent wave of pleasure that she could feel coming.

Noticing how Kahlan was close to release, Cara sped up her thrusts and buried her face on the brunette's neck, sucking just under her earlobe until she felt Kahlan squeeze her fingers hard and freeze in her arms, while a wave of energy surged threw her.

"Cara!" Kahlan screamed, her eyes turning completely black, as her orgasm hit her with force. Panting, she whimpered as Cara's skillful fingers kept making her feel aftershocks until she finally calmed down and rested her forehead on the blonde's shoulder.

After making sure Kahlan was completely satisfied, Cara withdrew her fingers very slowly and hugged the brunette to her, kissing her neck soothingly. She needed this more than she realized; feeling Kahlan in her arms, giving herself completely to her, grounded and calmed her in a way nothing else could before. She kissed Kahlan's neck one last time before facing the content woman.

"What is it?" Kahlan asked while she pecked Cara's cheeks, after she noticed the pensive look on Cara's face.

"Your power feels good," Cara mused, surprising Kahlan.

"What do you mean?" Kahlan asked curiously, now more focused on what the blonde was saying.

"Your sister's power was really unpleasant," Cara started, seeing Kahlan frown but otherwise not interrupting her. "Like a massive shock to your whole body, it felt constricting and oppressive," she tried to explain the best she could what being confessed felt like. "But when you release your power it's like a warm wave," she said contemplatively. "Like I'm in a hot spring and a wave comes at me; it's soothing and relaxing," she smiled.

"That's probably because of the Rada'Han taming the power," Kahlan supposed, but couldn't help but smile at Cara's heartfelt description of her power.

"Probably," Cara agreed half-heartedly. "Or maybe it's because I'm so good even your power mellows under my touch," she shrugged, earning herself a slap on the shoulder.

"Why must you always be so smug?" the brunette's grinned.

"Oh please," Cara rolled her eyes playfully. "You love it," she teased, laughing when Kahlan shrugged in defeat.

As the women were enjoying each other's soft touches and playful banter, a knock was heard at the door.

"It's Sarah," the voice announced, before any of them could react. "Can I come in?"

Kahlan widened her eyes and pushed Cara off her, while starting to lace the front of her dress hurriedly.

"Get the key," Kahlan said urgently. When Cara didn't move immediately, she pointed to the Rada'Han still around her neck and pushed Cara forcefully towards their packs.

"Coming, coming" Cara appeased as she turned around to rummage in the pack. "Or not, apparently," she mumbled to herself.

"One second, sweetie," Kahlan shouted in the door's direction. "I heard you!" she whispered back to Cara.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Cara smirked, looking seductively over her shoulder, but quickly ducked to avoid the candle that flew at her head.

"Shut up and get the damn key already," Kahlan hurried, sighing in relief as Cara finally got the key and she opened the Rada'Han, placing it haphazardly on the table and went to open the door.

"Hey sweetie," she greeted her daughter warmly, "Come on in," she invited, opening the door wider to let the girl pass.

"Zedd sent me to get you so we could all eat something," she informed them, walking towards the center of the room. "He said all this worrying lowered his sugar levels," she chuckled, before noticing something shine on the table.

"What is a Rada'Han doing here?" Sarah asked curiously, peering at the object.

"I have no idea, it was already there when we got here," Kahlan quickly said and frowned when she saw Cara purse her lips and sigh.

Kahlan looked from Cara to Sarah, who did a double take and looked at her searchingly. Then she watched as the teen's face went from confused to shocked to embarrassed.

"You know what?" Sarah said, already turning to leave. "Forget I asked," she nodded to herself, not meeting her mother's eyes. "You just come when you're ready," she said, opening the door. "Outside! I meant, come outside when you're..." she gestured aimlessly and then just groaned in frustration, rolling her eyes and going out the door, still mumbling unintelligibly to herself.

"Creator," Kahlan sighed in relief when the door closed. "Do you think she noticed anything?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course not," Cara said with wide eyes. "You lied so well, after all," she said slowly, waiting for Kahlan to caught up and nodding slowly when the brunette slapped her forehead in realization.

"I lied to a Confessor," Kahlan groaned.

"Yes, how very clever of you," Cara teased. "And kind too, scarring the kid for life like that," she added with a mockingly impressed look.

"Spirits," Kahlan cursed, "It's all that leather, it confuses me! It's easier to remember with Alys," she mumbled. "Oh Creator, did our daughter just caught us having sex?" she gasped.

"We weren't having sex exactly," Cara disagreed. "Which is too bad, because it was going to be my turn," she pouted, but her eyes showed her mischievous intentions.

"Cara!" Kahlan admonished. "This is no laughing matter," she chastised, slapping Cara's hand away when the blonde tried to circle her waist.

"Well, serves you right," Cara stated, not fazed at all by Kahlan's attitude and circling the Confessor's waist again to pull her into a loose hug. "Have a taste of your own medicine for once" she grinned, clearly enjoying Kahlan's red face. "Next time let me do the talking, it will probably save the kid, and you, a lot of embarrassment," she chuckled and kissed Kahlan's pouty lips.

"Doesn't this bother you?" Kahlan asked, watching as Cara shrugged indifferently.

"There's very little that bothers me," Cara said. "Plus, I'm sure Sarah knows her parents have sex," she raised one eyebrow.

"It's one thing knowing, but it's another to be confronted by it," Kahlan stared at the blonde.

"Don't look at me like that," Cara warned. "You're the one that messed up this time," she grinned as Kahlan hide her face on the blonde's neck and groaned in much the same way Sarah had.

"Spirits, this is so awkward," she sighed.

"You're a big girl, I'm sure you'll get over it," Cara quipped, grinning when Kahlan just pinched her side in protest. "Are you still mad at me?" Cara whispered in the brunette's ear, her tone becoming more serious.

"No," Kahlan lifted her head and smiled at her lover. "Don't tell me you're disappointed?" she chuckled when Cara pouted again.

"It's just that you are so hot when you get angry," Cara said as she kissed Kahlan slowly. "And I was left high and dry here, don't you have any mercy?" the blonde asked, tilting her head.

"I see what you're doing here," Kahlan squinted playfully. "I said you're cute and now you're abusing that power," the brunette laughed when Cara just wiggled her eyebrows.

"Maybe," Cara said noncommittally. "Is it working?" she asked hopefully.

"No way," Kahlan shook her head. "We have somewhere to be, remember?" Kahlan said, turning around and starting to walk towards the bedroom door.

"Not so fast," Cara said, pulling Kahlan's hand so the brunette landed in her arms again and planted a short, but intense, kiss on the smiling lips.

Kahlan smiled and kissed Cara one last time, before they walked to the door hand in hand.