Author note: This story is part of the Magical Flashpoint Side Story series. It occurs during "The OMAC Project" and starts during Chapter 2: Last Men Standing.

Although all original characters belong to me, I do not own Flashpoint, Harry Potter, Narnia, or Merlin.

Lancelot Artorius Calvin, newly minted Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Calvin, sagged against the marble wall outside of Gringotts, ignoring the disdain from the goblin guards as he wiped at his eyes. Next to him, his sister sniffled and the young wizard automatically held out an arm, pulling the redhead close so they could grieve together. It had been bad enough when their parents had died, leaving them all alone in the world except for each other and a cousin they didn't even remember meeting. Somehow, this was worse. Uncle Greg had taken them in, given them a new home and a new family, and he'd fought for them so many times. But where had they been when he needed them? Busy sulking over the lies he'd been forced into telling them.

Yet again, Lance cursed himself for missing it. To the young man, it didn't matter that Uncle Greg's closest friends had missed it, too. He should've known…but he hadn't. And because he hadn't, his uncle had died alone, in a fire. Just like his parents. Because he'd missed it, he was now the eldest member of the Calvin family remaining. Dean didn't know about magic – and wasn't a wizard anyway – so he didn't count. Resentful, more at himself than anyone else, the new lord glared at the rings on his right hand. Two rings – because unlike virtually every other magical House in history, the Ancient and Noble House of Calvin descended from the First Ruling Line of Narnia. It was their greatest secret, above even their family magic, because that secret was the source of their Wild Magic.

The first ring was the traditional ring of a magical Lord even as it was unique to the House of Calvin: a gold and silver band set with a large alexandrite gem. Two animals were stamped into the gem, a tiny bronze gryphon and an equally tiny platinum phoenix. As a little boy, Lance had always wondered about the phoenix, but now he knew. The familial Animagus forms, out in plain sight for all to see, yet hidden because only those who already knew the truth would make the connection.

The second ring was much simpler…a small, delicate silver band that curled around his finger before rising, forming leaves that framed a diamond flower with six petals, the stones shining through the swirls of silver that defined the petals. Lance suspected it was a mithril ring, not silver, but what he knew, from family lore, was that the second ring had come from Narnia and been passed down in his family all through the ages. Its original meaning had been lost to time, but the ring itself remained, a final, proud defiant reminder of their heritage as not just Wild Mages or wizards, but royalty. A great honor, but also an even greater responsibility. The responsibility to be first in every desperate attack, last in every desperate retreat. To treat all with respect and dignity, regardless of their station in life. And to wear the finest clothes and laugh the loudest over the scantiest meal in the land when times of famine came.

Lance hated them both – he didn't want this. He wanted to be a happy, carefree teenager, more interested in girls and pranks than in learning how to be a lord. He wanted his parents to still be there, affectionate and chiding, but supporting him every step of the way as he sailed off to a career that would give him the experience and skills he needed to one day step into his father's role. He wanted his cousin-cum-uncle to still be there, stepping back as Regent, but ready and willing to help the uncertain new Head of House learn how to be a good one. In short, he wanted his family.

Instead there was just…him. And his sister, who needed a father more than ever after Uncle Greg's death. He couldn't give her that, much as he wished it could be different. Sighing, Lance checked his watch and winced. The meeting had taken a lot longer than he'd expected it to. Hopefully, Uncle Wordy and Aunt Shelley wouldn't be too mad at them for not checking in and letting them know.

"Lance?"

"Yeah, sis?"

Alanna nuzzled into him, still sniffling. "Could we…could we just go for ice cream? I don't want to go back yet."

Lance hugged his sister harder. "Sure thing, sis." She was right…going back meant dealing with Uncle Wordy. And while Uncle Wordy would never, ever hurt them…well…he kinda was. Not physically, but…if losing Uncle Greg had wounded them, it had shattered Uncle Wordy. And Uncle Ed. And the rest of them, too. Even knowing about the links, the young man didn't understand; it was like…it was like they'd lost part of their souls, not just a much loved family member. Magical links shouldn't do that; they were supposed to be between magical cores, not souls. Never souls; to tamper with the soul was against the Deep Magic, the Law laid down by the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea at the beginning of the world. But where did grief that deep come from if not from losing part of your very soul?

The brunet tried to stop thinking about it as he guided his sister away from Gringotts and towards an ice-cream shop further into the magical shopping area. But, as is often the case, trying not to think about the situation meant he couldn't think about anything else. His mind kept drifting back to how Uncle Wordy and Team One were acting. Grief was almost too mild a word for the emotions he saw, day after day, playing across Uncle Wordy's face before his eyes shuttered and that…coldness…appeared. Deep, primal, and far too raw for anything as tame as grief. More like an abyss, opening up and swallowing you, bit by bit. Slow enough that you could feel it happen, but you couldn't stop it. Because…to stop it, you had to do the impossible and bring a dead soul back to life.

The teenager almost didn't hear his phone ring. But the second chime broke through the fog around him and Lance snatched for the device, nearly fumbling it when his rings snagged on his pocket. A quick snatch with his other hand kept the phone from falling to the ground, but the ringing stopped even as he brought it up. Grimacing, Lance flicked the screen, darting to his recents list without so much as a glance at the notification bar. Slim brows knit together as he regarded the name. Why was Uncle Lou calling him?

Alanna hovered next to him as he tapped the icon to return the call. As soon as it connected, Lance said, "Sorry, Uncle Lou, just missed it."

His uncle coughed, then replied, "Hey, kiddo, it's me."

Sapphire widened in shock. "Uncle Wordy?" he asked in bewilderment. "Why are you using Uncle Lou's phone?"

Sounding sheepish, Uncle Wordy explained, "Mine is dead." Tone sharpening, he demanded, "Listen, where are you and your sister right now?"

Deciding a little white lie wasn't going to hurt anyone, Lance reported, "Getting ready to head back. I, um, I was actually about to call you to let you know the Gringotts meeting ran late." Alanna made a face at him, but he waved her off; Uncle Wordy did not need to know they'd been about to sneak off for ice cream.

The response drove all thoughts of delicious frozen treats from his mind. "Thank God," Uncle Wordy rasped, sounding as if his desperate, frantic prayers had been answered all at once.

"Uncle Wordy?" Lance questioned, worry beginning to twist his insides. Bemusement rang, but his well-honed sense of trouble was jangling loudly in the background.

"Don't go back to my place, Lance. Don't go anywhere near there; Team One's been Imperiused."

"They what?" Indignation and fury.

"Stand down," Uncle Wordy ordered, no give at all. "Shelley's safe, the girls are safe, and we might be down, but we are not out. Not by a long shot, kiddo. Lou and Lisa are here with us and we're gonna get them back, I promise." Without giving the young man any room to interject, he continued, "Now what I need you to do is look after your sister, okay? I need you to keep her safe and keep yourself safe, too. Let us worry about the rest of Team One."

"But…"

"No," Uncle Wordy countered, harsh and unyielding. "No, absolutely not, Lancelot. You gotta let us do our job and we can't do that if we're worrying about you and your sister, understand?"

It took several aching, long seconds, but finally, Lance managed, "Copy that, Uncle Wordy." He swallowed hard, then asked, "What about Aunt Sophie, Clark, and Izzy?"

His guardian audibly slumped. "I'm sorry, kiddo, I don't know. All I know is that everyone besides me 'n' Lou are Imperiused."

Alanna was hovering, her expression growing more concerned by the second, so Lance covered the phone and quickly hissed the news in her ear. Violet widened in horror, then his sister hissed, "Tell him we'll get them out."

Sapphire hardened and Lance gave her a sharp nod, returning to the call. "We'll get them out."

"You will not," Uncle Wordy snapped.

"If you and Uncle Lou free Team One, then they're expendable," Lance retorted. "Someone has to get them out before that. If we can't help you with Team One, then we can do this." The young lord paused, then, with a soft, conciliatory note, he whispered, "We'll be really careful, Uncle Wordy. I promise. We'll even take Mindy with us; she can get us out if something goes wrong."

Uncle Wordy's breathing sounded harsh, as if he was struggling to breathe. And…and he sounded like himself. Not the cold, distant stranger he'd become ever since Uncle Greg had gone to 'rehab' without even saying good-bye. Finally, he rasped, "You swear?"

"I promise, Uncle Wordy. You won't lose us and we'll get them back."

There was a long, long moment, then Uncle Wordy snapped, "You'd better not die on us. If you die, I swear I'll find a way to resurrect you and ground you until the next millennium. That clear?"

"Crystal," Lance agreed at once, wry amusement and laughter lurking in the background despite the situation. The phone clicked in his ear, but he didn't mind. Uncle Wordy had a job to do and so did he. Turning to his sister, the Head of the House of Calvin lifted his chin. "We need to go back to Gringotts. I need you to get our formal clothing and our armor."

The phoenix Animagus returned her brother's regard and nodded. "Copy that, big brother mine." Glancing around, she pointed to a nearby alley. "Over there?"

"As my Lady wishes," Lance agreed.

Rather than find a handy store in the mall with a changing room, Lance used an advanced Switching Spell to swap their casual wear with the formal garments Alanna had retrieved. The young man winced at the wedgie he'd inadvertently given himself and gingerly adjusted his position to discreetly fix the problem. His sister giggled behind her hand, but busied herself with checking their bags when the young lord glared.

Lance kept glaring, sapphire narrowing as he surveyed Alanna's outfit, trying to make sure everything was in the right place. Then he let the glare drop, allowing a slightly sheepish expression out. "How do I look?"

Alanna glanced up, surveying him just as narrowly as he'd surveyed her. Then she nodded. "Looks good, big brother mine."

The brunet nodded and shifted to their next issue. "Mindy!" he called.

With a pop, the house-elf appeared in her immaculate Calvin Family toga-like garment, bat-like ears twitching. "Master calls Mindy?"

Lance held out his hand, taking the bags from his sister before handing them to the house-elf. "Hang onto these, please, Mindy. And stick with us; we've got trouble."

The house-elf took the bags and jerked her head downwards in a fierce nod. "Mindy do."

The young man turned and led the way back out of the alley, chin rising as he strode back towards Gringotts. The crowds parted before the pureblood wizard clad in a red tunic with a light gray undershirt, a silver, twisted two cord belt, a red cape with a silver underside, and silvery hosen with black leather boots. A step behind and to his right, the lord's sister kept pace, her clothing a match for his, though it was light blue and cream instead of red and silver. Power rolled off the pair, their auras nearly flaring as they moved. Not a soul interfered and only the most observant noted the house-elf scurrying after her masters.

At the doors of Gringotts, the goblin guards hastened to open the doors, bowing deeply to the same wizard they'd laughed at only minutes earlier. Lance checked his stride, returning the bows with a stately nod, the gesture one of a pureblood lord greeting an equal. "My thanks, cousins."

Had the words come from anyone besides a member of the House of Calvin, the goblin guards would have been highly offended – they were in no way cousins to humans. But the House of Calvin had been Goblin-Friend since time immemorial and the goblin race knew well that the House of Calvin used cousin as a term of respect, of one equal greeting another equal. The goblins cared not why the term was used, but they returned the young lord's greeting by tipping their spears, ever so briefly.

Lance picked up his pace once more, quickly choosing a line to settle into. When they reached the front of the line, the young man stepped to the teller, glancing at the nameplate. "Good day and good profit to you, Teller Slipknife. I wish to rent the use of a Gringotts conference room for the next hour with the understanding that while the House of Calvin is renting the room, it shall be considered the House's domain and the use of magic, either human or elf, is permissible."

The teller sneered. "The use of a wand within Gringotts is not permitted, human."

Lance returned the sneer with icy calm. "Hence my proviso that the room will be considered the domain of the House of Calvin for the duration of the rental," he replied politely. Then his eyes narrowed. "My House is being attacked, Teller Slipknife. I would take vengeance on those who dare to harm those under my protection, but I require the aid of Gringotts to enact that vengeance."

Slipknife's sneer grew. "What vengeance can a wizard take?"

For a long moment, the air vibrated with tension. Then Lance shrugged, tilted his head, and incanted, "Gewixle ācweorna. (1)" Gold glimmered an instant, then the teller vanished with a pop. Angry squeaking came from behind the counter and the goblin guards descended, spears at the ready. Neither sibling so much as twitched as they were surrounded, though Mindy let out a squeak of her own and hid between Lance's legs and the counter.

"You dare draw your wand within Gringotts?" another goblin demanded furiously, sweeping out from a nearby office.

"I didn't draw my wand," Lance replied, turning to incline his head respectfully to the new goblin. "Your teller demanded to know what vengeance a wizard can take; I chose to demonstrate." He smirked viciously. "It's hardly my fault your teller assumed I required my wand to perform magic."

The guards muttered angrily, but the officious goblin frowned, gesturing to another teller. The other teller approached, cautiously lifting something from the tall chair behind the counter, then came out, carrying a small, furry squirrel. The small animal let out a shriek of outrage and launched at the young wizard.

Lance rolled his eyes and gestured, gold filming his irises. "Hweorf þín sōþ sylfum. (2)" The squirrel let out a squawk and vanished with another pop. The goblin teller reappeared, rather more rumpled than he'd been, but otherwise fine. He tumbled to the ground when Lance casually stepped aside, still smirking. "Any more questions?" the pureblood taunted.

The teller voiced his opinion of the young lord in a stream of virulent Gobbledegook. Alanna winced and made a gesture of her own, a flare of violet silencing the goblin. "Excuse me," she snapped, "We can understand you." Her eyes narrowed. "Save your petty prejudices for someone who cares." With a flounce, she turned to the officious goblin. "Perhaps you have better manners than your teller. My brother and I require a room for one hour so that we may take vengeance on those who dare to steal our own away and further dare to place them under Imperius. Your teller took offense when my brother requested that the room be seen as our House's domain for that hour."

The officious goblin's own eyes narrowed. "Wand magic would be permitted," he observed.

"And elf magic," Lance added.

For several seconds, the elder goblin considered, regarding both his customers and his teller with an unreadable expression. Finally, he cleared his throat and snapped something at the teller in Gobbledegook. Lance waved his hand lazily, removing his sister's silencing spell. Before the teller goblin could speak, the officious goblin growled, earning a cower. The guards let out growls of their own and escorted the hapless teller away.

"Whatever punishment you have planned, don't kill him," Lance ordered. The officious goblin cast him a deadly glare, but the young lord refused to back down. "I dealt with his insult as I saw fit, Accounts Manager, and consider the matter closed."

The goblin guided them to his office, expression turning thoughtful as he moved back behind his desk and hopped up into his chair. "You do not advocate for mercy?" he questioned, a tiny hint of sneer behind the inquiry.

Lance returned the sneer with icy calm. "He insulted me, I pranked him. Honor is satisfied, however unorthodox it may be."

"Aahhh," the goblin purred, finally smirking just a tad. "Very well, then; I shall take no further action against that one, just as you request. I am Sharpclaw." With a leer, the goblin added, "How may I assist you in your most excellent vengeance, Lord Calvin?"

The Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Calvin returned the leer with interest. "The room, if you please, and a Portkey set to the Auror Strategic Response Unit Team One's safe house. I believe we can handle everything else."

Sharpclaw sat back, visibly disappointed. "I see."

The young Wild Mage inclined his head. "Please, do not take insult, Accounts Manager Sharpclaw. Goblins are known and feared for their vengeance throughout the magical world. Should goblins openly assist us in this matter, our foes would murder our own before we could rescue them. That, my sister and I will not allow." He lifted his head, glee shimmering. "Instead, we will remind them of a very important lesson within the magical world."

"And what lesson is that, Lord Calvin?" Sharpclaw asked curiously.

The smirk reappeared. "Never underestimate a house-elf."

To Mindy – and Alanna's – surprise, Sharpclaw considered the statement for a moment. Then he threw his head back and laughed a vicious, vindictive laugh. Although Lance didn't laugh himself, the glee in his eyes only grew, leaving his two female companions wondering what on Earth he had planned.

Lance tucked the Portkey he'd been given away in his armor. As soon as they were in the room and confirmed that – magically – it was the domain of the Ancient and Noble House of Calvin, the siblings had wasted no time performing another Switching Spell, swapping their formal wear for their armor. Much to Lance's private relief, he did not give himself another wedgie – and he didn't give his sister one either. That would've been exceedingly painful. For him.

With time running short, the young man swiftly moved on, turned to the females, and began to lay out the situation. Although Alanna had some of the details, she didn't have all of them, and Mindy hadn't arrived until after the phone call. Partway through his explanation, the house-elf started twisting her ears anxiously, but Lance kept going, pretending not to notice the nervous twitching.

When he was done, Alanna asked, "So what's our plan, big brother mine?"

Lance shook his head and looked to their house-elf. "Mindy," he said gently, crouching to meet the small creature's eyes. "I know you can't just pop in and rescue them, but can you help us get to them? Hide us and shield us from the bad guys?"

Mindy considered the proposition carefully, no longer twisting her ears as she thought. After a few minutes, she nodded. "Mindy can do, Master."

"So you want to track them down and have Mindy hold the bad guys off all by herself?" Alanna demanded.

"Stealth entry, sis," Lance countered. "We go in blazing and they'll kill Aunt Sophie, Clark, and Izzy before we can get to them." Sapphire gleamed and hardened. "But if we sneak in, we can get to 'em and Mindy only has to hold the shield long enough for us to deal with the Imperius and get the Portkey ready."

"Mindy can do, Mistress," the house-elf squeaked. "Mindy not let bad mens hurt Mindy's family's family." The elf's expression was quite fierce as she spoke. "Master and Mistress is getting sleep and Mindy is finding bad mens."

Lance winced; the house-elf was right, it was far too late in the day for them to mount a rescue mission. It had already been a long, hard day and although there was a large part of the teenager screaming for him to rescue his family before anything could happen to them… He forced himself to take a deep breath. The truth was, going off half-cocked was going to get Aunt Sophie, Clark, and Izzy killed. More, even if the bad guys hadn't been able to grab Uncle Wordy and Uncle Lou, so long as they hadn't hurt anyone yet, then they probably weren't going to do anything overnight.

So the Wild Mage sighed and nodded acceptance. Alanna made a face at him, then crossed her arms mulishly. "Where?"

"The Golden Prime Inn," Lance replied. "We only need one night, sis, and Mindy's right. If we're gonna save them, we've got to be at the top of our game." He shook his head at Alanna's scowl. " 'Lanna, we've got to do this right. And that means letting Mindy do her thing while we get some sleep. That's what Uncle Wordy and Uncle Lou are doing, I bet, so we should too."

For several seconds, Alanna's expression was sullen and mutinous. Then she heaved a reluctant sigh and gave in.

The next morning, the siblings sent a Calvin house-elf to get them a full breakfast and traded off between eating and taking their morning shower. Once done with their morning routine, the pair changed into their armor and sent their bags off with the helpful elf so they could check out of the room on their way out. Fully armed and armored, the young Wild Mages headed down the stairs, checked out of the room, and headed outside to summon a second Calvin house-elf and asked the elf to transport them to Mindy's location.

Lance was unsurprised when the location turned out to be deep in Toronto's magical territory. Typical, entitled purebloods and so very…sloppy. Aside from a few token wards, there was no Fidelius on the house, nothing to protect the building from someone sneaking in. This was going to be so easy.

Alanna reached out and grabbed his arm as he started forward. "Lance. It's too easy."

The brunet stopped, frowning as he regarded the building. Then he jerked a nod and turned to Mindy. "Any detection spells? Trip wards?"

The elf's demeanor turned fierce. "Mindy is telling bad wards to ignore Master and Mistress."

The siblings traded wide-eyed looks. Then Lance smirked gleefully and cast Disillusionment Charms on himself and his sister. Mindy followed suit with her own version thereof and the trio headed towards a side entrance to the house. Once inside, the brunet took the lead; from within the building's wards, he could sense them and they scared him. Alanna was right; the Lane family was bait, meant to ensure that he and his sister would blunder in like idiots and fall right into a set of wards and traps that would guarantee their capture.

If not for Mindy, the plan would've worked. And if he hadn't promised Uncle Wordy that they would take Mindy, Lance knew they wouldn't have. They were so used to handling situations like this by themselves that it simply wouldn't have occurred to them. Just like it wouldn't have occurred to them that a house-elf could bypass building wards and prevent a whole host of traps from going off. No wonder Sharpclaw had been so amused by his plan.

Grim, Lance pushed the speculation aside. He could think and ponder about how stupid they'd nearly been later. After their aunt and cousins were safe. Focusing, he 'felt' for their nearby family, nodding in satisfaction as the traces of Wild Magic around the three Lanes seemed to chime, the magical 'sounds' as high and sweet as struck crystal. They were close. He slowed, examining each door they came to. It took several more turns and a few false starts, but they finally found the Lane family, tucked in a room that was as close to the center of the house as possible.

The room wasn't guarded and Lance resisted the urge to sneer. The Neo Death Eaters obviously believed their traps were more than enough to catch the two Wild Mages now deep in their territory. Cautious, the teen eased the door open and scowled. Both Aunt Sophie and Clark sported blank, blissful expressions, tell-tale signs of the Imperius and yet another reason why there were no guards. Why guard someone under a mind-control spell? Instead of charging in like an idiot, Lance knelt and allowed his magic to scan the room for any traps…or even creaky floorboards. Yes, they'd found the Lanes, but the longer they could stay under the radar, the better. After a second or two, his magic flowed back, reassuring him that there were no traps and it had dealt with two squeaky floorboards in the center of the room. Satisfied, Lance straightened and quietly edged into the room. Alanna's hand brushed against his back and he reached out, grabbing her before she could drop the Disillusionment.

He was about to turn towards Mindy when he heard a small voice cry out, "Lan, Lan." Both siblings froze and Lance whipped towards Izzy, nestled in her mother's arms and clearly the only Lane who hadn't been Imperiused. She gurgled and thrust out her chubby hands expectantly. "Lan, plaw."

Alanna hissed softly and held her finger to her lips, silently imploring the infant to stop calling out.

Instead, Izzy squealed. " 'Anna!" she shrieked. "Plaw!"

Aunt Sophie looked down at her daughter with blank eyes, then lifted them, following Izzy's gaze towards the front of the room. Her expression never even twitched as she took two steps back and placidly touched something on the wall. A ward alarm let out a wail of indignation and the door to the room slammed shut, audibly locking.

Lance bit down on a host of swear words that Aunt Sophie would have his head for and jumped towards Clark, dropping his Disillusionment Charm as he went. "Mindy! Shield!"

Alanna darted for Aunt Sophie, dropping her own concealment as Mindy's bat-like ears flicked back in determination. The house-elf snapped her fingers and a new ward rose, glittering with the unique magic of the elves. Turning, Mindy snapped her fingers again and the door blew open, crashing down on the floor outside the room. Shouts echoed from the rest of the house and Mindy planted herself, a peculiar sort of glee on her face.

Gold swirled in his irises as he locked gazes with Clark's blank, eerie contentment. Reaching out, he grabbed the older boy's arm and hissed, "Beinnan Aslan, onbindest ġeþanc, heortscræf, sáwol. (3)"

For an instant, the curse fought, then gave way; Clark gasped, collapsing as the mind-control vanished. Lance caught his friend and craned around, smirking to himself as Mindy's furious squeak preceded a Neo Death Eater flying through a wall into another room. Oh, yeah, Mindy was having fun. And blowing all the old wives' tales about how house-elves were 'lesser' beings – in both intelligence and magic – out of the water.

Lance flicked his eyes in the other direction in time to see Alanna scoop Izzy out of Aunt Sophie's arms with one hand so she could support their aunt as she recovered from the Imperius. Aunt Sophie clutched at Alanna, desperate for a physical anchor as her mind reeled from its sudden freedom.

Several curses rebounded off Mindy's shield and another Neo Death Eater took flight as the house-elf retaliated, not only for the attack on the Lane family, but for the attack on her own family, years earlier. Still, Lance noticed that the loyal elf was starting to pant from exertion as she faced down their attackers. And there were far too many Neo Death Eaters to risk battling their way out, not with three noncombatants in tow.

"Time to go!" he snapped, dragging Clark with him as he headed for the women. Over his shoulder, he called, "Mindy! To me!"

Alanna's hands were full with Izzy in one arm and Aunt Sophie leaning on the other, but the older woman recovered enough to reach out, grabbing Lance's shoulder. Clark reached back, grabbing onto Alanna, his arm brushing his baby sister. Mindy scrambled across the room as Lance dug out the Portkey and clung to her Master's leg.

"Haven!"

Lance felt the air around them lurch as the Portkey fought Anti-Transportation wards and frantically channeled his power into the small medallion. Power flexed and he heard something scream; then they were gone and flying through nothingness towards their destination. Violet magic surged, curling protectively around Izzy as they landed, all in a heap. At the bottom, Lance felt utterly drained, as though it had taken nearly all his magic to punch through the wards and get them out, but it was worth it. His family was safe; they were alive – that would always be worth it.

"Sophie!"

Aunt Shelley descended, several emotions warring as she hauled Aunt Sophie up and into a hug. Somehow, Lance wasn't quite sure how, Izzy had ended up back in her mother's arms and the infant wailed as the hug inadvertently squished her little body. The women broke apart briefly, then adjusted and clung to each other again, crying just as much from relief as fear. Alanna bounced right up, preening, but Lance crawled to his feet, trying not to sway as magical exhaustion and a nasty headache made themselves known. Clark reached down and helped him up, bracing him without speaking, but the look on his face spoke volumes. He knew what his 'cousins' had just rescued him from, what fate would've awaited himself and his family if not for that rescue.

Grimacing at the nearby noise, Lance whispered, "Hey, Clark…you think we can find something to eat?"

Clark blinked, then nodded back. "Sure thing, cuz." The older boy hesitated, then suggested, "And maybe a bed?"

Lance started to nod, then the world chose that precise moment to spin, dipping and weaving right along with his stomach. He groaned and let himself sag into Clark's supporting grasp, closing his eyes to shut out the spinning.

Several hours and a nap later, a still exhausted Wild Mage was doing his best to plow through the dinner Lisa had cooked for them, struggling to stay awake long enough to finish when Uncle Wordy, Uncle Lou, and Uncle Spike arrived. Much to Lance's bewilderment, the men took one look at him and gawped, jaws going utterly slack in surprise and no small amount of shock.

The young Wild Mage finished his mouthful, then cocked his head to the side and asked, "Something wrong?"

~Fin

[1] Old English for 'Change into a squirrel.'

[2] Old English for 'Return to your true self.'

[3] Old English for 'In Aslan's name, I free your mind, heart, and soul.'

Author note: Happy Easter, ya'll! He Is Risen!

He Is Risen, Indeed!

Amen.