A/N: Hello and welcome to another chapter of The Once and Future Queen! I just wanted to say a quick word to welcome back both our current readers and any newcomers to the story! I hope you love what I've written for this half of the chapter. The next part should be out in a few days, so be on the lookout!

The Once and Future Queen

Chapter 9 Part 1

"Sometimes it's not the people who change"


Walking home for what he sincerely hoped was the last time that evening, Marco inhaled deeply, smiling to himself as the familiar smells of Echo Creek filled his nostrils. He'd missed the scent of the fresh cut grass in Echo Creek Park, the wafting smell of simmering onions and spices from Britta's, hell…even the smell of exhaust from the elevated freeway was a visceral reminder he was home. 'And better yet,' he thought, 'I managed to smooth things over with Penny without getting killed.'

It had been an intense conversation with his girlfriend, and he had been so sure that he was in for a major fight with Penelope that it still felt strange that they had parted so amicably with a promise of a dinner date tomorrow night. 'You got lucky Diaz, that could have gone A LOT worse,' he told himself, feeling the relief wash over him once more. Their discussion had been productive, something he was glad of. And now that he'd had the "talk" with her about his feelings on their hook up the other day, he felt like he could finally start moving ahead with their relationship without uncomfortable expectations. Still though… Something was nagging at him, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

*Bzzt*

Marco was broken out of his thoughts as he felt the phone in his pocket vibrate in rapid fire succession as he passed by the entrance to the park. Not breaking his stride, he slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone to see who it was as he continued his walk home. Message notifications from three different people burned brightly on his screen in the dark night.

"Popular tonight…" he chuckled as he slid the unlock to the side and let the screen populate. The first was from Jackie. It was short, simply saying, 'Need to talk to you and Star ASAP… It's urgent'. Wishing she had been a little less tight-lipped, he responded; letting her know he was back on Earth, and that anytime tomorrow or Friday worked.

Sending the message, he thumbed over to see several rapid fire texts from Penelope. The first was a picture of her in some very skimpy black underwear with a small, 'Wish you could have slept over…' message tacked on at the bottom. She was smiling at him mischievously, and he could see the hunger in her eyes even through the screen of his cell phone.

Blushing, and feeling a tinge of guilt at his self-enforced moratorium on naughty sleepovers for the moment, he quickly scrolled down to see her next message. Thankfully she was dressed this time, having donned a pretty, green cocktail dress that was very flattering to her figure. Below was a simple, 'like it?' and he responded to her text with an enthusiastic, 'You look beautiful!', before checking the, "Holy crap… ten messages from Star" he murmured.

Wearily, he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and began to read. The gist of the messages seemed to be Star explaining her encounter with her mother after getting back into the castle. Moon had not been pleased when she had taken off on a dangerous, three day trip to Mejoga, and after a bit of an argument, had told Star she was not to leave the castle tomorrow, and that Moon had forbidden her from any and all extra-dimensional trips until told otherwise. The rest of the messages were variations on the theme of Star raging against her mother for turning the discipline into a lesson of, 'How proper queens should behave.' He knew Star was heartily sick of the expectations hanging over her head, but he also knew that her mother had a point when she described the trip as an, 'Unhealthy way to vent your emotions,' Still, he had to admit, some of the insults Star had come up with to describe her mother were rather funny, and by the time he'd scrolled to the end of her messages, he was laughing out loud on the deserted sidewalk.

Picking up the pace to get home, he tapped the window at the bottom and typed out a quick reply: 'I don't think either of us thought that your mom wasn't going to be pissed. I'm sure I'm going to get an earful when I get home too. Guess that means I'm on my own tomorrow unless you want me to come over? We could all hang out at the castle?'

'Hrm...no answer,' he thought, checking his silent phone for the tenth time in as many minutes. He had just turned off the sidewalk and started up his front walkway, noticing now that the house was pitch dark. 'A little early for Mom and Dad to be asleep… Still, it will be nice to sleep at home for once. No more inns, just me and my own bed and no monster squads kicking in the door at 2 in the morning,' he thought, slowing to a stop and peering in the pitch dark windows. Normally, he would have thought nothing of returning to an empty dark house. But with the events of the past few weeks fresh on his mind, the sight of seemingly vacant house at only 9 at night was a sinister one. Slowly, apprehensively, he walked up to the front door and slid his house key as silently as he could into the lock before turning it and feeling his anxiety spike as it disengaged with what felt like a deafening *click*.

Easing the door open on silent hinges, he poked his head into the living room and looked around. Besides the lack of light, it appeared the same as it always did and he flipped the switch up, feeling relief wash over him as the bright overhead light banished the phantoms his wary mind had conjured in the darkness. "Mom? Dad?" he shouted into the silent house, listening hard for any response or noise that may signal he wasn't alone.

The oppressive silence that greeted him did not engender confidence, and his mind began to race once more with the possibility that the demon may have made a house call while he was away. Slowly, and as quietly as he could, he let himself into the living room, drawing a still crimson-edged Silverlight from its scabbard with a quiet *hiss* of steel sliding against steel. 'Like it will do much good against an incorporeal demon that feeds on fear…' he thought to himself, chuckling darkly.

A cool breeze that blew across the back of his neck made him jump and whirl around in a half-panic, bringing his sword up in a low guard as he tensed for an attack. There was nothing there. Nothing but the cool wind slipping through the open front door. He had just blown out a relieved breath and pushed the door shut, when another loud *bzzt* made him almost drop his sword in surprise. Keeping a wary eye on the stairs and the darkened kitchen, he chanced a quick glance to see it was Jackie sending him a simple, 'Thanks dude, I really appreciate it. Come by tomorrow at 10.'

Pocketing the phone, he crept into the kitchen, still making sure to face the stairs and not stray too far from the light of the living room. That's when he saw it sitting innocently there on the kitchen table. Just a single, solitary piece of simple notepad paper, but to Marco, it was an instant relief. He knew what it would say before he even picked it up, but deciding to get the details; he snatched it up and smiled smugly as he read his mother's neat handwriting informing him that she and his father had gone on a "couple's retreat" over the long weekend, and wouldn't be back until Friday morning. 'Thank corn for absentee parents…' he thought, with only a small hint of bitterness.

They'd been doing it for the past four years, ever since Marco had demonstrated even as a preteen, a predilection for safety and a healthy independent streak. In a way, he was happy that his parent's strong marriage and frequent trips meant that they were unlikely to split up as so many of his friends and classmates' parents had. But still, sometimes he wished, especially on nights like this when the world was weighing heavily on his shoulders, that he had his mother and father here to talk to. 'Well… At least you aren't in trouble for vanishing for three days,' he shrugged, crumpling the note and dropping it into the was pretty pathetic as far as silver linings went, but at this point…he was too tired to not grasp at any straw he could.

After making himself a batch of nachos as a late dinner, he plopped down in front of the television and stretched out on the couch. Star's healing spell had taken most of the sting out of the injuries he'd sustained that night, but he still felt like he'd fallen down two flights of stairs. Popping a cheesy treat into his mouth, he felt a rush of pleasure at eating some familiar food for the first time since last Saturday. If he never ate another Grislach filet again, it would be too damn soon… Flipping the t.v. on, he was mildly pleased to see one of his favorite shows, Fiesta de la Noche was playing and so he settled in for a little pre-bedtime television.

Twenty minutes later as the credits rolled, he wished he'd just gone to bed instead. The episode had started off like any other, with Alejandro at the club partying with his two best friends Esteban and Isabella. But it had soon devolved into chaos as Alejandro found himself caught between two lovely ladies. He'd danced with both, enjoying their respective company as the night wore on and in a climactic scene, they'd both confronted him and demanded he choose one to take home for the evening.

It was the typical ludacris plot for the show that he usually ate up with a spoon, but this time? This time it hit a little too close to home considering his current love life. Groaning, he turned off the television and dumped his dishes into the sink; he'd deal with them tomorrow. For now, his thoughts were wholly consumed by two princesses, and as he walked upstairs for a half-hearted run through of his bedtime grooming before slipping into bed, he thought hard about the events of the past week.

'Running away from my girlfriend to spend time in another dimension with my best friend… Whom I have feelings for… Feelings, I know Star has as well…' he thought, as a wave of guilt washed over him. He shouldn't be feeling these things for Star; after all…he was with Penny, and most people would say he was incredibly lucky to have even one princess interested in him. Was he being selfish to even entertain the possibility of what it would be like to be with Star while he was still dating Penelope? His emotional brain said no, that fantasy was healthy; but somewhere deep inside of him, he knew he was being unfair to his girlfriend.

"Alright Diaz," he said aloud to himself in his dark bedroom, "you're a rational, level-headed guy, and you've trained to keep it together in stressful situations. Time to figure out what to do about your crazy love life."

Starting with Penleope, he closed his eyes and smiled as he thought of all the positive things about her he loved. 'She's smart, and pretty, a wonderful kisser as well. Confident in what she wants…' he gave a little shudder, remembering just how easily she had wrapped him around her finger in her bedroom just a few days ago. 'But most of all, I'm happy when I'm spending time with her,' he thought, continuing to tick off the positive aspects about his relationship with her.

'And Star…' he thought happily, thinking of his energetic best friend with a lopsided grin. 'She's even prettier than Penny if I'm honest. And those blue eyes…' he shivered involuntarily, thinking of the night they first kissed and the way the moonlight had refracted in those gorgeous eyes… "Focus, Diaz," he scolded himself, forcing his mind back to the task at hand. 'She's no dummy either, at least when it comes to non-Earth things, and definitely no slouch when it comes to kissing…' he thought guiltily. 'But how do you feel when you're with Star?' whispered a part of him he very much wished had remained quiet.

Smiling to himself as he thought of the last month with Star, he couldn't help but make the blindingly obvious comparison. 'I may be happy spending time with Penelope, but I love spending time with Star. She feels like home.' He hated himself for admitting it, his rational side wishing it was untrue, but he knew in his heart, that it was the unvarnished truth. Sure, the risk of death seemed to be a lot higher whenever he and Star went on their adventures, but he wouldn't trade that for the world. Even from the very beginning, they shared something special. A connection, no… 'a bond,' he thought, knowing Star was someone he just clicked with.

'And what about the mall that day…' his mind brought up unhelpfully. Thinking back to the first day he and Star had spent together at the Echo Creek Mall, Marco felt a pang of regret as he remembered Star's words: "Marco, can we stop by this nice looking restau-" He knew now, that even back then he was feeling a strong attraction to her and, judging by Star's behavior that day, so was she. 'If Tom hadn't so conveniently shown up that day…' The thrilling thought of what might have been was almost immediately soured by a wave of hot shame as Penny's face floated into his mind.

Groaning, Marco rubbed his eyes in frustration. He was still conflicted about what to do, feeling like the thought experiment he'd done had only made things worse for him in the long run. He cared for both of the women in his life, but he knew his passion for Star burned brighter. Still, he had made a commitment to Penelope and he knew he needed to give his feelings for her a chance to blossom naturally as even though they didn't share the instant chemistry like he did with Star, he was still happy with her at the end of the day. 'Alright, so I keep things as innocent as possible with Star, and tomorrow night, I pull out all the stops for Penelope and show her a great time,' he finally decided, hoping that a night of bonding with his girlfriend would ease his conflicted mind.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

Frowning, Jackie sighed as she looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror of her room. "I look like garbage," she muttered to herself, tilting her head this way and that to get a better look at her bedraggled appearance. Her hair laid limp and lank on her head, and below her eyes, thick dark circles made her look like she had barely slept in days, which of course, was the truth. Sleep had been elusive since the morning of Star's sleepover, as she had been plagued by terrible nightmares ever since. Nightmares that centered around only one horrible theme: Adam.

Sometimes she was under water, swimming furiously to broach the surface of a dark, fetid lake when a cold hand would grasp her kicking foot and drag her struggling and screaming to the blackness below. Other times, it was of his rotted and ruined face leering at her from a darkened corner of her room. It was so vivid, she could smell the sickly-sweet odor of decay, so cloying in her nose that it made her want to gag. The dreams were so frightening, she had taken to sleeping with every light in her room on at all times, and still she woke up in a cold sweat several times each night.

It had gotten so bad, that even her mother had noticed Jackie's lack of sleep and had been reminding her to go to bed earlier and earlier each night, which of course only exacerbated the situation. Now, with her parent's away at a two week "New age couple's retreat," Jackie had the house to herself; a fact that made her extremely nervous.

*Bzzt*

She flinched at the buzzing of her cellphone, quickly snatching it up and feeling relief at seeing Marco's name in the notifications bar. Reading his message, she sent instructions to meet her at ten the next morning before tossing her phone on the bed and heading out into the hallway on her way to the bathroom; where a warm bath was waiting to drain away some of the stress she had been carrying for three days.

The bathroom was steamy and bright when she stepped in, and she breathed deeply, enjoying the cleansing feel of the steam in her nose before she checked level in the tub. 'Still needs a few minutes,' she thought, turning to the sink and wiggling back the sleeve of her fuzzy blue robe. There, on her forearm was an all too disturbing reminder of the reason she'd been having such terrible dreams, as a dark purple bruise the shape and size of a boy's hand stood in clear relief against her tan skin. Even looking at it made her chest tighten with anxiety at the memory of the cold, dead hand that had gripped her like iron.

Forcing herself to look away, she turned to the medicine cabinet above the sink and wiped away the steam with the sleeve of robe before checking her relfec- "AH!" she screamed, as the terrifying image of Adam's rotted and torn figure was reflected there in the streaky glass. Instantly, she whirled around, gripping the nearest solid object her hand could reach and brandishing it as a weapon in front of her in a desperate bid to defend herself.

There was nothing there. Just pristine, white tile and a half-full tub gurgling as it continued to fill. "Nothing…" she murmured, and then promptly laughed as she saw the electric toothbrush she was brandishing like a sword buzzing in her hand . Frowning again, she put the deadly weapon back into its charging cradle and strolled over to the tub to shut the water off and trip the drain. 'I'll shower tomorrow, I'm so tired I'm hallucinating about Adam,' she thought wearily as she flipped the light off and headed back to her bedroom.

*Drip, Drip* The impact of the water droplet hitting Jackie in the temple roused her from the light sleep she had fallen into. Batting at the offending drop of water, she levered open her eyes and tensed as an overwhelming scent filled her nose. It was a wet, pungent odor, like a tidal marsh or a piece of waterlogged driftwood. Heart pounding, she looked up from her pillow and saw thin rivulets of water running down the walls, several of her posters already haven fallen as the waterlogged drywall began to sag. Slowly, she pushed the covers off her legs and got up onto her knees, ready to bolt from the room before a sound made her blood run ice cold.

"Lady, running down to the riptide, Taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left hand man," blared the lyrics from her cellphone. It had been Adam's favorite song, and the one she'd used as a special ringtone for his number. A number she didn't have programmed into her current phone… Almost too afraid to look, she slowly turned her head and saw the face of her smartphone lit up with a picture of her and a smiling Adam in wet suits with their arms around each other's shoulders. 'That's…impossible,' the more rational side of her brain screamed at her as she felt herself reach out a trembling hand and pick up the phone before sliding her thumb to answer the call.

"Hiya, Jacks," came Adam's wet sounding voice from the other end of the call as she froze up. She had no words to answer him as all the breath seemed to be bottled up in her chest. "What's the matter? I told you we'd be seeing each other again real soon. I've been missing my best friend…" Jackie felt a deep chill run down her spine at his words that sounded almost… sincere.

"Y-you-you're not really him…" she stammered, gripping the phone hard in her hand and forcing herself to speak, "the real Adam died four years ago."

"I did die Jackie…" he giggled horribly, "I died because you were too much of a coward to save me. Me, your best friend in the whole world, your first kiss, and the only boy you've ever liked." Anger tinged Adam's words as he spat them into her ear, "but now… Now I'm here to take you back with me, so we can be together once more… in the dark."

At those words, the lights went out, plunging her bedroom into utter darkness as she felt the panic in her chest rise to dangerous levels. "What's the matter Jacks," Adam laughed once more, "afraid of the darkkkkk," the pitch of his voice modulated as he drew out the last word, dropping to a demonic howling as the speaker glitched and sputtered before dying altogether. Hurling the phone away from her, Jackie snatched the flash light she had stashed on her nightstand for just such an emergency, flicking it on before leaping off the bed in a mad scramble for her bedroom door.

*WHUMP* Her footing had slipped the moment she had landed, sliding on the algae covered hardwood before she crashed to the waterlogged floor. Pain radiated from hip to shoulder, forcing her to grit her teeth as she fought to stand on the slick surface. Forcing herself to breath, she felt a wave of nausea as the overwhelming stench of rot and brackish water filled her nose. Pushing down the panic that was making her trash her limbs unproductively, she focused her mind and thought hard, 'Breathe, girl. This is just like that time at Hermosa Beach when you brought the wrong surfwax and your board was too slippery. Just keep your feet under you and-' But she never fished her thought as a mottled green and blue hand reached out from under her bed and clamped around her ankle.

It yanked hard at her leg, pulling it out from under her as she screamed. Rolling onto her back, she pointed the flashlight under the bed and saw the shadowed form of Adam slowly dragging her under, his mouth pulled in a wide smile that showed his broken, stained teeth. "Don't scream Jacks, it'll only make this a lot more painful," he gurgled, foul black liquid spraying onto her leg as he laughed horribly. Jackie rolled frantically left and right, her fingers scrabbling for purchase on the soaked wood floor as every second that passed, she felt Adam's ice cold hands higher on her leg as he reeled her in.

She was past rational thought, too scared to form sounds other than panicked grunts and squeaks now as she was pulled past her knees under the bed. Jackie knew somewhere deep in a primal part of her brain, that if she was pulled much farther she'd have no chance of escape and that death would be a certainty. So, she did the only thing she could think of in that rapidly closing window of opportunity; she pulled her free foot back as far as possible, and kicked down with all her might.

*Crack* the sound of fracturing bone made her flinch as her heel caught Adam on his brow. It rocked his head back, and he snarled in rage as she cocked her foot back once more before firing another hard kick. This time her heel struck him in the cheek and she felt the bile rise in her throat as the torn and rotten flesh there sloughed off as if it were soggy paper. Noticing his grip slacken as he roared at her, Jackie set her free foot on the frame of her bed and pushed hard, rocketing free to slide along the slick floor towards the door.

"I'm going to kill you Jackie!" Adam spat, crawling out from under her bed like a nightmare, a mass of rotten limbs and hanging flesh, "I'm going to hold you down and choke the life from your treacherous body."

She had seconds to escape and she knew it. The thing behind her seemed to have no issues on the slick floor as it crawled towards her screaming its low, demonic growl and so, with a balance born of years of skating and surfing, she flipped onto her stomach and pushed gently to reach the threshold of her room. Pulling herself across and onto the dry wood, she twisted back and pulled the door shut, just as Adam reached her. *Bang* the door bounced as Adam pounded against it and roared from the other side. 'Gotta run! Gotta run!' her brain was screaming at her as she leapt to her feet and took off down the hallway towards the stairs just as the flimsy door split with a loud *Crack*.

Jackie practically leapt down the stairs, taking them three at a time in her rush to escape. Heading straight for the front door, she felt some of the terror that had been gripping her lessen as she bounded towards freedom. *Splash* the sound of splashing water made her slow as she saw with despair, the black liquid pouring from under the front door. Violently, the front door handle began to giggle and turn as if someone on the other side were attempting to forcibly twist it open. "No, no, no, nooo," she moaned, feeling the glimmer of hope in her chest gutter and die as the door groaned under the strain.

A frantic check of the backdoor showed that the situation was no different as there was already a large, expanding pool of filthy water blocking her exit there. "Are you tired of playing with me, Jacks? Should I end…our little game?" Adam's voice was close, but as she whipped around to shine the flashlight left and right, she couldn't see anything besides the usual darkened interior of her house. *Splash, splash* came the sound of running footsteps in shallow water from behind her as another chilling giggle rang out.

Jackie's hand was trembling so hard she could barely hold the flashlight when her heels bumped against the staircase. Looking back up the stairs nervously, she saw that the bathroom light was on, its warm white light shining out to beckon her like a beacon. "Jackkkkieeeeee," came the sing-song voice of Adam as he stepped around the corner and stared at her from the darkness of the living room. Unconsciously, she took a step backwards up the stairs as he stared at her in the dim light of the flashlight.

She couldn't look at him… couldn't keep her gaze on his ruined face, where grey bone was now showing where she had kicked away half his cheek. Taking another step up the stairs as Adam drew closer, she fought the urge to lose control of her bladder. Suddenly, he leaned forward and cocked his head, whispering a quiet, "boo," before sprinting at her. She scrambled for purchase on the wet stairs, pushing with everything she had towards the only thing that might provide any safety: the light.

It was a near run thing, with Jackie just barely sliding through the door to slam it in a snarling Adam's face. A loud *Thud* rang out as the door jumped in its frame, as Jackie hurriedly threw the lock and leaned hard against the door to brace it closed. "C'mon, Jacks… Open up for your old pal Adam," he cooed from the other side of the door, "I went through all the trouble of getting you up here, and now you wanna lock me out? Is that anyway to treat a friend?"

Jackie was beyond words at this point, her fear having wiped away her ability to form any plan and she shook like a leaf in the wind as hot tears clouded her vision. He had meant to herd her up here, had been toying with her the entire time… And she had stupidly fallen for it. 'Just go away, just go away,' she repeated over and over in her head as she heard the lock pop open with a quiet *click*. Time seemed to slow as Jackie felt the knob turn and the door burst inward. She was thrown to the floor, skidding on the tile as the lights in the bathroom flickered and died. Only her flashlight provided any light, having rolled to partially illuminate the yawning black doorway with its feeble, dying light.

Looking up, Jackie knew she was dead… It was only a matter of moments now, as there in the doorway, bathed in shadows, stood the ruined and decaying form of the monster that brought back all the penitence and shame she felt at her friend's death. She could see nothing in the fading light of the flashlight but his tattered shirt clinging to gaunt, skeletal ribs and a pair of softly glowing red eyes that looked like the dying of embers in a fire.

"Jacks…" Adam spoke, his low voice now full of mocking concern for the shaking teen in front of him, "I know you blame yourself for my death…as you should. I can smell the guilt on your soul; it reeks like a festering abscess. It's why I came back, Jackie… To punish you for your sins. But…" he paused, holding out a mottled green hand as his eyes flared a brighter red in the darkness, "I can take away your pain, wash it all away. You'll never know fear again. All you have to do is just… Let. Me. In."

*Creakkkk* the soft squeal of the floorboard made Jacke shut her eyes and bow her head against the inevitable. She could sense Adam stepping closer, his soft footsteps stopping just short of her cringing form. 'Any second now I'll feel those horrible cold hands around my neck and it will be all over…' her terrified mind screamed. But instead of the crushing pressure she expected, instead, a warm finger caressed cheek to wipe away the tears that were still flowing.

"Open your eyes, Jacks," she heard Adam say, though this time it was not in his usual gurgling, wet voice. No this time, it sounded just like she remembered. Raising her head, she chanced opening her eyes and was shocked. "A-Adam?" she stammered, a wave of involuntary relief flooding her as she saw the smiling face of her childhood friend. Gone was the sagging, rotten flesh, the milky eyes clouded by long immersion in water, and the broken teeth. He brushed her tangled and matted hair out of her eyes and nodded, "Yup, it's me."

Jackie was speechless for a moment. Staring at her was the spitting image of her best friend from four years ago. "Wh-Why? Why have you been tormenting me? Haven't I suffered enough!" her voice cracked and fresh tears fell as she watched Adam's face fall from the warm smile she remembered as a kid.

"You already know the answer to that question Jackie…" he whispered, and for a moment, the right side of his face seemed to flicker, replaced with a mass of black shadow and a baleful, glowing yellow eye above a jagged, needle-tooth filled mouth. It was gone as quickly as it had come, but it still caused Jackie to pull back in terror.

"Still afraid I see…" said Adam, looking disappointed as he stood up and stepped back into the shadow. As he did so, his eyes flashed a dull red and Jackie felt a wave of nausea double her over onto the floor. "Two days…Jacks. Just two more days of fear, and then I'll end your suffering. One way or another…" he growled, just as the last faint light of the flashlight winked out.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

"I'm NOT a little girl anymore, Mom! I can handle myself!" shouted Star from the top of the staircase to the second floor of the castle.

"And yet I find your inexcusable actions proving to me time and time again that that, is precisely what you are… I cannot believe the risk you took going to Mejoga!"shouted Moon from the entrance way, her eyes narrowed in anger. "And to drag Marco along as well? Star, what if he had been seriously injured or killed? Do you know the guilt I would feel knowing that I'd picked him to be your guide, only to have to go to Angie and Raphael to inform them their only son had been killed accompanying you on some foolish quest for catharsis!"

"I didn't 'drag' Marco anywhere, Mom. He wanted to come and he handled himself better than any of the knights in this castle! Even Reynar-" she began, but Moon cut her off with a furious slashing motion.

"Do you know how many condolences I've had to give to grieving parents and spouses! How many tearful children I have had to look at, knowing that I sent their parents to their death, Star? Of course not! You're too young to understand, but someday…" Moon looked away for a moment, forcing herself to temper her rage before turning back to her daughter. "Someday, when you are Queen, you will be forced into a position by terrible circumstance and you will finally understand, as I do, that you have a greater responsibility to the people of this kingdom. A responsibility that precludes trips to dimensions controlled by the enemy for the sake of your personal feelings."

Star was silent for a moment at her mother's harsh rebuke. 'Ugh, I hate it when Mom is right… Even more than when Marco is!' she thought bitterly, clenching her jaw to force down the harsh retort she wanted to hurl at her mother. And even though she knew her mother had a point, she was furious, and felt an overwhelming need to get the last word in. "We were careful…" she half-muttered, feeling herself shrinking under Moon's furious glare as she struggled to maintain her own.

Letting out a trademark sigh she usually reserved for River's antics, Moon softened her expression before ascending the stairs and standing in front of her chastened daughter. "Star, I love you, but you are reckless. It's probably all that fiery Johansen blood in your veins… But, you must learn patience and caution, for we are beset on all sides by enemies that wish to finish what they started on Mewni. When I was 16, I was already Queen… But I want you to be able to enjoy being a princess for as long as possible. And part of that," spoke Moon loudly as Star made to open her mouth, "is learning to exercise restraint when your emotions threaten to rule your actions." Silently, Star nodded, though she wore a deep frown as Moon continued her stern gaze.

"Good. Now young lady, I am grounding you for the next two days. No leaving the castle for any reason. You may continue to see Marco, however, he must come here," said Moon, smiling slightly at the look of pained relief on her daughter's face at hearing she wouldn't be separated from Marco. "I also still expect you to perform your royal duties at the opening masquerade ball on Friday."

Star nodded once more, happy to agree to Moon's terms in lieu of getting to see Marco again. She made to comment on her willingness to comply, but Moon had already moved on to a different subject, adding, "Also, please inform Thomas that he is welcome to attend if his father permits him."

"Thanks, Mom," said Star, feeling a dull sense of dread at the idea of what Tom might do when she danced with Marco at the ball that evening. He'd be furious she was sure, but would he try anything? 'I'm getting a dance with Marco dammit… No, two dances,' she corrected herself, smiling when she remembered that her mom planned for the mewmans and their guides to share a dance together. "Can I go to bed now?"

"One more thing," added Moon, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over her, "There will be no more dimensional trips until i say so. I'll let you keep the scissors in case of emergencies, but if you use them to travel to another dimension I will know. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes. Mom." answered Star, doing her best to keep her voice level and respectful.

"Good, now go to bed dear, you look dreadfully tired."

Star almost laughed at that remark, thinking, 'If only she knew…' However, she decided to take a page out of Marco's more restrained book, and instead just answered with a simple, "Night, Mom."

Without warning, Moon leaned down and wrapped her arms around her daughter. Squeezing tightly, she whispered a soft, "Good night, Star. I'm so glad you're safe," into her blushing daughter's ear. Though initially shocked, Star returned the hug, letting the contact linger as she enjoyed the rare moment of maternal affection between them. Releasing her daughter, she watched as Star skipped off to her bedroom, feeling relieved for the first time in days. Making a note to have a serious conversation with Reynard later about his complicity in Star's reckless trip to Mejoga, She sighed and headed in the opposite direction towards the royal apartments.

Five minutes later, Moon was approaching the ornate doors that marked the royal apartments and her sanctuary, when Manfred slipped from a side passage and called out to her. "My Queen, if I may have a few moments, I have a number of documents here that require your sig-" she cut him off with a cold glare.

"Manfred, it is after 9, I have just quarreled with my daughter, and I have yet to even have a moment to myself today. Whatever you have in your hand can wait until morning. Is that clear?" she fairly growled as Manfred shrank under her withering look.

"Y-Yes, Your Highness. I will bring them by your office in the morning." the servant managed to squeak out before turning and almost running out of sight down the same side passage he had appeared from.

Letting herself into her chambers, she swept into her private wardrobe and changed out of her usual blue dress. Slipping into her pajamas, she sighed happily as she pulled the pins that held her hair up and shook it out so that it hung long and loose down her back. "Much better," she smiled to her reflection as she completed changing into her pre-bedtime clothing.

*Scrappeeeeeee* a shrill noise of steel on stone made the hair on the back of her neck stand and poked her head out from the wardrobe to see River happily running the head of a spear against a whetstone.

Scowling at the harsh noise, she walked over and gently grasped her husband's shoulder, making him look up into her tired eyes. "River, darling… It has been a long day for me, could you perhaps not sharpen your spears in the bedroom? We do have several armories for just such a purpose, do we not?"

"Sorry, Moonpie…" he frowned, looking sheepish, "won't happen again dear."

"Thank you," she said before walking over to their large canopy bed and laying down. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feeling of being off her feet as she sank into the feather bed slightly. To her surprise and delight, she felt her feet being picked up and placed in the lap of her husband as strong hands began to knead and massage her aching feet.

"You're pushing yourself too hard, Moonpie," came River's comforting voice as he continued to work the knots out of her feet. "I remember a time not so long ago where you were far less...agitated by the motions of the world around you."

"You always say that, River…and yet, I have been more at peace since we came to Earth than all the time on Mewni when we were dealing with the war. Though I must admit, our daughter is testing that statement with her behavior this week. Did you know she dragged Marco along with her to Mejoga? The boy is a warrior, no doubt about it, but he has no magic of his own. He could easily have been killed and where would that have left our daughter? I do not want the death of innocents on her conscience, River..."

Not pausing his ministrations to her feet, River looked at his tired wife and laughed. "I'll tell you where it would have left her; without a proper suitor is where! Reynard tells me the boy is a born swordsman, and you should have seen him at our daughter's sleepover; he was an absolute whirlwind! Took a full strength kick from Star and got up with only a bruise on his chest before knocking her out with a kick I could hardly believe with my own eyes. I tell you that boy is a perfect match for her. If the Lucitor boy hadn't shown up when he did, I suspect the two would already be courting one another," he chuckled, smiling to himself at the thought of Marco and Star together. "Those two are quite the item, and I of course would happily welcome the idea of-"

Moon chanced a quick look at her husband, aching an eyebrow at him. He had stopped mid sentence, his face a bashful grin as he shrugged at her silent question. Laying her head back down on the pillow she spoke up, choosing her words carefully so she wouldn't burst his bubble too hard. "I wouldn't be planning a wedding just yet, dear. Star is still dating Prince Thomas and Marco is currently seeing Princess Spiderbite. From what the eyes and ears around the castle tell me, they seem quite happy together."

"Bah, drivel from nobles too blind to see what I already can. Our daughter has powerful feelings for the boy, you mark my words. I've seen the way she looks at him when he isn't paying attention… It was the same look I used to give you. Fifty Crowns says they get together before the end of the summer."

"I don't usually gamble, least of all on my daughter's happiness…" smirked Moon, opening both her eyes and fixing her husband with a meaningful look. "But you have yourself a bet, King Butterfly. However, I will tolerate no fingers on the scales. You must let things unfold as they will, otherwise the bet is off, deal?"

"I would never…" he chuckled, feigning indignation at her conditions.

"Hmmmm," said Moon, clearly not believing her husband could resist the temptation to push the two teens together. "Well, we shall see then won't we, River. Which reminds me, have you picked up your costume for the ball from the royal tailor yet?" she asked, feeling all the tension leaving her body as she practically melted into the soft bed. "Remember, the theme this year is 'Masquerade;' so costumes are required. Reynard suggested it, and after showing me what it entailed, I wholeheartedly agreed. Apparently, it is all the rage in a place called Venice. Earth is turning out to be much more interesting than a mere refuge from Toffee's forces, especially with all the wonderful things Angie and Raphael have shown us."

"Yes, Moonpie, I have my costume all picked out. Richard made the final fitting this evening before dinner." grumbled River, before lighting up at the mention of Raphael. "I've particularly enjoyed the buffets and the 'MMA' fights that Raphael bought tickets to. I'm going to miss all this when we finally take back Mewni from those infernal monsters!"

"About that… River, I have something important I need to discuss with you."

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

Blinking away his tiredness, Marco finished pulling on his new "Karate and Tacos" t-shirt before running a comb through his hair. He felt rotten, the exertions of the past few days on Mejoga mixing with the poor quality of sleep he'd gotten the night before leaving him feeling foggy and slow-witted. He'd missed Star's light snoring, the quiet noise of her breathing had acted as a sort of white noise generator that lulled him to sleep quickly when they had shared a room together. 'Even when she was mad at me…she still made me feel at home,' he mused with a lopsided smile.

It seemed he'd gotten used to it a little too quickly, as he had laid in bed for more than two hours last night, staring at the glowing stars on his ceiling and wishing he had her soft snores to help him drift off to his phone for the third time that morning, he frowned when he saw his message to Star that night still sitting unanswered, only the small "read" sitting below his message let him know she'd even seen it. He contemplated calling her to check that she'd gotten Jackie's text from last night before thinking better of it, "Eh, I'll see her in like half an hour anyways," he mumbled. Scrolling to the weather app as he reached into the closet, he blanched when he saw the high for that day was going to be a scorching 106 degrees and decided that just for today, he'd leave the hoodie at home. Instead, he pulled his phone up and dialed Jackie as he jogged down stairs out the door.

"Hey dudes, it's Jackie. Leave a message at the beep." Hanging up, he frowned. 'It didn't even ring…' he thought, feeling a tingle of concern creep up his neck. 'She said it was urgent, I don't like this…' Hurrying his pace, Marco broke into a light jog. Jackie's wasn't far, but something at the back of his mind was urging him to hurry. A short run later, he turned up Jackie's driveway towards her house, and felt his throat tighten in fear. Her front door was wide open.

Stepping into the darkened house, he wrinkled his nose at the pungent scent of seawater and rot that seemed to permeate the air. "Jackie!" he called out, listening hard for any sign of life and hearing only the steady *drip* of water from the ceiling. "Jackie!" he called out, even louder this time as his pulse quickened. Still no response… Taking a look around the first floor, he didn't find any sign of a struggle except several large pools of what smelled like stagnant water on the floor.

He stared at the closest pool of water and for only a moment, he swore he could see something there besides his own reflection. He blinked, hard, and when he looked again, there was nothing but algae to greet him. He shook his head and made his way through the rest of the first floor before turning his sights to the second. Hurrying upstairs, he froze when his eyes were level with the top, spotting Jackie sprawled in a heap on the floor of her bathroom.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" he shouted, pounding up the last few steps and sprinting into the bathroom. Sliding to a stop next to her, he kneeled down and checked her pulse. 'Feels steady,' he nodded, before checking the rest of her for any obvious sign of injury and attempting to wake her by calling her name and shaking her shoulder.

Before he could even grip her shoulder, her eyes shot open and she scrambled back against the tub. "Get away!" she screeched, shooting to her feet and throwing a punch at Marco's face he only barely managed to dodge.

"Easy, Jackie! It's just me!" Marco shouted, catching her next punch with a hand and pulling the frightened girl into a hug to stop her from trying to hit him. She struggled for several moments, fighting to escape before finally calming down enough to stop actively trying to hit him.

"M-Marco?" she asked, her voice sounding small and frail.

"I'm here, Jackie. It's okay… You're okay…" he said, loosening his grip so she could sit up. "What happened last night? Did you have a break in?"

"No…" Jackie's voice trailed off as she rubbed her red-rimmed eyes with the back of her hand. "I-It was that demon, Marco! He's back! And…and…" She wanted to explain, wanted to give voice to the horrific violation she had endured at its hands… But the terror still gripping her after last night made the words hard to form.

"It's okay, Jackie, you don't need to explain everything right now. Let me call Star and make sure she's on her way. I, uh… don't have much I can do against this thing. It's really more Janna and Star's territory than mine. Do you want to take a shower or anything? I can go wait in the hall."

"NO!" she grabbed his arm, shaking her head frantically. "I mean, um, could you maybe just sit by the door in here? I really don't want to be alone right now."

In another time, Marco might have blushed at this, embarrassed and excited at the prospect of a naked Jackie showering just a few feet from him. But so much had happened to him in the past couple years, that it felt like that was a Marco from another life. He'd done so much in the past twenty three months, grown so close to her as a supportive friend, and was far too worried about his own desperately complicated love life, that he simply nodded and stood up. "I'll call Star and see what's taking her so long."

As Jackie got a change of clothes from her ruined room and stepped into the shower, Marco pulled out his phone and hit the button to call his bestie. He wasn't optimistic about Star picking up as she still had not returned his texts from last night, but to his surprise, she picked up after only half a ring.

"Hey, Marco…" she answered, her voice sounding flat and listless, "can you come over soon? I'm literally dyyyyying of boooooredom, and I need my bestie to come keep me company."

"Hey, Star. We have a big problem," he whispered, deciding to get straight to the point.

"What's up?" she asked, her voice perking up immediately over the telephone.

"You know that demon that Janna summoned…" he let out an annoyed huff, still upset with her recklessness, "well... We didn't destroy him apparently. He attacked Jackie last night."

There was a horribly spiraling silence for a moment before Star practically shouted into the phone "What? We toasted that creep! How is he back?"

"Star, magic is your area of expertise not mine. I found her holed up in the bathroom this morning, and her house looks like someone tried to rob it and broke all the plumbing in the attempt. It's a total mess." He took a moment to poke his head out and saw that Jackie's room looked absolutely destroyed from what he could see.

"Is she…okay?" asked Star, her voice hesitant with worry at what his answer might be.

Dropping his voice so Jackie couldn't hear him over the hiss of the shower, he answered as best he could, "Emotionally? definitely not. She's scared out of her mind, Star. When I woke her up she was so disoriented, she tried to punch my lights out… Physically though, I think she'll be fine. It just looks like she's got a few bruises on her from the struggle last night. She's in the shower right now and was so scared she wouldn't let me leave the bathroom. Is it okay if I bring her to the castle with me? I don't think Jackie should be alone today."

"Of course you can bring her over. She shouldn't be alone after what happened," assured Star before dropping her voice to a conspiratorial tone. "Marco, you sure this isn't just a plan to get all your cute female friends to undress in the bathroom with you? First it was me, now Ja-" Her voice was rising towards a playful innuendo, but he cut her off with a sharper than intended, "Not the time, Star!" But quickly, he softened his tone, worried he may have triggered her lurking temper, "Sorry about that. But If I remember that day correctly, it was you who barged in on me in the bathroom. Don't think I didn't notice those wandering eyes of yours checking out my abs." In spite of the serious situation, he couldn't help but smile at the memory of Star ogling his body after he had stepped out of the shower in just his towel."

"You wha… Err, I…" she sputtered, too flustered to form a coherent sentence.

"It's okay. I, uh… didn't mind you looking," he admitted, feeling his cheeks burn scarlet as her sputtering ceased.

"You didn't? Not…that I'm admitting I looked… but just in case… I'm glad that you didn't mind that I may or may not have looked. Yeahhhh, I'm going to shut up now," squeaked Star.

Eager to change the subject before they got too sidetracked, he pressed on. "We can talk about my abs later, okay? I just heard the water turn off, so once Jackie is dressed, we'll head over. Could you call Janna please? I feel like we might need some more of her occult knowledge."

"Of course, and Marco?"

"Yeah?"

"Sorry I didn't text you back last night. I kind of just threw myself into bed after the fight with my mom. She's such a poop head sometimes and then I didn't sleep well… So when I got up I was all flus-"

"It's okay, Star. I figured you were getting an ear full," Marco interrupted. "Ya know, I couldn't sleep either… I, uh," he paused, weighing whether or not to admit this rather embarrassing truth to her or not, before deciding to plunge on ahead. "I missed your snores. T-They're not loud, or anything!" he scrambled to correct himself, "it was just…a nice reminder that you were there with me. My room felt way too quiet last night without you in it. Guess I kinda got used to sharing a room with you."

"Marco? Is that Star? Tell her to get Janna," came Jackie's voice from behind him as she stepped out of the shower.

"I did," he called back to her before putting the phone back to his ear and an awkward silence.

"You got used to my snoring?" she asked after several seconds, before breaking out into a fit of giggles. Marco felt a little rush of excitement at her outburst. He always loved the sound of Star's laughter, and after the last few days on Mejoga where he heard exceptionally little laughter, hearing it now felt like a warm summer breeze.

"Yeah, it's cute. Not too loud, not too quiet," he laughed, "but, I'm probably talking way too much now myself, sooo…" he trailed off as Star giggled again.

"I'm not gonna lie, Diaz, that's pretty dang adorable. Can weeee maybe…talk about this some more when we reevaluate that promise thingy? I," he could picture her glowing red cheeks in his mind perfectly as he listened to her nervous voice. Deciding to save her any more self-inflicted embarrassment, he answered her. "Sure, Star. How about tomorrow night? My dinner date with Penny got moved to tonight, but tomorrow night I'm all yours."

"Oh… OH! That's actually great, because that date with Tom that I totally had planned last night got moved too! So then you're all mine Friday, Marco. Hope you're ready for some fun times with your best pal, Star!"

"Always, now I gotta run, Jackie's done getting changed. We'll see you in like 20 minutes!"

Saying their goodbyes, Marco hung up and waited for Jackie to tell him it was okay for him to turn around. When he did, he was glad to see her calm and laid back demeanor had somewhat returned, though her eyes still seemed to dart around more than usual as if she was expecting something to jump out at her anytime.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, as she finished pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail. "If you need to talk or…" he trailed off, feeling stupid as she looked at him with tired, bloodshot eyes.

"Thanks, Marco. I do want to talk about this, but let's wait until we meet up with everyone else. I don't think I have the strength to tell this story more than once," she said, her face taking on a deep sadness as she looked pointedly away from him. "Let's just…get going okay? And could you please call Penelope? I want her there as well."

"Sure, Jackie. Now c'mon let's get you out of this house," he suggested, the two moving to leave as soon as possible, neither of them noticing the set of yellow eyes watching from beneath Jackie's bed.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

"Master!" shouted Buff Frog as he stepped into the cave and saluted. Hearing no response, he squinted in the shadowed light and saw his small leader snoring peacefully on a pile of pine boughs. Urgently, he hurried over to Ludo and shook the small kappa awake.

"Don't wake me, Dennis. Tell Father I will be out in five minutes…" Ludo muttered, batting away Buff Frog's hand before rolling back over.

Furrowing his brow, Buff Frog reached over once more and shook Ludo harder, he had news that could not wait. "Master, I not Dennis. You must get up! Rasticore is here!" he whispered-shouted, cringing at the fear he could hear in his own voice.

"Rasticore… I don't know any...RASTICORE!" yelled Ludo, jumping up and frantically brushing pine needles off in an effort to smarten up his appearance. "Buff Frog why didn't you tell me Rasticore was here!"

"I just did, Master."

"Earlier you idiot!" shouted Ludo, dragging a frustrated palm down his face. Pacing back and forth in the dim cave he began muttering to himself as Buff Frog watched on in concern. "The plan isn't ready… I thought we'd have more time… Nothing is in place yet…" Snapping out of his ramblings, he looked up at Buff Frog and waved him over. "Buff Frog, pass the word to our group that for now we act the part of loyal soldiers. No one can suspect our true goal, least of all Rasticore. He'd kill us all if he knew what I was planning. Now go! Pass the word and I will greet our honored guest."

Stepping out of the cave and into the dappled and muted light of the forest, Ludo did a final brush off of his robe before looking up at the towering form of Rasticore. A muscular, green septarian, his form was made all the more fearsome by the unusual addition of a cut purple gemstone in place of his left eye and a cybernetic left arm. Ludo didn't know the story behind how one of Toffee's top generals came by those injuries, nor was he foolish enough to ask. Adorning his body, instead of the usual purple ragged cloak was a form fitting suit of leather armor inlaid with overlapping scales of black metal that seemed to drink in the light around him.

"Ludo…" Rasticore let the name fall from his mouth like a foul tasting piece of meat, "you knew I was coming, yet when I arrive? Your base looks like a squalid beggar's camp, and your soldiers look weak and useless. I thought my opinion of your leadership could go no lower… Clearly, I was mistaken."

"Rasticore, I," But Ludo's words were cut off by a blast of purple energy blowing a fist sized hole in the dirt at his feet. Cowering at the close call, Ludo felt cold metal fingers wrap around his throat as he was hoisted off his feet before finding himself staring in the septarian's snarling face.

"Ludo, you have bungled this operation from the start," growled Rasticore, squeezing Ludo's throat tighter by the second. "By all rights I should choke the life out of you here and now for failing Lord Toffee in what should have been a simple operation. But…" he paused, throwing a gasping and sputtering Ludo to the pine needle covered ground.

"S-S-Spare me, Rasticore," stammered Ludo, prostrating himself at the sneering monster's feet.

"You really don't know me at all, do you, Ludo…" chuckled Rasticore as he squatted down to scowl at him. "Mercy is for the weak, like you Ludo. The strong TAKE," he emphasized the word with a clench of his metal fist that threw sparks into the air, "what they want. Monsters used to be weak. Why...even I was once as weak as all of you," he stared around at Ludo's assembled group of monsters as if daring any of them to speak or even move. "But Toffee came and made us strong. He forged us into his terrible weapon that broke the back of the mewmans and forced them to flee from Mewni like the cowards they truly are." At those words, he pulled his lips back and displayed his razor sharp teeth in a horrible facsimile of a smile.

Picking Ludo up once more, he set him roughly on his feet and once more narrowed his yellowed eye at the trembling kappa. "The decision to end your miserable existence does not lie with me, sadly. Lord Toffee still seems to think you may yet be useful. So for now, I will stay my hand and let you continue to serve. Be warned, however, that I will not tolerate any more failure from you." Rasticore leaned in close, dropping his voice so only Ludo could hear, "if you fail me again, Ludo. I will kill you myself, and report to Toffee that you were slain by the Butterflies. Do you understand?"

Unable to speak, Ludo could only nod and bow in meek subservience to his new overlord. It seemed enough for Rasticore, who promptly stood up and faced the rest of Ludo's former army. "The rest of you should take a lesson from this. I will not accept failure, like your incompetent former commander here. I expect all of you to succeed or die in the attempt. Am I understood?"

One by one, each of the monsters gathered around nodded slowly. Buff Frog was last, looking initially like he wouldn't, but after a moment staring into Rasticore's cold glare, he jerked his head just enough to satisfy their new commander. "Excellent. Now, get this place cleaned up. The rest of my troops will be arriving in a few hours and then we'll go over Toffee's new orders."

Twenty minutes after Rasticore had walked into the cave to set up his headquarters, Buff Frog took a break from picking up their small camp to sidle up to Ludo. "Ludo, what should we do about Rasticore? Are we sticking to plan?"

"Keep your voice down you imbecile!" Ludo hissed, "and of course we're sticking to the plan. Toffee has completely abandoned us out here. It's time we made our own way, with me leading."

"Dah, Just like we plan. Free Mewni for free monsters. Not slaves to Toffee's lust for power and revenge."

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

"Jackie!" Penelope's voice rang out as Marco and Jackie stepped into the grand entrance hall. She ran down the curving staircase, brushing past Marco to pull a weary looking Jackie into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said, pulling back and smiling at the shocked looking girl. "And you," she extended an arm and scooped Marco into the hug as well, "thank you so much babe. I was so worried about Jackie when I couldn't get a hold of her last night. Thank you for checking on her this morning." To emphasize her gratitude, she slipped her other arm around his back and pulled him in for a long soft kiss, smiling as she felt him return it with pressure of his own.

"Can't wait until tonight," she whispered in his ear before capturing his lips in another, more aggressive kiss.

"I hope you like my parents," he breathed back after he'd pulled his lips off of hers.

"Niceeee," came another voice from behind them, causing both teens to break apart and Penelope to glare at the newcomer. A smirking Janna stood in the door, eyeing the three of them with a look of detached amusement. Quickly though, her face fell as her eyes lingered on Jackie's bruised and tired looking form. "You, doing okay, Jackie?"

Before the skater girl could answer, Penelope turned and made a disbelieving noise, somewhere between snort and a laugh. "I thought you said you banished that thing, Janna. And here we are, with another attack and Jackie hurt, again…" Marco was silent as he looked between both girls. Penelope was glaring daggers at an equally upset looking Janna, and while she hadn't said so, he knew that she was longing to throw the fact that this was mostly Janna's fault in her face; a fact he personally didn't disagree with. 'She's trying to fix things. In fact, she risked her very soul to try and help.' The thought cooled his rising anger and made him place a reassuring hand on his girlfriend's shoulder as she continued to glare.

"We already established that fact, Penelope," Janna drew her name out slightly as a deliberate dig at the mewman princess. "If you weren't too busy sucking face with Diaz over here, you would already know that. Oh wait, you couldn't because he left your boring ass here at the castle when he ran off to another dimension with Star for three days. How was that by the way, Marco? Weather nice? See the sights? Find out Star's a better kisser than Penny?"

Janna was going for the throat and Marco knew it, trying to bait his girlfriend by playing on her insecurities. He cringed internally, knowing that Penny's concerns over his and Star's growing closeness was not altogether unwarranted. It stung even him, as he still felt guilty over his and Star's make out session of not even a week ago, and 'that kiss last night,' his brain unhelpfully reminded him. He had to cool down the situation before things escalated. Jackie looked close to tears now as her best friend from Earth and her guide were looking murderous at-

His thoughts were interrupted when Penny stomped over to Janna and let fly with an open palm blow across Janna's face that reverberated in the great hall with a resounding *Smack*. The Filipina looked stunned momentarily, touching her red cheek gingerly before she pounced on the mewman like a frenzied cat. The two went down in a tangle of limbs, rolling on the marble floor as they took turns punching and scratching at each other. Marco could hear short, clipped insults being hurled between them; words like "whore" and "bitch" flying past him as he hurried over to the scrapping girls.

"Get off her, Janna!" he shouted, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling with all his strength. Janna fought to remain in the fight far harder than he would have suspected given her small size, and he just had pulled her halfway off a snarling Penelope when Jackie lost it. "ENOUGH!" she yelled, her fierce tone so out of character for the laid back surfer girl that all three of them froze in place, a comical tableau of a fight.

Jackie glared at them, her mint green eyes flashing dangerously as she trembled with anger. Slowly, Janna let Marco drag her upright, and once he'd bent over and helped a disheveled Penleope to her feet she growled, "Can you dudes chill for like, FIVE minutes? I'm the one who's gotten attacked twice and yet you two are sniping at each other every chance you get."

"Sorry, Jackie," both girls mumbled, looking slightly ashamed as they avoided the still seething skater's eyes.

Checking on the two girls, Marco took a moment to make sure Penny was okay, giving her a reassuring smile as he brushed a loose strand of brown hair back behind her ear. "You okay?" he whispered, earning himself a nod and soft kiss. Turning to an equally disheveled Janna, he was just about to ask if she was okay when he spotted a small black object in her hand. "Wha- ...Janna, SERIOUSLY?" asked Marco, feeling his temper flaring once again.

"What? I apologized!" Janna said, looking scandalized until he reached down and pulled her wrist up for everyone to see. "Were you seriously going to taser my girlfriend? Because that is sooooo not cool."

"Come on, Marco, that's in the past, right?"

"It was like forty seconds ago!"

"I was gonna until you stopped me, Diaz… But since Jackie asked us to play nice… I won't," she said, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Marco, it's like you don't even know me."

"I can't even believe I have to say this, Janna," Marco said into his hands after facepalming at the sheer ballsiness of her words. Looking up, he stared at her, a frown now creasing his face. "I am only going to tell you this once, Janna and I'm astounded that I even have to mention it, but: Do. Not. Taze. My. Girlfriend!" he shouted the last word, stepping closer to her and holding out his hand.

"What?" she eyed him as Penelope and Jackie looked on in stunned silence before Jackie shook her head in resignation. This was how it usually went between those two.

"You can have it back when you've demonstrated you're responsible enough to own it. C'mon, hand it over," said Marco, emphasizing his point with a shake of his hand. Grumbling, Janna deposited the weapon in his outstretched palm and he slipped it into his pocket.

After another few minutes of half-hearted apologies to Jackie and one another, the four of them headed up to Star's room. Knocking, Marco had to restrain himself from jumping back as the door flew open almost instantly. "Marcoo-heyyy everyone!" shouted Star, instantly going in for a big hug before catching his half-panicked eye and looking over his shoulder to find a glowering Penelope staring at her. Looking back at him, she nodded as surreptitiously as she could. He returned the gesture, desperately hoping that Star understood the look he gave her to play nice with Peneleope. Behind them, a quiet chuckle rang out and he knew exactly who it belonged to. 'I'm going to have to have a serious conversation with that girl…' he thought, just as Star found her voice again.

"Hey, come on in," said Star, waving her arm to sweep them in, "let me just get us something comfortable to sit on." With a wave of her wand and a flash of pink, five poofy polka dotted bean bags appeared in a tight circle.

They took their seats, Penelope making sure she got the spot between Jackie and Marco, while Star to his mixed satisfaction and anxiety, plopped down right next to him with a tight smile on her face. Marco couldn't help but return it, though when he looked over at Jackie, he felt his heart break. The girl looked close to tears, her normally bright eyes dull from lack of sleep and highlighted with dark circles under them. When she spoke, her voice seemed calm, but he could still hear the undercurrent of barely restrained panic that he knew she was fighting down. "Thanks for coming everyone, I…" she paused, taking a moment to look the other four teens in the eyes, "I wanted you all here because I know why the demon is targeting me." The tension in the room seemed to triple at her words, as everyone subconsciously leaned closer.

"Wait, you said last night was the second time you were attacked… How did you get away from this thing twice?" asked Janna, looking serious now. "No offense, Jackie, but you don't know any magic. If he wanted to kill you it would have been wayyy too easy,"

"Because he's toying with me. He wants something from me… I don't know what, but every time he appears he looks like…" Jackie's voice broke for a moment as she wiped away tears that had collected at the corners of her eyes, "Adam."

Janna and Marco shared a pained look, before turning back to see a stricken Jackie. They'd been friends with him all through elementary school, and his death had affected both of them deeply. Marco felt a deep pang of sadness in him as he vividly recalled the desperately sad funeral, the red-rimmed eyes of his classmates, and Jackie… beyond visual displays of grief as she stood by the closed casket the entire service. The remembrance brought unbidden tears to his eyes, and he blinked hard to try to push those emotions back.

"Jackie, who is Adam?" asked Penelope, her tone delicate as if afraid that reminding her guide would precipitate another bout of tears and panic.

"Adam is-was…my best friend four years ago," answered Jackie in a small voice. "We did everything together; skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, you name it we did it. Adam was even trying to talk me into trying parkour before…" But once more, she trailed off; she couldn't bring herself to finish the words.

"But why take his form? There are probably a hundred scarier thi-" began Penelope before Jackie interrupted her. "It's because of what I did, Penelope! It's my fault he's DEAD! It's my stupid, selfish fault and I was too much of a fucking coward to save him!" She was shouting now, half risen from her seat on the beanbag chair and staring at all four of them as if daring any of them to contradict her words.

When no one spoke, the fury burning in her mint green eyes seemed to gutter and die, and she sank slowly back into her chair as her face contorted into one of pure anguish. A strangled, broken sob escaped her lips before she buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Marco watched in horror as she shook from the weight of her guilt and grief; sharp gasps escaping from her hands as she curled in on herself. The dam had failed, cracking under the weight of her emotions and he felt his own composure slipping as he watched his close friend fall to pieces in front of his very eyes. Not thinking, he felt his legs automatically pull him off the beanbag chair and in a moment, he had wrapped his arms around her. He did his best to pour every ounce of comfort he could into her, sharing in her grief over their long lost friend and soon, he felt three more sets of arms softly wrap around the still sobbing and bawling Jackie.

As Marco held her, memories of his own experiences with Adam flashed through his mind. The time Adam had talked a reluctant Marco into attending his first ever school dance. 'It was the first time I got to dance with Jackie,' he thought with a smile. The images in his mind shifted to a bowing Adam, as he and Marco practiced Karate forms in the backyard while Janna watched them. 'He never got that black belt we promised we'd both get…' the thought made his eyes burn and he pulled Jackie in for an even tighter hug as he fought back his own rising grief. "I miss him too, Jackie…" he whispered to her as she clutched at him still harder.

They stayed like that for several minutes, letting Jackie cry herself out, until finally with a thick, hiccuping voice, she thanked them and returned their shared hug. Only then did Marco feel like it was safe to pull back and return to his seat. When everyone had sat back down, Jackie took a moment to center herself before speaking. "I've never told anyone this. And before this last week, I couldn't imagine I ever would… But I can't keep this secret anymore. It's tearing me up inside and I need to tell someone."

"It's okay Jackie, no one here is going to judge you. We just want to keep you safe," assured Star.

"You will once I tell you what I did," sighed Jackie, still curled up on the soft bean bag chair with her arms protectively wrapped around herself.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

Shredding down the hill towards the Echo Creek River, two kids, one boy and one girl wove in and out of each other's tracks, laughing as they ollied up onto the curb. Drifting to the right slightly, the blonde girl steered up a ramp to the top of a set of concrete steps before launching herself from the top. In a flash, she'd nudged her board with her feet, executing a perfect kickflip before landing with a clatter to rejoin her friend. "Not bad, right?" she laughed as they continued to shred the hill.

The brown haired boy smirked at her as he performed a flawless switch nollie. "C'mon Jacks… My grandma can do a kickflip off those stairs! Show me something hard!"

Jackie frowned at him and then stuck out her tongue. It was part of the little game they always played with each other; each one trying to one up the other through the various sports they played. Currently Adam held the lead in their back and forth competition with skating, having pulled off a daring kickflip to railslide just yesterday down the entirety of the front stairs of Echo Creek Middle School to the applause of nearly their entire class. The memory stung her slightly, and she bristled with the feeling of inferiority to her best friend at her favorite sport.

Crouching low, she passed a still smirking Adam and zoomed down the hill, confident in her ability to control the board despite the dangerous speed and intersection at the bottom. Sliding to a stop just before the intersection she tapped her foot as Adam braked hard, now looking curious instead of smug. "What's the rush, Jacks?"

"Dude you know that trick was better than yours… Admit it Adam, I'm holding the shell now, so hand it over." She held out her hand.

Grinning, Adam winked at her before slipping the golden colored seashell necklace off and dropping it into her open palm. "Fine, that trick was pretty sick. The necklace is yours. For now…"

The necklace had originally been just a pretty shell the two of them had found after a great day of surfing together. Adam had spotted it half-buried in the sand, and when they'd pulled it out, both had agreed it had to be one of the most beautiful sea shells they'd ever seen. It was golden, fading to a light cream color at the very edges, and streaked through with subtle, but beautiful darker shades of gold; like veins of the precious metal were embedded in its surface. So, after a short discussion on what to do with it, Jackie had come up with the great idea to take it to one of the shacks on the beach and have it turned into a necklace. Two small holes and a short length of thin leather later, and they were in the possession of a very cool and very pretty shell necklace. The only problem had been, there was just one of it and two of them.

It was Adam who staved off an argument, proposing the very first "challenge" and thus, the game was born. That had been over a year ago, but even now the spirit of competition between them burned as brightly as ever, with the necklace changing hands almost daily some weeks. Sometimes it was skating, others surfing, and when their families travelled to Big Bear Lake for skiing and snowboarding, there was always a frenzy of exchanges as the two pushed themselves to the limit.

"Ah, home at last," sighed Jackie, patting the shell affectionately and laughing when Adam put on a hurt expression before both bursting into laughter himself. When they'd both finished laughing, she looked at her best friend who was wearing a serious expression now.

"Challenge," he spat out, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Challenge, eh?" asked Jackie, not quite able to keep the slightly mischievous tone out of her voice.

It was another rule to their "game." The loser of the necklace could "challenge" the recipient, whereby the person receiving the necklace would dictate a difficult trick the loser would have to pull off in order to recover the necklace. If successfully completed, the loser retained the necklace and further couldn't lose it for a whole week. In the history of their game, there had only been one successful challenge, a double backflip off a nauseatingly high ski jump that Jackie had landed with such apparent ease, that Adam had given her the necklace with no small amount of awe.

Wordlessly, she crossed the street, Adam following close behind. When they reached the retaining wall that marked the concrete canyon known as the Echo Creek River, Jackie pointed down. Fairly shallow and slow moving, the Echo Creek River wasn't much to look at outside of the spring months when it ran high from the snow melt. Now though, in the high heat of summer it was a lazy strip of glittering blue, no more than twenty feet wide and probably no more than 4 feet deep.

Adam grinned when he saw what she was pointing at, a rusted old SUV in the middle of the river, only it's pitted and sun baked roof exposed above water. "What do you want me to do with that old piece of junk?"

"If you want this necklace, I want you to skate the river. We'll build a ramp and you can skate down the embankment and off the ramp, land on the roof of that old junker out there and then ollie to the other side of the embankment," explained Jackie, a glint in her eye. "If you pull this off Adam, I'll let you have the necklace for a month!"

He stared at the river for a moment in silence before turning to her and nodding, "Make it two and you're on." he shot back.

She didn't even hesitate, only firing back with a quick, "Deal."

They spent the next hour or so putting together a solid ramp. Luckily there was more than enough discarded wood and other debris by the riverside to cobble something sturdy enough for him to use. When they finished, and Adam declared he was, "Ready to fly," Jackie took her place by the edge of the river and watched as he slowly climbed the concrete incline of the embankment and strapped his helmet on.

"Show me whatcha got, Dude!" she called up to him as he gave her a thumbs up and pushed off hard. She watched as he crouched low, working to pick up as much speed as possible. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment as he leveled out, the back end of his board fishtailing slightly on some loose pebbles before he managed to bring it back under control. Rocketing across the short flat gap before the jump, he pumped hard once and set himself up for the jump.

Flashing by, she could just make out the smile on his face and the quick wink before he hit the jump and soared into the air. She watched in amazement as he flew overhead in a graceful arc, the sun framing his form in a bright corona as he transitioned for a landing on the roof of the rusted out vehicle.

*Thunk-Scrape-Thunk*

For Jackie, it happened in slow motion. Watching as he landed on the roof of the SUV, she saw it shift, slewing sideways in the current and throwing Adam from his board. It flew off into the water, but Jackie couldn't take her eyes off her falling friend and the way his feet shot out from under him as he fell, his helmeted head slamming into the steel corner of the still shifting SUV. The last image she had of him was of his limp body rolling over the other side of the vehicle and disappearing into the water with a sickening *splash*

"ADAM!" she screamed, running down the river's edge. Her thoughts were racing as she frantically scanned the water for any sign of her best friend. He'd surface any moment now, spitting out a mouthful of water and laughing as he always did when he failed spectacularly at a trick… He had to, he was wearing his helmet and it wasn't that hard a fall, just a couple bruises like always…

"ADAM!" she screamed again, this time so loudly her voice cracked under the strain. Still nothing, just the glittering water continuing to flow by lazily, without a care in the word. She ran up and down the water's edge, calling to him over and over, panic now gripping her fiercely. He'd been underwater for much too long. Nobody could hold their breath that long. 'I have, I have,' her thoughts felt slow and sluggish as her rational brain tried to push through the cloud of panicked, fragmentary thoughts ricocheting around her skull. 'I have to get help!' The thought clunked into place in her mind like a frozen lock finally breaking free and turning, snapping her out of her useless pacing.

With one final look at the water, Jackie sprinted up the concrete embankment, vaulting the low retaining wall before shouting for help. It took her almost three minutes to find an adult. 'Three minutes Adam doesn't have,' her mind reminded her. It was another four minutes before a pair of police cruisers pulled up, their officers hurrying down to the now crowded riverside where Jackie sat numbly on the ground, tear staining her cheeks.

An hour later, while rescue boats were racing up and down the Echo Creek River searching for her best friend, Jackie sat in a chair in the Echo Creek Police Department. Flanked by her parents, she wore a light blanket the Sergeant had given her, but it provided no comfort against the frigid, black pit of guilt and despair threatening to swallow her whole. "Jackie, I want you to know that the department is doing everything it can to try and find your friend, but I have a few questions for you if that's alright." asked the Sergeant, now squatting down in front of her.

Looking up, Jackie could barely meet the policeman's eyes. There was no anger in them, no accusatory glare there either; but all the same, she felt small and helpless against the raging storm inside her. 'If they find out it was all my idea…' a terrified voice in her head frantically whispered and she shook like a leaf at the thought. A touch and a look from her mother brought no relief, instead it only served to intensify her regret and shame at what she had caused.

"Is that alright, Jackie?" the Sergeant repeated.

She knew she had a decision to make. She could tell the truth about what happened and face the consequences: punishment and disapproval from her parents, trouble she might face from the police at her role in Adam's accident, even the anger and blame she may face from her classmates at school. She could face all of that and more, but the one thing she couldn't face, couldn't even imagine… Was what Adam's parents would say to her if they knew she was responsible for his death. He was their only child, but they treated Jackie like the daughter they never had. She ate dinner with them at least once a week, sometimes more depending on what his mother was cooking that night, and they always told her how proud of her they were whenever they came to see her and Adam in the frequent skating and surfing competitions they entered.

To have to face them and tell them their precious, only son was dead because she had made a foolish dare in a pointless, silly game. The guilt and fear gripped her harder than ever now, threatening to pull her under as surely as the river had pulled Adam under. Down, down, deep into the suffocating blackness of her own gut wrenching terror. So she did the only thing she thought might save her in that terrible moment: she lied.

Jackie told the Sergeant mostly the truth; that the accident had been a result of their game they always played and that in trying to win the necklace from her, Adam had built a ramp with the intention of jumping the Echo Creek River. She made sure to leave out the important fact that it had all been her idea, and that she had goaded him into the insane stunt due to that stupid "challenge" rule that was her idea in the first place. The rest of the story was identical to the truth. The fall, her frantic search for him in the water, and her running to get help when he didn't surface. By the end of the interview with the police, she felt so wrung out from her ordeal, that she didn't even remember being led out of the station and driven home. She only remembered her reflection in the bathroom mirror that night and the faraway look in her mint green eyes as she barely recognized the image staring back at her.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

Marco felt ice gripping his heart as Jackie finished her story with a shudder, wiping away yet more tears that were clinging to her eyelashes and threatening to spill down her cheeks once more. He had only ever heard that Jackie was with Adam when he drowned. Just a vague, nebulous story with no details and he respected Jackie far too much to ever press for them. But now, after she had laid out every sordid detail, he felt his heart bleed for her. 'No kid should ever be expected to bear that burden…' he thought sadly.

A warmth in both of his hands made him look down and he realized that he had taken both Star and Penelope's hands in his own, a fact that didn't bother him in the least as he looked at his stricken friend. "Jackie you were twelve… Nobody could bla-" he began before Janna cut across him.

"So then what happened?" she asked, leaning forward, a hungry look in her eyes.

"Are you for real right now, Janna…" Marco hissed, half rising out of his seat as two sets of hands squeezed his own. "Jackie is here telling us about the worst thing that's ever happened to her, hell to all three of us, and you want to pry for details like this is one of your horror novels. I can not fucking believe you right now… Are you even human?" He was glaring at her, as Penelope whispered his name soothingly.

"Yeah, it sucked. But it happened a while ago. Let's move on."

That did it for Marco. Already angry about her behavior towards Penelope earlier that morning, and on edge with what had happened to Jackie, he firmly pulled both his hands free and stepped towards the girl rubbing his temple. "You know… I know it's not part of your M.O. to care… But could you maybe reach down and try to find even an ounce of fucking empathy, considering this ENTIRE situation is your fault!" he finished, pointing at Janna who simply gazed at him, a cool expression on her face.

For Star, it was one of the loudest silences she'd ever been a part of. Louder even than the time she'd told her mom to "shut up" in front of several visiting dignitaries. She could remember the almost frightening silence in the great hall as her mother had glared at her and the subsequent grounding had been an unheard of: three weeks. Shuddering at the memory, she searched her mind for some way to break the tension in the room, hating seeing Marco so upset over what was obviously a painful memory for him. Before she could open her mouth, however, Jackie spoke up. She had the same look of concern on her face that Star had, and as she met Marco's eyes she spoke softly, "It's okay, Marco… I don't mind. I was going to tell you all anyways. It's…important that you all know why this is happening so we can stop it."

Star let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when Marco seemed to accept her words and returned to the beanbag. Instantly, she reached out, smiling at him when she felt his warm hand take hers. Just in case, she gave it another gentle squeeze and felt her heart flutter slightly when it was immediately answered with one of his own. She could hear him talking very quietly with Penelope, occasionally picking up words like "Janna" and "insensitive" as Penelope whispered back quiet comforts that made Star's heart ache. 'I should be the one comforting my best friend, dammit…' she thought angrily just as Jackie spoke up once more.

"Janna, you asked what happened next… Well, three days later was the worst day of my life. I'd hoped and prayed every hour that somehow… someway… Adam would be okay. That the police would find him just sitting by the side of the river waiting to get picked up and brought back home," She laughed, a short bitter bark that Marco had never heard before from his friend of many years. "Well I'm sure you and Marco know how stupid I was… They found his body three days later washed up on the beach and it was like someone punched me in the heart. I just cried and cried until the day of the funeral, where I saw Adam's parents again…"

Jackie paused to collect herself, forcing herself to breathe and keep her rising anxiety bottled up. 'Four years later and the wound is as raw as the day of his funeral,' she thought, feeling that all too familiar ache of loss in her gut. Continuing her story, she spoke up once she felt able to continue without breaking down, "Adam's parents were so infuriatingly understanding. They told me they didn't blame me in the least for the death of their son and that they were proud of me for getting help instead of panicking," she shook her head, staring at the floor between them all. "PROUD!" she yelled, "if they knew what I'd really done… I wanted them to scream at me. I wanted them to shake me and tell me what a horrible friend I was for getting my best friend killed. I wanted them to hurt me just like I'd hurt Adam…"

Once more, Marco was on his feet crossing over to Jackie and putting his arms around the trembling girl. "That's enough, Jackie. You're just punishing yourself at this point. Janna and I both remember that service. Just breathe, okay?" he said quietly as she nodded. "Janna," Marco looked over at her, noting the hungry, eager look was gone from her face and instead, a pale, shocked expression had settled there. "Clearly what we did in the park didn't work. What else do you have in your bag of tricks that can get rid of this thing?"

"I don't…" she answered, pausing to think. "Marco, I'm out of my depth here. I barely even know what we're dealing with outside of what Tom told us, which was basically nothing. I need to do some serious research if we're going to have a chance to stop this." Looking from Marco to her trembling best friend, Janna softened her tone, "Remember Jackie, this isn't really Adam. It's just a piece of shit fear demon that's trying to manipulate you. Don't fall for it's tricks, okay? Do you want to bunk with me until your parents are back?"

"That won't be necessary," said Penelope, cutting in before Jackie could answer. "She's going to be staying at the castle for the next couple weeks. I have a room right next to mine she can have and with Star and Queen Moon around… I don't think that asshole will try anything."

Janna looked like she was going to say something, but Marco jumped in, doing his best to smooth everything over. "That sounds like a fantastic idea, Penelope. Does that work for you Jackie?" he asked, relieved when Jackie gave a small nod. "Star will be right here if that demon shows up and Janna and I can get here in 5 minutes by bike. Also Star, can you ask Tom tonight for more information on what this thing is?"

"S-Sure," she stammered, snapped out her brooding thoughts by his sudden question. The hesitancy in her voice earned a searching look from Marco, which she returned with a look she hoped said "talk soon."

*Knock Knock* The sound of someone at the door made the group jump, and quickly, Star leapt up and ran to the door, opening it to find a nervous looking Manfred. "Her Majesty, your mother, has sent me to collect you for tea in the royal gardens."

"Tea? Mom and I haven't had tea since I was 12." she said, looking back to the group.

"If you would pardon my indulgence, Princess, but I do not believe tea is the real reason your presence is being requested if you catch my meaning…"

"Oh… OHHH," Star's eyebrows raised as she caught onto his meaning. "Umm, just one second, Manfred." Turning, she called back into the room, "Marco, Mom wants to talk to you about something, you gotta come with me."

"Your Highness, I do-" said Manfred before Star put a finger over his lips.

"Shushushush!" she hissed, glaring at a now sweating Manfred.

"Me?" asked Marco, looking to Penelope before looking back toward the door. "Umm, okay be right there."

"Guys why don't you all go get some lunch in the royal dining room. I'll send Marco to join you after he's done," added Star before grabbing Marco's hand and marching him quickly down the hallway, though not before noticing the murderous look Penelope threw her way.

Five minutes later, the two teens were hurrying down a side passage, a huffing and puffing Manfred a respectful distance behind when Star stopped and turned to face Marco, who was giving her a knowing look. "Your Mom doesn't need to see me, does she?" he asked, an eyebrow arched.

Blushing, Star shook her head and peered past him to wave off Manfred who promptly became very interested in a smudge on the carpet several feet back up the hallway. Looking back at a now smirking Marco, Star smiled mischievously, "I just wanted to say thank you for sticking up for Jackie and I didn't want Her to blow a gasket. You're an amazing friend, Marco. Not just to me..." she grinned, "but to everyone. It's why I wanted to give you this."

"Give me wha-" but Marco never finished his sentence as Star leaned in and pushed him up against the stone wall. In a flash, her lips were on his, inviting and warm; the taste of bubble gum this time making his own lips tingle with pleasure. He shouldn't have, his rational mind even growled a warning at him, but he couldn't help himself. He kissed back, lips parted slightly against her hungry mouth and slipped his hand into her hair. They clung to each other for several moments, locked in a passionate embrace until Star attempted to slip her tongue between his lips and he pulled away. "Star, maybe we should cool it here. The promise…remember?"

He didn't sound angry or offended, but there was a finality in his tone that told her it would be a mistake to push right now. 'And besides, he's right. You need to get a grip girl… You're dating TOM! Not Marco…' The thought helped ground her and she stepped back from a panting and red-faced Marco who nervously checked that Manfred was still preoccupied with whatever he was pretending was so interesting on the carpet. Fighting the rapturous smile that was threatening to spread from ear to ear, she fixed him with her most serious faux look before speaking, "I'm serious about what I said though. You're an amazing person, Marco… It's one of the reasons why this," she motioned between them with a hand, "keeps happening."

"I…uh, had a thought about that. But you're going to have to wait until tomorrow night," he added quickly when he saw the mixed look of excitement and apprehension on her face.

'After the ball?' Star almost purred out loud at the thought. She had a feeling that romantic tensions would be running particularly high after a night of dancing and drinks. In fact, the possibilities that flashed by in her mind were equal parts enticing and terrifying. 'Marco and I, all alone in his living room… No monsters to kick in the door this time…' She could feel the flush creep up her neck as the images of his shirtless body and the feeling of his fingers on her legging-clad thigh sprang forth. Deciding to change the subject to anything other than the thought of them both alone in the dark, she spoke up. "Don't you have that fitting for the ball at 3 today? What's your costume going to be?"

"I do, and I'm not telling," he said, pushing off from the wall.

"Why not? Both Penelope and I will be up with our parents, so it'll be obvious what our costumes will be. C'monnn, Marco… Tell me."

"Nope." Marco winked at her, smiling now as he started back the way he'd come. "It's going to be a surprise for everyone, even Penelope!"

"Marco Diaz!" Star called after him as he jogged up the corridor.

"Be safe with Tom tonight! I got a bad feeling!" he called over his shoulder as he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

"I will…" she muttered, the smile sliding off her face as she felt a mix of frustration, elation, and a strange foreboding mixing unpleasantly in her mind. Sighing, she called to the still dutifully distracted Manfred, "C'mon Manfred, let's see what punishment my mom has waiting for me."


Authors note

Hello Everyone! Lord Cornwalis here with another chapter of Once and Future Queen. As you may have noticed this is going to be a two parter! But fret not, I'm already 20k into part two, and I'm hoping to have it finished and edited by the end of next week. But including this, the chapter is going to be flirting with 40k words, and that's just too long to put up in a single sitting. This chapter has it all, we have horrific happenings, awkward and adorable moments for all of our main characters, and we learned the backstory of Jackie's dark secret! Part two is even wilder, I assure you, and I can't wait to publish it so you all can get to read it. As always: follow, favorite and leave a review if you loved it, we love hearing from fans of the story! Also, as a bit of a post script to this author's note, if you're a fan of our writing, please go check out our solo stories, In the Pale Starlight and Forgotten Ventures respectively! Both are well worth your time to read and we hope you'll give them a look!

See you very soon!

~Lord Cornwalis

~Mr. RonaldReagan