The End

Elizabeth Knight

Chapter 22

Bra whirled around as she heard her name. Kyle was racing toward them at top speed as they took a few steps away from the steep stair way they'd climbed. "So you found me, cat-man. How very interesting."

"Let her go!" Kyle growled at him.

"You want her? Come and get her." he told Kyle as he pushed Bra behind him. Bra stumbled backwards but managed to stay upright. The two native men were sizing each other up, but Bra knew what the out come of this battle was going to be. The Rebel Phantom was still weak from his bout with his illness and didn't have the strength needed to fight Kyle.

Kyle lunged at the ware dog, but he jumped back out of his reach. "You're getting slow cat-man. Care to try again?"

"I'd be careful who I taunted, Phantom." Kyle snarled, baring his fangs.

"Quit stalling for time." he said calmly moving to keep Bra behind him.

"Don't do this." Bra pleaded quietly of the Rebel Phantom.

"Hush." he snapped back at her as Kyle charged for him a second time. This time Kyle didn't miss, and the two of them went careening back toward the edge of the cliff. Bra backed up as quickly as she could, but it wasn't fast enough. The Rebel Phantom's shoulders knocked into her shins and down she went. Giving a short scream, she hit the ground and rolled right over the edge of the cliff.

Both men separated instantly. Kyle scrambled over to the edge and gave a sigh of relief as he looked down and saw Bra hanging on to a small branch. "Bra." he called calmly. "Look at me, Bra." Bra looked up at Kyle and smiled faintly. "I'm going to reach down and try to grab the branch, ok? Just don't move."

Bra nodded and closed her eyes. Several minutes went by and nothing happened. Opening her eyes again, she watched Kyle stretching for the limb. His paw was only inches from the base of the branch, but it was still too far away. "I can't reach it, Bra. You're going to have to reach for me. Very slowly reach up with your other hand."

Bra did as he instructed, but stopped as the branch began to crack. Her eyes flew to Kyle's as he looked down at the limb as well. "It's not going to hold, Kyle."

"Don't talk like that. Of corse it's going to hold. It has to."

Bra nodded her head to agree with him although she knew the truth. The limb was too small and there was nothing else on the way down. She wasn't going to make it off this cliff face alive. It was hard to think of anything to say. It didn't really matter much now.

"Try again, Bra. Reach for my hand and don't give up this time. You've never given up on anything since the first day I met you. Now reach!"

Bra did as he ordered, trying to pull herself up with the hand that had a hold of the branch and reaching for Kyle with the other hand. Bra ignored the cracking sound as she watched her fingers barely brush Kyle's. Her foot slipped, and she fell the few inches she'd gained. Shaking her head she looked back up at Kyle. "I love you."

"Don't you let go, Bra! Reach for me. Reach!" he shouted down at her.

Bra smiled and closed her eyes, stretching out her hand for Kyle's. She heard the branch snap, and opened her eyes to watch Kyle's image quickly began to fade away. She didn't scream, she was so afraid. She could feel the air rushing up and blowing her hair into her face. She felt her body start to roll and knew she didn't want the single experience of watching the ground racing up to meet her. "I love you." she whispered before she closed her eyes again.

Bra was snatched out of the air, her whole body jerking downward. She looked up into an unfamiliar face. Muscles bulged from the arm holding him to the side of the rock wall and his legs were starting to slide with the added weight. The hand that had a hold of her had metal talons emerging from his finger tips. Dark brown eyes flashed in the sunlight and he smiled reassuringly at her. "Hold on my lady. I've got you."

Bra reached up to grab his arm and tried to help him pull her up. Once he had her in his lap, Bra wrapped her arm and legs around his body to hold on. "Thank you, Phantom." she whispered in his ear.

"Erik."

"What?"

He stopped for a minute to look at her. "My name is Erik, my lady."

"Thank you Erik."

He didn't answer but started making his way up the side back to the top. It was strange being able to feel every muscle in his body work and every move he made. She slid this way and that with ever step he took, and she buried her fingers into his shoulder blades, fearing she's slip even though his arms kept her prisoner on either side of her body. It was an interesting way to travel, but Bra personally hoped she'd never have need to do it again.

They came out several feet away from Kyle. She felt like dropping to her knees and kissing the earth, but she didn't. "You can let go now."

Bra looked up at Erik and noticed she still had a hold of him. It was almost embarrassing. Forcing her legs to slide down his own and her fingers to release his body, she slid to her own feet. "Thank you Erik."

Reaching out to touch her face, he told her, "I would never let anything happen to you Bra. Never. Especially if it was my fault. I should never have put you in any danger in the first place. I hope one day you'll be able to forgive me for everything." He kissed her softly then turned to leave. Bra reached out to call him back but was distracted by Kyle's panther form leaping past her.

Kyle made impact with Erik's back and held on with his claws. Bra watched Erik reach behind him and yank Kyle off, throwing him over his head to the ground. Kyle leapt up and attacked him again, this time sending Erik to the ground beneath him. Bra was frozen for a second before her feet sent her racing towards the two. She could see Kyle had transformed and was sitting astride Erik, who had his arms up trying to shield his face.

Without thinking, Bra threw herself over Erik's body right in front of Kyle's oncoming slaughter. She was immediately enfolded and crushed to Erik's body. "Kyle! Stop!! Please stop!" she screamed over and over again, hoping he would hear her.

The onslaught had stopped but it took several minutes for Bra's mind to register it. "Bra? Are you ok?" It was Erik's voice in her ear. He pulled her hair back out of her face, which was buried in his neck. She peeked up at him, but he wasn't looking at her face. She looked down and over her shoulder at the shredded material of her blouse. Erik's fingers probed the inside of her shirt, touching her skin. When he removed his hand there was no blood. She watched his head fall back to the ground as he let out a breath of relief.

"He wouldn't have stopped." she said slightly dazed.

Erik's head came back up as he met her eyes this time. "He couldn't Bra. He can't retract his claws that fast. He would never have intentionally hurt you. I know."

"How do you know? Look at my shirt!"

"It only ripped the material. He had already started to pull back."

"Listen to me go when you're bleeding! Look what he did to you." Bra touched the jagged gashes across Erik's face on one side and the wounds on his arms where he had been shielding her body. His chest was pretty tore up as well. "Oh Erik. Look what he's done."

"I would have done the same thing to any man who had tried to hurt you, Bra. Or any man who had tried to touch you the way I did. I understand and applaud him for his championship of you."

"How can you say such a thing? This is not the work of a champion."

"Bra, go to him, now. You have no idea how he's feeling at this very moment. He needs you near him to tell him it's ok."

"But it's not ok. I can't leave you here bleeding. You're terribly hurt."

"I'll be fine. Go to him." He shoved her off his chest and stood up. He turned to leave, but Bra stopped him.

"Wait! Erik? I have something to tell you."

"What is it, Bra?"

"I....your....I mean that you're very special to me and.....I....I need to tell you that....that..." she couldn't finish, but she didn't have to. Erik smiled at her and rolled his wrist producing another beautiful rose out of thin air. Handing it to her, she noticed this one hadn't any thorns on it. "I wish I knew how you did that. Where will you go now? Will you stay with White Fang and the Rebels?"

"No. My job with them is finished. I'll find something to do my lady. I may not be a cat, but I always land on my feet. Don't fret over me."

"I have to, Erik. You're my friend. My very dear, very special friend."

"I see you were right. I lost and lived......and gained. I'll always remember you my lady. Bra. Now go to him." he told her, shoving her in Kyle's direction.

With a last glance over her shoulder, Bra ran across the clearing to Kyle. He sat on the ground, head in his hands. She watched him pull his hands away and look at them in disgust. "Now I know how Jonathen felt to destroy something so precious with his own hands. It was an accident. I couldn't get away fast enough." He turned tortured eyes up to Bra, and she instantly teared up.

"It wasn't your fault. You had no way of knowing what I was going to do." Bra reached out to grab both of his blood splattered hands and bring them to her face. "Please believe me. It's alright."

"Where is he?" Kyle groaned.

Bra looked up over Kyle's shoulder, but Erik was gone already. "He's gone."

"I owe him one. He saved your life."

"I know. I owe him one." She looked back at Kyle, "Take me home."

"Home?" he ask, a look of fright on his face as he misunderstood her.

"Sueke, take me home." He pulled her to him, crushing her against his chest as he rained kisses over her face. "Take me home."