Mac woke up later to a dark room and blurry vision. She attempted to raise her hands to rub her eyes clear, but she couldn't move her hands. They each felt ten million pounds. She blinked several times, but even that was an effort. She closed her eyes again and did so for a few minutes.

She was conducting an internal check. 'Bones?' she asked herself. 'None broken. Muscles? Sore. Movement? Possible, but hard.' She kept it up, until she found she could move fine, but she was sore and stiff.

Mac knew that she was standing, but leaning against a wall or board or something. The room around her had a little light in the middle, but it gave off very little light. 'This is familiar.' She thought, but couldn't place it. She felt an urgency to remember what this place was, but just couldn't. She checked out the room around her more, seeing if it would help her remember.

It was a little smaller than a regular sized room and its walls were lined with syringes and torture instruments. All except one wall and the corners near it. That one wall was the one she was leaning against and it was made so she couldn't reach anything. 'Oh, I hope that they do it quick.' She thought.

Her head snapped up at a sound. She identified it as footsteps. She felt the remembrance coming closer and closer. It was now right on the tip of her tongue. The handle on the door turned slowly and a figure walked into the shadows. He went over to a table with syringes on it and fiddled with them. Mac gasped as the realization hit her. 'It's my dream!' she thought fervently.

The figure turned a little and Mac thought she could see it smiling. "How are you?" Mac played along with her dream and didn't respond. The figure whirled around and brought his face close her hers. "I said, how are you." Mac recognized the command. She was no longer going to play into his hands. She knew the outcome. She had the dream more than once; she was going to take this into her own hands.

"I know who you are." She said dangerously. This brought a look of surprise on her attacker's face. She couldn't make out his face completely, but enough to be sure of her suspicions. He recovered from his surprise and sneered.

"Really? And how would that be?" he asked mockingly.

"You're a brutal beast and I can't believe I ever trusted you." Mac retorted. The man responded as if she had slapped him. He recoiled and then brought his face even closer.

"I think you knew it all along."

"I didn't. You're a very good actor. I'm very impressed, but that's about all. You were my friend and more. I trusted you and you even had my family trusting you." Mac choked out. She tried not to show her emotions, but they had run haywire. "You were my very best friend, but you betrayed me! I don't ever remember being betrothed to you!"

"I don't know how you knew we were betrothed or who I am, but that doesn't matter. What matters now, is that you are here and you are mine. You know you want to be. No matter how you denied it, you always loved me." He said.

"No. I looked up to you and thought you were the best. You were closest to family I got for a long time." Mac retorted. She almost forgot she was in restraints and her hands clenched. "If I could, I would beat you to a pulp, but you obviously remember my punch."

"Such harsh words and actions. You know you don't hate me. You love me as much as I love you." He leaned closer and caught her up in a kiss. She gave in for a minute, but then remembered the circumstances and pulled back.

"BACK OFF YOU PERV!" she yelled. "I hate you. I always have and always will. I will never be your wife."

"You will be my queen and we will rule the universe together. You will forever be by my side. Even when I execute the gundam pilots. You will be the perfect tool for my army. You are a woman and once on the side of good, so everyone will think you still work for the Preventers. Then, you will convince them all that I'm the good guy and the ones who rebel, you will destroy. You will be able to because you have the training." He coaxed.

"Never." She hissed.

"Oh, my poor Kedzie. You're just not making this easy on yourself. You will whether you want to or not. If you just consent now, you will be taken out of the restraints and let upstairs. You will even be able to have the run of the house." He promised.

"I will never, ever be your wife Brian." She stated. Brian smiled sadly and pressed the pressure point on the back of her neck. He didn't press hard enough to knock her unconscious, but hard enough to temporarily paralyze her. She yelped in pain and surprise, but then fell limp. Brian unlocked her from her restraints and then caught her limp body and carried her like a small child.

She lay in his arms, unable to move and disgusted. She tried to talk, to move, to do anything, but couldn't.

"My poor Kedzie. My poor, poor Kedzie. I didn't want to have to use force, but you wouldn't listen." He crooned. He caressed her skin and kissed her gently. She looked out from her eyes, and felt a prisoner of her own body. She couldn't handle it so she closed her eyes and wished herself far away.

When she opened her eyes, she looked down at herself being carried by Brian up the stairs. He carried her with such tenderness and grace, that she almost consented to being his wife, but his intentions were cruel. She closed her eyes again and when she opened them back up, she was back inside her body. Brian had carried her to a beautiful corridor and was heading towards the far end.

She could feel tingling in her face, but that was all. She croaked out "why" and it was barely audible.

"You didn't think I'd let you stay in that dreadful, dreary, torturous place did you?" he laughed, but not a sincere laugh. "Kedzie, you know me better than that."

Mac would have said that she doesn't know him at all, but she couldn't talk anymore. It took all her strength to just say why. He carried her into a room and lay her down on the bed. It was a large room with a canopy on the huge king size bed. It was fairy tale like. It reminded her of the castles of the medieval times.

Seeing the question in her eyes, Brian answered, "Yes, we're in a castle. Don't ask where, because I won't tell you, but yes I came across a castle and fixed it up a little bit. Quite nice, considering it was once an old shabby palace." Mac let herself rest; she felt like she had been stomped on by her gundam. "I love you, Kedzie." Brian breathed. He was suddenly very close. She tried to move away, but only succeeded in rocking the other way. Brian drew back. "I see you're not ready yet, but when you are, you and I will finally be king and queen."

Mac just let herself slip into the wonderful world of sleep.



"Mac? Come on Mac. I've been waiting forever!" Duo called into the ladies bathroom. There was no answer. Duo remembered after he had turned around, seeing a figure go out the door before. He had thought it was funny because he thought he and Mac were the only ones in the store.

Duo took a deep breath, and pushed open the door to the bathroom. He stepped inside and saw that no one was in there. No feet under the stalls, no people by the sinks, no one. Duo swore under his breath. He ran out and found Heero standing outside, smirking.

"Duo now's not the time to be harassing women." He said smugly. Duo frowned.

"Not funny Heero. Mac said she had to go to the bathroom about twenty minutes ago, and I thought she went in there, but she's not in there." Heero's smirk was immediately replaced with a frown.

"Then, we need to find her quick." The two men jogged down the street. Duo was looking both ways and then, he stopped dead.

"What is it?" Heero asked, stopping beside him.

"I just saw a girl that looked like Mac go down."

"What do you mean?"

"There were these guys and one guy was holding a cloth and pressed it up against her face and she went limp and they dragged her away." Heero sighed.

"Let's go. It might be her." They took off in that direction.



When Mac woke up, it was dark in her room. She let her eyes get accustomed to the dark and then made her way around the room to loosen up her muscles. She had paused for a minute, when she saw light under her door, coming closer and footsteps. She climbed back on the bed and waited. She was going to talk to Brian. He walked in and walked over to her. He brushed a piece of her hair away from her face.

"Brian."

"Hmm?"

"I'll be your wife."

"I knew you'd agree."

"On a few conditions."

"I'm listening."

"You can't take over the world."

"No. I'm sorry, but I can get you to be my wife on my own conditions."

"No, Brian. I won't stay with you. I'm too strong for you to brainwash and force. I have to much mind and spirit."

"I know that, but I figured you'd see how wonderful it was."

"I don't see anything wonderful about making peoples lives hell."

"It wouldn't be hell."

"It would be. You'd create a war and you know it. There would be no easy going. You have an army because you know it's true."

"No, it's going to be my way." Mac sighed sadly.

"Brian, don't make me kill you. I really don't want to." Brian laughed at her remark.

"Kedzie, you make it sound so easy."

"It won't be. I would live with the nightmare forever, but if it meant stopping you from causing a war, then I would kill you. I don't mind fighting war, but I hate it when it's for no reason." Mac said. Brian moved closer to Mac.

"Mac, I love you. I'm doing this for you. You know you love me and you want to be my wife." He held her in his arms and she didn't fight him.

"I guess I do love you, but I won't hesitate to kill you."

"Don't talk in such a way. I know you're lying."

"If you know me so well, then you should know that I'm speaking the truth." Mac whispered. Brian lifted her face and looked her in the eye.

"Tell me the truth." Brian murmured.

"I had always looked up to you like a brother, but you've more than that lately. You've been more gentle with me and nicer to me. I guess I've always loved you in brotherly-sisterly way, but it's progressed over time. I didn't even notice." Mac confessed. Then, she looked him dead on with determination in her eyes. "But," her voice came out strong and loud. "I will not hesitate to kill you to help my friends or family. They come first. You would be a wonderful tool for the Preventers. Come on my side Brian. I'd gladly be your wife then." Brian sighed.

"I'm not so sure that that's the best idea. I have my plans and everything is so far ahead, I can't turn back." Brian said. "I also can't let you go now because you know my plans and would turn me in. Now, will you be my queen anyway?"

"No." Mac stated. "I told you. No Brian." Brian and Mac had sat down on the bed talking to each other in low whispers. Brian kissed her and Mac didn't know what to do. Part of her said 'go with him! Be his wife and control the universe! Think of the power!' but the other part said, 'Pull away! Run away and get as far away from him as you can.' Mac pulled away as he lay her down next to him.

"Brian, I don't know you anymore." Mac said, still lying down. "You've turned into a stranger. I never knew this power mad, twisted man."

"You don't mean that."

"I do. I have no idea who you are. You're power mad and twisted and you don't care about anyone but yourself. You called me a tool instead of a person. You just want me because I'll look pretty sitting next to you and I'll just be a tool for you."

"Kedzie, you know very well that's not true. I care for you more than anything and I've been planning for this forever." Brian protested. He pulled her closer to him. "Kedzie, I want you to be with me. I want you to rule with me. We'd make such a good pair for the universe. You and your battle experience and me and my fairness." Mac gave an unladylike snort.

"Fairness? You? Ha! If you were a fair person, you wouldn't go and start a war just for you own selfish needs. No, Brian, you certainly are not a fair person."

"Kedzie, you are wearing my patience thin. We'll talk tomorrow." Brian wrapped her in his arms and kissed her again, more softly and passionately.

Mac was busy thinking. She was thinking about the past and present. She remembered Brian asking if she was jealous that he had another girlfriend and secretly she was. She hadn't really known it then, but that was because she refused to acknowledge it and ruin their friendship because she had a crush. Now, she realized that he had liked her too, and had only set her up with Zach so that she could break up with Zach and go running to Brian. She also realized that she did sincerely want to be with Brian, but she didn't want to be his queen. 'Oh well,' She thought. 'For now, I'll be his girlfriend.' And she gave herself up to him for that night.

"I'm so glad you accepted." He murmured to her as she kissed him back, and they got lost in each other's arms for the remainder of the night.