Um, yeah. The whole dialogue thing. Writing conversation for more than two people is one of my little problem points. Another reason why I don't use all the "he said she said" stuff is that, I hate reading that over and over an over and over and over and over and over and over . . . you get the idea. And after a while I end up exhausting my thesaurus for other words to use.

I'm better at indicating whose speaking by what the character says. I once had this assignment where we had to write a dialogue between four or five made up characters, it could be about anything BUT we weren't allowed to use any words like "blahblahblah." Bubba said. Not even in the form plays are written (Bubba: "......."). I passed the thing with a 99, but that was a long time ago and I've been playing around with it again.

Sorry. I'll try to be better about it.

One more thing. The next part to Regression is done. All 7700 some odd words of it. All 44.6 KB of it. I appreciate the feedback, for the few of you who have given it, but could you do it there and not in the Dreams review section. Not trying to be picky, or bitchy. Just trying to keep things neat in my little corner of the internet :::shameless misuse of portion of quote::: But, yeah. I'll put it up when people, especially the ones who asked for it (but then I didn't recognize any of the address or names they signed so I don't think they be the reviewing type) say something about it.

Now, go and review. My story, Calypso's story, everything you read.

Feed the review - a - saurus. :::mmmmmmm human:::::

PS. I haven't slept in two days and aside from left overs have been living on caffeine and sugar. Sorry if I end up freaking people out. I'll stop now.

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XXXI. Terminus

"Wakey wakey."

"Shut up." An obviously tired grumble came from under the crisp white hospital sheets.

"Awww come on, Sara. It's you friendly neighborhood Ghost."

"I'd rather you be Spider-Man. He's cuter. Now go away. I'm reveling in the pain killers."

"Oh, your no fun."

"Go scare some little kid, Danny."

She just wanted to sleep.

"I've already been to the children's ward. They were watching some giant purple thing sing badly on the television. I can't compete with that."

"Barney?"

"Newt Gingrich."

Sara pulled the sheet off of her head and gave him a bewildered look.

"Really?"

Danny rolled his eyes at her and shook his head. If it weren't for the fact that he wasn't tactile . . . wait. The pillow wasn't alive. Maybe . . . no. She wouldn't throw it at him. She didn't want to wake up Jake. She had woken up to find him sleeping with his head on her bed and the Witchblade back on her wrist. He would have a kink in his neck when he did wake up. He looked like he had been tossed around a bit. There a few bandages on his arms and a already fading bruise on that one spot on his head that every one just loved to hit.

"They got Mollard, Sara."

"I figured, Danny. I wonder how. I didn't do much. I don't know what the whole experience was for. Hell, I don't know if was even supposed to learn anything from this."

"But you did learn something."

"Care to enlighten me?"

"How about you tell me."

She sighed.

"I need to rely on others?"

"That could be part of it."

"Then why all the freaky dreams?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Well if you won't, then I'll ask Seiji."

"Way to bend the rules, Pez."

"You love me for it."

He laughed and shrugged his shoulders. She looked out the window. The rain had turned to snow. Was some of this weather from that kid? Was it even possible?

"Ask him, Pez. Maybe you'll learn something."

"I intend to."

She turned her head back to where Danny had been standing. Gone again. Maybe Seiji could tell her how to put a bell on him.

* * * *

Bruno Dante sat at his desk and seethed.

"Slut." He said to the room.

Everything. Every single fucking thing had gone wrong in the end. Don't get him wrong. He was proud of McCartey. He didn't think he would be able to get any where near that far. But he would have to work on the kid again. Dante had pissed him off. He could be a little scary when he was mad.

That kid. The other one that glared at him the entire time. He wasn't right. There was something . . . Dante shivered. He didn't get a good look at the the third one.

When Pezzini came back on the job he would have to do be nice to her for a while. The very thought made him want to hurl. But he would think of something. He'd get her.

He always got what he wanted.

One way or another.

He laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Huh?"

He spun his chair around to face the front of the office. It was that kid that had been in the precinct to report his friend missing. How did . . . wait. He was the third one with McCartey.

"How did you get in here?!"

The kid smirked.

"I asked you a question, kid. Answer it?"

He shook his head. Dante started to stand up, but the boy was already across the room. He pushed him back down in his seat.

"Don't get up."

"Listen, punk! I don't know who you think you are-"

"I know who you are, Bruno." His tone was dangerous. He tried to stare the kid down, but there was something in his eyes that made Dante stay put. It took his mind a few seconds to process the information and give him a name to the look.

Malice.

Well, he could be tough too.

"Really? Well then, who am I?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? That's all you can come up with is: nothing?" He joked. The hand on his shoulder pushed him further down into his chair. His bones creaked with the added pressure. The kid was strong. He let go and began to walk around the office.

"Yeah. Nothing. Worthless. So insecure about his dick he takes it out an everyone else."

Dante seethed.

"Fuck you asshole!"

"Ohhh. I'm scared. What are you gonna do, shoot me?"

Dante stood and drew his weapon. He went to pull the trigger, but it wasn't there. He blinked at his empty hand for a moment then looked up to find it in the kid's possession. He held up the gun and crushed it in his hand.

What was this kid on?

"I'm not on anything, Bruno."

"What do you want?"

"You. Feed to the lions. But the thing is, I'm not a killer. I have in battle, but it was never intentional. I know that one day, being what I am, it will happen. But never like you, Bruno."

"You admitting to murder kid?"

"Are you? You hurt my family, you prick. My 'sister' is dead. My 'brother' is injured. You tried to kill a new friend. And were willing to risk an old one! Tell me a reason to not break every bone in your body."

"Well, kid. You said you're not like me. Would you leave me alive?"

"Yeah. I don't want you dead, Bruno." He kept on saying his name with same stupid tone. it was getting annoying.

"I'd want me dead."

"I'd leave you alive. Your body would heal. But I know the human body, Bruno. I want you to live to be the oldest human on record. Paralyzed from the neck down. So you can watch the whole world pass you by."

"How sweet." Dante drawled.

Then the kid did something. He growled. Not a human one, but more like a giant cat. And if you would have asked Bruno Dante what he thought, he'd swear on his life that the kid's canines looked a bit sharper than normal. It was just his mind, but it was enough to scare five years off his life.

"Pathetic human." He spat.

"You're one too, kid."

"Off all of us, I am the least human, genetically."

Who's 'us'?

"What are you here to do, huh? Do it or leave!"

"Okay."

A snap followed by fire. Dante cried out in pain. The little shit broke his arm!

"Fuck!"

"Don't look so surprised, I told you I was going to do it." He chided.

The fuck was laughing at him. He reached from his ankle holster with his good arm. He never made it. The kid grabbed him and pulled him out the window. Everything was blurred for a while. He felt like he was being pulled up to somewhere. The rush finally stopped.

"Look down, Bruno."

He knew he shouldn't do it, but he did.

"Holy fuck!"

There was the city of New York. From the vantage of a high flying plane. The air was too thin. It was so hard to breathe. Why wasn't the kid having problems? How did . . . how did the boy do this?

The kid smirked again. Not like before. This one made him look downright evil.

For the first time in a long while, Bruno Dante was truly afraid.

"N-n-n-no. Do-don't!" It was so hard to speak.

The kid smiled.

And let go.

Dante screamed.

He had been sky diving before. But that was a bit different. He remembered that stupid joke about the man praying to the different gods to help him when he fell. It didn't work very well.

Something caught him.

The kid again.

"You scream like a little girl, Bruno."

"Pl-pl-please."

"Please what?"

"What are you?"

"Me? What are you? Give me the right answer and I'll put you back in your office."

Dante looked into the others eyes again. He was enjoying this? He couldn't tell. God, he felt so small right now. Had his mother been alive, he'd crawl back home. But that's what the kid wanted, wasn't it?

Humiliation.

Dante had never felt humility before now.

"I-I-I"

"Come on, you can say it." The boy spoke to him like he was some baby learning how to speak.

"Nothing."

"Good boy. You can tell the truth."

He stayed good to his word. In moments Dante had been dropped back in his office. In a rather undignified heap on the floor.

"You asked me what I was, Dante. You answered me, I'll answer you. I am many things to many people. Respect. The Storm. But to you, I'm the person who broke you. Even if it was just a little bit . . . I could have done more. "

When he looked up the boy was gone. It had been real though. He needed to go to the hospital to get his arm set. But, he had to think of what to say. To the doctors and to the guys. He couldn't . . . he couldn't . . . His shoulders began to shake.

Bruno Dante huddled himself on the floor of his office and sobbed.

* * * *

There was so much blood. It really wasn't that much liquid in the human body, but it always seemed like more when it was spilt. Ian Nottingham mused over the still form of Iceani. Some one had placed her in the bathtub of her hotel room some time ago. The only injury he could find was an extremely deep and jagged cut directly into her upper chest. Her heart.

There had been a great deal of blood when she had killed him all those lifetimes ago. He had the privilege of being the only person she had ever tortured to death. She had finished him by breaking his neck, but she had put so much force into it that his head had almost . . . Ian rubbed his neck. She hadn't been in the best frame of mind those last few years, or the following two centuries for that matter.

He checked her pulse again.

Still nothing.

He wondered how long it would take for her to come back. Sometimes it took minutes, once it had taken a year.

Irons had instructed him to asses the . . . status of all those involved.

He had been shocked at Sirous' actions. The teen was dangerous. Deadly. But he reigned himself in. Instead choosing humor and reason over the violence that was inherent to his armor. But he had let that other side of him show through to Captain Dante. Only a small amount, but it had been enough to do what he intended. Privately, Ian thought Dante deserved everything that was coming to him. But he would never admit it aloud.

Sara was awake and doing well. With the Blade back in her possession her recovery had speed up. Her partner's most serious injury was a mild concussion. Anything else had been an assortment of scrapes, bruises, and burns.

He had laughed at the doctors treating Seiji. They couldn't figure out what to do with the boy. He would be out later tomorrow. He had only been admitted this morning after William Mollard had been taken away. Ian hadn't stayed long to observe Halo. Minute after he had arrived, Seiji had turned his head and looked strait at him. It was slightly unnerving

Mollard himself was in lock-up in a detention facility. Irons had decided not to try and help him gain his freedom. He felt it would lead to too many uncomfortable questions.

Last he had come here. Iceani had been the only one unaccounted for. He had not expected to find her in this state. Mollard must have bested her or gotten lucky. Normally, Ian didn't believe in luck. But on some occasions it was an acceptable reason.

The door unlocked. He grimaced when he recognized the person.

"Hello Detective McCartey."

He jumped at the sound of his name.

"Nottingham. What are you doing here?"

"Why are you not by Sara's side?"

"The nurses kicked me out. Visiting hours. Now why are you here?" His posture was ridged. Good he had made him uncomfortable.

"The same reason you are, I suspect."

"Really?"

"To see how she is. And curiosity."

"Curiosity?"

"I only wish to know her reasons for a rather painful action that occurred between us sometime ago."

"Look her up. She's listed."

"I see. I am done here. Enjoy your stay, but I am afraid that she is not much for conversation at the moment."

"Get out."

"You really don't like me, do you Detective?"

"At first I tried not to hold much against you. But after what your employer did . . . you always claim to live to protect Sara. Where were you this time?"

"But Lady Sara is still alive and well."

"No thanks to you."

"So you hate me only for this. I am loyal to the man who gave me life, Detective."

He stepped around Jake and opened the door to the hall.

"There's something else, isn't there Nottingham?"

He looked back.

"There has always been something else."

The door shut.

* * * *

Date Seiji sat with Sara Pezzini in her hospital room. He had told her what had transpired after she had been . . . incapacitated.

"I wish they hadn't made Jake go."

"Well, the nurse was scary. I think I'd rather go back to being chained up then to deal with her."

"I think she's really a man."

He laughed at her statement. Too bad it might be true.

"He needed to get cleaned up, and we needed some one to check on Melissa."

"Where's Drew?"

"Off where he can't do any harm."

"What?"

"He had a 'visit' with your Captain. The brief encounter with Mollard had him riled up, and going to confront Dante may not have been the best idea he's ever had. Sirous, by nature, is very violent. Halo keeps the rage in check and it does the same the other way. We'll take him off some where and let him duke it out with one of us."

"A thirst for fighting."

"Sort of. More of an urge to do the most damage possible. He lost his temper once . . . it is not an experience one would like to repeat."

She nodded her head in understanding.

"I have a question for you. Danny told me to ask."

"I hopefully have an answer. If not, I assuredly know some one who can."

"What was the point?"

"The point of what?"

"The dreams? What happened with Mollard? Everything."

"With Mollard was partially set up, and any lesson to be learned from that would be fairly simple, I think."

"Basic rules of combat?" She raised and eyebrow.

"Did you follow them?"

"I tried."

"And you are alive. So they work."

"What about the others?"

"You would have had the dreams in time. They were never meant to be in such rapid succession. Kenneth Irons small hold on the Witchblade allowed him to speed up the natural course of things. My guess was to make you come to him for help when you had reached the end of your rope. Then he could take whatever he wanted from you."

"So all this was for what? Nothing? Just so some power hungry asshole could-" She stopped herself.

"Sometimes that's all anything is. Irons will get his due one day. I have a feeling you'll be there to laugh at him when he does."

"I would enjoy that, Seiji."

"But you got a lover out of his meddling."

"That's the only part I don't mind. How do you know all this stuff?"

"Honestly, I learned it from you."

* * * *

Jake had almost gone home first to clean himself up, but decided that it would be too tempting to crawl into bed. He had turned around and come here and had found Ian Nottingham.

He had been blocking Jake's view of the bathroom. It wasn't until he left that he had noticed the blood on the floor and the streaks down the side of the bath tub. Even though she had only been injured in one place, it had been a huge cut. Being moved had made the blood run, and she looked like she had been victim of a multiple stabbing from the patterns that had been created. He had felt something similar to what he had when he found Sara. On the whole, Iceani looked miles worse than Sara did at the moment. That had been a contributing factor. He hated to see his friends hurt. He knew she'd wake up sooner or later, but it didn't stop him from thinking 'oh lord, she's gone'.

The wound had closed completely. A faint white line marked the location. It would probably disappear in a week or so.

After staring at her for what seemed like forever he had sat down and held her hand. If he couldn't be with Sara, he'd be here. Stupid nurse-type-thing. She had threatened to drop kick him out the door. He had a feeling . . . it might have been able to do it.

He leaned his had against the wall and tried to make some sense of the past few days. All it gave him was a headache, so he settled for doing his best to think about nothing and sending an occasional glance over the side of the tub.

She had begun breathing again an hour ago. It was more regular now. Jake took in the his surroundings. It was going to be hell to get all this up.

It was over.

At least this one was over. There would undoubtedly be others in the future. It was the way of things. At least he knew that other people had even more fucked up lives that he did.

The fingers on the hand he was holding moved. Finally. He got on his knees and leaned over. She was awake.

"Are you all right?"

She looked around her and didn't answer him. Did she hear him?"

"Where am I?"

She sounded terrible.

"You're in your hotel room. Drew brought you here."

He reached down and helped her get into an upright position. She didn't seem to be able to do it herself.

"I had forgotten how much this hurts."

"Getting stabbed?"

"Coming back."

"Oh." He didn't think he'd ever understand that one. "I'm sorry."

"I-I need to clean myself off."

"I'll be outside if you need anything."

She nodded and Jake left her. He wondered how that whole thing worked. Certain things happen when you die. There must be something to keep those factors at bay, or to reverse them.

"There can be only one." He murmured under his breath. He laughed a little at his joke.

He looked down at himself. Well, his shirt was officially ruined. The water began to run. That was a good idea. He turned on the sink with this elbow and began to wash her blood of his hands and arms. Would Drew mind if he stole a shirt? Probably not, and Jake had no problem taking one. He'd pay him back later. He bundled up his shirt and threw it in the trash can. Too bad, he and that shirt had been through a lot together. Mainly cartoon marathons, but those were memorable moments. Just between him, Space Ghost, and a can of beer.

Jake found a plain gray tee shirt and pulled it over his head. He looked at the bathroom door. They needed to talk. If she was up for it. She had promised him that she'd tell him what went on in Japan. There were other things. One of them was what was up with that whole name thing yesterday. The other was the way too frequent feelings of deja vu.

He put her bag by the door and knocked.

"Your things are right outside the door. Melissa."

There was no answer. He didn't expect one with how she had sounded earlier.

The sun was setting outside. This day would be over soon. The quicker the better. He was definitely asking for time off sometime soon. The water stopped.

Jake jumped when the phone rang. Damn thing. He picked up the receiver.

"Yeah."

"Jake, it's Seiji."

"How you doing?"

"Better than most."

"Melissa's back. I think she's getting out of the shower."

"All right. That's all I needed to know. I should go before that nurse come and finds me in the wrong room."

"Se ya."

"Later."

He hung up. He smiled. Seiji was freaked about that nurse too. There was always some little thing to make people laugh, wasn't there?

"Who was that?"

Jake turned around. He hadn't heard her even open the door. She was using the wall to support herself.

"Seiji. Wanted ot know how you were."

"Oh."

He walked over to help her, but she just crawled into the bed nearest to her and curled up.

"How long will you be like this?"

"I don't know." Was the muffled response. Cute.

"Do you want me to stay or go, Melissa?"

"I doesn't matter. I just need to rest."

He nodded his head and sat down to rest against the bed. He was so tired. Might as well stay here.

"Sleep well." He didn't get an answer. She was already asleep.

That sounded like a good idea.

* * * *

Kenneth Irons listened to Nottingham deliver his report. All seemed well. He had been amused about Captain Dante's situation. And more interested in Iceani's. Well, he had his own little brand of immortality. He would have to wait until a later date to make sure that it would always be in place, but now it was in no danger.

"So the little play is over."

"It would seem so, sir."

"Too bad. It was quite entertaining."

"Indeed."

"So, Ian, what do you make of all this?"

"Of what, sir?"

"Life, I suppose."

"It is not always what we make it."

"How true. It is what others make it."

"It would seem so."

"And our Lady Sara lives. You were right from the beginning, Ian, all this was unnecessary. But it was interesting, nonetheless."

"What now, sir?"

Irons smiled. Yes: what now? He poured himself a drink. Next. It was always such a pressing word. It gave things a feeling of quickness, in his opinion. Detective Pezzini would be nearly unreachable at his point, and in the future. He had no doubts that the young Mr. Date knew of his . . . involvement. He would put money on that Halo had told her every accursed thing he knew.

"The next thing, Ian. Will be to work ourselves back into Lady Sara's relatively good graces."

"Is that even possible? She has a new outlet for information, in the form of a power that neither of us can oppose."

"There is always a way, Ian."

No one ever said it had to be her choice.

* * * *

"Jake! If you don't cut it out I'm going to scream! I'm not made of glass!"

Sara watched Jake flinch when he yelled at him. Maybe she had over done it. But, she couldn't take it anymore. Ever since he had brought her home, which miraculously had heat again -she knew he had gotten it turned back on, it was sweet-, he had handled her like she would break at any moment. Her wounds had completely healed, in part to a little help from the Witchblade and from a friend. Aside from the phantom pain, she was fine.

"Jake, I'm sorry. I jus-"

"I get it. I get it. I can't help it."

"Thanks for the heat by the way."

He shrugged and ducked his head.

"I couldn't let my girl come home to an ice cube."

He blushed! He blushed about getting the heat turned back on?

"Awwwww. Are you embarrassed?"

"Pez." He groaned.

"But it was so cute."

"I'm not cute. Cute is for little animals."

"Then what are you?"

"Hot."

She laughed, "Really? Says who?"

"Well, you seemed to think so a few nights ago." He smirked.

"A few nights ago . . . it feels like forever."

Jake sat down on her couch next to her.

"Sara-"

"I have no idea what I was thinking going off by myself. After everything that I knew could have happened."

"Maybe he made you do it, who knows? But your here now. It's over."

He sounded so finite about the whole thing. Over. Cut it and file it. She didn't know how he did it, always managing to think that way. She leaned against him, maybe that part of him would rub off. But she'd settle for a hug, as ridiculous as that sounded in her mind, and he did just that.

"How's everyone else?"

"Well, you saw Dante's broken arm right?"

"Yeah. Seiji told me what Drew did."

"I thought it was funny as hell." He laughed. "He kept on looking over his shoulder all day, like some scared little kid running home after dark. You know: the boogie man is going to get him." Jake finished in a stupid voice.

Sara had to admit, even though she had only seen Dante for a few moments, that it had made her afternoon.

"Lets see, what else? I stayed with Melissa until she woke up again. Whatever happens to her in that whole process must be one hell of a thirst killer, I swear she drank something like five gallons of water after she got back up."

"Did you talk to her about what you needed to?"

"Yeah. But there was something she kept on avoiding. I'll tell you about it later."

"Maybe she wasn't allowed to talk about whatever it was."

"Maybe. Seiji came in later. The first thing she did was slap him, before she kissed him."

"She slapped him, why?"

"For causing trouble."

"I thought that trouble was supposed to follow them."

"Yeah, but whenever he's in New York something bad happens. She forbade him to came back here unless it was the Apocalypse. Knowing them it's scheduled for next week. I don't know what's up with Drew, he's just out somewhere. And I could care less about Irons and Nottingham."

He wasn't alone in that department. Irons, however, would be up to no good. As long as whatever he was planning happened after her vacation she could deal with it.

Right now they had three weeks leave, with pay she might add. And as soon as she told Jake that he wasn't leaving her apartment until time was up, she could start enjoying herself.

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Now go and review, and remember what I said about my other story up top. Go and review that too or it will stay unfinished.

An epilogue will follow.

Then, that'll be it for this story.