Sorry about the lateness of the chapter, but I kind of got a visit from this really cute ex of mine, and...ummm...never mind.

A/N 1: As in the previous chapters – ideas for fic and character development, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to hack_heaven@usa.net

A/N 2: Archangel: *Bows* I'm glad you approve *g*. I needed a pet name for Jordane, and for some odd reason 'my queen' seemed like the obvious choice...;) (and don't worry, I *do* enjoy writing it. Otherwise I would've given up long ago ;)

Cherry Drop: Ah, but how do you know that *Blade* is telling the truth? The guy isn't exactly famous for his morality, you know...and yes, Prue will show up more. I just had to deal with Jhonen first *g*

Oh, and the next couple of chapters might be a bit late since life decided to throw everything it's got against me (spring project in art, parents going to Australia for three weeks, sudden chance to earn some extra money...you name it). That, and I need to plan out the next big part of the plotline, including the introduction of various new characters down the line. So have patience with me ;)

Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy

/.../ indicates Hal's visions of parallel timeline

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three: Reality Check, part I

* * *

It's a common joke that if everything goes according to plans, you've obviously overlooked something. In Blade and Jhonen's case that 'something' was tailing them at a safe distance in an old van.

The duo had left only minutes earlier in Ryan's car, unaware that their every move had been watched by Suzuka and Kyle, who had wondered about Jhonen's strange behavior that evening. After only a moment's hesitation they'd hurried into the van and followed their two teammates through the dark streets leading to the industrial part of town.

"Where on earth are they going?" Suzuka asked.

Kyle sighed.

"I have no idea," he replied and followed Ryan's car down a badly lit road.

"He's behaved strangely for the past couple of days, but just taking off with Jhonen without telling any of us..." she trailed off and sighed. "It's not like Ryan at all."

"No. It isn't," Kyle said and shook his head.

A bit ahead of them the car drove into a parking lot and stopped in front of a large warehouse. Kyle and Suzuka exchanged a quick look, then Kyle stopped the car by the road, careful to stay out of sight.

"Let's go," he said, and Suzuka nodded.

They left the car and crossed the parking lot, staying in the shadows as much as they could. Suzuka nudged Kyle and nodded towards one of the large doors. In front of it two other cars were parked, and the door was slightly ajar.

Another silent debate, and the duo headed toward the door and quietly entered the large warehouse. Luckily, the phosphorescent lights inside were centered in the middle of the room, leaving the corners of the building in darkness. Various boxes and large containers were spread across the room, and Kyle and Suzuka quickly hid behind some large wooden boxes that would offer protection, and still make it possible to see what happened.

It was just in time. Barely had they gotten out of sight before a group of people stepped out of the darkness to greet Ryan and Jhonen. Thanks to the cold light, it took a moment before recognition kicked in, and when it did, both Guardians wished that it hadn't.

Because the group that now faced Ryan and Jhonen was the Shadow Alliance.

* * *

Blade crossed the floor of the warehouse with confident steps, followed by a slightly apprehensively Jhonen. It wasn't that Jhonen was having second thoughts, it was just that reality had finally started to catch up with him. He was feeling nervous, plain and simple. It had seemed so logical to follow Blade, but now that he for the first time was going to face the Shadow Alliance as an ally, instead of an enemy, he found himself reluctant to continue.

But it wasn't second thoughts, that much was certain. Jhonen was very well aware that he wouldn't be able to go back now, and if given the choice, he wasn't sure if he wanted to.

He sighed and shook his head, determined to clear his head of gloomy thoughts. In front of him Blade heard the sigh and smiled slightly. Jhonen still hadn't completely accepted the fact that he'd left the Guardians, but that was only a matter of time.

A small movement in the shadows caught Blade's attention, and he felt a pang of relief. It would be good to get back. Very good.

Jordane, he sent softly, and Jordane looked up and smiled.

Finally. I was starting to wonder when you'd show up, Jordane replied as the team stepped out of the shadows. Her words were berating, but the smile that played on her lips ruined the seriousness of the comment.

I had a surprise to pick up, Blade replied. Jhonen.

Jhonen? What's he doing here? You brought him along to annoy Ryan, or-

No. He's our new teammate, Blade smirked.

New teammate? This is going to be so fun! Jordane grinned delightedly. I can't wait to see Ryan's face. Can we fuck a bit with his head...please?

Feeling playful, my Queen? Blade whispered in her mind, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Jordane smiled at the name he called her. It was a pet name he had given her when she was still a stubborn, unruly child. The child had grown up, but the name had stuck; now only used in the most private of their conversations, not even known by their teammates.

It depends. Are you up for it...baby? she replied in a flirtatious voice.

Blade smirked, and the challenge was obvious.

Are *you*? he asked.

Jordane sent him a confident smile and left Ryan's side. She crossed the short distance to Blade in a few, fast steps, then threw herself in his arms like he was a lover she hadn't seen in months. Blade raised an eyebrow inquiringly, but the glint in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Hey, gorgeous. I missed you," Jordane breathed and caught his lips in a searing kiss.

Out of the corner of his eyes Blade saw Ryan's shocked expression, but ignored it. For the moment Jordane was a lot more interesting, and he drew her closer and returned the kiss with an enthusiasm that matched hers. Almost unconsciously Jordane's hands started to wander, and Blade reluctantly pulled away.

"You're a bad girl," he mumbled, just low enough for Jordane to hear.

Jordane just smirked.

"You have no idea."

A small movement caught their attention, and they quickly turned around. Ryan had taken a small step back, but had immediately been stopped by Zach and Laetitia. Blade walked closer, still with Jordane at his side, then stopped in front of Ryan.

"Hello, Cretes," he said with a cold smirk. "I trust that my team took good care of you?"

* * *

"Fuck!" Suzuka breathed from her hiding place behind some large wooden boxes.

Next to her Kyle nodded.

"You can say that again," he mumbled. "But if Ryan and Blade have somehow managed to switch bodies or something, it definitely explains a lot."

Suzuka frowned.

"But what's Jhonen doing there? He doesn't even look surprised. He looks like he knew it all along, but..." she trailed off, unwilling to finish her line of thought.

"...But that would mean that he's sided with Blade," Kyle finished with a sigh. "I don't like that possibility, either, but we can't afford to just ignore it."

"He wouldn't do something like that," Suzuka objected quietly.

But the scene in front of them suggested otherwise.

* * *

"You knew?" Ryan demanded. His mind was slowly catching up with the implications of what he'd just seen. If the Shadow Alliance had known, it meant that what he'd been through for the past three days had been nothing more than a carefully planned show. A show with the one purpose to make him suffer as much as possible.

"Of course," Blade replied with an arrogant smirk. "I woke up before you did – that gave me an excellent opportunity to warn my team."

Ryan looked at Jhonen and seemed to realize something. He looked at Blade with a disgusted expression on his face.

"And what's Jhonen doing here? Acting as a hostage?" Ryan asked coldly.

"Ryan, Ryan, Ryan. You always think the worst of me," Blade remarked tauntingly. "He's not a hostage. He's the latest addition to the Shadow Alliance."

Ryan sent Jhonen a disbelieving look.

"Jhonen? What's going on?" he demanded, drawing on every ounce of the respect he got as team-leader.

Jhonen didn't reply, but his guilty expression spoke for itself. Ryan looked at him with eyes that conveyed the feeling of betrayal better than words ever could, and Jhonen turned away, unable to look his former leader in the eyes.

"Don't be so hard on the boy," Blade said with a touch of cruelty in his words. "You can't blame him for wanting to survive."

Ryan just sent him a cold glare.

"Survive? You'll get him killed instead. Weapon smuggling, assassinations, espionage...I know the risks you take."

"But unlike you, I won't ask him to risk his life for the species that's hunting him," Blade replied in a voice every bit as cold as Ryan's. "I won't ask him to die for a lost cause."

Ryan shook his head and looked at his former teammate.

"Jhonen..." he began, but didn't finish the sentence as he felt the cold steel of a gun against his side.

He quickly looked around to determine who had been behind the silent threat, and wasn't surprised to find that it was Laetitia. He didn't really believe that Blade would let them do anything that would cause his body any physical harm, but it was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

He sighed, and Jhonen looked at him, completely unaware of what had just taken place.

"Never mind him," Blade said and put a comforting hand on Jhonen's shoulder. "It's your life, not his. He doesn't have the right to tell you what to do."

Jhonen nodded slowly, and Blade smiled slightly.

"Smart kid," he noted.

Jhonen didn't reply, but Blade hadn't really expected him to, anyway. Jhonen was still partially loyal to Ryan, and it would take a while to turn him completely away from the Guardians. It would be a challenge, but Blade liked a good challenge. Especially when the prize was one of Ryan's former teammates.

Blade looked past Ryan, and caught Hal's gaze. He motioned slightly towards one of the corners, and Hal nodded. They walked out of Ryan's hearing range, then stopped.

"What's the best course of action?" Blade asked quietly. Usually he would have trusted his instincts, but in this case there were too many things that could go wrong. In this case, they would need Lady Luck on their side, and Hal was just the mutant to take care of that.

The young albino took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As always, she was assaulted by a maelstrom of timelines, all pulling her in different directions. She fought against the chaotic visions, then quickly started her search.

/-Blade and Ryan, locked in a battle of wills, both of them fighting a losing battle against insanity and-/

/-Ryan, unmoving on the floor. Blade, unconscious, and barely breathing-/

/-Screaming; piercing, horrifying, painful scream cutting into their ears, leaving them-/

/-Tempest and Twilight, appearing from behind some large, wooden boxes, determined to help Ryan-/

/-Blade rubbing his temples; horrible headache, but both were back in their real bodies, and-/

Hal gasped and opened her eyes. Blade raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Hal took a moment to calm her frantic heartbeat. She hated how her powers effected her, but she also knew that she couldn't just ignore them. Her teammates depended on her, and she did not intend to let them down.

Hal took a deep breath and felt her body slowly calm down again.

"You have to convince him to cooperate, otherwise the result won't be pretty," she finally reported in a low voice.

Blade nodded, and headed towards Ryan, but Hal stopped him.

"There's one more thing..." she continued, in the same low voice. "Tempest and Twilight are here. They're hiding behind the wooden boxes."

Blade nodded slowly, deliberately making sure not to look at the boxes. He waited for a moment, then let his gaze wander across the room, carefully marking the location of the boxes without being too obvious about it. The hiding place actually surprised him a bit – the boxes were out in the open, which made things a little more difficult. It would be impossible to take down the two without alerting Ryan and Jhonen. Blade quickly decided on a course of action and motioned for Jordane to come closer.

"Tempest and Twilight. Behind the wooden boxes. Deal with them," he ordered quietly as she reached his side.

"Dead?"

"Unconscious. We don't want to scare Jhonen away."

Jordane nodded and walked back to the others, deliberately joining Zach and Aaron a bit behind Ryan. Blade waited for a moment, then walked back to Ryan, followed by Hal. He would have to distract Kyle and Suzuka long enough for Zach and Aaron to sneak up on them, and that would require quite a show.

Blade crossed his arm and looked at Ryan with an almost annoyed expression.

"All right. Time for some answers, Cretes. First of all, how did you get us into this situation in the first place?" he asked.

Ryan glared at him.

"Do you honestly think that I'm going to help you?"

Blade sighed.

"Yes, because if you don't, we're never going to be able to fix the mess you caused. Now be a good, little mutant and tell me what you did to cause this."

Ryan snorted.

"And when I do, and you get your body back, you'll kill me. Thanks, but no thanks."

This time Blade actually smirked.

"I won't kill you. Not this time. There'd be no fun in killing you if you couldn't defend yourself."

Jhonen flinched slightly at the words, but forced himself to remain calm. He might have left the Guardians, but he still felt a bit of loyalty towards Ryan, and this battle of wills was starting to make him uncomfortable.

"Come on...just tell me what you did, and it'll be easier for both of us," Blade said reasonably.

And once again Ryan refused to cooperate.

* * *

Coming up: Will Blade find a way to undo the mindswitch? Will Ryan ever cooperate? And will Kyle and Suzuka discover their would-be attackers before it's too late? Answers to come in part II ;)