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: New character – West Cronwell, property of Alikat. Profile has been uploaded.

MissNovelist: I know, and I promise I'll play nice from now on ;) Okay, *try* to play nice ^^. Okay, okay...I'll give you enough time to clear the blast radius. That better? *g*

WritingMoose: That was not detailed. Compared to the normal NC-17 fics out there (and probably a lot of 'R' rated fics as well), this could be a Disney movie. Besides, there has been numerous warning during the signup process, as well as in the first chapter. Oh, and Jhonen *will* met his former teammates again, but will he fight? Hmm...now *that* is the question. Thanks for the bunny ;)

Alikat: *Shuffles feet* Well...Blade and Jordane kind of insisted, soo...

Archangel: I just wrote a Fortune-fic. It's all your fault *pouts* ;)

Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Regrets

* * *

Dawn came slowly, almost reluctantly, hidden behind a heavy blanket of dark rainclouds. Dark, gloomy, cold...

Somehow Ryan found it very appropriate. He was sitting outside the cabin, tired, both mentally and physically, but unable to find any rest.

It had been a long evening. A long evening and a long night. Explanations first, then disbelief. Anger, when the reality of the situation finally set in. And sadness when all other emotions had run dry.

Loss was never a pleasant experience.

"It wasn't your fault, Ryan. Don't blame yourself"

Ryan looked up and saw Diana leaning against one of the walls of the cabin. She looked only slightly better than Ryan himself felt, and somehow it just served to make Ryan's mood even worse. *He* was the one who'd fucked up – he was the one who'd challenged Blade to a fight, he was the one who'd caused the mindswitch, and he was the one who'd failed to stop Jhonen from siding with the enemy. It was his fault, and it wasn't fair that his team had to feel that guilt as well.

He sighed and shook his head, unwilling to get into an argument with Diana. No matter how she twisted and turned it, ultimately the blame would lie with him. No use in arguing about something that couldn't be changed.

"Ryan...it wasn't your-" Diana tried to repeat, but Ryan was in no mood for that kind of conversations.

"How are Kyle and Ben?" he asked, interrupting her before she could finish the sentence.

Diana shrugged, allowing him to change the subject.

"Still asleep," she replied. "Ben said that it was a nasty poison. Even with his powers, it will take at least a day before the last traces of the poison has disappeared."

Ryan leaned against the wall of the cabin and closed his eyes.

"Kyle is lucky that he's still alive. That poison is lethal...I've seen Viper use it before."

Diana frowned.

"Do you think they were trying to kill him?"

Ryan sighed.

"I'm...I don't know," he admitted. "Not a big surprise," he added with a small, bitter smile.

"Ryan..." Diana tried, but Ryan just shook his head.

"No. I started this team, Diana. I'm supposed to take care of you, remember? When I first met Jhonen I promised that I'd protect him, and in the end...I couldn't even protect him from himself."

"Ryan!" Diana snapped, her voice harder than she'd intended. She didn't mean to sound so harsh, but her own guilt had slowly but steadily eaten away of her patience. She felt just as guilty as Ryan did – she had known the telepath for years, and yet she'd failed to realize what had happened. Ryan and Blade were fundamentally different, and she still hadn't been able to see that Blade had been deceiving them for three whole days.

"It wasn't your fault," Diana continued a bit gentler and crouched next to him. "*Jhonen* was the one who made that choice, not you. He's old enough to control his own life."

Ryan opened his eyes and sent her a tired look.

"No. I promised I'd protect him, and I screwed up. That's all there is to it," he replied. He watched her for a moment, then shook his head. "Go back inside, Diana. Get some rest."

Diana sighed. The message was clear - go back inside and leave me alone – and she knew that arguing with him would be pointless. She gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze, then headed back into the cabin.

* * *

Prue was lying on the old couch in the small living room, idly flipping through a dog-eared magazine, when Diana came in. Prue looked up.

"How's he doing?"

Diana shook her head.

"He blames himself. Go figure," she added with a small sigh.

Prue nodded and Diana sat down next to her.

"Where are Deirdre and Suzuka?" she asked.

"In the bedroom. Trying to get some sleep, I guess," Prue replied.

Diana just nodded and leaned back with a tired expression on her face. It didn't take a telepath to figure out how mentally exhausted she was, and Prue felt a wave of sympathy. She herself had only been with the Guardians for four days, and she still felt hurt by Jhonen's deflection. She couldn't even begin to imagine what the others were going through.

Prue shook her head and made a quick decision. Diana needed to relax a bit, before she suffered an emotional burnout.

"You need to get your mind off Jhonen and Ryan," she said. "Come on. Ryan won't mind if we borrow his car, will he?"

Prue stood up and then pulled Diana to her feet.

"What?" Diana asked confused. "Where are we going?"

Prue smiled.

"I lived here in Chicago not long ago, you know, and there's a friend I want to visit."

"Who?" Diana asked. A part of her didn't want to leave the others, but she also knew that there wasn't much she could do right now, anyway, and that she might as well come along.

Prue smiled and opened the door.

"His name is West. Come on – it'll be fun. I promise."

* * *

Ten minutes, a drive, and a quick note to the others later the two young women found themselves in front of a small restaurant. Diana raised an eyebrow.

"He lives *here*?" she asked.

Prue grinned.

"Above the restaurant, actually. He's renting a room. He works here as a waiter."

Diana frowned.

"Won't he be pissed at us for showing up at..." she checked her watch. "...Seven o'clock, especially if he works in the evening?"

Prue smirked and led Diana into a small hallway.

"It'll be good for him to get up early for once in his life."

They passed a couple of dark wooden doors, then stopped at the one with the number '4' on it. Prue knocked - hard and repeatedly. She stopped, and the two girls heard the faint sound of movement inside the room.

Prue knocked again, this time a bit harder.

"Yeah?" Someone yelled, not bothering to open the door.

"Wakie-wakie, Westie!" Prue cooed. "It's your favorite, little, mutant Hell-raiser!"

A loud groan could be heard from within the room, and then the door was opened. A bleary-eyed teen looked at them from underneath a curtain of messy, brown hair. According to Prue he was seventeen, although personally Diana thought he looked older.

The boy groaned again at the sight of the way-too-happy smile Prue had plastered on her face, and Diana got the distinctive feeling that this was a long-running joke between the two.

"Hi Prue! Bye Prue!" he said with fake enthusiasm and tried to close the door.

Prue grinned and pushed the door open gently but firmly.

"Come on, be a good host. This is Diana. Diana, meet West Cronwell. Forgive his lack of manners – he's not a morning person."

West shook his head and motioned for Diana to sit down.

"Have a seat. Want some coffee? Or maybe a painkiller? Anyone who has to put up with Prue for extended periods of time definitely needs one of those."

Diana couldn't help but smile. It felt good to hear some lighthearted banter – it lifted her mood a bit, and made the burden of guilt a little easier to carry.

West yawned and turned on the coffee machine.

"Sorry 'bout the mess," he said and indicated the room.

Prue took a look around and only then did she really notice the large boxes on the floor. She let her gaze wander across the room and realized that just about any personal touches were gone – posters, pictures, magazines...

"You moving out?" she asked surprised.

West frowned.

"You haven't heard? But it-"

He blinked, his sleep-muddled brain suddenly realizing something. "Oh, yeah...you haven't been here for almost two months."

"What's going on?" Prue asked a bit worried. Anything that could make West act seriously was definitely bad news.

West sighed and sent the coffee machine an impatient glare.

"There have been rumors going on among muties all around town. It's the FoH. They're planning something, and whatever it is, it's big."

"Wait, wait – rumors? What rumors?" Diana asked, speaking for the first time she they arrived.

West yawned again.

"Sorry," he said, then blinked. "Oh, yeah, the rumors. Apparently they've been buying guns and ammo – lots of it. Other weapons, too. I think someone mentioned plastic explosives."

Diana paled, and Prue shook her head.

"Wait – weapons?" she repeated. "Don't they have enough of them already?"

West nodded tiredly.

"They do. And that's why I'm getting out of town. Anything that can make the FoH buy more weapons is not something I want to hang around to see."

The coffee machine finished its job with a strangled sound and West quickly poured a cup of the black liquid. He took a sip and sighed blissfully, ignoring his guests' obvious confusion. Finally he looked up and held out the coffeepot.

"Oh, sorry, did you want some?" he asked like he hadn't just dropped the bombshell of the day.

Prue and Diana exchanged a look, and Prue shook her head.

"West...we need to talk."

* * *

Coming up: Deirdre and Suzuka are determined to do something other than brood, and back with the Shadow Alliance some people have a less pleasant morning than others...