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: Phoenixdreams: Oh, she'll be angry, no doubt about that. But she won't take it out on the Shadow Alliance...at least not yet.

J.DeLuca: Clothes? *Snaps fingers* I *knew* I'd forgotten something! *he, he*

SilentPegasus: An all-out fight? Maybe...maybe not ^^

Alikat: You wouldn't believe the amount of weird in-jokes I've put in the fic. I can't help it - in-jokes are *fun*! ^^

Rascal: Aaron isn't a particular kind of snake, so he wouldn't be immune to Suzuka's bite, just like Suzuka isn't immune to Aaron's bite.

X-Moonchik: Bargain? Why on earth would they bother to bargain with anything...? *evil grin*

* * *

Chapter Thirty-One: Confessions

* * *

In retrospect there were gentler, more tactful, ways she could have told them about Suzuka's capture. Unfortunately, it was limited how much tact Deirdre had left after driving back to the cabin with the knowledge that Suzuka's life was in the hands of a group of killers. The silence in the car had given her subconsciousness plenty of time to think up various visions of Suzuka's future, one more chilling than the other, and for each new vision, Deirdre's worry increased.

And thus, when she finally did arrive, she was near desperate to tell the others, and go back after Suzuka. Being the logical girl she was, she naturally picked the option she knew would be the fastest way to wake up the others.

Deirdre slammed the door to Ryan and Kyle's room wide open, and hurried to Ryan's bed amidst confused looks from the two groggy males.

"'Dre? What's going on?" Ryan asked, still half-asleep.

"It's Suzuka! The Shadow Alliance has captured her!"

* * *

"Sit down, take a deep breath, and tell me what happened," Ryan ordered. His voice was calm although it was obvious that he was waging a war against the fear and anger he felt.

Deirdre sat down in one of the chairs and took a moment to calm down her nerves. It had taken a few hectic minutes before the Guardians had gotten out of bed and gathered in the small living room to hear what had happened. Deirdre's news had been received first with disbelief, then with shock, and finally fear, as they realized the graveness of the situation. Now, they all waited to hear what had happened to their teammate.

"Well...we decided that it would be a good idea to find out what the Shadow Alliance was planning," Deirdre began slowly. "We borrowed your car, Ryan, and drove to the hotel they're staying at. Suzuka told me that if anything happened, I should get back here as fast as I could, and then she left."

Deirdre paused, and Ryan nodded encouragingly.

"And then she used her powers to get inside?" he guessed.

Deirdre nodded.

"Yeah. There was an open window - she said she would turn into an owl, and fly up there. Then she would turn into a snake and take a look inside the rooms." She hesitated, then continued. "I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly the light was turned on in one of the rooms, followed by several of the other rooms, and I knew that Suzuka had been caught. I - I didn't want to leave her behind, but I'd promised her that I'd go get help, so I hurried back," she finished quietly.

Ryan rubbed his temples.

"Oh, damn," he mumbled. "Damn!"

He took a deep breath to calm down, then looked at Deirdre again as he realized something.

"Where did you even get the address in the first place?" he asked.

Deirdre hesitated, torn between telling the truth, and keeping Diana's part in the plan a secret.

"Well?" Ryan repeated, but Deirdre just looked away.

The silence between the two grew heavier with each passing second, until Diana couldn't stand the tension anymore. The truth would get out sooner or later, anyway - there was no need to make it any worse than it already was.

"I gave the address to them," she admitted, and Deirdre sent her a thankful look.

"You *what*?!" Ryan demanded incredulously.

"I gave them the address," Diana repeated, this time almost defiantly. She couldn't help it - the tone Ryan had used brought back quite a few ugly memories from her time at the boarding school, and she almost unconsciously brought out the bad attitude she'd used whenever she got in trouble with the teachers.

Ryan sent Diana a pointed look.

"We need to talk. Now."

Diana didn't reply, but simply got up and walked out of the room, followed closely by Ryan. An uncomfortable silence settled among the rest of the Guardians, as none of them could think of anything to say.

"Oh, boy..." Ben finally mumbled.

The others could only agree.

* * *

Ryan and Diana walked down the short hallway, and into one of the bedrooms. Ryan closed the door behind them, then turned around to face Diana with a look of barely controlled anger.

"Do you have any idea of what you've done, Pandora?" he asked and took a step closer.

"Yes. I saw an opportunity, and I grabbed it," Diana replied and raised her head challenging.

Ryan shook his head.

"No. You took a foolish risk, and now Suzuka is the one who will pay the price," he corrected. He didn't raise his voice, but there was no mistaking the hard edge of his words.

Ryan crossed the room and stopped in front of the window, taking a moment to calm down a bit. It didn't help much, but at least it gave him the time to consider his next words.

"Why?" he finally demanded. "What on earth compelled you to do something so stupid as allowing Deirdre and Suzuka to go after the Shadow Alliance on their own?!"

"Well, you hadn't exactly recovered enough to make any logical decisions, now had you?" Diana snapped. "I just picked what seemed like the best option at the time!"

Ryan spun around.

"But it wasn't, was it?" he snapped back. "It's not safe out there, Diana, don't you understand?! Those people are dangerous!"

"I *know*!" Diana yelled. "And don't you think I regret it now!?"

And that, Ryan realized, was probably the one thing that pained him the most. He'd tried to protect Diana from the heavy burden of guilt, but he couldn't. Not anymore. Despite all he'd done to spare her from making the hard decisions, she, too, now knew the bitter taste of failure and regret, and he hated himself for it.

"Diana..." Ryan said softly, and he could see the fury leave her eyes and be replaced with a look of weariness and guilt. He knew that look intimately - it was the same look he saw whenever he faced a mirror. "I'm sorry."

Diana closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Don't be," she replied. "It was my decision."

She opened her eyes again and took a step closer to Ryan.

"And it should have worked," she continued. "It should have worked; I know it!"

Ryan shook his head and put his hands on Diana's shoulders to calm her down.

"I know, Diana, but we can't predict everything. Yes, the plan should have worked, but there's always something unexpected that can show up. We can't be right all the time," he explained calmly, but his words had no effect on Diana.

"Suzuka's in danger because I made a stupid mistake, don't you understand!?" Diana snapped, and Ryan tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"Diana!" he said sharply, and she finally calmed down a bit. "I know what you're going through right now, remember?"

Diana sighed and looked away.

"Yes," she admitted, and hesitated for a moment before she continued. "What did *you* do? I mean, after..."

She trailed off, and Ryan let go of her.

"You mean after berating myself, and cursing my stupidity?" he asked.

Diana smiled; a thin, pale smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"I learned from it," Ryan replied. "And I promised myself that I'd never make the same mistake again."

Diana sat down in one of the chairs, exhausted as the anger slowly left her.

"I don't want this, Ryan," she confessed. "The responsibility, the decisions...I can't do this."

Ryan didn't reply, and Diana continued without looking at him.

"I'm sixteen. I'm not...I'm too young for this kind of responsibility, okay? I don't want to walk around with the knowledge that if I make a mistake, I can get a teammate killed."

Ryan closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, they held a look of sincere regret.

"I know," he said quietly. "But we don't have a choice. If anything happens to me, someone needs to take over and get the team to safety. Suzuka and Ben - they don't have the right temper. Deirdre is almost too young, and Kyle doesn't want to lead. The only other choice would have been Jhonen, but he..." Ryan trailed off, but the meaning was clear.

Diana curled up in the chair, looking tired and vulnerable and heartbreakingly young.

"I know, it's just...I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting, I'm tired of hiding, and I'm tired of being hunted like some animal," she confessed.

Ryan sighed and sat down in the chair next to hers.

"I know. Believe me, I know."

For a long moment neither said anything, but merely enjoyed the rare moment of silence.

"Why do they do it?" Diana finally asked

"The Shadow Alliance?"

"The humans," she corrected.

Ryan shook his head.

"I don't know. Fear, I guess. Humans have always feared what they don't understand. Or maybe they needed a scapegoat, and we just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."

He slowly got up.

"I'll get the others, and then we'll figure out what to do."

Diana nodded, and Ryan walked across the room. He'd just reached the door when Diana spoke again.

"Ryan? Do you think Suzuka's alright?" she asked, and silently begged him for some hope to hang on to.

"She's alive," Ryan replied, and opened the door.

Diana sent him a weak smile.

"That wasn't what I asked you," she said.

Ryan sighed.

"I know," he replied and disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

Coming up: Suzuka wakes up, and she isn't too happy about the situation.