A/N 1: [insert very long, very boring definition of 'stuff', ranging from plotbunnies to flames] can be send to hack_heaven@usa.net. Yes, that's an e-mail address. No, I don't bite ^^

A/N 2: Yes, I'm done with the filler chapters now, and will get working on the last part of the fic. Promise.

A/N 3: First of all - no, there will be no mpreg. Not a chance. Not unless I'm drunk and decide to write a parody, in which case I wouldn't be able to type, anyway ^^

Sabrin: Weeeell...define 'okay'...

Ageless: *amused* Of course they're perverted - did you really expect me to write a non-fucked-up pairing? *grins*

Alikat: *bows* Thank you :) And no - no pregnant!Ben ^^

Tiger5913: Diana's taking a break ^^ She should be back soon ;)

Racal: *grins* I don't know if I would call it 'just like that'. Physically, the child will be okay. Mentally? Who knows? *grins* And yes - poor Ben will feel like hell for the next couple of days. *amused* The poor thing exhausted himself.

Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy

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Chapter Eighty-Four: Dawn of Decisions

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A soft, sleepy sound reached his ears, and his head snapped up, pale eyes coming to rest of the girl in the bed. She moved slightly, and he got up from his chair, his tiredness and the long, restless hours forgotten, pushed aside by concern.

"Jordane?" His voice was low and worried, and the girl moved slightly again, slowly opening her eyes. For a moment she looked confused, not sure where she was, then her eyes fell on him, and she relaxed slightly.

"How are you feeling?" she blinked once at his question, sleep still clouding her mind as she slowly woke up.

"...My head hurts," she whispered, her voice still low and hoarse, but sounding less weak than yesterday.

"And other than that?" he continued, absently touching her brow, checking her temperature.

She hesitated, a bit surprised at his question, her surprise only increasing as her head cleared up enough to comprehend the signals her body sent it. "I feel...better," she replied, and looked at him with faint confusion. "What...?"

"Ben helped you."

The explanation was deliberately brief, not giving away any more information than necessary was, but even with a constant headache to bother her, Jordane wasn't about to leave it at that.

"Just like that?" she whispered.

Blade smiled faintly. "I...had a talk with him."

Jordane nodded, understanding perfectly well what he meant. It didn't surprise her, and it didn't really bother her, either. If threatening Ben had been the easiest way to get him to cooperate, then so be it. She hesitated, unwilling to continue, then sent him an uncertain look. "How much did he do? I mean, is the..." she trailed off, unable to voice the last of the sentence.

Blade nodded slowly. "It should be okay, yes. Ben did a pretty good job healing you."

Jordane fell silent as she considered his words, profound relief flooding her mind, washing away the bleak depression that had covered her mind in a heavy blanket.

It's...thank God, she whispered silently, gratitude aimed towards a deity she hadn't spoken to since childhood, and her hand instinctively found her abdomen, lingering for a moment. It would be okay...

Meanwhile, Blade watched her silently, pale eyes resting on her, giving no hints to his emotions, and Jordane felt her relief fade away as she looked at him again. So far, he hadn't said anything about her situation, hadn't shown any signs of his feelings to what was going on - concern for her, yes, but other than that, he'd given no indication to his thoughts on the matter.

Jordane sighed softly and looked away. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

She felt his hand touch her chin gently, turning her face towards him again. "Don't be. It's not your fault."

Jordane shook her head. "It was. I should've-"

Blade raised an eyebrow. "Should have what?" He sighed and stroked her hair, feeling her calm down a bit. "It wasn't your fault, Jordane. Don't forget that."

The girl curled up on the bed again, not really looking that convinced, but Blade didn't push the issues. She'd been through enough...he didn't want to make it any worse. It was silent for a long moment, then she finally moved, raising her head to look at him. "What are we going to do?" she asked quietly, real confusion in her words.

"Leave the country like we planned from the beginning," Blade replied. "This place isn't safe."

Jordane paused. "And the...baby?" she whispered, oddly proud that she'd actually managed to say the word this time.

Blade paused for the briefest of second, then sighed. "We'll talk about that later. You need to rest, Jordane."

She frowned, her eyes meeting his, still unable to read any emotions from them. "Blade?"

A light touch against her brow, brushing away a lock of faded blue hair. "Later, Queen. You need to rest. We'll leave around noon...see if you can get a few more hours of sleep."

Jordane hugged the covers close, feeling the brief sense of relief leave her, replaced by worry once again. A small sigh, betraying her weariness, and she closed her eyes. Later... Pushing her fear aside, she let herself relax, and at least for a few more hours retreated into the blissful oblivion of sleep.

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The world was bleak, shadows creeping by the walls where he sat, gray grains of dust captured in the morning sun, contaminating the pale light, making it as dark and bleary as the rest of his surroundings.

A small part of him whispered that what he was doing wasn't healthy, that he needed to move on, but he ignored it with the same ease as he'd done for the past week, guilt and loss and grief easily overpowering the small voice of logic that desperately tried to make itself heard.

He'd sought out solitude, looking to deal with his grief alone, and the others, busy as they were, had let him, hoping that a chance to think might make him able to cope with it. Diana had tried, once, to talk to him, but he'd dismissed her with a weak smile and an even weaker reassurance that he was okay. Ben had tried, too, but had been dismissed with the same weak smile as Diana had.

"West?"

The boy looked up at the voice, only vaguely aware that he couldn't quite place it. A figure in the doorway - young, male, and West frowned slightly, trying to remember the other's name. Daryn? He wasn't sure. Everything had been...blurry, recently.

"Yeah?" He was aware that his voice sounded tired, weary, but he ignored it. It didn't matter. Nothing did.

Daryn frowned slightly and stepped into the room, but didn't comment on the weariness in the other's voice, and West smiled faintly, silent gratitude in his eyes.

"I was wondering if...you could do me a favor," Daryn continued and sat down on the floor next to West, his voice hesitant. "It's not much, just..." he trailed off, and West sighed.

"Sure...what is it?"

"Your opinion." West looked up, confused, and Daryn continued. "I think Zahra's about to make a mistake in joining the Shadow Alliance, so I wanted to get someone else's view of things. The problem is that both of the teams are biased, so I don't really know what to make of anything, and...I was hoping that maybe you'd be able to give me a better view of this," he finished, the almost rambling nature of the question revealing the nervousness he felt at asking someone he didn't even know for help.

"My opinion," West repeated flatly, and Daryn nodded, the gesture drawing a small, bitter smile from the other. "Well, it's a little late for unbiased opinions."

Prue.

Daryn tensed, silently cursing himself not remembering it in time. He tried to form an apology, something that wouldn't sound too ignorant, but was interrupted by West before he could think of something.

"Do you still want to 'hear my opinion'?" he bit out, anger and bitterness tainting the words, and Daryn really couldn't blame him.

A moment of silence passed, then Daryn nodded. "Yes, I do," he replied, a bit surprised to find that he really did want to.

Another small, bitter smile, joining with something that Daryn couldn't quite put his finger on - anger? Grief? - the gesture making the boy seem far older than he really was. "All right - my opinion is that Zahra is making a mistake. My opinion is that her new so-called teammates couldn't care less about her, and my opinion is that she's going to get herself killed within a month. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Daryn sighed. He hadn't really deserved the biting reply, but he couldn't blame West, not after what had happened to Prue. "I wasn't looking for a particular reply, just...your opinion."

For a moment it was silent as West considered his words, then he leaned back against the wall again with a weary motion. "Sorry. I shouldn't have..." he trailed off and shook his head briefly to clear his mind. "My opinion? My opinion is that Zahra is making a mistake. She's not...she doesn't know what she's getting into."

Daryn waited for a moment for the other to continue, then frowned as West remained silent. "What do you mean?" he asked, hoping to get the other to keep talking.

"They don't care," West replied and shook his head slightly. "They're not..."he paused, looking for the right words. "You've seen how Jhonen acts...he's going nuts, and no one is doing anything to help him."

Daryn nodded, knowing very well what West was talking about - he hadn't known Jhonen before this whole mess, but even he could see that something was wrong. The boy had acted downright strange recently, there was no denying that.

"And Prue...she was...she'd never hurt them, but they killed her, just to make a point," West continued, bitterness and grief and suppressed anger returning to his voice. "Zahra's going to get herself killed, or even worse, end up like them. It's just a matter of time."

West trailed off, and once more silence filled the room as Daryn considered his words.

"Zahra...seems to get along with them," he finally said, his doubts obvious. West had some very valid points, he knew that, but...Zahra seemed to get well along with Hal. And...she deserved to be happy, didn't she?

"She doesn't know them," West snapped.

Do either of us? Daryn asked silently. He agreed with West - the Shadow Alliance weren't exactly the good guys, and yes, they had killed people. But Blade and Nike had been behind that, not Hal and the others. And right now, Hal was unofficially in charge.

He shifted slightly, starting to get uncomfortable with the heavy silence, but was rescued by the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Daryn?"

Zahra stopped in the doorway, dark eyes resting on her friend, a brief, vague look of curiosity as she noticed West. "We'll leave around noon - just thought you'd want to know." She paused, then frowned slightly. "Are you okay?"

Daryn nodded, forcing himself to push aside the troubling thoughts. "Yeah...just tired."

Zahra smiled faintly, and her usually so hard features lit up a bit at the small gesture. "Then get some sleep. I'll kick you out of bed in a few hours."

Daryn smiled wryly in return, and got up, exchanging a brief look with West. The other had been right - the Shadow Alliance wasn't exactly the safest of places, and he wouldn't even be there to help Zahra if it came to that. But still...

She deserves to be happy.

"Daryn?" Zahra raised a dark eyebrow questioningly, a hint of concern in the gesture, and Daryn smiled slightly.

"I'm okay. Really," he replied, her concern for him warming, reassuring, unknowingly helping him make a decision that had troubled him for days now. He didn't agree with her choice, but this was her decision, and he didn't have any rights to tell her what to do.

She was a good friend...she deserved happiness. And he would do whatever it took to give it to her.

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