Author's note: Yes, I missed out the whole Thrall and Warden quest. My attempts at writing it didn't do it justice, and simply came out as... stupid. Besides, this is not a battle-fic!

Chapter 12: The Longest Night

Although it was the second time he'd been through it, the portal made Harrian's insides feel as if they were being liquidated, and the moment he could feel solid ground beneath his feet as he emerged back in the playhouse, his legs buckled and he fell to the floor with a groan. He dearly wished that it wasn't the role of the leader to take point in these situations.

Minsc was next, and although the ranger staggered a little, looking a bit green, he managed to stay upright. He ignored Harrian totally and leant against the wall, looking as flustered as anyone had ever seen him, before taking a deep breath and proceeding to feed Boo crackers.

Harrian slowly started to peel himself off the floor as Anomen flew through and landed a metre away from the swashbuckler, also falling to the ground, the weight of his armour bringing him crashing down on the boarded floor.

Yoshimo appeared a little better off, though spent a good few seconds hyperventilating against a wall. The tiefling blade Haer'Dalis was next, looking happy and content and not slightly bothered. He would, wouldn't he, Corias thought sourly. The bugger's been doing this every other week up until now.

Jaheira was last, and, much to the dismay and surprise of the others, seemed perfectly fine, save some ruffling of her clothes. She looked at Harrian, who had managed to get up to his knees, and Anomen, who had only managed to roll over onto his back, with a note of surprise and slight derision before turning to Haer'Dalis.

"You may have stayed on this plane for some time," she said to him, "but I would be correct in assuming you have nowhere to go and no place to stay, would I not?" she asked quietly.

The trip to the outer planes had been bizarre, at the very least. Cambions had been faced by the party before, but not one quite as ferocious as this, and the Balor, the Master of Thralls had been a most powerful foe to vanquish. But they had rescued the Five Flagons troupe, and torn apart the stability of an empire within a plane… which wasn't bad, seeing as it wasn't even midnight yet and they'd only left a few hours earlier.

Haer'Dalis smiled broadly at her. "Fair lady, your offer is too generous… but this sparrow is thankful for it and would be more than happy to join you on your journeys." He turned to offer a hand to help Harrian up, and the thief accepted it gratefully, suppressing a smile as he saw the mortified look on Jaheira's face. He supposed she had only been intending to offer the tiefling some coin and some advice on Athkatla.

"You're a bard, aren't you, Haer'Dalis?" Harrian asked, ignoring the druid as she threw her hands in the air in disgust and virtually dragged Anomen to his feet. At the tiefling's happy nod, the thief grinned. "Then welcome aboard. We have need of a spellcaster such as yourself in our group."

"My raven, any use I can be to you throughout your quest fills me with delight," the tiefling assured him in his slightly sing-song voice. "But come. You mentioned a childhood friend who needed rescuing and an evil mage from whom you required answers?"

"Aye, that is our task," Corias assured him as the party started to stagger up the stairs. "But right now it seems as if we would all settle for a soft bed and some food," he added, looking at the state of the others. "Action will come tomorrow."

* *

For the third night in a row, Jaheira could not sleep, and it was starting to get irritatingly repetitive. It wasn't that she wasn't tired – the fatigue followed her throughout the day and it was a miracle she could function – it was just… the thoughts which plagued her mind made rest an impossibility, and on the few occasions sleep did reach her, so filled was it with nightmares that she would be awoken after a few seconds.

The nights were spent reading, so as to keep her mind off the morbid fixation it was so happy in focusing on. It didn't seem to be working – she'd spent an hour on one page, reading and re-reading it over and over, but the words just washed over her, not sinking in.

She was saved from having to do anything else by a knock on the door. Before she could respond, however, it was opened, and Harrian poked his head through. There was something about being a thief that gave him problems on handling privacy. At least he'd bothered to knock, she supposed.

"Still can't sleep?" he asked sympathetically by way of greeting, then stepped in, uninvited, and pulled up a stool by the table in her room. At her querying glance he smiled a little. "I've been unconscious for the best part of the last forty-eight hours. I don't need any more sleep." He sighed, his expression softening. "I thought you might want some company," he elaborated quietly.

"If I had wanted some company, I would have sought it," Jaheira said abruptly, glaring at him a little bit. She could smell the upcoming talk, and it was one she wanted to delay for as long as possible.

Harrian didn't move. "I'll rephrase that, then. I thought you might need some company," he amended, his voice still low.

"There I things I need to do," the druid responded evasively, gesturing towards the book by her side. "I don't have time for frivolous discussions."

Corias reached out and took the book. "The 'History of the North'?" he read dubiously, before tossing it onto the table behind him. "It can wait. History's not going anywhere and I doubt it is imperative that you learn of it this evening."

"I also doubt it is imperative that we talk this evening," Jaheira responded stubbornly. She didn't want this discussion. Not here, not now. Not with him.

"I think it is," the thief said, shifting the stool closer to her. "You are hurting inside, Jaheira, it doesn't take a genius to work it out," he said quietly. "But you're also bottling it up far too much. You're not letting yourself grieve like you should."

"Like I should?" she repeated, arching one eyebrow. "You are not the best of people to turn to for help on such matters." The druid sighed, her gaze moving over to the window. "Why did you let yourself be goaded into that idiotic duel?"

Harrian stopped, taken aback by the turn of the discussion, but also knowing he wouldn't be able to avoid it. "The imbecile insulted you, as I have said. I wouldn't let him get away with that."

"Why not? I doubt you'd have flown into such a rage had he insulted any of the others." Jaheira shrugged. "And before you give me a sexist answer, I'll remind you that, had it been Imoen, you would have simply permitted her to turn Amalas into a frog."

Corias shifted uncomfortably, twiddling his thumbs. "If you have theorised this much, I am sure you have established what the reason is. If not, I'd be very surprised." He sighed, then looked at her. "You just want me to say it, don't you."

She shook her head, looking at him at last. "No." There was a long pause, and she took a deep breath. "You know that it is not necessary for you to do what you did. I am capable of taking care of myself –"

"But that's not the point, is it?" Harrian answered, a little frustration creeping into his voice. "I owed Khalid so much, the least I can do is save his wife from being insulted by a trio of boorish pigs!"

"I doubt Khalid would have done the same," Jaheira murmured, averting her eyes and closing once again as she took a deep breath, struggling to retain control. There was silence, then a soft thump as Harrian shifted from the stool in front of her to sit on the bed beside her, resting his back against the wall as she was, legs dangling over the side.

"You know he would have done," Corias assured her, gingerly placing a hand on her shoulder. He had come ready for this, but was still unsure of himself – Jaheira had always been strong, had never faltered; he was unused to seeing her like this.

"What happened was… not right," the druid whispered, leaning on him a little, looking at him frankly, the unshed tears clear in her eyes. "We can do everything possible to make Irenicus pay, but… it will not bring Khalid back."

He slowly slipped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her to him, a friend comforting another in time of need. "You can get through this," he assured you quietly. "We're all here for you to help you get on with your life. It's what he would have wanted."

Although Harrian couldn't see it, she smiled wryly. "You fight like he did, you know," she told him.

The thief sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head against the wall. "I know," he whispered. "But not as well as he did."

Nothing more was said that night as the two friends stayed together… but it was there that Jaheira finally managed to sleep.