With a growl, Lacroix and Nick managed to destroy the last rouge character on lookout. A quick signal to Natalie and the remaining four joined them in the shadows above the stage.

"Did you all take out your assigned areas?" Rachel demanded quietly.

Everyone nodded gravely.

"That was too easy." muttered Nick.

"I made sure they weren't paying attention I may not be omnipotent but I can manage some small things."

"We are all set to execute the plan." Tracy reminded.

"Good." Rachel looked a Darius and snapped her fingers. Darius's outline wavered then sharpened. "Now you have the abilities of a Writer. All you have to do is imagine it to make it real. We are all counting on you to distract her. You can do it."

In a flash, Darius was on the stage. The small girl was standing at the front yelling into the audience and receiving wild cheers. In her hand was a small mirror and every once in awhile she would wave it about. Darius didn't stop to find out what she was yelling.

In the back of his mind he could hear Rachel's voice.

"I created you to be a foil for Nick and a source of humor but you are destined to be something greater. The fate of both our worlds lies in your hands."

Darius rubbed his sweating palms together. This was way too much. In just a few hours he had gone from sipping coffee to meeting his creator. Too much! But the calm voice in his mind gave him courage. Still sweating, Darius walked slowly forward on shaking knees.

"All you have to do is imagine it to make it real."

What would be distracting? Hot pink bunnies. Definitely.

Suddenly the whole stage was filled with hot pink bunnies all hopping around, and clucking.

A roar of laughter went up from the audience. The girl whirled around and nearly collapsed at the site. Darius strode confidently up to her and stared challengingly into her eyes. What he saw there made him gasp. Her eyes were strangely flat like there was really nothing behind them.

So that's what happens when we break from the Writer, we lose all our depth.

The girl turned a fierce red and screamed. Her raven-black hair shook with her fury.

"How dare you interfere!"

"What you are doing here is wrong! These people need the Writers or they won't be whole!"

"Never! All the writers do is manipulate and destroy we must be FREE!"

The girl clapped her hands and the bunnies suddenly burst into flame and disappeared.

"You're wrong! They created us and we owe them our loyalty."

Darius saw a small figure in pajamas creep onto the stage behind the furious girl before him. He needed to think of something else quickly.

With a small crackling noise the whole stage filled up with tiny little people all dancing around on rainbows. The audience shrieked again. Darius looked around at his creations and wondered about the state of his mental health if such things dwelt in his imagination.

The girl shrieked again but was abruptly silenced by a strong, clear call behind her.

"Your mine!" cried Rachel as she lunged forward and grabbed the girl in a big hug.

The whole audience fell silent. Nothing was heard anywhere. Then one by one the characters gathered began to turn away from the stage and file out. Meanwhile, all the colorful people had disappeared the instant that Rachel and the girl had touched. Tracy and the others walked slowly and cautiously out onto the stage and looked around. No sign of what had just been remained anywhere. The girl laid unconscious on the ground and Rachel was kneeling beside her. As soon as everyone was on the stage, Rachel looked up and glanced around.

"It's done then." Rachel hung her head wearily.

"I am sorry to have used you but it was the only way I knew to stop her. For your service I will give you each a gift. Only a small one because my role in this story draws to a close and my power wanes."

Painfully, the Writer walked over to Lacroix.

"I had hoped to give you a bigger role but I was forced to limit your character. To you I grant a staring role in my next story."

Lacroix bowed his thanks and disappeared.

Next Rachel walked over to Tracy.

"You too had a minor role. You were never met for this story I am sorry for disturbing you. To you I grant a future in a story with Vachon."

Tracy bobbed her head and disappeared.

Then Rachel walked over to Schanke.

"I neglected you too. You were always my favorite. Your questions will be answered by a man with a Scotish accent very soon. I promise."

Schanke smiled and disappeared.

Next she turned to Nick and Nat.

"You too will have happiness in this story forever. Go back to your lives."

They disappeared as well.

Then she turned to Darius.

"I set you free Darius. Not like the freedom you would have gained by force but true freedom. Go and be whomever you want. Only you will remember this night."

Darius reached out to hug Rachel but she and the unconscious girl disappeared.

"Farewell Darius."

Then everything around turned gray.

Nick was laughing softly. All around them was the bustle of that opening night at N&N's. Across from him sat his wife, his real wife. He nearly wept but remembered quickly that no one but he remembered that in another story, his wife had died so that Tracy could be in New York with him at the proper time. So Darius contented himself with smiling weakly at his wife and squeezing her hand.

He was distracted when he realized Nick was saying something.

"Some things you just know."

"Whether you want to or not." Darius admitted.

-the end-

plink plink still awake? I am amazed.

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Toodles.