Devon's sight was starting to clear up when he heard a commotion behind him. He heard Gabby scream but it wasn't in fear. It was definitely in anger as if she were bent on killing someone.

Then, he heard Leo call out for her to stand down, but it sounded to Devon like she had ignored his uncle. Then the clash of swords came to his ears and Devon wondered if his sister was all right.

Gabby had looked awfully intent when she had checked on him earlier. Devon could easily detect an edge with his sister that went far beyond what he had experienced with her in the gym weeks before. But he was in too much pain to give it any more thought. He lay there listening to the sounds of battle as it reverberated through the forest preserve.

As the intensity of the noise behind him increased, Devon turned his head to ask Seth what was going on. However in that instant Seth grabbed up a nearby sword then squeezed Devon's shoulder and said for him to hang tough. In the next moment he was gone.

"Fine, leave me here impaled." Devon grumbled.

He hurt like nobody's business and he desperately wanted the weapon removed from him. But he knew he would bleed profusely if he did that. He then wondered next what would have drawn Seth away from him so abruptly.

Suddenly he heard the clash of additional swords. He could discern three hitting and striking together at the same time. He wondered if maybe that's why Seth had left. It was obvious that there was still some action happening. Devon figured that if his sight was clearing up then it was a good bet that Seth's had, too. He was sure that his brother had joined the counterattack that was obviously still on-going.

Soon he heard Gabby scream once more, but she sounded frustrated. Devon then heard his father speak to her. Next he heard his sister say something about Jason and wanting to kill him. That really piqued Devon's interest. He wondered if maybe Jason had not done as he was suppose to do by going to Australia and was somehow mixed up in this raid. That thought angered him which made his situation more desperate. If Jason were indeed here, Devon wanted very much to be involved in offing him if it came down to it. But, Devon was virtually stuck where he was. He tried his best to just relax and wait until help arrived.

After a few minutes things sounded calmer, like maybe the fight was over. Devon tried to look around but the sword kept him pretty much stationary. There wasn't any way he would be able to move; not with out assistance.

Some minutes went by until finally he just couldn't take not knowing what was happening.

"Will someone tell me what in blazes is going on?" he yelled as loud as he could between clenched teeth.

Soon a couple of Don's men ran up and assessed Devon's situation. They checked his vitals to make sure his blood pressure was as steady as it could be and then reviewed the injury. They asked him how he was feeling and if he felt lightheaded.

"Hey, just pull the freak'in thing out of me already!" he complained irritably.

A movement to his right caught his attention and then he saw Don hobble up to him.

"You okay, Dev?" he asked his nephew.

Devon could see a temporary splint on his uncle's injured leg. He wondered how Don's leg had been wounded.

"Now I know what a shish ka bob feels like!" Devon said as he tried to smile. It was an answer that his uncle would appreciate and one that did well in showing courage.

Don laughed a little, but then told his men, "Hurry it up. He's losing blood and we need to get everyone who's injured on the transport ASAP."

"Say, Uncle, what are we going to do with the leftovers?" Devon asked as he wondered about the wounded and possibly dead intruders.

"Ah - yeah. Well, I would like very much to handle this according to state laws. However, considering the unique properties of how some of these individuals were dispatched I think we're going to have to be a little more covert. Don't worry about it. We're used to handling these types of messy clean-ups."

Devon knew that his uncle and his father both had dealings years ago with taking care of 'lose strings' where it concerned those that made the mistake of trying to kill them. He remembered the stories that Mike had told him about at the New York estate that Don once owned; how his mother and Gaele had been forced upstairs to wait out a battle that took place silently downstairs. He heard how his mother had actually killed an assailant during that battle who threatened her and Gaele when his sister was just a baby. Mike had talked as if he were quite proud of Rahab for that act; to be able to disable someone so quickly with just her claws and her tail. Devon remembered quite vividly how his step father had been quite impressed by it all.

Devon's mother, however, never cared to talk about it much. Maybe it was because at the time she was married to his father, Raphael. Maybe it was because she didn't see anything to celebrate in killing another person, even though that person had threatened her and her baby. Ninjitsu was a hard lifestyle to be apart of sometimes, that was certain.

Devon had wished years ago that his family was like all the other families that he had known. But, eventually he was forced to understand his clan's unique place in the world. For his father and uncles, ninjitsu helped them to stay alive when they lived in the sewers of New York. It was especially helpful when they tangled with the Foot clan there in the same city as well as in Japan.

This day, however, Devon had a whole new appreciation and respect for what his father and uncles went through those many years ago.

"Here, son, inhale deeply." An attendant waved a bottle of something under Devon's nose. Before he could protest and avoid the fowl smelling elixir, Devon felt himself start to lose consciousness. He wondered why they did that to him. In an instant, he found out.

A sharp pain brought him back to mental clarity, but only momentarily. He was now free of the sword, his wound being cleaned by the attendant. Devon was in a state of limbo as far as where he thought reality was. It almost felt like he was under nitrous oxide, or laughing gas. He wasn't giggly, but he felt really relaxed and having not a care in the world.

It was exactly what the technician had wanted for him.

Devon soon felt himself getting lifted and then put onto a hand held gurney. He was then carried above the forest floor by two other men. They were dressed in white and seemed really nice to him. He scowled and realized he was still under the influence of some sort of drug. All he could think of, though, was happy thoughts and it really concerned him.

He saw Don as his uncle talking with Seth and Cassandra. Gabby was still being held by his brother and Cassandra was off to one side.

Devon noticed that his sister looked calmer for some reason. Actually, she looked sad. He thought maybe she could use some of the same stuff he was given earlier. Sure worked wonders on him. He scowled again and wondered to himself where these thoughts were coming from. But in the next moment he dismissed it and just enjoyed the ride.

It was a bit of a walk back to the house, but Devon's escorts managed to carry him along on the stretcher rather well. Soon he drifted off to sleep and stayed that way until the attendants arrived at the house.

*****

Cassandra had seen Don approach Devon as she sat next to Gabby and Seth. She watched as the big turtle hobbled up next to his nephew to see how Devon was doing. The attendants were taking his vitals to make sure that he was relatively healthy. She and then saw them wave a small bottle under his nose. Soon, Devon's head lolled back and it was then Cassie knew they had given him a mild tranquilizer.

She winced in empathy as one of the attendants gently and carefully removed the sword form Devon's side. They had already put him on top of a clean sheet shortly after the tranquilizer. It provided them with a somewhat sterile platform to extract the weapon. Once the sword had been removed and the clean up was in progress, Cassandra saw Don turn and hobble towards her group.

She braced herself.

Don saw that Seth had Gabriella well in hand. He also noticed that Cassandra was right there with them. He had seen her as he walked over to where Devon was and while he observed his nephew's recovery, he thought about the turn of events.

Initially when the raid began Don was convinced that Cassandra had lied to him and was responsible for the additional threat.

Originally at her shop a few weeks earlier, Cassie had told him that before Seth married Gabby, she needed to know that he would be able to protect her. After twenty-five years of being her daughter's champion unaware, the woman was not eager to just simply give up her job. It was imperative that she confirm Seth's abilities. Challenging him to a mock battle with out any forewarning was essential. She allowed Don to work with him in the meantime, but would not alert him as to when it would happen. Today had been a complete surprise, yet expected – with exception to the added distraction of the raid.

While he was convinced Cassandra had been deceitful, Don was determined to challenge her there on the battlefield if given the chance to do so. Don's intent was to finish what had been started thirty-five years before. Despite the friendship that his niece had developed with this woman, he was enraged that Cassie would deceive him and then put his entire family at risk.

Yet it didn't make any sense. Why would she endanger her own daughter who was pregnant with her grandchild? It just didn't compute with Don.

What helped him to realize that Cassie was as much surprised by the turn of events as the rest was her willing and subsequently aggressive counterattack to the raid. Her effective response to the attack and the skill with which she used impressed Don quite a lot. It was apparent to him that her motives for being there were sincere. As it turned out she was also an asset in the fight that unfolded afterwards.

Seth heard his uncle approach and turned towards him. "Is Devon going to be all right, Don?"

"Yep. Right now he's in la la land, but I'm certain his wound won't have any complications. Once we get x-rays of him and the others we'll have a better idea of how complicated their recoveries will be."

Don turned to Cassandra and noticed she was holding her right arm. "You're injured. You need attending to."

"I'm fine for now," she replied warily, stepping back a pace or two. Cassandra could sense a different response from Don from what she expected at first. But she was still mindful of his earlier expression that if it had been a weapon, she would have been dead already.

Don saw her trepidation. He then nodded in her direction, "I apologize for my earlier reaction towards you before the fight began. I was under a different impression at the time. However, I want to thank you for your part in protecting my family. You sacrificed much on this battlefield and I appreciate it." He then smiled to emphasize his sincerity.

Such a relief flowed over Cassie that she momentarily swooned. She was definitely in need of medical attention. But until Don had renounced his intent to challenge her, she was determined to stand her ground. Now she was feeling her injuries a little more and it was slowly getting worse by the minute.

Don saw Cassandra wobble a little and he quickly stepped over towards her to steady her. "You really need attention." He then turned towards the group of attendants and motioned for one of them to come to Cassie's aid.

As that medical technician arrived and started attending to Cassandra's arm, Don turned back to Seth and Gabby.

"I'm glad to see that the two of you are all right. There were many of us who sustained injuries today." Don stated. He looked intently at Gabby and saw that she had calmed down.

He addressed her, "Gabby, when we return to the house I need to speak with you. Seth, you can participate if you want. But it's imperative that I debrief Gabby."

Seth nodded and knew what his uncle meant.

"Then I want you, Gabby, to get checked over by my doctor later today." He instructed.

She looked up at him and asked, "Why? I'm not injured."

"You are with child and what you did today has put a lot of pressure and stress on your body. I want to make sure that you are not in danger of miscarrying. I will not argue with you on this matter." Don was quite serious and intent.

Gabby nodded obediently, spent of all will and energy. She remained in Seth's embrace as she tried to regain her strength.

Don looked up and saw that Leo had the last assailant in custody. He had the warrior's arms tied behind his back as he directed him along with the tip of his katana sword. The man's head was still concealed within his hood so his identity remained unknown to the rest of the group.

Leo looked over at his brother and nodded once. Don returned the gesture and then excused himself, "Seth, Gabby, and Cassandra – I have some matters to attend to. As soon as you are able please return to the house and wait for me in the living room. I will return as soon as I can. You might as well get yourselves something to eat while you're there."

And then Don hobbled off after Leo and his prisoner, grunting just a little from his own injuries.

******

Initially, Rahab did not know about the battle or how it went. All she could do was to stay with Gaele, Devon, and Riahna and to keep the professor calm while they sat in the family room.

The professor was quite concerned and Rahab with Gaele, with Devon to back them up, did their best to distract him from the seriousness of the situation.

"Probably some hiker got lost or maybe someone curious about our side of the preserve. Nothing to worry about." Rahab said. "Those sensors are set too low anyway, so it's probably nothing important."

Of course, she didn't believe her own words and neither did Gaele or Devon. But they kept that fact from the professor just to keep him calm.

When Devon finally took off for the preserve, Rahab begged him not to go. But, as was always the case with her son, he had a will of his own and a determination like his father, Raphael. It was useless to try to dissuade him once his mind was made up.

Rahab could only beg Gaele to remain with her, though her daughter sorely wanted to join her brother.

However, Gaele realized that she was the only one left at the house with any skill at all in ninjitsu. It was obviously apparent that she would have to hold down the 'fort' if things went south at the house.

It was much later when there was the sound of a truck coming around the side of the house towards the backyard. Hearing the motor noises outside, Rahab quickly looked out the back window. She muffled her response for the professor when she saw the transport pull up to the back of the redwood fence. Thomas jumped out and, seeing his boss's sister-in-law, quickly ran to the house to tell her what was going on. Rahab met him outside to keep any bad news from the elderly man in the family room. It was then that Thomas told her quietly that Don had contacted him about a battle that had taken place in the forest and he was just now able to arrive with medical help.

Seeing the ambulance gave Rahab flashbacks to skirmishes years before that she had been witness to. Her life in Big Sur and the isolation of Mike's compound had given her a false sense of security. It was now apparent to her that whatever anti-assault measures her husband had put in place were obviously in desperate need of upgrading. Part of her was angry with Mike, but a greater part of her was worried for him.

As the first casualty arrived from the forest, Rahab frantically ran out the back of the house to see who it was. She almost screamed when she saw that it was her husband.

"Oh, Mike, what happened?" she implored, grabbing his hand as she walked along beside him towards the ambulance.

Mike was under the same tranquilizer as Devon, so his response was a typical Mike remark, "Jus' shlipped and fell, m' luv. Shtupid clumshy me!" and he laughed. But, then he groaned from his injury.

Rahab was glad to hear him chuckle but she knew by the sound of his slurring words that the technician had Mike drugged up pretty good. At least he was alive.

She wanted to join Mike in the ambulance. However one of the attendants told her that they had one more gurney to put in and maybe two ambulatory patients as well. That jolted her back to look out at the preserve.

"Who else was hurt?" she asked out loud.

"One of Don's nephews and I think Don, and then one of his other brothers." Another attendant told her.

Rahab gave Mike a tearful peck on his mouth and squeezed his hand, "I'll be right along, but I need to see who else was hurt. I love you, Mike!" Then she quickly ran back to the fence to await the arrival of the other injured party.

Gaele had to keep Riahna from running over to the ambulance.

"NO! I wanna see Daddy!" the autistic girl yelled as she struggled within her older sister's embrace.

"Riahna, Daddy's all right. He's just taking a nap!" Gaele assured her sister as she held her firmly.

"No, Daddy's been in a car accident!" Riahna exclaimed, not giving up her desire to be with him.

Gaele knew that her sister was remembering her one and only experience with an ambulance from a few years ago when her father and she had been in a car accident.

That wreck virtually destroyed the Testarosa that was Mike's pride and joy. It also interrupted Gaele's studies for her senior mid term finals in college. She had been flown back home by Don on one of his planes to be with her father and sister. That entire event had exhausted her since she had gone nearly twenty four hours without sleep. Gaele had been moody and combative, even pushing Don over the banister where he fell three stories down into the hospital's atrium tree. That ended him up in the same ward as her father. It almost ruined Gaele's relationship with her uncle. However, that did not happen and things mellowed out pretty much after that.

All these memories came flooding back to her as she saw her father get lifted up into the medical transport.

Seeing Mike grab her mother's hand in reassurance earlier gave Gaele hope that maybe his injuries weren't life threatening. But now she watched her mother run quickly back to the redwood fence. The thought of who else was injured came to Gaele's mind. She steadfastly held on to her sister, though, worried and concerned a great deal about the next wounded person.

Rahab cried out when she saw Devon on the stretcher as it was lifted up over the fence. He was somewhat awake but he had a very uncharacteristic and goofy grin on his face. Something like what Mike had. It caused Rahab to smile a little. At least he seemed happy.

"Are you all right, Seth?" she asked her son while she walked beside him while he was carried on the stretcher.

"Yep, couldn't be better! Great stuff they gave me. You want some, Mom? You look like you need a dose of happy!" he grinned at her.

"No, I think I'm just fine, thank you very much." She smiled, bending down and giving him a kiss on his forehead. She then squeezed his hand to comfort him. Confident that he would be all right and that nothing more serious was coming her way, Rahab walked back to the house.

Gaele's worried and expectant expression caught her mother's attention.

Rahab told her, "They'll live. Devon's a little more happy than usual and your dad's just a little goofier than he usually is. But, they'll survive."

Both women were quite relieved, but Riahna still insisted getting away from her sister's clutches and going to her father.

Rahab took her youngest daughter and held her, telling her, "We will leave soon to go with you daddy, Riahna. Right now I think the flowers in the atrium need watering!"

With that Riahna's attention was turned and she quickly went to fill the watering can.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Gaele said, exhausted from the battle of keeping her sister under control.

Rahab just smiled.