Terry paced the rec room nervously. It had been a week since Wildwing had up and vanished. Phil had tried many times to comfort her, saying that Wing had gone back to Puckworld for help. But how could that have been. He didn't have a dimensional gateway or a teleporter. Besides if he had gone back, shouldn't he have been back by now? Phil was wrong, Wildwing ran out to save the day, and no doubt his body was decomposing in a ditch somewhere. The thought disturbed her and she tried to shake off her melancholy self-pity and irritation of not knowing. Why did she have to marry the most frustrating man in the universe!

"Mamma?"

Terry, startled out of her quiet thoughts by her son's timid quiet concerned voice, turned to face him. He was standing on the couch, leaning on the back watching her pace. "Yes, Baby."

"Can I help Daddy find Anna?"

Terry smiled fondly at his innocents. "Of course you can," she replied touching his cheek tenderly.

"Okay." Mac jumped off the couch and ran out of the room. With a heavy heart, Terry watched him go. He was so much like his father. She didn't have the heart to tell him that his father was not coming back and that Anna was probably lying dead next to him in some shallow grave. Terry flopped down on the couch, covering her face with her hands. She didn't care if Mac came back and found her like this, she couldn't stand it any longer. She had to cry. And cry she did. When the sound of the door to her left opened she ignored it. Phil no doubt. But wait, there were more then one set of footsteps. Terry looked up and dried her tears quickly when she found Wildwing leading the Mighty Ducks. "Wildwing!" Terry was off the couch the next instant, rushing to his side and his welcome arms. He gathered her close and gave her a kiss, sealing the fact that he was not an illusion. "Where have you been?"

"I went back to Puckworld. Didn't Phil tell you? I asked him to"

"He told me."

"Terry," Wing laughed. "I had to get help. Even you said so."

"I know I did" Terry backed away, ashamed for doubting Phil, then she realized something pivotal. "Finally you started listening to reason."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. You have had me worrying for over a week!" Terry scolded.

"Don't be absurd, Terry. I've only been gone six hours."

"Wildwing Flashblade, don't patronize me. You have been gone for over a week!"

"A week?" Wing pondered in dumbfounded mystification. How could time have passed that fast? "Tanya?"

"It is possible that time is faster here then Puckworld. It does explain why little progress has been made in Puckworld's restoration."

"Wait!" Nosedive came forward. "How long have we been gone?"

"About two and a half years, why?"

"Two and a half years!"

"Yeah," Wildwing shrugged.

"I'm ready, Mamma."

The group of ducks turned to the little voice off to their right and found Mac dressed in his torn blue jeans, white T-shirt with the Mighty Ducks logo on the front, and a coiled rope crossing his chest from shoulder to hip.

"Mac, what are you doing?" Terry laughed.

"I'm gonna help Daddy save Anna." Mac stepped forward, tripping on the rope. He did a superb face plant, but did not cry out. Wing quickly rushed to his aid, holding back mirth, he helped unravel the toddler from the mess of ropes.

"Ah, that's really sweet honey, but you're a little too young for fighting Saurian's."

"But Mommy said I could help you."

"Well you could help me by monitoring Drake One for energy signatures."

"Okay!" Mac dropped the end of rope he had been fiddling with and raced to the computer room to perform his duty.

"Wait! Mac, come back!"

/ page break /

Gormegil stalked the ship in search of Belegurth. He had finally come to the realization that no amount of torture was going to force the child to bend to their will. Her faith was disgustingly strong. She would never yield to them so long as she had a god to call upon in her need.

"Gormegil! What are you doing here? You are suppose to be watching the prisoner."

"You will never break her."

"She will break, they always do."

"She will not. If she was going to, she would have done so by now."

"And how can you be so sure?"

"I've watched her, analyzed her. She thinks her god will save her."

"What do you suggest then, dear brother?" Belegurth was tired of his belligerence toward her. His actions were on the verge of mutiny, but she knew that he would not dare to challenge her. Not now anyway.

"Attack her mind. Give me some time with her to enter her mind and destroy her from within."

"The powers of our ancestors are useless!"

"That is where you and Dragaunus, are wrong. Firepower may kill an enemy's body, but to destroy their mind destroys their soul. You want revenge, as do I, but to really enjoy it we must not only take their lives, but their souls as well."

"Very well, amuse yourself. Play with her mind."

"I will," Gormegil sneered. "But do not interrupt me. To get the full force of my effects I need you to stay silent."

"I already gave you permission to dabble in sorcery. Do not ask more, least I revoke my leniency."

Gormegil bowed and drug his misshapen form from the room. One day, you will regret belittling me, Belegurth. You may be Dragaunus' daughter, but I am his son. Your strength is more then what I can handle, but your mind is, after all, that of a female.

/ page break /

The Mighty Ducks spent a week looking for clues and scanning for Saurian energy signatures. They came up empty with every attempt. At this rate they would be stuck on earth another three or four years and this thought intensified Wildwing's apprehension and impatient mind. Dive had noticed at how uncheerful his nephew was, and his melancholy only increased with Wing's shortening temper. Mac had now resorted to hiding in his room and refusing to speak with anyone, but his Uncle Dive. Somehow Dive made him feel better. Maybe it had to do with the bloodline, but mainly it was because Dive refused to push Mac into talking. Instead the two would sit and color in silence for hours.

Wing noticed the time Dive spent with Mac. His heart was pained by it for two reasons. One, he should have been the one to be with his son, not Dive, and two, Dive needed to be with Mallory and Kelly on Puckworld. A father's place was with his family, not on some desolate planet waiting for the enemy to make a move. Wing paced the rec room with unease. How did he ever lead this team before? The responsibility, the pressure to never make a mistake, the feeling of dread, and self-doubt caused his internal turmoil. If only if only he had gone back if only he could relive his life if only

"Wing."

Wildwing spun around and found his brother, Nosedive, holding Mac's hand and a packet of papers. Mac kept his eyes on the floor and he was rolling a stone' with his foot. It looked like he had been caught red-handed stealing a cookie. "What's wrong?"

"I think you need to look at these." Dive handed him the pack of papers and waited for a response. Mac cringed as his father took the compositions. Wing inspected the documents one at a time. The pages had been inscribed with color crayons and depicted images of Anna abused and forgotten in a Saurian prison. "Where did you get these?" Wing growled.

"I sowwy, Daddy," Mac shrank away from Wing's menacing look. The look increased and Mac hid behind Dive's legs for protection.

"Why would you do something like this?! Do you have any idea" Wing gauged his son. The terrified expression and silent whimpering told him that he was not going to get anywhere. Wing turned his fury on his brother instead. "Why did you bring these to me?"

"Wing, hold on a second."

"No you hold on. This is is" Wing waved the pictures in the air. "Is disgusting in every sense of the word. How could you encourage him to draw pictures like these!"

"I didn't."

"Nosedive," Wing's voice was cold and hard as steel. "A two year old knows nothing of violence and rape."

"He drew them before I got to Earth. He's been stockpiling them in his room. You've just been too blind to see."

Wing's eyes flew open. "Blind! How dare you! If you knew half the things I have had to deal with these last few weeks"

"Wildwing." It was Canard. He had overheard the conversation and now stepped in to dissuade the conflict before Wing would say something he would live to regret. "We all know what you're feeling. You want Anna back. But you forget that you have other responsibilities here."

"Like?" Wing's voice was colder then a penguin after swimming in the Arctic Ocean.

"Like your son."

Wing turned to look at Mac. He was still trembling behind Nosedive, clinging to his pant legs. Wing shook his head, Dive and Canard thinking they finally reached him. "He's just a kid. He has no idea what these pictures mean." The hope that quickly came to the pair left in an instant.

"Wing, he can see her in his dreams. He told me."

"How?"

"I don't know, but he sees her. He knows where she is."

"Wildwing!" Tanya exclaimed, rushing into the room.

"What!"

"The Saurian's broke their silence. They sent us a message."

"Well what did it say?"

"It said that if you want to see Anna again that we are to meet them at a steel mill on the outskirts of town tomorrow evening, alone"

"It's a date," Wing said with a curt nod.

"Wing, ever heard of the phrase trap'?" Dive asked.

"Nosedive, don't start." Wing slapped his son's illustrations into Dive's chest as he exited the room, "do me a favor and burn these."

Mac stood glued to his spot weeping. Dive stooped down to calm him, but there was no use consoling the child. All he wanted was his father, and his father had emotionally abandoned him. Dive knew he couldn't do anything to help him, but he tried. Mac pushed him away and whimpered Daddy'. Wing stopped just short of the exit and turned to see Mac watching him, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Mac, stop crying."

"Daddy"

"Dive, stop him."

"I can't."

"Don't go, Daddy. They plan kill you."

"Mac, stop it."

"Wing, listen to him! He knows what he's talking about."

"No bring Anna."

Wing turned back to the doorway and thought out loud. "We are going to need more help. I'm going back to Puckworld to get Mal and her family. Maybe the General can enlist a few troops to"

"You can't." Tanya's words cut his visions to shreds.

"What did you say?"

"You can't."

"Why not?"

"Because if you do you can't come back. The teleporter will only work one more time."

"But"

"The power is almost depleted. It only has enough power to take one last trip, and that's our trip home."

"Great!" Wing threw his arms into the air. "Now what are we going to do?"

"Wing, take care of your son. I'll come up with a plan." Canard decided that it was time that Wing was relieved of command, no matter how much he hated to do so.

Wing's jaw dropped. Did Canard just do what he thought he did? He was relieving him of command? How dare he! Wing's mind exploded. It was his fault that I ended up with the mask and into this predicament. Where does he get off AHHH! He couldn't bare it any longer. He had to get out of the room before he killed his best friend. Wing stormed back over to Dive, grabbed Mac roughly by the arm and drug him out of the room. The others heard Wing shouting at the boy to shut up, and Dive attempted to go after him.

"Leave him, Dive."

"Canard"

"He won't hurt him, and if he does I'll hurt Wing."

/ page break /

Mac struggled to free himself from his father's massive grip. Wing had to stop when Mac fell to the ground and was being dragged behind. "Mac, stand up. Stop crying!" Wing released Mac's arm and got into his face. "What's wrong with you? Why are you being such a brat?" Wildwing raised his hand to smack him, but he did not make a move. Instead, all he could do was watch Mac run away, crying. Wing looked at his raised hand and he flinched. What am I doing?

Wildwing followed after Mac; he had to apologize. That was if Mac was willing to hear the apology. He was hiding under a pile of blankets on his bed when Wing found him. "Mac, honey, please Daddy's sorry. Come here. Please."

Wing saw the covers move back and forth as Mac shook his head no.

"Please, baby. I'm sorry. Really I am. I" Wing frowned. His meager attempts to rectify his misplaced temper were undeniably preposterous. No amount of tender consoling words could heal the damage his sharp tongue had inflicted. He was hurting from Anna's abduction, but so was Mac. Why hadn't he seen it before? The signs were all there. Wing sighed heavily. There was no time like the present to beg forgiveness. He said a silent prayer and went to sit on the bed. Mac scooted away, but Wing closed the distance between them. He wanted to pull Mac into his arms and kiss away all his fears, but that was not a possibility at the moment. So instead he would use another tool of the Lord's song.

"I can only imagine," Wing sang softly. "What it will be like when I walk by your side. I can only imagine. What my eyes will see when your face is before me? I can only imagine. I can only imagine." Wildwing smoothed out the covers and waited for Mac to appear. When he didn't move he went on to sing the song's Chorus. "Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for You, Jesus, or in awe of You be still? Will I stand in Your presence, to my knees will I fall? Will I sing Hallelujah', will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine."

A small smile dared to dance across his face when he felt the bed move. He quickly wiped it away and continued to sing softly. "I can only imagine."

Mac crawled out from under the covers and crawled over to Wing. He sat down and looked up at his father with sparkling blue eyes. Wing smiled at him and gently lifted him into his arms. He cradled him in the crook of his arm and rocked him back and forth all the while he sang Mercy Me's' I Can Only Imagine'. "I can only imagine, when that day comes and I find myself standing in the son. I can only imagine, when all I will do is forever, forever worship You. I can only imagine. I can only imagine."

Terry walked in and found Wing holding Mac. His eyes were starting to droop as Wing sang the twice-repeated chorus of the song, but he refused to drop off to sleep. Somehow, even though she had been told of his harsh words earlier that day, she knew that things were going to get better. "I can only imagine, when all I would do is forever, forever worship you. I can only imagine."

/ page break /

"I can only imagine, when all I would do is forever, forever worship you. I can only imagine," Anna whispered the final line to her favorite song. She loved the original artist's version, as well as her dad's. For some reason she thought she heard him singing it. Oh if only she was in his arms right now, listening to him croon.

"What is she doing?" Belegurth inquired of Gormegil.

"Praying to her god?" he shrugged.

Belegurth spat at the word. "Rubbish! What can a god do?"

"Save her supposedly." That was all he had gotten out of her from his mind probes. The images he found were warm nurturing comforting. He had never felt feelings of love, devotion or peace before. These emotions and feelings were greek to him. How could he understand them with a heart full of hate?

Belegurth, not knowing what her brother pondered and kept him composed, lashed out. Her eyes narrowed to burning slits as she glanced from her brother to the child. How dare she defy me? A sudden furry erupted in her body and she wanted to demolish all in the room. She stepped up to Anna's cage and viscously shook the locked door, nearly ripping it from its hinges. "Stop that!"

"Jesus, help me"

"Don't call upon your god! It can't hear you and you will NEVER be saved!"

Gormegil pulled Belegurth away from the cell as Anna withdrew farther into the shadows in an attempt to avoid the shower of acidic Saurian saliva. Anna wiped the moisture from her bare shoulders with repugnance, but she couldn't hide the shiver up her spine inspired by her captor's next words.

"You will die alone! No one cares about a measly whiny brat like you!"

Gormegil stood back and watched. Maybe you don't care, dear sister, but her family does and I. The last confession confused himself. What was he thinking?

"Daddy Father"Anna pleaded looking up with her hands folded in prayer. "The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice"

"You are our sacrifice!"

Anna's voice shook as she spoke again, but she would not be detoured from finishing her prayer, "I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me."

Belegurth smiled at the words my father and mother forsake me'. So Gormegil has gotten to her. I will let him continue. When her father does find her, she will be nothing less then a husk of what she once was.

"Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witness rise up against me, breathing out violence. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

"Is that all?" Belegurth taunted. "Come, cry to your father. He can't save you!" Anna's head fell to her chest as she continued to whisper her prayers of deliverance, or early death.