Chapter Nine:

Tussle at the Golden Gate Bridge

Disclaimer: I don't own WHR. I do own the story and the made-up characters, though. So don't steal them.

Fog drifted over the Golden Gate Bridge and the wires holding it together. Black, night air eerily wafted around the ankles of the young girl as she walked across the structure all by herself.

Robin looked around; nervously bringing the collar of her crimson jacket higher up on her neck.

Night had set in faster than she imagined it would. Actually, it came in faster than it should have. The sun wasn't supposed to set for another hour and yet, it was already pitch black out.

Robin remembered that it had rained earlier. Did this usually happen when the heavens decided to cry out their tears?

No. It didn't. Living here for two years had let her figure that out. But for it to be this dark this early was highly unual for this time of year in this part of the United States.

The young witch shivered. Damn, did she wish she had a car! Even her little scooter would have been nice to have at a moment like this. She just wished she had something to get her out of there quicker. This place was giving her a serious case of the creeps.

"Note to self. Next time, call Tera to come pick you up when it is this dark outside." Robin said quietly to herself as she rubbed her arms to keep warm. Not only was it unnaturally dark, but it was also unnaturally cold.

The wind blew lazily; causing a low, howling noise to come off of the wiring that held the bridge up. A disturbence that sound eerily like a high laugh accompanied it...

Her senses suddenly on high alert, Robin spun around to face the direction she had just came. If she had been expecting someone to be there, they missed their cue by a long shot. There was no one around but her.

Lowering her shoulders in confusion, Robin stared at the blank road behind her.

"I could have sworn I heard something..." She whispered to herself as she raised her handbag higher up on her shoulder and turning to continue heading home.

Akamu watched the young woman walk down the sidewalk from his position on one of the bridge's high towers. His long, red hair was swepped off to the right as a huge gust of wind blew over the city.

The pale witch's lips slowly drew into a smile; revealing horribly cracked teeth that were covered in plaque and decay.

"So, Juliet. Out walking by yourself? It's not safe to be out here all alone..." He growled wickedly, letting a very loud and creepy laugh escape him.

The night air was suddenly filled up to the clouds with his cackles. It almost sounded as if they were echoing in the wind.

Lighting flashed through the sky; signaling another storm.

Robin's gaze flew up towards the clouds as lighting brightened up the sky. Another storm was approaching and she had no where to go. But this fact wasn't the reason she was suddenly feeling so uncomfortable.

"Ok. That time, I know I heard something." She breathed out as she carefully placed her purse on the ground. If there was to be a fight, she did not want to have to lug it around.

"Where are you? I know your here, who ever you are." The young witch called out softly into the air. Fumbling around in her dress pockets, she quickly pulled out her glasses and gently placed them on her nose.

Nothing happened. The only real noise that she could hear was thunder rolling off in the distance. Looking around out of paranoia, Robin finally sighed and hung her head.

"Perhaps I am just overreacting." She said quietly as she reached a hand up to remove her glasses.

"Oh, now I wouldn't say that." A voice commented from behind her, causing her to gasp and whirl around to face it.

A man with long, red hair stood about ten yards away from her. His old-fashioned clothes were giving off a rather musty odor that Robin could smell from where she was standing. His skin was deathly pale, as if someone had just dumped white paint all over him. Even the fabric of his attire was white. The only color that she could really see on him was the red of his hair, his magenta eyes, and the load of black mascara he had around them.

Replacing her glasses so that they rested comfortably on the bridge of her nose, Robin furrowed her eyebrows. She had seen this strange man before. He had been the one standing behind her in the bathroom two days ago. She was sure of it.

"Who are you...?" She whispered, trailing off quietly. The man smirked, cracking his white knuckles audibly.

"Just call me Akamu, my little Juliet." He said softly, beginning to walk towards her (Actually, it was more like he glided).

Robin gasped at the name he called her. Why would he call her something like that?

"Stay back. I'm warning you." She hissed out, watching as he ignored her command and continued to walk over to her. Her emerald eyes narrowed, causing her pupils to dialate as she called upon her craft.

"Alright. If that's how you want it." She said in a completely level voice as a large flame lept up in front of her.

Akamu hesitated for a moment before continuing to head towards her. Robin noticed this and increased the level of her power.

He's not stopping! Her mind cried out nervously. She continued to up the intensity of the flames acting as her barrier. But the red-haired witch kept on coming. It almost seemed like he was immune to her fire.

"Leave me alone!" Robin cried out, suddenly abandoning the will to defend herself and turned to run.

Akamu only chuckled and raised a clawed hand.

"Come back, Juliet. Your not getting away from me that easily." He said to himself as he telepathically raised Robin off of her feet and into the air.

The young witch squeeked out of fear as she found herself levitating off of the ground and into the night sky. Turning around as best as she could, Robin grimaced at the male witch.

"What do you want with me?" She asked, gasping when she realized how high she was getting. Akamu only smiled and flicked his wrist, causing her to jerk over to the right. He chuckled at her surprised gasps.

"I only want to chat, Juliet. Your Romeo is becoming very lonely without you and wishes your return. And I make my duty to give him that." He said in a sweet tone that was obviously fake.

Robin gazed over at him. She was a little take aback by his comment. What did he mean by "her Romeo"?

Akamu must have noticed her confused glare, for he sniggered loudly through his nose.

"Of course, I am talking about Amon. You remember him, don't you Juliet?" The red-haired man asked with a wicked grin.

Robin gasped, tears pricking the edges of her eyes when she finally realized what he had said.

Amon... She thought to herself, going limp with the onslaught of emotions. Akamu grinned, knowing that he now had her right where he wanted her...

A shout from below suddenly caught their attention. Gazing down at the bridge some fifty feet under her, Robin's eyes widened when she saw the small figure of Andy waving up at her and shouting her name.

"Robin!" He called, though he had a feeling she could not hear him. At least not very well.

Akamu frowned for a minute, as if confused. His evil grin returned after a couple of tense seconds, however.

"And what's this. A new toy for me to play with?" He questioned himself, as if he were having a conversation with someone that no one else could see. He stared with a crazed expression over at Robin, who gazed determinedly back.

"Touch him and you die..." She seethed at him through her teeth. The glare on her face suddenly gave way to surprise, however, when she heard Akamu chuckle.

"Yes, well. There's a slight problem with that, you see." He said almost snobbily. It seemed to Robin that he was trying to point out the obvious.

"And what problem would that be?" She inquired, her eyes narrowing in hatred for the red-haired witch.

Akamu just grinned; showing her his yellowed fangs.

"You see, Juliet. You can't actually kill me...because I'm already dead." He said in a low voice before disappearing in puff of red smoke.

After a couple of seconds, he reappeared next to Robin and gave her a good whack on the left side of her neck with his claws.

Robin let out a pain filled cry; tears brimming at the edges of her green eyes. She could feel the blood from the gash oozing down the side of her neck and into the high collar of her pilgrim dress. It was a rather uncomfortable feeling.

It was then the young witch noticed that she no longer just hanging in midair. On the contrary, she was now falling through it.

Looking down below her, Robin gasped when she realized she was falling towards the rocky waters of San Fransisco Bay. Raising her gaze back up to Akamu, she called out the first name that came to mind.

"AMON!!!"

This was it. She was going to die, either from the heart attack she was sure to get from falling through space or by drowning. Either way, she was dead. She closed her eyes, letting her tears fall freely down her cheeks.

"Amon..." She whispered, more quietly this time. She wanted him to be the last thing on her mind before she hit the water.

Now, imagine Robin's shock when Andy suddenly appeared above her in a flash of blue and caught her in his waiting arms. She then felt like she was suddenly plunged headfirst into a ice cold bath of silver paint.

Looking around, she realized that all she could see was white. Akamu, the city, and the bridge had all disappeared.

And it all reappeared before her eyes within a matter of seconds.

Andy landed on the sidewalk with a grunt. Once he had gotten himself situated, he placed Robin upright on her feet.

The young witch carefully touched the ground, as if she were afraid that it would suddenly give way and would crumble out from under her. When she felt secure, she turned a surprised glare up towards her savior.

"You're-you're a..." She tried to spit out, only to be cut off by Andy's raised hand.

"Guilty as charged." He said sarcastically, giving her a smile.

Robin smiled in return. She then turned her gaze upwards towards a particular red-haired witch that was currently hovering over them.

Akamu was frowning. It was the kind of frown someone usually gets when they are highly annoyed that something did not go their way.

Robin glared determinedly back at him. Her eyes glinted when another flash of lighting streaked across the sky. The expression on her face clearly said, "Come and get me. I dare you".

The male witch far above her head only scoffed, as if his failed attempt at killing her meant nothing.

"You are only hurting yourself, Juliet. You are hurting yourself and him. It is not wise of you to turn your back on him. Heed my warning and go back to Japan. Or someone is liable to get hurt..." And with that, he disappeared.

Andy let out a low whistle. Whether it was one of relief or one of self spite, Robin was not sure.

"Well, that was close." He said slowly, turning to his young companion, who seemed to be in very deep thought.

"So, who was that guy? I'm going to guess it wasn't one of your cousins dropping in for a last minute visit." He stated, smirking at little at his own stupid joke.

Robin didn't seem to be paying attention to him, however. She was staring up at the clouded sky; her emerald eyes becoming misty with fresh tears.

"Amon. He's going to go after Amon..." She whispered to herself, not realizing that Andy could hear.

"Excuse me? Who's Amon?" The brown-haired boy asked, placing what he considered a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Robin ignored him. Shaking his hand away, she took a step foreward. Her expression was that of a lost child looking for her mother.

"He going to hurt Amon. He's going to hurt my Amon!" She cried. Regaining her determined glare, she whirled around and placed her hands on Andy's shoulders; staring straight into his eyes.

"Andy, can you teleport me to Japan? Please. It's an emergency." She asked in her quiet voice. Her face was drawn back into a sad frown. She looked almost like a pitiful puppy with it on.

Andy stared at her for a moment, clearly in shock. He then frowned and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Robin. But I'm a little limited in how far I can teleport." He said, his eyes showing her that he was telling the truth.

The young witch raised a questioning eyebrow. Though she did sense that he was telling her the truth, she was a tad bit suspicious.

"What do you mean?" She asked. She was really desperate to get back to Japan. She had to make sure that Akamu would not hurt her Amon.

Since when did he become 'my' Amon? She suddenly asked herself while waiting for Andy's answer.

Andy shrugged at her sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head with obvious embaressment.

"Well, to put it simply, if I were to teleport you from right here...we'd end up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean." He said, hanging his head in slight shame.

Robin's face shadowed over in disappointment. She could feel her heart breaking into a million pieces.

"Oh, Andy..." She began before jolting at the sound of a sudden explosion. They both turned towards the sound in shock; becoming transfixed as they watched a black, mushroom-shaped cloud float slowly into the air.

The wind blew, causing a inky smell to fly over to them. They covered their mouths as a way to keep from gagging or choking. Both actions were rather hard to avoid, however.

Robin coughed once, raising her head to the flames now raising above the trees in the far distance. Her emerald eyes suddenly widened when something in her mind clicked.

"That's in the direction of my house..." She breathed, catching Andy's attention. He turned to stare at her, starting slightly when she did the same to him.

"Andy. Could you please teleport me over there, instead?" She asked in a muffled voice, considering she had one of her arms covering her mouth. Despite that, she remained as polite as she could.

Andy blinked, as if confused. His gaze then softened and her gave her a single nod.

Smiling, Robin held out her hand for him to grab hold of. Andy grinned and grasped on to the previously offered hand. Within moments, the two of them vanished into thin air.

The only thing that was left was a large, black purse sitting solomnly in the middle of the sidewalk.

The silverish smoke cleared from their vision, only to have them wishing it had stayed a little bit longer.

The house was totally destroyed. Everything was burned to ashes. The only things that seemed to be standing was part of the brick chimany and the the door frame that used to hold up the front door.

Robin stared with wide, emerald eyes. Everything...everything she had come to love, was now gone.

"My house..." She breathed out, walking up the charred front steps. Walking through the desolate door frame, she looked around what was the foyer just that morning. All of the walls were burned down and were now crumbled up on the floor.

Looking over to her left, Robin saw what used to be the kitchen. Both the table and the chairs were burned to ashes. The stove was black with soot and the little t.v. that had usually sat on the counter near the fridge was broken and still had sparks every now and then.

A sudden squeak from under her foot caught Robin's attention, nearly giving her a heart attack. Lifting her toes slightly and moving them over to one side, she gasped almost silently as her gaze fell on a chaffed, purple, toy mouse.

A sob escaped Robin's lips as she bent down to pick up the discarded object. Tears fell down her smooth cheeks and onto the makeshift fur of the mouse.

"Mauli." She whispered, the sadness of loosing one of her pets becoming unbearable.

Andy stepped in through the door frame and came up behind Robin. His face fell into a sympathetic expression when he heard her sad sniffles.

"God, Robin. I'm sorry." He stated softly, rasing both of his eyebrows when he saw her shoulders straighten.

"D-don't apologize. None of this was your fault." She said gently, taking a deep breath to try and choke back her tears.

Andy stared at the young woman in front of him. He smiled, realizing how much he admired her integrity. He frowned quickly when she turned to face him.

"Let's go. There is nothing more to see here." She said, holding the mouse close to her chest, near where her heart was centered.

Andy nodded, turning to begin heading out of the door.

That's when they heard it. It was very small at first, but then it grew. It sounded like a newborn puppy crying out for its mother.

Robin's eyes widened. She turned quickly around and headed for the hallway that had lead to her bedroom.

Andy noticed this and cupped a hand around his mouth to call after her.

"Robin! Where are you going!?" He shouted. She didn't turn back to him. Instead, she kept running until she reached the doorway that used to lead into her bedroom. Nothing but burned furniture was left, but she was sure the sound came from here.

"Sky." She breathed out, walking jerkingly into the room. Andy stepped in behind her, breathing harshly from his sprint down the hallway. He watched Robin search around the room through the rubble as he took to leaning against the door frame. Though he didn't want to sound negative, he had a feeling she would not find anything in there.

Imagine his surprise when Robin bent next to the bed and looked under it, only to be pushed back by a large Golden Retriever. It jumped into her lap and began licking her face with its tongue, bringing a small giggle from her lips.

"Sky. You're alive." Andy heard her say with relief as she petted the dog's soot-covered fur. Sky barked happily, pushing his head up under her hand so as to get some better cuddling. Robin smiled for second before regaining her saddened expression.

"But Tera...and Mauli. McCollie. Are they-" She broke off, not wanting to finish her sentence. Sky whimpered, hanging his head sadly. Robin sighed and placed a reassuring hand on his golden head.

A moan suddenly came from the other side of the bed, causing both Robin and Andy to looked up in surprise. The sound came again, this time sounding more pressured.

The witch stood up from her spot on the floor and cautiously tiptoed around the other side of what was once her bed.

Placing her hand on the burned bedpost, Robin peeked around the edge of the blackened comforter and gasped.

There, laying in the rubble of the broken, wicker dresser was Tera. She was twisted over so that she was laying half on her side. Her long, wavy, brown hair was strewn out behind her battered head. Her cloths were torn and covered in ashes. But what was really gruesome about this sight was that the body of McCollie, Tera's faithful German Shepard, was laid limply over hers.

Bending down next to the two of them, Robin gently reached out to raise McCollie's head. A cracking sound was heard from somewhere in between his shoulder blades. Startled by the noise, the young witch dropped the dog's head heavily. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that his neck was broken. McCollie was dead.

Letting out a sob, Robin hurriedly pushed the Shepard's carcess off of Tera. Then, softly taking her head in her hands, she laid the older woman in her lap.

"Oh, Tera. I'm so sorry. If only I had been here." Robin sobbed, cradling Tera's head in her arms. A moan came from the brown-haired woman's lips as she opened her eyes.

"It's alright, Robin. You...don't have to apologize." Tera rasped, her throat full of hot ash. Her young roommate gazed down at her through tear-filled, emerald eyes. She then closed her eyes and let out a fresh wave of new tears.

"Oh, this is all my fault! Please forgive me, Tera!" Robin sobbed as she hugged Tera's head to her chest. The older woman sighed sadly, pushing herself weakly away from her young friend.

"Stop flattering yourself. It not your fault at all. No..." Tera paused, her gaze suddenly becoming distant. After a couple of moments, she let her dulling, brown eyes fall back on Robin's tear-streaked face.

"Robin...just before you got here, I...I saw Amon in a vision." The woman breathed, letting out a cough. This startling news brought a gasp out of the witch. Raising Tera's head slightly higher than intented, Robin stared her in the face.

"You-you saw Amon? Was he alright? Did he look injured? Tell me, Tera." She insisted, getting a smile from the other girl.

"He was ok. But...Robin, he didn't look at all happy. I think...I really think he misses you." Tera said slowly. Her face was drawn into a tight and serious grimace, clearly indicating that she was not joking.

Robin stared at her roommate for a good two minutes before answering.

"Was he...calling for me or anything like that?" She asked, feeling slightly stupid for asking such a question. Tera, however, raised a small corner of her mouth in amusement.

"He murmered every once in awhile. He wants you with him, Robin. I can tell. I could tell by the way he looked everytime he spoke your name-and believe me, he said it alot." She said sarcastically, trying to add some humor to the awkward moment.

Robin let a smile spread across her face. This news was a rather comfort to her.

He wants me to be there with him... Gods, how could I have been so stupid to leave him there alone? She thought to herself sadly. She was startled out of her thoughts when Tera suddenly let out a hacking cough. The older woman was holding a bruised hand to her mouth, trying to muffle the gagging noises issuing from her lips. When she brought it down, an excess of blood could be seen shining in what little light there was in the room.

Robin stared at the blood in Tera's hand for a second before actually turning up to look into her face.

"No... No, Tera. Please, don't go." The witch whispered almost fearfully. Her roommate gave her a sympathetic look, raising her clean hand to rest on Robin's cheek.

"Take care of yourself, Robin. Go back to Amon. Make him happy... He needs it bad..." Tera trailed off and closed her eyes, mouthing a slightly good-bye. Her body became limp in Robin's arms. Her breathing became slower and slower, until it stopped all together. A tense silence followed this.

Robin, transfixed to her spot in shock, shook Tera's body slightly.

"Tera..." She breathed, letting more tears falls down her cheeks. The older woman didn't answer. Robin's face distorted itself into an expression that could have made even the coldest man cry.

"Good-bye." The young girl sighed, gently pushing Tera's head out of her lap and placing it on the floor next to the body of McCollie.

Footsteps came up behind the young witch, indicating that her companion had been there and had watched the entire thing.

Andy bent down to one knee, placing a large hand on Robin's shoulder.

"I think..it would be best if you stayed at my place tonight. Just to be on the safe side, you know. We can take the dog with us, if you like." He said comfortingly, turning to give her a reassuring smile.

Robin grinned with closed lips, giving him a nod.

The two of them stood and left the bedroom, leaving the bodies of both the dead girl and dog behind. Sky, brooding on the loss of his best friend, followed obdiently. A noticeable limp appeared in his left, hind leg.

When the three of them had exited through the front door frame, Robin stopped and turned to get one last look at the house that had been her home for the past two years. She sighed, knowing how much she was going to miss it and her now deceased roommate. Reaching down into her dress pocket, she gave the toy mouse a hopeful squeeze. A soft squeak issued from it.

A gentle meow suddenly came out of a tall oak tree that was across the street, indicating to Robin that Mauli had escaped the explosion unharmed.

The witch smiled, heading across the road to retrieve her other pet. As she just reached the base of the tree, a car passed by; slowing down as the occupants checked out the damage before they moved on. Police sirens could be heard from somewhere in the city across the bridge.

Robin sighed as she caught Mauli in her waiting arms. Listening to the approaching police sirens in the distance, the witch and her cat walked back across the street towards Andy and Sky.

After a couple of moments, all four vanished in pathetic puff of silver smoke.

I will go down with this ship.

And I won't put my hands up and surrender.

There will be no white flag above my door.

I'm in love

And always will be...

Me: I'm an evil, evil author. I've just killed Robin's poor roommate and she only appears in one chapter before this. I'm so evil.

Amon's Angel of the Darkness: No, Ian isn't Amon. He just looks a heck of a lot like him (Like a twin). The only thing that is different about him is his blonde hair. I was just saying that if you could imagine what Amon would look like with blonde hair, then you would get Ian. :) I've read your story! Poor Robin. Amon can be so cruel sometimes. I will give you one spoiler and that is Ian is not all he seems to be. You'll have to figure the rest out yourself. Oh yes, and Robin told Ian that she had a roommate. Yes, Caffine and soda are good. I think I'll go get some and get hyper off of it, too. :)