Lina's condition did not improve over the next few days, so Dominic was leary about leaving her side. Whatever Jacob was doing it was hard for him to detect, and with the white mage and whoever else assisting him, things grew more difficult as time passed. Additionally, he had done everything he could think of to convince Derek that they were not home, like turning all the lights off and shutting the blinds. Sorry for them, the know-it-all seer was always three steps ahead, and had a key to Lina's home.

Lina still swore that she never gave him one.

"Hello, people, I have wonderful news. Casey and I have come across something that will brighten both of your days." Derek made his usual forced appearance, plopping down on Lina's bed and giving Dominic an obnoxious wink. "You see-"

"Who is Casey?" Lina groaned, forcing herself to sit up and look at her ex-boyfriend.

"She's a doll. She has the whole talent thing going on, just like I do, but that is besides the point. I've been having some very interesting visions as of late. Would you like to see them Dominic?"

Dominic growled lowly at the obvious set up, but he took the bait. "See them? How could I see your visions?"

"Easy. Haven't you learned yet to project what is in your mind to other people? I thought that was back in class one, but maybe they don't have adequate education back there. Perhaps Mrs. Deegan just needs a break from all the teaching since she is up in age."

"Excuse me!"

"Easy boys." Lina put her hand in front of Dominic to prevent him from standing up, and focused her attention on Derek. "You got something you want to show us, just do it.''

"Sure thing sexy." With almost little to no concentration a scene was playing right in front of their eyes, Lina's included.

"Allow me to narrate." Derek cleared his throat. "You see, there were a couple members of this ultimate baddie group, I believe they were called the Chosen, something along those lines, and they had learned to harness this power called the Negros Axis. You see, what it does is it can take control of any loosed souls, you know, right after people die their souls are not fixed to any point, and use them to whatever purpose the guy controlling the Axis wants. Now this could prove a useful tool to anyone who has an itch for destruction, but its just like candy in a candy store to a necromancer. According to the gold old dictionary, Necromancy was originally used to summon the dead to tell the future, but that is so old school, even for your time, and to expand powers to all things all dead is any necromancer's dream, cue your brother. Now I know you got the hint that something was going down from the fact that you were in this world in the first place, and so was your brother. I also know that little ghost girl tipped you off a bit too, but listen up if you actually want to do anything.

Jacob Deegan saw this place like an untapped mine. This place has no magic and no knowledge of it, well, no general knowledge at least, so pulling a big scam on these unsuspecting people would be a walk in the park. Once he has control of all these souls, the limits to his power would be endless, even when he returns to his own world. Think of the Negros Axis like a huge powerplug from our world to the other. He pulls this off, no body is ever gonna rest in peace again. Don't bother trying to track him down before it begins, your only sign of where he is will be when the Axis is activated.

But Alas, my friend, Im not quite sure at this point what you can do about it. You are not exactly the head to head kinda guy, and Jacob is. Well, he can be. Lina's skills are weak at best, and after her 'deal with the devil' she's disposable at this point. Try not to feel too bad, because I'm sure in my infinite genius I'll figure out something."

The vision before them faded, and all that was left to look at was Derek's smug expression. Dominic raised a brow, and returned a smile of his own.

"Thanks for the history lesson, but I already knew a great deal of that. If I can go against the Chosen I can handle Jacob."

"You wanna die, go ahead," Derek tilted his shaded glasses and winked at Lina. "But let me do my best to protect little Lina here."

"I can do that fine, thank you. Don't you have somewhere to go now, like your own house?"

"Stick to the girls in your own world."

"Thanks it!" Lina got up to her feet quickly, which surprised both the men in the room. "Its true! I love Dominic with all my heart and he loves me too. Just because we don't go about broadcasting our love to everyone and their mother doesn't mean its not there. So why don't you just go?" Lina took all her energy to walk, taking Derek directly to the front door.

Taken aback by Lina's outburst, Derek nodded and headed out. "You know I don't beleive a word of it."

The door closed, and Lina found the closest chair to fall into. Dominic stared at her, with an expression of shock-dismay-confusion that Lina couldn't quite pinpoint.

"What?"

"Broadcast our love?"

"I was just trying to get rid of him, okay??" She curled up in her chair and allowed her bangs to cover her eyes.

I actually find this funny, but...I shouldn't. Dominic placed a hand on Lina's shoulder and rubbed it. "I did say I was going to protect you, and I will. We are friends, thats not going to change."

Keeping her eyes down to her knees, she listened to Dominic's words and nodded to show it. "I just don't want you to forget me."

I couldn't if I wanted to. "I'm not going to. I'll find a way to communicate with you, I promise. I know you've never met Luna, but she's great and-"

Lina curled up tighter at the mention of Luna's name, and this was Dominic's cue to be quiet. He picked her up and carried her back to bed, tucking her underneath the covers.

"Concentrate more on the promises that were made instead of the ones that were not. My dad used to tell me all the time. Be happy with what you have, in other words. Now, I'm going to go watch that Food Channel now. I have a new idea for a chili recipe cooking in my head."

With a raised head, Lina grabbed Dominic's hand and stared at him, straight in the eyes. She yanked him down to sit with her, fluffed her pillow, and looked at him again. "Funny guy, are you? Well in a month there is going to be another cook-off. If you are lucky, we will be partners again. Not so lucky, I will crush you with my blend of herbs and spices."

"I'm not a rookie anymore, not in the kitchen. When I get home I think my mother will be proud with what I can whip up."

"Nu-uh, can't write home to mama yet. Not until you win a big shiny trophy all on your own."

Dominic smiled at her, and relaxed seeing Lina this way. She's got a strong will, just like Luna's. I'll miss her quite a bit when I do return home.

Miranda Deegan had been irritable as of late. She could not find peace among her studies, even though expanding upon what she already knew was her life's joy beside her family. There had been something she was keeping from everyone, and for that she felt ashamed, but if she were to let word out it could spell disaster for everyone she held dear.

It was getting late. Her husband had promised her a dinner out tonight to get her away from the rather hectic schedule she had been holding up at the school. She stood up from her table of books and groaned. Se was getting that cric in the back of her neck again and an ache in the back of her knee, and it wasn't so much the discomfort but the fact it made her feel like an old woman that bothered her the most. Jacob wasn't THAT old, she kept telling herself, but she couldn't deny the fact that she was getting on in age.

"Miranda. Miranda you ready?"

She could hear her husband's calling her, and took one last moment to stretch her left arm, damn the pain. She needed to get away, from Luna, her son Gregory, and all of the others who had banded together during Dominic's absence. She was proud of the fact that her son had such a committed group of friends, but the more they found out, she knew, they more they would have to deal with in the end.

"Coming." She adjusted her glasses, which had fallen too far down her nose, and tucked one book, with white leather and gold embroidered letters, under her arm. "Im sure Donovan won't mind me bringing just one." She laughed at herself and hurried out the door, not wanting her husband to wait a moment longer.

Dinner that night was too quiet for Donovan's tastes. He peeked over the menu at his wife, and then let his eyes wander back.

"You can talk, you know." Miranda set her menu down and smiled.

"I just want to make sure you are all right. So much has happened to you and Dominic over the past year, I'm beginning to wonder if it is too much, even for you."

"Of course not."

"Well let me know if it is. I know we are not as young as we used to be. Sometimes I just wanna retire and kick back in a rocking chair."

Miranda perked a brow at Donovan's comment. "You? Retire? Doesn't sound like you."

"Or you either, but everyone wants to get away from it all sometimes."

"Change is coming. Bigger than anything that we could fathom."

"Bigger than deciding on anything on this menu?" Donovan licked his lips, going over his selections again. "Everything looks so good."

Miranda pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh, then folded her menu together to look at him. "Thanks for being there."

"That's what Im for. Good advice, or comic relief."