Rebecca paced around the living room, her mind not able to think of anything but Karen. It had been hours since the tomboy left and not one of the others had seen her all day. Nor were any too keen on finding her at the moment. Rini and Hotaru had dragged Susan to some new movie and the others claimed to have 'more important' plans going on. They were all probably sitting at home, watching television, and not giving one thought to where Karen could be.

Her attention was grabbed by a clattering noise in the kitchen. She froze in place for some moments, eyes darted at the kitchen door. The sound had gone away and had yet to return. Maybe Apollo was just running around and crashed into something. Rebecca exhaled deeply and stepped over to the door. Her hand rested calmly on the knob as she mentally counted down. Swinging the door open, she flicked the lights on quickly and observed the room.

On the floor next to the refrigerator was a stray can. She walked over to it and bent down to pick it up. A hand rested on her shoulder and her hand was paralyzed. When the hand moved, she remained in her position. Not sure whether she should look behind herself or not.

"You cut your pretty hair..." At that moment, Rebecca knew exactly who it was.

She was soon on her feet and turned around. In front of her stood none other than Michelle, who was simply smiling at her daughter. It wasn't one of those warm, innocent smiles though... it was an evil and confident one. Rebecca, even though she was shocked at first, glared at Michelle. This gained nothing short of a laugh from Michelle, who took a step closer to Rebecca. The teen took a step back just in case her mother was planning something.

"You don't seem too happy to see me."

"What makes you think you can just walk in here and act like nothing happened?!" Rebecca was close to screaming by the end of her question.

"Oh, no... I won't act like nothing's happened. I don't deny the fact I tried to kill Karen or the fact that I even harmed everyone else who got in my way. I'm just willing to let that all go."

"... What you did was too low for words... All of that just because one relationship wouldn't last."

"I'm willing to apologize..."

"You're lying!"

Michelle let out a playful, annoyed sigh. "You're making this very difficult Rebecca."

"Maybe it wouldn't be so difficult if you hadn't tried to kill Karen." Rebecca shot back hatefully. "Now, why don't you just go before Karen comes back...? She doesn't need anymore stress in her life right now."

"You mean she isn't here?"

"... Not that it's any of your business... she hasn't been here all day."

"Then that means she can be anywhere... with anyone.."

Rebecca hand formed a fist. "You don't know what you're talking about..."

"Really? Well.. I guess you don't want to know the news.." Michelle spoke as she headed for the door.

It was probably just a trick or some lie to turn Rebecca against Karen. She was very curious about this though. "What news?"

Michelle stopped, yet didn't turn around as a grin appeared on her face.

-.-

"You know you shouldn't be here...."

Karen twitched slightly at first hear of the voice. It sounded like Trista, but wasn't she out of town with Amara? Karen rolled onto her side and let her eyes open. There was nothing to be seen but the complete darkness... maybe she was just imagining things. Besides, she was way too tired to investigate right now. She returned to resting on her back and let herself drift into her dreamworld again.

"You'll just be risking her life as well as yours." The voice spoke again.

"But I didn't do it and you know it!" A second argued, this time it was a masculine voice.

"Even if that's the truth, it doesn't make it safe for you to be here..."

"I had to see her again and at least explain why I never visited for the past six years."

"Fine, do as you wish... But some advice; don't overstay your welcome."

-.-

Karen tossed and turned in her sleep as if she was being attacked by some rabid animal. Moving around a little too much, she fell off of the couch and onto the floor. The collision awoke her and she jumped into a sitting position. Panicked breaths soon calmed and became barely audible noises escaping her nose. She shook away the bad dream and tried to remember the events of the previous night. There were voices, yet she couldn't recall what they had said. It couldn't have been in her mind... she swore to herself that she was awake when she heard them.

'For months I've believed I was lacking complete sanity... and it's possible that I'm right. It was all probably some random and pointless dream. Like my mind was just playing a really cruel joke on me... What if I wasn't imagining things? Could Trista really have been here talking to someone in the middle of the night? And who exactly could that other person have been? I don't really know many guys and that voice didn't sound familiar. Unless...'

She shook her and struggled to her feet, stretching some before heading into the bathroom. She soon found herself staring in the mirror over the sink, overly interested in her reflection. Facial features and fatigue pointed out the shorter hours of sleep. And the restless sleep that came along with them. Her mind conjured up what Rebecca might have said if she saw Karen like this. As soon as the words formed, her mind drew a large blank and lost them. She didn't need extra rest, she need some miracle pill or doctor. Maybe a vacation or coma... neither would be better than the other... at least not to Karen.

Karen smirked slightly at the fact that she wore an eye patch. It had never really dawned on her that it was almost so ridiculous that it was hilarious. She doubted needing it anymore, now it was just another article of clothing. At one point, it had been some symbol of Karen's unforgettable struggle. Now, it was just an eye patch... so what kept her from taking it off? It had no benefits and it made her feel uncomfortable and strange at times. She scoffed softly and pulled the accessory over her head and tossed it aside.

There was nothing left of the incident, except for the scar on Karen's face and the emotional mark that would never fade away. Karen observed herself, not sure whether she was satisfied with taking off the cover. She found herself irritated at her stupid indecisiveness and glared at the reflection. What was the point of emotions when hers were always mixed and puzzling? Karen just continued to stare, as if hoping that the answer to her dilemma would magically appear.

"I think you look better without it." Came a statement from behind.

Karen quickly turned around and came face-to-face with a young man some inches taller than her. Her first thought was to attack then run and call the police, but she didn't really think he was there to harm her. Then, she finally noticed some specific details about this guy. Snow white hair and turquoise eyes. There was only one Karen knew that fit that description. She almost jumped at him to smother him with affection, but managed to restrain herself in case her assumption was wrong.

"Peruru..?" She whispered the name as if it were forbidden amongst them.

He only nodded, not sure what to say to her after so many years.

That's when Karen remembered the six long years she endured. And how he had never been there once. "I hope you aren't expecting for me to just forget about..."

"I don't expect you to forget... I just want to be forgiven."

"Why should I forgive you?! I really thought you liked me until you never visited or sent some type of message for six years...!"

"I do like you, that's why I'm here."

The tomboy just folded her arms over her chest and took another look him. He was a lot taller than when she last saw him. And his regular clothing was replaced by some faded blue jeans and a black hoodie. Karen finally noticed the small area of purple hair hadn't gone away. It must have been a fairy thing. She tilted her head momentarily, then approached Peruru. She reached out with a hand slowly and grabbed one of his ears, surprised they were normal.

"Something wrong?" He questioned, a little confused at her action.

Karen blushed slightly and let her arm fall to her side. "You... look different."

"Well, it has been six years." He smiled, hoping that counted as her forgiving him.

Her expression just became serious again. "Let me guess, no explanation?" There was no answer to her inquiry. She scoffed and headed back into the living room. "Oh, no need to say anything. I understand that the children's dreams are much more important than me..."

He shook his head and followed her. "Even if I told you, I doubt you would believe me. I don't buy it myself..."

"Why don't you just leave? If you can't even give me a reason, then I don't want to hear anything you have to say." She continued on towards the kitchen, not sparing him any look.

"I'm not allowed to be here...! But I just couldn't let you go on thinking I betrayed you or something... I'm probably risking everything just being here.... I can't tell you why though, I'm not entirely sure of what I did.... If I had done it..."

Karen halted in the doorway and turned to face Peruru, who stopped some feet behind her. "Is that the best you can come up with?"

Peruru let out an irritated sigh, she always had to make things so difficult. He took careful steps over to Karen, his eyes never leaving hers. They were soon mere inches apart from each other. All of his other plans had failed miserably. Now he was left with one more, the most riskful one he knew of. He closed the space between them, his lips connecting with Karen's. Karen found herself allowing him to complete what he had started.

Peruru broke away, taking some steps back in case she was angry. "I-I'm sorry..."

Karen stared at him in shock, she should have been mad at him for that. Instead she felt like jumping up and down with endless happiness.

'This wasn't the first time he's done this, there were several times it happened during the incident. So, why did it feel like the first one..? And why did it feel so right and good? I never felt like this when Rebecca kissed me or something. At least not anytime recently. Did that mean I was...? No, it couldn't be. I'm probably just tired... or sick...'

"... You still love me..." Karen stated suddenly. "After all of this time and how rude I've been, you're still madly in love with me. That's why you came back..."

-.-

The chair landed on the tiled floor with a loud clatter. Amara, who was now on her feet, glared at the woman in front of her, obviously not agreeing with her words. "He didn't do it and you know it. I don't care how much proof they have, he wouldn't hurt anyone."

"How are you so sure?" Trista shot back as she gazed into her cup of tea. "We don't know enough about him to tell if he's capable of doing what he did..."

There was no getting through to this woman today. "Okay, let's look at this from your point of view... Even if he did do that, he wouldn't hurt Kat, he loves her..."

"And she loves Rebecca..." Garnet eyes darted threateningly at the racer.

"Well, wouldn't that mean he's more likely to attack Rebecca?"

"That doesn't make him any less dangerous Amara."

Amara sighed. Why was Trista being so protective of Karen and Rebecca? "He's not going to attack Rebecca... Man, you make it sound as if they're screwing up the timeline or something.."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Whatever... listen, I'll watch over them if you're really that worried..." With that said, Amara exited the room.

-.-

She had found him out... Then again, it did seem fairly obvious. "I should go, I've caused enough trouble already..." Peruru declared as his attention was on the carpeted floor.

"Go? After all of the trouble of coming here?"

"What I said earlier wasn't a lie... and I'm beginning to believe my being here wasn't such a good idea."

Karen made a disappointed grimace. "I don't care and you shouldn't either! If you love me than at least try to prove it!"

"But you love Rebecca.." Peruru glanced at her momentarily. "I'm not going to try and come in-between your relationship." Karen rubbed the back on her neck and paced around. "You aren't...?"

"I do love Rebecca... it just doesn't feel right. Like, I could spend the rest of my life with her, but I'd just be missing out on something more."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"I still feel excited to see you.. and happy when you're around. I feel safe around you. And I don't think I would have gone six years constantly thinking about you if it didn't mean anything..."

Before anymore words were exchanged, an obnoxious beeping noise filled the room. Karen put her hand under one of the couch cushions and pulled out her communication watch. She quickly flipped it open to see Susan on the screen.

"What is it?" Karen asked.

"Meeting at the house ASAP." After the message, the screen went blank. No reason or the smallest hint to what could have been going on.

'Susan's the daughter of Trista, which makes her the next Keeper of Time... If something were to happen to Trista, that is. Quick description... she's taller than me, has the same hair color as Pluto, but her hair reaches her shoulders; she has garnet eyes and the belief that blowing up something makes it all better. Now, would you trust someone like her to protect the timeline? I don't think Trista does... she doesn't really have a choice though. Aside from that crazy personal trait, Susan's a pretty cool person. Except when she's serious... you don't want to know what happens when she is...'

Karen moved over to a coat rack and retrieved her jacket. "You coming?" She glanced over at Peruru as she put it on. "It'd mean a lot to me..."

Peruru opened his mouth to refuse at first, until he thought of what she said a moment ago. "Okay." He said with a nod.

-.-

A series of struggling grunts and groans sounded in the darkness. Soon enough, Kaorinite was tossed into the center of the room, the only well lit area. She lay there beaten, tears in her white lab coat and random cuts and bruises on her skin. Out from the shadows came a girl looking around Karen's age with very short brown hair and shining green eyes. She wore baggy khakis with countless chains wrapped around them and black biker boots. Her top half was covered with a sleeveless black shirt and gray vest. She bent down near Kaori with a grin as she fingered the silver hoop piercing on the far left of her bottom lip.

"How about you make this easier on yourself and tell me where she is?" The girl spoke in a friendly, yet threatening tone.

"I... don't know..." Kaori managed to say through the waves of pain.

"Have it your way." She climbed to her feet and got ready for an attack, only to be stopped by the sound of footsteps. "Who's there?!" She demanded, quickly turning in the direction of the noise.

"As amusing as that was, I doubt she knows of what you seek."

"Show yourself!"

The darkness soon revealed Michelle, who was wearing some blue jeans and a black T-shirt. "I must admit, that was quite impressive."

The girl smirked and backed away from Kaori. "Well, it seems my search is over."

Michelle pointed at herself with a puzzled look, then returned to her calm facial cast. "And what business do you believe you have with me?"

"I'm in need of your assistance."

"And if I refuse..?"

"That's not a very good idea..." The girl warned as she got into a fighting position.

"Stand down Ryan." The command came from a masculine voice.

Ryan let out a disappointed groan and stood up straight, forcing her hands into her pant pockets. She was joined by a middle aged man, who came up behind her and set a hand on her shoulder. His hair was navy blue and eyes were silver. His body was covered by a long sleeve white shirt and black vest as he carelessly wore some faded jeans with a hole in the left knee. Michelle automatically brought her gaze to lock onto his. Ryan looked between and hastily figured out that they must have known each other.

"What do you want?" Michelle inquired bluntly.

He showed a playful hurt expression before glaring back at her. "To see my daughter."

"You're wasting your time..." Michelle turned to leave.

"Wait!" Ryan called out, getting a look over the shoulder.

-.-

Karen waited impatiently for Peruru, who was walking awfully slow. Maybe he was worried that 'they' would find him if he revealed himself to everyone else. Karen mentally sighed, hoping the Inners weren't there. They couldn't ever keep their mouths shut, just like their mothers. Well, Rini did a good job at keeping secrets, but only her. Somehow, Karen hoped that Trista wouldn't show up. She was the Keeper of Time and if Peruru wasn't allowed here, she'd be the first to react unpleasantly. And sooner or later, everyone else would jump on the bandwagon and someone would end up getting hurt.

Karen gave up on waiting for Peruru, who was still a few feet behind, and continued to the house. She let out a silent shiver and pulled her jacket close as she hurried down the sidewalk. Normally, there was nothing wrong with the winter, Karen was just having a bad day today. It could have been worse though, it could have been snowing. When she reached the door, she opened it and stood in the doorway until Peruru caught up. Both walked through the house and into the living room, where they found Rebecca, Susan, Hotaru, and Rini seated.

"We're here." Karen announced.

Rebecca was the first to look up and observe the new arrivals. She immediately took note to Peruru and a scowl momentarily took over her facial features. The other three soon faced Karen and Peruru, slightly shocked at the appearance of the fairy. No words were exchanged for minutes that seemed like hours. Karen's mind screamed for someone to say something... at least a word or maybe a noise. The tomboy shook her head and cleared her throat.

"So.. what's up?"

"She's not dead Karen..." Susan answered..

".... You can't be serious..."

"I saw her... she talked to me.." Rebecca spoke up.

"This can't be happening.... Are you sure you saw her and not just.. I don't know.. imagined it?"

Rebecca gave Karen an upset look and suddenly walked out of the room. Karen shook her head and followed her friend out. She didn't have time for anyone getting jealous or angry. Karen found Rebecca in the kitchen, arms folded over her chest as she stood some feet away.

"Rebecca, I'm sorry..."

"When were you planning on telling me he was here?" She hadn't even listened to Karen's apology.

"I just found out he was here today... like, not even an hour ago."

"Am I supposed to just believe that?"

"Yes because it's true. Why would I hide anything from you..?"

"Well, what am I supposed to think Karen? You go and disappear all day and night without telling anyone where you are. And then you come back with him and expect me not to get all offensive?" Her arms dropped to her sides and she stomped over to Karen. "What if I had done that? How would you feel?"

Karen smiled and tried to lighten the mood. "Well, I highly doubt you would be seen with Peruru."

"I'm serious Karen."

She sighed and tried to grab Rebecca's hands with her own, only to have the other girl pull away. "Okay, I get it. You're pissed. I'm really sorry and I really hope you can forgive me... And hopefully soon, 'cause I don't think I could take on Michelle alone."

"So, there's nothing going on between you two?" She received a shake of the head. "Good." Rebecca pulled Karen into a hug and then a kiss.

Out of the her eye, Karen spotted Michelle on the side of the kitchen. She quickly moved away from Rebecca and alertly scanned the room. She hadn't noticed the forlorn expression on her partner's face. Her heart raced as the nightmare flashed in her mind. No longer feeling safe there, she turned and left the room.

-.-

"There's another reason." Ryan stated.

"And what might that be?" Michelle questioned, her back still facing the two.

The man showed an evil smile and he walked over to Michelle. "We've come to help you of course."