I now have to rate this collection 'R' because of what happens in this chapter and also because of content coming in a later chapter. It's all in good fun though, even if the guys suffer a bit for it. I do not own Dimitri or the Brotherhood, they belong to Archie. Mali-Ka, however, is my creation, you can't steal her.


"We are not having this conversation again father!" Locke the echidna yelled for what felt like the five millionth time in his life.

Sabre sighed. "We wouldn't have to have these conversations if you'd just listen to me. Is it that hard to want to even associate with another female?"

"Of course it isn't," Locke growled. His father's assumptions that he had issues because he didn't take an active interest in women offended him. "I just haven't felt the desire to move on. I'm content being a bachelor."

"Fine, don't remarry," Sabre replied. "But could you at least find one to, I don't know, get a little intimate with?"

"Father!" Locke stared at the older male in shock. "You're starting to remind of Grandfather Sojourner and it's scaring me."

"Look, all I want to know is that you feel the desire, even just once in a while. I do," Sabre said and Locke's face soured. He didn't want to hear that, especially from his father of all echidnas. "I'm sure even Grandfathers Thunderhawk and Spectre have a fantasy or two."

I'm not hearing this," Locke moaned. He put his hands over his ears and shook his head back and forth. "I'm not hearing this."

"Please Locke. Even a passing interest?"

"I'm not continuing this conversation."

Sabre hung his head. He didn't want to even think about it, but Locke's constant refusal to show interest in the opposite sex was beginning to worry him. He didn't want his son to be a libidinous freak like Sojourner, but if he had even a hint that Locke was still interested in women, he'd be content. He knew Locke still fanned flames for Lara-Le, but unless a miracle happened, the two weren't likely to get back together. All he wanted to know was that his son was a normal healthy male in some way, shape, or form, since Locke's behavior all seemed to indicate that he had serious psychological issues.

"I have work to do Father. If you're that interested in women and sex, why not go talk to Sojourner. I'm sure he can entertain you."

Sabre threw his hands up in the air. "Fine, go back to your work. Forget I was ever here."

Sabre turned and left the room and immediately headed for the exit. He needed to get out of Haven. He heard a crunching noise as he left and looked down at his shoe with an aggravated expression.

"Can't you be a little more careful where you leave your inventions?" Sabre scolded. Locke's face went sour again, the idea that one of his precious inventions was broken so callously almost broke his heart. Sabre sighed again, scrapped the pieces off his boot and left the room.


"Damn it, how many of those am I going to have to go through?" a voice growled. Those little machines, designed to look like little ants, were great for eavesdropping on the Brotherhood's conversations. While he didn't as learn as many secrets as he would have liked, he had heard enough personal conversations to get a good idea of how each member behaved. In fact, he considered himself quite knowledgeable about his nephews psychologically.

Dimitri sat back in his chair, mulling over the previous conversation. Locke was in serious need of help and the fact that he never showed interest in women bothered him just as much as it did Sabre. Could the divorce have had such an effect that Locke shifted interests in the other direction? No, not a member of his family. Not that there's anything wrong with that, Dimitri thought as he grabbed his armor, but my nephews deserve better and I have to keep them on something of a healthy mental state if I'm ever to have something to entertain myself with. Besides, they're family after all and what kind of distant uncle would I be if I didn't help out ever once in a while?


Locke was determined to not be bothered after the previous conversation with his father. He locked up the doors leading into his lab and unhooked the sound to the surveillance cameras. He wanted to get rid of them completely but Spectre would have a fit if he did. Spectre insisted that Locke's lab be monitored at all times, especially while Locke was in there working. Locke invented all kinds of crazy things, especially when he was in bad moods, and Spectre wasn't in the mood for surprises, ever.

He began humming to himself a little as he began connecting some wires on a radio clock he was working on for Athair. It was designed to stay clear of body heat, and given Athair's active lifestyle, it was guaranteed to run from Athair whenever the hyperactive echidna got close. The wake up song was one Athair didn't care for (Locke and Spectre hunted for months to find a song Athair wouldn't actually like) and Athair was the type to never leave his alarm on. If Locke was lucky, he could design the thing to stay clear of Athair months on end. The crazy echidna would be spending so much time chasing after it he wouldn't have time to annoy any of them. Spectre was sure to love him for this.

Locke was so content, lost happily in his thoughts of an annoyed Athair, that he was unaware he was being watched. He turned around to fetch some parts from a bench behind him, taking notice of Dimitri, who was standing on the other side.

"Hello Dimitri," Locke said cheerfully. Dimitri nodded back as Locke grabbed the piece he needed and turned back around to work on the clock. No sooner had he turned around than he froze. Locke ran over the previous events in his mind and a couple seconds later he whirled around to see Dimitri, right where he had seen him, confirming to Locke that he had not imagined things.

"What are you doing here?" Locke roared. Locke immediately sent out a telepathic message to his father's that Dimitri was in Haven but found his telepathy blocked. Locke growled at his uncle, who smirked back at him. Locke readied a blast of chaos energy but Dimitri ended that with a quick blow to Locke's head with his staff.

"I'm not here to fight," Dimitri said calmly. Locke rubbed his head and continued to glare at Dimitri. "I'm here to try and help you."

"Help me how?" Locke said warily, still rubbing his head.

"Well, I've been keeping an eye on everyone here in Haven and I've overheard some interesting conversations. Something about you having women troubles?"

Locke groaned. The last thing he needed was for Dimitri to start laying in to him about how wonderful it was to have female companionship. "I don't see why you felt the need to come to me."

"Nephew, is it true you're not taking an interest in women?" Dimitri asked seriously.

"What business is that of yours?" Locke snarled. He was rewarded with another blow to the head. "Quit that."

"Show some respect to your elders," Dimitri said. "Now answer my questions or you'll have a headache to last you a month."

"I already do," Locke muttered. Dimitri raised his staff again and Locke recoiled, a hand on his head. "All right, if you must know, I'm not interested in women."

"Really? So what made you decide to take in interest in all things phallic?"

Locke blinked wide eyed at his nemesis as the words sunk in. Once the initial shock wore off, his temper rose to the surface and took over. "I'm not interested in men, especially not like that!" he snapped, regretting it instantly as his head throbbed.

"Well you said-"

"What I meant is that I'm not interested in starting another relationship with another woman," Locke growled. "Why are you asking me this?"

"What, you're my nephew and it sounds like you have a problem. I just want to help." The look on Locke's face told Dimitri he didn't believe a single word. Dimitri sighed; this was to be expected. "Look, from what I've heard, you're still fanning flame for your ex, are uncomfortable talking to your son about sex, and haven't shown much of an interest in life. Come on, talk to me. Why is this?"

"It's none of your-" Locke stopped short when Dimitri raised his staff yet again. Locke was going to have a massive dent in his head in Dimitri clocked him again. Dimitri shook the staff a little, as though he was asking Locke if he wanted more. Locke frowned and whined.

"Talk to me Locke," Dimitri insisted. "I'm not leaving until you do."

"Fine," Locke grumbled. "I still love my ex and can't really imagine myself with another woman, and I feel a little squeamish talking to my son about anything regarding sex and relationships. What am I supposed to say to him?"

"You mean other than the truth?" Dimitri replied.

"What do you know about the truth?" Locke shot back and was struck across the head again for his efforts. "Please, no more." Locke was certain he was seeing stars now.

"I guess no parent wants to start talking about sex with his child, especially if his own sex life is lacking," Dimitri said thoughtfully. Locke's frown deepened as his glare hardened. "Tell me something, what happened between you and your wife?" Dimitri shook his staff a little to remind Locke to give him a straight answer.

"We just had disagreements about how to raise Knuckles is all." Locke said with a pout.

"And the two of you divorced, right?" Dimitri asked. Locke nodded. "And you haven't shown much interest in women afterward huh? I take it the divorce really affected you, didn't it."

"Yes," Locke replied. He didn't want to give any more information. He didn't even want to be having this conversation with Dimitri. This must be a cruel joke. My father must have set this up, or even Spectre.

"It sounds like having your whole life fall apart quashed whatever desire you might have had for enjoying it, right?" Locke didn't respond and Dimitri pressed further. "Right? Your wife leaves you and it breaks your heart so badly you're afraid to even get near another female, in fear of having your heart broken."

"I was busy raising Knuckles and taking care of things in Haven," Locke replied. "Yes, the divorce hurt, but I still love Lara. I'll never love another woman."

"Bull," Dimitri muttered under his breath. Locke narrowed his eyes at his obnoxious uncle. Dimitri rubbed his chin in thought for a few moments before his eyes lit up. Locke felt a chill race up his spine. This could not be good.

"You know what you need Locke?" Dimitri asked and Locke shook his head. "You need to get laid."

Locke balked and almost fell to the floor in utter shock. Those were the last words he ever expected to hear from Dimitri's mouth. It wouldn't have been anything of a shock if Sojourner, or even his father, said something like that to him, but Dimitri?

Dimitri nodded, smiling widely. "That's exactly what you need. Given what I've heard and been told, you probably haven't had sex since your marriage went sour and I'm guessing it's been a good fifteen or so years? You just lost a bit of lust for life and a good romp in the sack is just what you need!"

Locke continued to stare at Dimitri, not believing a single word he heard. Dimitri smirked, which looked particularly evil under that blue and gold helmet, and Locke might have shuddered in fear if he wasn't still stunned by Dimitri's words.

"Come on, I'm taking you back to Nekronopolis, and I'm going to see to it that you're taken care of. I know there are a few females in my legion that'd like to bag a Guardian." Dimitri walked around the table to grab Locke and it was then the younger male snapped out of his amazed stupor.

"No, just stay away from me you freak," Locke insisted as he backed away. "I'm not going anywhere, don't even think of touching me!"

"Oh quit being a baby and come here," Dimitri said. He lunged for Locke, who managed to dodge. Dimitri stumbled a little and got his bearings straight quickly. Locke was already past him and to the door, pulling to get it open. In his panic, he forgot he had locked it. After a couple seconds he remembered but he sensed he didn't have time to fight with the lock. He turned to face Dimitri but before he could mount a defensive, Dimitri tackled him to the ground.

"You're making this harder than it has to be," Dimitri said, grunting a little as he picked up a struggling Locke, who was making every effort to gain his freedom. A quick punch along the head from his uncle disoriented Locke momentarily, for his head ached horribly from Dimitri's previous assaults upon it. Dimitri smacked Locke against the head with his staff again, this time knocking the younger male almost senseless. Locke fell to the ground, moaning in pain. He was so dazed that he didn't even fight as Dimitri picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.

"I don't want to go," Locke whined, hands still on his aching head.

"Trust me, you'll thank me for this later."


Sabre headed down the corridor, taking care to steer clear of the commotion coming for the other room. He winced as he heard Athair and Thunderhawk scream in fright and Spectre's furious voice yelling obscenities at them. A few seconds later he heard the pattering of feet running wildly down the halls. He wondered how far the two would get before Spectre caught up with them. There's never a peaceful day around here. Knuckles is lucky he doesn't live here yet.

He walked into the surveillance room and to Sabre's surprise, he found Sojourner in the chair instead of Locke. Sojourner never sat at surveillance unless he was up to no good or Spectre forced him to. To Sabre's relief though, Sojourner was doing some work this time, monitoring the various areas of the island, not a single woman seen on any of the screens.

"Grandfather Sojourner, this is a surprise," Sabre said. Sojourner turned to face him, a small scowl on his face.

"I am capable of working you know," Sojourner grumbled, looking just a little put out. He was seriously regretting not being more careful about his love for pornography. His family was never going to let him hear the end of it.

"I was only teasing," Sabre said. Sojourner snorted but said nothing more. "Have you seen Locke? I wanted to talk with him again."

"Honestly, no," Sojourner replied. "I was surprised to walk in here and not find him on surveillance. Either he was really hungry and is in the kitchen, or he had an idea for another amazing invention and is in his lab."

"Hmm," Sabre said. Locke was usually extremely predictable and he felt a nagging sense of doom in the pit of his stomach. Sabre brushed it aside, nothing bad could have happened to Locke the short time he was away from Haven. Well, not unless he managed to piss off Spectre or Thunderhawk in such a short period of time but Locke was careful not to, unlike Athair.

"Knowing Locke, he probably thought up of another brilliant idea and is in his lab," Sojourner said.

"That sounds about right," Sabre said. "I'll go see if we can find him there."

Sabre hurried down to the lab. He hoped and prayed Locke wasn't working on anything dastardly this time or Spectre would have his head. The elder still hadn't forgiven Locke for the steam cleaner incident.

"Locke?" Sabre called once he reached the door to the lab. He knew better than to just walk in. Edmund only knew what he was working on at any given time. Sabre frowned when he received no answer and he telepathically sent word to Locke for him to come out and talk.

To Sabre's surprise, Locke wasn't in his lab. There were very few places his son would be, and Sabre sent out a quick telepathic scan to locate Locke, only to discover that his son wasn't in Haven at all. A great emptiness filled Sabre's being. What on Angel Island could have induced Locke to disappear without word to anyone? Every time a member of the Brotherhood left the compound, everyone else had to be aware of it, it was a safety precaution that Spectre insisted upon. With a feeling of dread, Sabre ran off in search of Spectre. Locke disappearing like this was too out of the character for man for it to be ignored.


Locke sat against the wall of the cell he was in, rubbing his head again. Dimitri had given him an ice pack for his head, leaving it on top of the massive bruise, while he went out to prepare things. Locke was in a daze for the longest time, unable to get his bearings straight as his head continued to throb. After some time the pain subsided and Locke was able to focus himself. He had just enough time to remember what had happened and where he was before Dimitri came back.

"Everything's ready. I have a room for you and everything. Oh, and you'll want this." He thrust a bottle full of liquid into Locke's hands. Locke examined the bottle curiously for a few seconds before looking at Dimitri, who knew exactly what Locke was going to ask. "It's a potion, a special one at that. It helps give you stamina. A lot of stamina. I use it all the time and it works wonders." Locke gawked at him and Dimitri smirked in response, "Trust me Locke, you're going to need it."

Dimitri seized Locke by the back of his coat and carried him down the halls and up into a palace. Locke brought his limbs in close around his body, curling up into a fetal position as Dimitri carried him. Being around so many dark legionnaires was extremely uncomfortable. He looked around nervously, noting the elaborate décor as Dimitri carried him further into the palace. After a while he came to a stop in front of a large pair of ornately decorated double doors.

"Now," Dimitri said, earning him Locke's full attention. "I gathered these women together myself. I did a quick survey of the women in the legion and all the women in here are eager for a chance to have sex with a Guardian. Don't worry about being a little out of practice. The ladies in here are more than capable of making up for it."

Locke gulped nervously as the doors opened. Dimitri carried him inside and Locke's jaw dropped in shock. There was a large number of females in the room, all of them looking quite excited.

"Is this our Guardian?" asked a red furred female with black hair.

"Indeed it is Mali-Ka," Dimitri said with a grin. "Now be patient with him ladies, it's been a very long time for him since he last had sex." Locke blushed and shot him a furious look. Dimitri grinned at him and released his hold on Locke, dropping the young male to the floor. Mali-Ka, was one of the first females to reach him. "Enjoy yourselves."

"We will," responded several female voices. Dimitri smiled again, looking quite pleased with himself, and turned and left the room.

"You're a cute one," Mali-Ka said running her hands over Locke's chest.

"Um, I uh," Locke stammered. He backed away, dropping the bottle on the floor. Several more females approached and he scooted himself further back.

"Don't be shy, baby," a female with red hair cooed.

Locke quickly found himself surrounded and panicked. He wasn't used to this kind of attention and while he was tempted to use his chaos powers to fight, he didn't like the idea of using any degree of force against women, dark legionnaires or not.

"He's younger than I thought he'd be," said one female.

"I like goatees," cooed another as she ran her fingers through Locke's beard.

"He's so well built to."

"And he has such pretty eyes."

"Your attention, is , uh… flattering," Locke said as he struggled to escape the army of hands that reached for him. "But, uh… I kind of, that is, I mean-"

"Hush now," Mali-Ka said, running a finger down Locke's cheek. "We'll take good care of you."


"Incredible," Spectre grumbled. He was in surveillance with the rest of the Brotherhood, watching as Dimitri attacked and kidnapped Locke from his lab. "How the hell did he even get in here without setting off the alarms?"

"You're guess is as good as mine," Sabre muttered darkly. How dare Dimitri attack his son.

Athair opened his mouth but decided in this particular case he'd keep mum. He didn't want to admit that he was messing with the alarm system because he thought it was too loud whenever it went it off and wanted to adjust the volume. He didn't know he had dismantled it all together and wasn't about to put himself in an early grave by announcing that fact. He wanted to see a few more generations of Guardians if he could help it.

"Are you sure we can even reach the Dark Legions' city?" Sojourner asked.

"We will," Sabre said. "I'm going to get Dimitri online and I swear to Edmund, if he's harmed Locke in any way, shape, or form, he will pay."

"Easy Sabre," Spectre said. "Let's find out what's going on first."

Sabre finally managed to set up a communication signal that was would get through the Legion's firewalls and allow him to reach Nekronopolis. They all waited patiently, if not nervously, as the connection fought to go through. A few seconds later, it did and to their surprise, Dimitri himself answered the call.

"Good thing I decided to keep an eye on incoming calls," he said. From the Brotherhood's perspective, he was sitting on some kind of patio, with a good portion of open space behind him. Some buildings could be seen in the distance and a few Legionnaires were seen wandering around in the background.

"We're only going to ask you once. Where's Locke," Sabre growled.

"That was fast," Dimitri replied. "How'd you find out so quickly?"

"We have surveillance systems inside Haven as well," Spectre said. "Where's my grandson, Dimitri?"

"Well, you saw the tapes, so you should know," Dimitri said, leaning back in his chair.

"We saw you take him. We want to know where in your abdominal city he is." Spectre's voice was hard and it carried a don't-mess-with-me tone.

"He's fine, I swear," Dimitri said, earning him looks of distrust from the Brotherhood. "Oh come on, I'm just trying to help out my nephew, is that so wrong?"

"Help him?" Sabre screamed. "Help him? By torturing him?"

"Torture?" Dimitri replied, sitting up in his chair. He looked extremely put out, if not a little insulted. "I know a lot of men who'd kill to be in Locke's position."

"No one we know is that sick," Thunderhawk huffed.

Dimitri sighed and buried his face in his hands. His behavior seemed unusual for someone who had just kidnapped someone but Spectre knew better than to think lightly of Dimitri's behavior. Besides, Dimitri was well known for his mood swings. The sound of someone screaming was heard. Dimitri ignored it but the it peaked the Brotherhood's interest. They watched the screen intently and in the background saw a male run past. A naked male at that. A few seconds later, quite a number of naked women ran past, obviously chasing after the male that had run by previously. The angered expressions on all the guys changed to incredulous. Dimitri sipped his drink, seemingly unfazed by all the commotion going on behind him.

"Um, Dimitri," Spectre began, not sure he just believed what he saw.

"Oh, that's nothing," Dimitri said nonchalantly. "It happens all the time. Though usually it's the men chasing the women."

Several jaws dropped in response to Dimitri's words. That was normal?

"Looks like fun," Sojourner muttered under his breath.

"Put a cork in it son," Thunderhawk grumbled back.

"Right," Spectre said, wanting to clear the image from his head. "We were talking about Locke. Now, we'll ask again, where is he."

"Getting in touch with a side of himself that's been dead for a long time," Dimitri responded. He was reading a paper and he didn't even bother to look at the screen as he responded. Spectre was angered by Dimitri's lack of respect, but he knew better than to expect anything different from him.

He was ready to give their nemesis a piece of his mind when the same male could be heard screaming again. This time though, it seemed familiar.

"Locke?" Sabre whispered. He went stiff, his eyes wide in shock.

The male ran by in the background again and this time they took a good look at him and noticed the white crescent on the male's chest. It was Locke and he was being chased by an army of naked dark legionnaire females. Five jaws dropped in amazement, a coherent thought unable to form in any of their minds.

"Oh for the love of," Dimitri said with a sigh. "I knew I should have locked that door." He turned and yelled out to the group, which by now had attracted a sizable audience.

"Just chain him up already!"

Mali-Ka ran forward to greet Dimitri, breathing heavily. "We're sorry. He managed to slip away from us before we had a chance to chain him down. He's pretty fast." Her eyes caught the screen in front of Dimitri and she focused her attention upon it. "Oh, you must be the rest of the Guardians. You wouldn't happen to know of a way to calm Locke down would you? We'll be worn out before we get a chance to play with him."

Sabre's face paled. Athair had his eyes covered, and Spectre blinked in total astonishment for several seconds, not sure how to respond to those words. Sojourner was too busy staring at her naked chest while Thunderhawk rubbed his temples in annoyance, though he also had an interested eye trained on Mali-Ka's chest as well. Two seconds later, Locke ran by again, the women still on his tail.

"What are you doing to my son?" Sabre screeched.

"Oh, he's yours?" Mali-Ka said, focusing on Sabre. "He's awfully cute, but he's very shy. Are Guardians celibate after having a child or something because he acts like he's not comfortable in a sexual situation at all. Most men would love being in his place."

Athair fainted dead to the floor while Sojourner had himself a little coughing fit.

"Our sex lives aren't up for discussion," Spectre said, now blushing. He realized, with some degree of shame, that he had been staring at the woman a little to intensely himself. Sabre was blushing furiously and even Thunderhawk colored a little.

Locke was heard again and Dimitri took the chains from Mali-Ka's hands. "I'll handle this."

Dimitri left the patio and both Mali-Ka and the Brotherhood watched as he walked around the edge of his property. This took him out of range of the screen though and only Dimitri's voice could be heard.

"All right, that's enough! I knew you'd have some trouble getting in to this but this is ridiculous. You're going to go back to that room and you're going to have sex with each and every one of these females, you understand me?"

"All of them?" Sojourner squeaked.

"Dimitri expects my son to have sex?" Sabre exclaimed. "He might as well ask Knuckles to hand over the Master Emerald while he's at it!"

"What do you think the chains are for," Spectre said, feeling a coldness in his chest. Locke would be lucky to survive this experience. Athair had begun to stir on the floor and slowly sat up as he regained his senses.

Dimitri's voice was heard again. "This is for your own good. Don't you shake your head at me like that. You either cooperate or I'll give you to some of the men in my legion instead." Sabre gasped in horror, and Athair fainted dead away again. Dimitri spoke again. "Yes, some of the men in my legion swing that way and they'll enjoy you just as much as these women if that's what you want."

Mali-Ka suddenly shrieked with joy. "You got the chains on him!"

Dimitri came back, looking pleased with himself. "It's all a matter of using the right kind of persuasion. Now go back to the room and have some fun."

"Thank you Lord Dimitri!" Mali-Ka said as she ran off.

Sabre, Sojourner, Spectre, and Thunderhawk all stared at the screen in dead shock, unable to absorb what was happening even as they saw the group of women running past again, this time carrying a bound Locke in their arms. Dimitri nodded as he watched them run off, smiling contently. He then turned his attention back to the screen, noting his nephews expressions.

"I know, it's extreme, but it'll work. Locke will be much better after this, trust me." Dimitri took his seat again and it was then noticed by the Brotherhood, who had kept it's attention focused on Locke, that he was naked as well.

"Doesn't anyone over there wear any clothes?" Thunderhawk rumbled.

"Only while working," Dimitri replied, as if it was nothing.

"Look, I don't think my son can handle that kind of attention," Sabre said, his tone pleading. "Please, just give him back to me."

"You can have him back after the ladies are satisfied."

"Can't they just find men in the legion to please them?" Spectre asked.

"I promised them sex with a Guardian and they're going to have sex with a Guardian." Dimitri insisted.

"What about me?" Sojourner said. He shoved Sabre to the side, so he could sit in front of the screen. "I'm a Guardian and I'm willing!"

"Give it a rest Sojourner," Spectre said sternly.

"Locke is the one who needs the help," Dimitri replied.

"I need help too!" Sojourner cried.

"That's enough Sojourner!' Spectre roared. Sojourner gave Spectre a hurt look.

"How is allowing a bunch of women rape my son going to help him?" Sabre shrieked.

"It's not rape if one's willing." Dimitri took another sip of his drink.

"I don't know if you noticed, but Locke isn't all that willing," Spectre said. What he wouldn't have given to be able to reach through the screen and throttle Dimitri.

"He is too, he just doesn't know it. Once he starts getting into the rhythm of things, he'll be having so much fun he won't know what he was worrying about." Dimitri picked up his paper again.

"Look, Dimitri, we just want Locke back," Spectre said wearily.

"Like I said, you can have him back later. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to have a little peace and quiet." Dimitri reached forward and a second later the connection was lost.

No one said anything for several minutes. The wildness of the whole scenario was still sinking in.

"Maybe I should join the Dark Legion, Sojourner mumbled. "At least they have fun."

That woke everyone up. Spectre responded immediately with a slap against Sojourner's head. The green vested male protested and gave Spectre an angry look.

"Would it kill you to give the libido a rest for one day Grandson?" Spectre screamed.

"You don't have to yell." Sojourner pouted and turned away from his angry grandfather.

"Maybe we should just let him indulge himself," Thunderhawk said with a sigh. Spectre gave him an incredulous look. "Well, at least it'd shut him up for a while."

"What should I do?" Spectre asked. "Let him have our back up funds and buy himself all the sex he could ever want?"

"Can I?" Sojourner said, looking at Spectre hopefully.

"No!" Spectre shouted. Sojourner pouted again and went to sulk in a corner of the room.

"Why couldn't Dimitri have taken Sojourner instead?" Sabre moaned. "At least then we wouldn't be having a problem and everyone would be happy."

"Because Dimitri likes to wreak havoc whenever he does something."

"So what do we do?" Thunderhawk inquired.

"We have to save Locke," Sabre said, standing up.

"No, we'll leave him," Spectre said quietly. Thunderhawk and Sabre turned to Spectre, amazed at what just came out of his mouth. Even Sojourner looked as stunned.

"Leave him?" Sabre squeaked.

"The ladies are willing and it probably would do Locke the world of good," Spectre replied. Honestly, he was too tired to care and as far as he was concerned, the whole ordeal might give Locke some much needed confidence.

"Are you feeling well Father?" Thunderhawk asked. He placed a hand on Spectre's forehead, which the black furred male swatted away in annoyance.

"I'm fine. Besides, at least Athair's out for a while. I might actually enjoy some peace and quiet for a change."


Locke whimpered as several pairs of hands fondled him. He was back in the room and chained down to the bed, spread-eagle, and he knew that this time he wasn't getting away. He didn't have anything against the women and was flattered by their interest but he wasn't sure about having wild sex with them. A part of him felt like he was cheating on Lara, even though she was married to another man.

"Relax," Mali-Ka said softly. She reached down and began to fondle Locke between the legs. Locke blushed and averted his eyes.

"I think he's nervous."

"He's so cute."

"If I didn't know he already had a son, I'd swear he was a virgin."

"Ladies, I'm flattered, really," Locke said nervously. "I'm just not sure about this. I mean, we Guardians don't really focus on this kind of thing." His breath caught in his throat as he felt a wave of pleasure rush through him.

"See, he likes it."

"I can't believe he's gone so many years."

"Are Guardians required to be celibate or what?"

"No!" Locke exclaimed. "We just have better things to focus on."

"Better things?" Mali-Ka said. She increased the intensity of her ministrations, earning her a moan from Locke. "I think you guys just don't know how to appreciate a good thing."

Locke gulped, feeling the heat of his blush. He was sure his face was as red as his fur. Fingers continued to stroke and tease him and Locke could feel his heart racing. One part of him screamed that this was wrong while another part of him yearned to surrender and indulge himself.

"Well, I think it's time we showed you how to have a little fun," Mali-Ka said with a wink as she climbed on top of him.


It was several hours later and the Brotherhood was gathered back in surveillance again. Athair had finally regained consciousness but he wasn't as hyper as usual. The reality of the situation shocked him so much, he didn't know what to think or how to act. Spectre was grateful for Athair's now subdued nature for a change, even if it came at Locke's expense. Sabre had been busy, working on the satellite system so they could get a peek into Dimitri's palace. Sabre was desperate to see how Locke was doing even though Sojourner told him the only thing he'd see was Locke getting busy with a bunch of women. Sabre almost had a heart attack on the spot and Thunderhawk had to smack Sojourner along side the head again.

"Well?" Spectre asked. He spent the past several hours meditating and decided that there was no fighting this. Besides, he knew his grandson could benefit greatly from this wild scenario. And as much as he hated to admit it, a small part of him felt jealous.

"I think I have it," Sabre said. He got out from under the control panel and settled himself back in the chair. "Now I know why not having Locke around is a bad thing. Fixing these machines can be a real pain."

"We need to work on that," Spectre said. He received several confused stares and Spectre explained, "We can't have Locke as the only mechanical genius here. If something happened to him, we need to be able to work on the systems in here as well, including enhancements and updates."

"Let's not think like that," Athair said. "Locke's coming back."

"Of course he is Father," Sabre said as he turned on the system. To his delight the screen showed different areas of the city. He began scanning for Locke.

"One wouldn't think the Dark Legion was an evil organization from the way their city works," Thunderhawk mused as he watched the screen.

"I still can't believe a majority walk around barely clothed," Spectre muttered.

No one said anything as Sabre continued to scan. The system worked it's way to the palace, scanning through the halls, finding nothing. Sabre growled in annoyance, not able to fight the fear he felt. What if his son was hurt, or tortured, or worse? The fear subsided when the system gave a small beep.

"Ha, we found him," Sabre cried with delight. He punched a button and what came on screen dropped every jaw in the room for the second time that day.

Locke was lying on a large bed, curled up comfortably on his side, sleeping. The woman that was introduced as Mali-Ka was sleeping right next to him, an arm around him. Several other females slept close to Locke and the rest were spread out around the oversized bed, all of them resting peacefully. What was even more amazing, at least to the Brotherhood, was the huge grin plastered on Locke's face.

"H-he… he," Sabre stammered. "He actually did it."

"Judging from the look on his face, I'd say he enjoyed himself too," Athair said. He might have fainted if he wasn't glued to the screen. Athair was always a gentleman but the sight of his grandson sleeping happily amongst a myriad of naked females was almost unbelievable. He couldn't turn his eyes away, so amazed as he was, that he didn't even completely register the erotic nature of the scene.

Spectre stared, astounded, by what he saw. Never in his life did he ever expect to see something like this. He heard a chuckle from beside him and he cast a glance to his right. Thunderhawk had his head down, eyes closed and arms crossed, and he looked extremely amused. He opened his eyes and caught Spectre's, who he knew was wondering what he was finding so amusing. Thunderhawk motioned to his right with his head, his grin widening. Spectre leaned forward to see around Thunderhawk and saw immediately what had amused his son so. If echidnas could turn colors, Sojourner would have been dark green. Spectre smiled in spite of himself. The sheer jealousy reflecting in Sojourner's eyes was priceless.

"It almost makes you want to eat your heart out, doesn't it?" Thunderhawk said. He was snickering now and Sojourner turned hateful eyes towards his father.

"It only happened because Dimitri insisted," Sojourner said, his voice ripe with envy. Everyone turned amused glances towards him. They all knew Sojourner would kill to be in Locke's position.

"It's all right son," Thunderhawk said. "We can't all have what we want."

Sojourner growled and stomped out of the room in rage. Thunderhawk burst in laughter, falling to the floor on his knees, his body shaking. Oh, that was worth every bit of trouble he suffered at Sojourner's hands.


Locke slowly opened his eyes. He had the most unusual dream, for him anyway, and he couldn't understand why he'd dream something that would be better found running through Sojourner's mind. Not that it mattered, it was an enjoyable dream, even if it did start off a little weird. Even better was the fact that he hadn't slept so heavily in a long time. After a few more seconds, Locke's mind fully awoke and it was then he remembered what had happened? Kidnapped by Dimitri, given to a horde of horny females, and then… and then….

Locke rolled over on his back. He really did it. A huge grin spread across his face. He didn't know what had gotten into him, but he had thoroughly enjoyed himself.

"Morning handsome," Mali-Ka cooed. She smiled lovingly at Locke, running her fingers down his neck.

"Um, morning," Locke replied. A couple other females were awake and they too were cuddling up to Locke. This time however, he didn't bother to get away.

"I told you you'd have fun," Mali-Ka said, smirking. Locke blushed.

He remained silent, not knowing what to say or do from this point when the doors opened and Dimitri walked in. He smiled at the sight before him and gave Locke a knowing grin.

"I told you it'd be for your own good," Dimitri said, still smirking.

"All right, I admit it, it was good. Fun. Err, well, you know."

"You need to work on expressing yourself better," Dimitri commented. "Still, I'm proud of you nephew. I was hoping you wouldn't have to be kept in chains the entire time." Locke flushed furiously at that last comment.

"He really got into it," Mali-Ka said. "After a couple times we finally let him loose and he took over pretty well from there."

Dimitri nodded. "I knew he would. It was just a matter of reawakening those long forbidden desires."

"You mean you watched!" Locke shrieked. He was so shocked, and ashamed that his uncle watched him make out with a bunch of women. He suddenly felt like he had starred in a porno flick for his uncle's twisted amusement and he rolled over and buried his face in the pillow in humiliation.

"Well, I had to make sure things were going all right. I was hoping I wouldn't have to come in and help out and fortunately I didn't." Locke's face contorted into horror and he buried his head further into the pillow.

"Anyway, I hate to disappoint you ladies, but I need to send him home," Dimitri said, his words earning a few saddened protests. "I know, I'd let you keep him but the Guardians are going to declare war at this rate if I don't give him back. However, you can all bath together if you want. I'll be back for him in a couple hours."

Dimitri turned and left the room, leaving a stunned Locke and several giddy females. He watched? Locke was still so shocked by that revelation that he didn't even noticed as he was lead away to the spa.


Sabre walked into the kitchen, looking like he hadn't slept in days. While Locke appeared unharmed, he still couldn't believe what had happened to his son. This was sure to affect him in some way, change him. Sabre came up with all kinds of scenarios in his mind, from Locke becoming a broken man, never wanting to leave Haven again, all the way to the other extreme, which was turning into another Sojourner. Sabre shuddered at that last thought. Haven didn't need two extreme perverts.

"Please don't tell me your were that worried about Locke?" Spectre said. Thunderhawk was with him at the table and Athair, to Sabre's horror, was cooking. "He seemed fine to me. I don't think he's going to be any different than he was when he first left."

"Well, maybe at best, he's loosened up a little," Thunderhawk said.

"I just didn't think such a thing was possible. I mean Locke wasn't designed to have sex with a bunch of women. His personality isn't suited to it." Sabre said, looking still for excuses.

"I don't think you give Locke enough credit," Spectre said. "He may not be used to it but I think even he can handle a little frolicking once in a while."

"He sure looked happy," Thunderhawk said. Athair came by and placed a plate in front of him and he eyed it warily. Athair's cooking left much to be desired. However, this time, the food looked extremely edible.

"Grandson," Spectre said, eyeing the food just as cautiously. "This looks good for a change. What did you do?"

"I made a special breakfast. I'm in such a happy mood and when Locke gets back, I'm making him a special dinner to celebrate!" Athair bounced happily back to the stove.

The three men at the table exchanged glances, not sure what to make of Athair's words.

"Celebrate what?" Sabre exclaimed.

"Why, Locke finally learned to love women again. I was afraid he never would again after Lara-Le." Athair took on a dreamy kind of look.

"Um, Athair," Spectre said, not sure how he was going to explain things to Athair. "There's a difference between being in love and making love."

"I know that," Athair replied, shaking his spatula at Spectre in a scolding manner. "What I mean is that Locke is finally in touch with his male instincts. He's no longer afraid to approach a woman. Maybe now Sabre can finally convince him to find a second wife!"

Sabre perked up at that. If that was true, if Locke was comfortable around women again, then getting Locke to remarry would be easy. There may be hope for his son yet!

"Let's wait and see how Locke is doing when he finally comes back," Spectre said. He was curious himself to see how Locke would be changed because of this.

"Isn't it a little early to be thinking about dinner Athair?" Thunderhawk asked, watching Athair move about.

"Of course it isn't! This must be special. I was thinking of taking him out to eat, but I can't," Athair replied. He grabbed several bags of vegetables, dropping them all promptly to the floor. Spectre sighed as peas rolled across the floor.

"Because you being out in public is a bad thing," Thunderhawk said.

"No, because our extra funds are missing," Athair said matter-of-factly.

Spectre froze, as did Thunderhawk and Sabre.

"Did you say our money is missing?" Spectre whispered. Those extra funds were meant for emergencies, as well the occasional fun thing for the Brotherhood.

"Yes I did."

"How could it be missing?" Spectre asked, his voice rising with shock and anger.

Thunderhawk groaned and rubbed his forehead. "I'll give you three guesses Father, but you're only going to need one."

Spectre looked at him blankly for a couple seconds, his mind racing for an answer, and suddenly it dawned on him. The other three males, knowing what was coming, covered their ears as Spectre's rage boiled inside him until it exploded verbally, echoing off the walls of Haven.

"Sojourner!"


Dimitri chuckled to himself as he walked down the halls. The look on Locke's face when he learned Dimitri watched him was so worth that revelation. If there was one thing his great nephews were good for, it was teasing. Perhaps that was why he had allowed them to live for so long.

Speaking of nephews, I think I have another one in the vicinity.

It didn't feel like Spectre, and the Guardian was alone, but Dimitri couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to find his way to the city in the first place. He took care to make sure it was well guarded and hidden from any surprise attacks. His guards must have been too aroused by the chase yesterday to have done much else. Dimitri made tracks for the entrance and was mildly surprised to see Sojourner there, with a bag no less.

"Look, I said I'd return Locke to you when my ladies were done with him," Dimitri said.

"I'm not here for Locke," Sojourner growled. Dimitri smirked, he had a feeling Sojourner was gnawing at his heart. "I came because I want to help the women of your legion."

"You do?" Dimitri asked, groaning inwardly. He should have seen this coming.

"Yes. I figure that if they want a Guardian, they can have me, for as long as they want."

"They already had Locke," Dimitri replied. Sojourner stiffened a little, and pouted.

"Only because they had no choice," he replied.

"They had plenty of choice. Locke was the one who got thrown into it. A situation he learned to appreciate rather quickly, if you get my drift." Dimitri smiled wickedly.

"Locke couldn't appreciate feminine beauty if it came up and gave him a-"

"All right already!" Dimitri shouted. He took a couple of breaths to calm down before speaking again. "Look, Locke needed help. You don't. Now go away."

"I've got money. Several thousand actually," Sojourner said proudly, holding out the bag. He didn't know how Spectre managed to stash away such a fine amount. He also knew Spectre was going to kill him for it but if he could get a few days worth of wild sexual passion for it, he'd die happy.

"If there's one thing the women in my legion are not, it's for sale."

"Please, Uncle Dimitri, please." Sojourner gave Dimitri his most pleading look. He had seen Athair do it and it seemed to work wonders on Sabre.

Dimitri sighed and slumped a little. "I don't know how many of my women would be interested in you. If they even are, I promised them a young Guardian."

"Hey, I look pretty young and have a good amount of stamina to boot." Sojourner turned away, looking offended.

"I don't care, the answer is still no."

"All right fine. How about I just do it with anyone who's still horny."

"I said-" Dimitri started before closing his mouth. An evil idea came to mind suddenly. "Anyone horny?"

"Yes, anyone!"

Dimitri thought about it for a couple seconds. The extra money would be nice and he knew a way to satisfy a few put out members of his legion.

"All right," Dimitri said, snatching the bag from Sojourner. "Follow me."

Sojourner followed eagerly as Dimitri walked down the streets and into a large building. It was dark and didn't look inviting but this was the home of the Dark Legion and Sojourner was too interested in the prospect of getting laid to think about it. He followed Dimitri down some narrow corridors, wondering where the ladies were when Dimitri came to a stop in front of a couple doors.

"Here you go nephew, these guys are as horny as they come."

"Guys?" Sojourner replied in confusion as Dimitri shoved him through the door.

Sojourner fell to the ground, having lost his balance from Dimitri's push. Sojourner coughed and gave Dimitri a stern look before turning his eyes to focus on who was in the room. He gasped in shock and his jaw dropped when he saw a bunch of men, big men, all around the room, and some of them were looking at him with a little too much interest.

"Here you go fellas," Dimitri said, gesturing to Sojourner. "He was looking for a good time and who better to show him than you?"

"This isn't what I meant!" Sojourner shouted. He scrambled to his feet quickly and faced Dimitri. "I think you understand that I was looking for females!"

"Hey, you said anybody horny," Dimitri replied. "You didn't specify a gender."

"That's low!" Sojourner screeched. "That's cruel! That's downright inhumane!"

"Well, what did you expect from me?" Dimitri replied. He turned and left immediately. Sojourner moved to follow but came to stop when he felt a hand on his tail.

"Not bad," the male said approvingly. Sojourner froze for a couple seconds before covering his tail with his hands and whirling around to face the offender.

"Don't touch that!" Sojourner said angrily. "That's personal you know."

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to come here."

"I was tricked. Hoodwinked!" Sojourner took a few steps back as more men approached him. He was in big trouble.

"I think we need to teach our friend here a lesson. One I think he'll like." Several of the men smiled and Sojourner paled. With a scream he turned tail and ran from the room full speed, the entire group right behind him, all of them shouting for him to come back and have a little fun.

Dimitri snickered as he heard Sojourner's screams. Serves him right. He began counting the money in the bag, thinking about everything he could treat himself to. Talk about an easy score.


Thunderhawk, Sabre, and Spectre were all waiting at Haven's entrance. Dimitri had called a couple hours ago to let them know Locke was due back and the group was eager to greet him at the door. They had asked about Sojourner and all they got in response was a wicked grin from Dimitri and were told that he was getting what he paid for.

A quick view with surveillance later showed Sojourner running wildly through the city with a bunch of half naked men after him. After what happened with Locke, everyone was much too overwhelmed to really want to get involved. Athair was left to keep an eye on Sojourner while everyone else waited around the elevators. After some time, Athair came floating down the halls.

"Please, please tell me they caught him," Spectre said.

"Father!" Thunderhawk exclaimed, giving Spectre an angry look.

"Nope, he got away," Athair said happily. Thunderhawk released a sigh of relief.

"Pity," Spectre said half heartedly. Thunderhawk growled at his father.

"Look, I know Sojourner was wrong for taking our money like that but to be forced to have to endure that?" Sabre gave Spectre an astonished look.

"It'd serve him right," Spectre grumbled.

"Really, Father," Thunderhawk huffed. "Even Sojourner doesn't deserve that."

"Maybe not, but he is going to pay for giving our money to Dimitri." Spectre leaned against the wall, plotting revenge when the elevator doors pinged. Everyone's attention was focused on them and a couple seconds later, Locke came walking through.

"Locke!" Sabre screamed. He ran forward and embraced his son in a crushing hug. "Oh Locke!" Sabre cried into his son's shoulders. "My poor precious child. Are you all right? Are you hurt? Did they abuse you? Talk to me, my son!"

Locke blinked stupidly, caught so wildly off guard that he couldn't make sense of his father's reaction. He looked around the room for some kind of clue from his grandfathers.

"In other words, how are you feeling after your romp with the Dark Legion?" Spectre asked with a perverse smirk and Locke paled.

"You know?" he whispered. Bad enough that Dimitri had watched but if his father's had seen even half of what had happened.

"We saw everything on the surveillance monitors!" Athair exclaimed and Locke fainted on the spot. Everyone gasped in shock, eyes wide. That's the last reaction anyone would have expected from Locke.

"Son! Son!" Sabre exclaimed. He shook Locke's limp body and received no response.

Athair panicked and began giving Sabre orders. "Lay him down. He needs mouth to mouth! Give him air. Get some bandages!"

"Everybody calm down!" Spectre roared. Sabre and Athair both shut up and gave Spectre their full attention. "Now, let's get him to sick bay and make sure he hasn't suffered any kind of trauma. And no more blurting out random orders."

Sabre picked Locke up gently and ran quickly with him to the medical wing with everyone close behind. He laid Locke down on a bed and began running the necessary tests.

"Oh Grandfather," Athair wailed. "This is worse than we thought!"

"I'll kill Dimitri," Sabre growled.

"Relax, I think Locke just fainted from shock is all." Spectre watched the proceedings carefully. In their current state of minds, both Athair and Sabre were more harmful to Locke than those women.

"Shock from what?" Sabre asked.

"Well, thanks to Athair's wonderful choice of words, Locke probably thinks we watched him have sex with those women," Thunderhawk replied. He gave Athair a withering look. Sabre and Athair looked at him, then each other, and then thought about his words.

"Now that you mention, it did kind of come out that way," Sabre said thoughtfully.

"But that's not what I meant," Athair replied and he was given several annoyed looks.

"With you, one never knows," Spectre replied.

"He's coming to," Thunderhawk said, motioning towards Locke.

The young male stirred on the bed and opened his eyes slowly.

"Easy Locke, you're all right," Sabre said soothingly. His father's voice brought Locke back to reality and he paled immediately.

"Relax Locke," Spectre said. "Athair was exaggerating. We didn't see anything." Locke turned his eyes towards his dark grandfather and only blinked at him. Spectre sighed.

"We know what happened Locke, Dimitri told us," Thunderhawk said and Locke winced.

"We're not mad at you Locke," Spectre said but he could see it did little to calm his grandson down. "We did see you running from a bunch of naked women and we did see all of you asleep in a large bed, but we didn't see more than that."

Locke's face contorted, looking as thought he was about to cry. His bottom lip trembled, and he stared at the ceiling, horror reflecting in his eyes.

"Son, it's all right. You can talk to us. We just want to know that you're all right physically, mentally, and emotionally." Sabre patted his son's cheek, trying to keep him from going into some kind of stupor.

"He's right Grandson," Spectre said in the most soothing manner possible. He was afraid they were doing more harm to Locke than Dimitri did. He reached forward and patted his grandson's head gently. "We don't blame you for anything, I even think it might have been good for you. We just want to make sure you're doing all right." This appeared to calm Locke down.

Everyone waited quietly for several minutes while Sabre continued to care for Locke. The young male looked at his fathers and he could sense concern from them but not anger. Not even a hint of it. No disgust, no anger, nothing. All he could pick up was worry for his own well being.

"How are you feeling?" Spectre asked again.

"I'm… feeling fine," Locke replied slowly.

"All right, that's a start. Now tell us how you are doing. How did this whole experience make you feel Locke, and answer me honestly."

"Honestly?" Locke replied nervously. Spectre nodded.

"Please son," Sabre pleaded. "We can't do anything to help you if you're not honest. Do you need counseling? Has this affected your mentally in any way?"

Locke looked back and forth between his fathers and he realized what was going on. They thought he was traumatized and was expecting him to act like a emotional wreck. He could only begin to imagine what Spectre's idea of therapy was and the very thought of Athair trying to help him overcome such a "horrifying" experience frightened him more than an insane Dimitri.

"I'm fine," Locke said. He sat up quickly, and his vision swam. He moaned and Sabre had his hands on Locke's arms, helping the younger male to lie back down.

"Define fine," Spectre replied.

"Well, I…" Locke said, not sure if he wanted to tell his fathers the truth. They looked at him expectedly, waiting for some kind of response. He knew they'd dig at him until they learned the truth, to make sure he was in good health if nothing else. "I, actually, kind of enjoyed it." Locke blushed and averted his eyes.

Everyone starred at him. Those weren't the words any of them were expecting to hear, not from Locke. Not from stubborn, emotionally repressed Locke.

You enjoyed it?" Spectre asked, his tone was curious. Locke nodded his head.

"No feelings of regret? No feelings of violation?" Thunderhawk asked, his interest also peaked. Locke shook his head.

"So, you're not afraid of women?" Athair asked. Locke shook his head. "You're not afraid of sex?" Locke shook his head again. "You think you might do it again? Maybe with another woman?"

The others balked at Athair's line of questioning but the bigger shock came when Locke nodded in response. Sabre about had a fit. He grabbed Locke by the shoulders and turned his son towards him. Locke looked at his father in surprise as Sabre began questioning him.

"You really did enjoy it. You still enjoy women? Maybe one day you'd actually date or even find a wife? You liked it?"

"Ye-yes," came Locke's nervous reply. Sabre's shock melted into relief and then tears of joy. He threw his arms around his son, crying in delight.

"Praise Dimitri!" Sabre yelled happily. Spectre almost fell over from a heart attack and Lockewent numb with shock.

"Sabre!" Thunderhawk said in shock. Sabre's outburst almost keeled him over.

"He really did know what he was doing," Sabre said as he cried tears of joy. "My son is a man after all!"

"Father!" Locke yelled, his senses finally returned to him.

"Oh Grandson!" Athair said. He raced to Locke's other side, knocking Spectre aside as he wrapped his arms around his grandson. "You really do like women. We were beginning to think you were gay!"

"Grandfather!" Locke yelped.

"We're going to celebrate!" Sabre said. Locke sat, completely stunned, wondering what the hell there was to celebrate about.

Spectre sighed and hung his head. The insanity had returned. Thunderhawk didn't know what to make of the situation either and Spectre was about to tell everyone to mellow out when he sensed his other son approaching. Oh goody, I finally can get my hands on him.

Sojourner entered sick bay looking worn out, panting heavily. Spectre fixed him with a cold stare and Sojourner's knees immediately buckled. Thunderhawk approached his son and helped him to his feet.

"Are you all right child?" Thunderhawk asked, looking his son over for any signs of abuse.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Scared for life, but fine." Sojourner replied. He noticed Locke was back and was being smothered by Sabre and Athair. "What happened here?"

"We just found out that Locke enjoyed it!" Athair shouted.

"What normal male wouldn't?" Sojourner exclaimed. The way they went on about this, they were acting like it was a big deal. Then again, this was Locke they were talking about, so actually was.

"Sojourner, I want you to explain something to me," Spectre said. Sojourner gulped. "Where's the money?"

"What money?" Sojourner asked, playing innocent. Spectre narrowed his eyes and Sojourner knew he wasn't getting away with this.

"We already know what happened," Thunderhawk said, giving his father a look that said not to push this.

"I want to hear it from his own mouth," Spectre said, his eyes fixed on Sojourner.

"Dimitri tricked me out of it!" Sojourner insisted. "He promised me women and he gave me to a bunch of men instead!" He clamped his hands to his mouth when he realized he just blurted out the one thing he didn't want Spectre to know.

Spectre just glared at him and Sojourner felt his stomach flip flop. He was toast, he just knew it. Quicker than he could blink, Spectre seized him by his spines and pulled him towards him. Sojourner yelped in protest and continued to do so as Spectre walked with him to the other end of the room.

"Locke, come here," Spectre said. "I'll need your experience with the surgical tools."

"What for?" Locke asked.

"Sojourner and his two best friends are about to go their separate ways," Spectre said with a evil grin.

Sojourner screamed and covered his groin with his hands. "Please Grandfather, no! I'm sorry. I really am. I won't do it again, I promise!"

"Father, this is unnecessary!" Thunderhawk shouted, horrified that Spectre would even think of the idea.

"I think it's more than necessary," Spectre replied. Sojourner struggled in his grasp and Spectre fought to keep a hold of him. "You'll learn to live without them!"

After a couple more seconds of struggling, Sojourner managed to break free. Spectre almost fell over from the momentum and Sojourner ran wildly out of the med lab, screaming at the top of his lungs as he ran down the halls.

"You better run!" Spectre shouted after him.

Thunderhawk was about to give his father what for when he saw that Spectre was laughing hysterically, as if he had just been told the funniest joke in the world.

"What is so amusing?" Thunderhawk growled.

"Sojourner's reaction, that's what," Spectre replied.

"Well, what did you expect?" Sabre replied. He was holding Locke protectively in his arms, completely convinced Spectre had now lost his mind.

"You were only joking, weren't you Grandfather," Athair said.

"Of course I was," Spectre said. He regained his composure and smoothed out his robes. "I wouldn't really do something like that to one of you. However, don't tell Sojourner. Let him think I'm mad enough to do it. That should keep him out of trouble for a little while."

Everyone relaxed, relieved that Spectre wasn't going to go through with his insane idea. If he had, everyone else would have had good cause to move out of Haven, permanently. Locke collapsed down on the bed. He almost wished he was back with Dimitri. That really said something about the state of affairs in Haven and he was now beginning to understand why Knuckles said being cooped up in the place was bad for one's sanity. Sabre and Athair devoted their attentions back to him while Thunderhawk looked at the door Sojourner went though, obviously pondering something.

"I said I wasn't going to do anything," Spectre said as he came to stand next to Thunderhawk.

"Actually Father, can I tell Sojourner I talked you out of it?" Thunderhawk asked seriously. Spectre blinked and gave his son a searching look.

"Why?"

"Just because."

Spectre sighed. "Fine, do as you wish. Just don't let him know I wasn't serious."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Thunderhawk said, smirking. Spectre arched an eyebrow. What was his son up to?


Several days later Spectre was wandering the halls of Haven, checking up on things. Life had returned to normal, though Locke was in a much better mood. He didn't spend as much time on surveillance and went about his work in a much perkier mood than Spectre had seen him in a long time. As much as he hated to admit it, Dimitri's wild idea had done wonders for his grandson. The idea that Dimitri could help the Brotherhood with their personal issues and be more successful at it almost made Spectre cringe. What would Edmund say?

Sabre had mellowed out considerably and was in a better mood himself. The idea that Locke had an interest in women again pleased him and Sabre hoped this meant his son would be heading in a better direction than he did. Athair was his usual self, nothing new there.

Spectre walked into the library and found Thunderhawk and Sojourner already there. Sojourner shrieked when he saw his dark elder and hid behind Thunderhawk, who was looking very cozy in his chair with his blanket and drink.

"It's all right, you know I won't let him harm you," Thunderhawk said soothingly, patting Sojourner gently on the head.

"Oh Father, you're so good to me," Sojourner said, giving Thunderhawk a big hug. The lavender echidna smirked and Spectre shook his head, amused.

"This tea is getting cold," Thunderhawk said as he got up.

"Oh no, Father," Sojourner said. He grabbed the cup and pushed Thunderhawk to sit back down. "Dear, sweet Father. I'll get you a nice warm cup. Just stay there and relax and I'll take care of you."

"Thank you son." Thunderhawk smiled.

"No, thank you Father. Dear Father." Sojourner hurried out of the room, giving Spectre a wide berth, as well as a worried glance, on his way out. Spectre watched Sojourner run off before turning to face his now chuckling son.

"You know that isn't going to last forever," Spectre said. He could no longer fight his smirk.

"I know," Thunderhawk said, with a slight sigh. "But it'll be good while it lasts."

"You should be ashamed of yourself, using him like that," Spectre mock scolded.

"I would," Thunderhawk replied. "If it was anyone other than Sojourner."

"You really are a cruel little bastard."

"What can I say?" Thunderhawk said, smirking at his father. "I am your son after all."

Spectre couldn't help but laugh at that. Thunderhawk grinned, quite pleased, as Spectre's laughter echoed off the walls.