A huge thank-you to all reviewers and flamers because review alerts just brighten up my day completely. I would like to update that this story is now 42 pages on paper… and still going strong. Edgy wedgy and myself celebrated when we got to page 40. Unfortunately, we were in a bowling alley at the time and our cheering caused many stares from fellow sport-bludgers (i.e. bowlers).

*We don't own the characters. We own the depressing story we put them in.*

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Chapter nine: Who said healers can't see the future? I mean the present…

It was raining. Kel finally came to her senses.

"Neal," she lamented, "We've been out here for several hours and we still haven't found Cleon. Why don't we go back?"

Neal nodded numbly, too cold to speak. The two of them made their way back to the castle and as soon as they reached their rooms Neal collapsed onto his bed, shivering.

"Neal?" Kel asked, shaking him gently. She placed a hand on his forehead. He was burning!

"Um Neal," asked Kel, "Did you know you're burning?"

"Blerk!" screamed Neal.

Horrified, Kel ran away fretfully. Five minutes later she came back with Duke Baird in tow.

"Oh dear," said Neal's father, rushing to Neal, "He's very feverish."

"Will he be okay?" Kel asked, anxious.

"Oh, I am afraid so!" he said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Why do you ask?"

"Because he's my friend…"

"Oh. Really? Is that so? Since when?"

"Since I first came to the Palace," said Kel, confused.

"Oh. I see. And how long do you plan to stay in that cupboard, it looks awfully uncomfortable. No?" Duke Baird raised his eyebrows at Kel.

Kel frowned. Duke Baird was certainly acting strange.

"Maybe you should leave," she suggested.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea."

"I will come with you," said Kel, shuffling the Duke out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"So, Duke Baird…"

***

In his dreams, Neal walked along a river, Kel by his side, Cleon running in front of them, playing like the cute chilled he was. Neal sighed happily as he put an arm around Kel's shoulders. This was the life he wanted.

Suddenly, the sky cracked and thunder roared. Lightning lit the shy. The little boy ran and fell into the water.

"Cleon!" cried Neal, running after him. "Cleon!" he shouted, looking into the water, "Cleon, can you hear me? Come back Cleon!"

There was no sign of him. Neal stared at the murky water, as if by doing so he could maybe see a sign of Cleon, his red hair, his green tunic…

And suddenly, three figured rose out of the water, one - a handsome man with black hair - carrying an unconscious Cleon in his arms. The three men stepped onto the bank and lay Cleon in the middle of the triangle they formed.

Neal approached them and heard the black-haired one, who bore a resemblance to King Jonathan, say, "he's not waking."

"Noooooo!" wailed Neal, "What have you done with my son?"

As if they hadn't heard him, one of them began to perform CPR on Cleon.

"STOP IT!" shrieked Neal, "Quit kissing my son!"

"It's not working," Said a blond-haired man solemnly, who, Neal realized with horror, was his late enemy, Joren of Stone Mountain.

"Don't give up hope, Joren," said the black-haired man, raising his head from Cleon's, "You Merric will be as good as new!"

"HE'S NOT MERRIC HE'S CLEON!" Joren screamed.

"Cleon's eyes popped open. "Mum! Dad! Husband! Wife!" he screamed.

"Shut up you stupid boy!" cried the black-haired man, slapping Cleon on the face.

"Stop that!" yelled Neal, horrified. He tried to start forward but he felt his feet glued to the ground.

"Calm down Roger," said the third man, placing a hand on Roger's arm.

"Alex, it's not going to work," the black-haired man said, his face sweaty.

Neal was shocked. These must be Duke Roger of Conté, the evil sorcerer Lady Alanna defeated, and Sir Alex of Tirragen, his minion!

And they both had been killed by Alanna years ago!

"AHHHH!" yelled Neal

"Oh hello," said Kel with relief, "you're awake! I thought you were dead!"

Dead, shuddered Neal, what a horrible word. He looked around and saw Kel standing over him. He was in his won room, lying on his bed. He sighed, relieved that he was alright.

"You're not feverish anymore," Kel said, placing a mug of tea on his bedside, "you're shouldn't have been out in the rain looking for Cleon such a long time yesterday."

Cleon! Neal suddenly sat up, anxiety in his face. "Have you found him yet? Has he come back?" he prayed with all his might that his dream wasn't true, that Cleon wasn't dead…

"No," Kel's face saddened, "No luck yet."

Neal put his hands on his head. "I have bad news," he said solemnly.

Kel looked at him. "Neal, before you say anything, I have something to say to you."

Neal looked at his hands. "I had a terrible dream. It was about -"

"Wait, let me finish first. I think we should trust each other more. This relationship has to be built on trust. You have to tell me things."

Neal started at her. "Kel, what the hell are you talking about? I do trust you."

"Your own father doesn't even know I'm your friend!"

"Oh," said Neal, embarrassed, "You've been talking to father?"

"Yes I have."

They were silent, thinking about all manner of things. Then suddenly Neal remembered.

"Oh, Kel, I had a dream, a vision, that Cleon was… he was - DEAD!"

Kel frowned. "No he's not."

Neal was speechless. "H-how do you know?" he stuttered, surprised.

"Because if he was dead, his body would be lying around somewhere," said Kel logically, "but as his body is nowhere to be found, he is obviously not dead."

Neal gave her a you-are-so-empty-headed look. "What is someone had taken the body, hm?"

"Hmmm… I hadn't thought of that before. But I don't know anyone who would go to the bottom of a duckpond and pick up his body. Do you?"

"A duckpond…" mused Neal, "In my vision, he was pulled out of a river. Do you think that's symbolic?"

Kel shrugged. "Could be, but at any rate, we still have a chance of finding him. Here. Drink this." She handed him the cooled mug of chamomile tea.

Neal sipped and Kel thought. Where was Cleon? He was pulled out of a river…

"Neal," said Kel suddenly, "You said he got pulled out of a river. Who pulled him out?"

Neal dropped the cup and it broke. Tea flew everywhere, but mostly onto Kel.

"Neal!"

But it was too late. Neal was of the door, so angry smoke came out of his ears.

Kel ran out in search of him. She found him sitting on a bench in the courtyard, staring at the duckpond in which they had nearly drowned. He turned to face her with a haunted look.

"It was Joren," he said.

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(This is a bit happy molecule wrote when she stole our book. It fits nicely to the end of this chapter above, but there are 'references'. If you don't want to read it, please scroll down and review!)

Kel gasped.

"Joren? But - but - how did he know where the cookie jar was?!"

Neal shook his head sadly. "I don't know."

Kel broke down into tears. "JOREN STOLE THE COOKIE FROM THE COOKIE JAR!!!"

Neal patted her book. "You know, this book looks like crap now," he mused. (A/N: at this moment, I said the sentence while patting out blue notebook.)

Kel slapped him. "You're such a bastard! All you do is care about yourself! I'm finding myself a better man!"

And with that, she walked into the nearest tattoo shop and got a tattoo saying 'insert here' and pointing to her groin.

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so there we have it. Chapter nine with an excised scene. Hmmm… all the characters seem to be in an awful lot of trouble. I wonder what will happen next? Will Joren accept Cleon? Will Kel and Neal finally have a lead to go with? Will Roger get verbally bashed? Find out… soon…

And I know, that being all of the male sex, none of them have to worry about reproduction anyway, but what about the ladies? Like that maid, who brought in Thom's tea… she's lucky, although she's still just a maid in the afterlife.