When a betrayal is betrayed

(thought-speech signs are still marked as #)

"He's going to rip his way right through the hull of the ship!" Marco exclaimed in dawning horror.

"Stop him!" Jake snapped, but no-one had any intentions of stepping between the maddened, desperate kii-raja and the wall he was about to tear apart.

No-one except Jeanne. While Marco and Jake lunged for the beast's tail and pulled, doing about as much good as a pair of kittens trying to stop a tank, Jeanne dove for Tom's head. She went in under his front legs, gripping his lower jaw and forcing it down to get his attention. Passing that first wall might only put the kii-raja in the tiny docking station where the Hawk had rested, so if he got through it would not be a complete catastrophe; but from there there would only be one wall left for him to break through before coming out into open space – which he probably would.

At first it seemed like Tom might just keep tearing at the metal, even though he would tear Jeanne apart in the process, but then the beast hesitated and drew a long, quivering breath through his widened nostrils. With a sudden wail he sunk to the floor, against the torn wall, Jeanne being dragged down to disappear beneath him.

Jake and Marco exchanged a glance, weighing the risk of approaching the beast to the risk of the creature crushing Jeanne. Their dilemma was solved, though, when…

"Get off, Tom," Jeanne mumbled as she pushed the beast away and reappeared, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes as she leaned back against the wall.

Tom moved up on all fours, agile as a cat, to give her some more room, and then sat down next to her, his golden eyes glaring warning at Jake and Marco. The two wisely decided to keep their distance.

"Are you okay, Jeanne?" Marco inquired.

Jeanne nodded. She had leaned forwards and was inspecting one of Tom's front paws; they were both bleeding heavily. One claw was torn out and hung from only a slight patch of skin. Tom did not even flinch as she lifted the paw and spread the three toes to remove a piece of metal that had been driven deep into flesh. He only pressed his cold nose against her neck and kept glaring at the other two humans.

"Get the medic kit," Jeanne instructed.

Jake did so. He kept a wary eye on the kii-raja as he neared the two to give Jeanne the kit, and just as he had suspected –

Tom made his way past Jeanne, somehow without even brushing past her, and flew towards Jake.

"Tom NO!" Jeanne cried.

Jake was already knocked to the floor and Tom pulled back just short of closing his teeth around the human's head. He leapt back, positioning himself between Jeanne and the two others, teeth bared and snarling so loudly that the entire ship quavered. Jeanne took a quick step forwards and slapped the back of her hand across the beast's nose. Tom leapt aside, whining, and Jeanne quickly snatched the medic kit from beside Jake.

Jake put a cautious distance between himself and the beast before he climbed back to his feet.

"Careful," Jeanne told him and Marco, with her back turned to them both. She made Tom sit in front of her and taking one of his front paws in her lap to begin seeing over the wounds.

And felt like she had suddenly grown eyes in the back of her neck. Tom, glaring over her shoulder and baring his teeth at the two Animorphs, was sending her thought-pictures to tell her what he was seeing.

It was impossible to concentrate on what her own eyes told her with Tom's visions added over them.

"Stop that," she said to him, and as if he understood the thought-pictures faded away. She glanced curiously up at him, suddenly realising that he had just taken an order.

An order from her – not from Rachel. She swallowed, once, her throat suddenly dry. "Jake?"

"What?"

Jeanne made a gesture for Tom to stay, stood up, the medic kit in her hand, and walked across the bridge. There she sat down again. "Tell him yaysh."

"Are you sure?" Marco yipped. "He'll go for Rachel –"

"Shut up, Marco. Jake? Go on."

Jake frowned at her, then shrugged. "Yaysh," he told the kii-raja.

Tom's golden eyes fixated on Jake.

"Yaysh," Jake repeated sternly.

Tom stood up, and limped over to sit next to Jeanne. He resumed glaring at Jake and Marco. Jeanne smiled a small smile, taking his front paw and continuing picking shards of metal from between his toes.

"What was that about?" Marco asked.

"Just to confirm a theory."

"What theory?"

"Tom's taking orders from me, now," Jeanne said nonchalantly, surveying the paw. She stuffed cotton between his toes, and began to wrap bandages in eights around it.

Marco and Jake exchanged a look. "Tom's chosen a new master," Jake concluded. "Quickly. Very quickly. Wasn't he supposed to be loyal?"

"He can't sense Rachel anymore," Jeanne said. "She's gone into z-space – he came out here when she went into z-space, remember? That probably cut the mental bond – he thinks she's dead."

Marco nodded, slowly. "Makes sense. And from there it's not that hard. He loses one master – he arranges another. I get that. Now what I don't get is why he picked Jeanne when I was around."

"That's simple, too," Jeanne muttered, focused on wrapping bandages around Tom's other paw. "I'm the one who's been brave enough to feed him."

"Lucky, too," said Jake. "A rampant kii-raja, loose in the Rachel? Not my favourite scenario."

Jeanne finished off the bandaging, and pushed the kii-raja down to lie on the floor so he would not put any weight on the bandaged paws. "Rachel isn't going to be happy. We've made her kii-raja limp."

"He's got himself to blame," scoffed Marco.

Jeanne looked up sharply, eyebrows raised. Jake glanced at his friend and said; "Care to explain that to Rachel, once she gets back? And gets Tom back?"

Marco considered it for a moment, and grimaced. "I see your point."

"There's one problem, though," Jeanne went on, stroking Tom's head. Images from his eyes flickered through her own mind like lost shadows – Tom was clearly in the habit of sending them. "If Tom is here… then who went with Rachel?"

Jake's expression flashed to dark in a second. "Tobias," he huffed.

"And who…" Jeanne murmured, a nod from her showing her belief in Jake's theory, "…helped him?"

Jake's dark expression remained, and he turned to his best friend. "Marco."

"Coming to hasty conclusions, aren't we?" Marco exclaimed with a wide grin – too wide.

Jake only raised both eyebrows. He did not need to speak: his silence was just as effective in conveying his message: explain yourself. And it better be good.

"The bird was heartbroken," Marco said finally, very lowly and very slowly. "And he didn't want Rachel sent off on her own." Suddenly fierce, Marco spat: "Neither did I, Jake. And I know you didn't. What if she hadn't been on her own on the Blade Ship – what if you had spared one of us to go with her? She might have lived."

Jake reeled as if Marco had struck him. He practically swayed. "She might have," he croaked weakly.

"Or," Jeanne interjected, honouring Marco with a lethal stare, "Two of you might have died. And what, exactly, makes you think Tom being exchanged for Tobias makes Rachel any safer? I can't imagine any creature in this universe who cares more for Rachel's welfare than this poor kii-raja."

Jake did not reply – he stared solidly at his toes, still white-faced and deep in thoughts and old regrets. "She might have."

"Tobias is a thinking creature, at least," Marco said, "as well as a morphable. And I don't always agree with what he does, but I trust him to look after Rachel. I don't trust Tom. He's a simple beast, deep down. Tobias, on the other hand – Rachel will be safer with Tobias than with Tom." The last he uttered stubbornly, like a child restating a point as if to make it more true by repeating it.

"Shut up," Jeanne repeated. But, she well knew, the chance that Marco would actually be quiet was about as close to zero as you could come without ever hitting the mark. That is, unless you knocked him out. And that idea was beginning to appeal to her more and more as Marco continued…

Jeanne glared at him, ignoring whatever he was saying, instead glancing up at Jake. "Come on, Jake," she said, rising and stepping up to him, offering him a hug as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Pulling back, she sought his gaze and smiled at him. "You might have lost two instead of one if you'd sent someone with Rachel to the Blade ship. You did all you could. And Rachel's fine, now."

"Let's just hope she stays that way," muttered Marco – but the combination of Jeanne's morbid stare and a sudden snarl from Tom made him throw up his hands and back away.

"It's not your fault," Jeanne said to Jake. "You always do your best. Don't listen to Marco."

"It's not just Marco. Not today. Today… I feel numb… like I failed someone," Jake whispered.

"You've failed none of us. Menderash? There was nothing to be done –"

"Not Menderash. This is too deep. It's one of… one of my own. One of the Animorphs."

"Aximili?"

Jake shook his head, very slowly. "Ax, I'm still working on. No, I haven't failed him. Not yet, at least." He frowned, his eyes blank as he rummaged in his mind, piecing together the flickers of warning, tying together threads. "It's Cassie." Suddenly certain, he nodded, and his face strengthened with resolve. "I think of Marco or Tobias or Rachel or Aximili, and I feel only grim contentment. The thought of Cassie is like feeling a fresh wound. Something's… very wrong."

"You're imagining things," Jeanne told him. "Cassie's on Earth, and Earth is just fine. Sometimes, Jake, I think you believe yourself happiest when something is wrong, and if nothing is wrong you search for something to be wrong. You thrive on finding things to put right."

Jake grimaced, and tried to dismiss his thoughts with a shrug. "You're probably correct."

"I probably am," Jeanne said heartily, but at the worried lines around Jake's eyes she did not agree with her own words. She knew those lines: she had seen them in the times after Jake had first found out about Aximili's capture.

There were few things which eased adapting as much as the lack of a choice. No Andalite had ever enjoyed confinement. Carali disliked it intensely. He understood from her expression that Minalea, who suffered from easy claustrophobia, was even more sickened by it. The confinement of shackles and ropes was different from the confinement of a small room, but just as keenly felt. Minalea was pale and stood bearing her lack of freedom by simple absentmindedness. The good humour and nerve she had shown while held in that tree on that unnamed planet had paled as soon as the shackles were returned to her. The Kelbrid had been brutal if not directly harmful, and Minalea had of course resisted them – at first – but when tied to a wall in a Touched Kelbrid's craft the fight seemed to slip out of her.

Taunts had streamed through the air, threats of what awaited them on Dina'amm. They had laughed at Minalea's half-hearted struggles: "Struggle while you can," one Kelbrid had hissed, "for once the Yeerks have you you'll be able to struggle no more."

Carali, tied just far enough away to be unable to comfort her with a simple touch, worried. He found that worrying about his companion kept his own mind clearer: giving in to worries for his own fate only made him want to scream, possible weep. But thoughts of what might be happening to Minalea only made him angry and determined.

He would see her safe through whatever they had to expect on Dina'amm.

The individual Kelbrid who had shown them – at least Minalea – kindness had not been amongst those to continue transporting them towards Dina'amm. As far as Carali knew, there was only the one, unfamiliar Kelbrid driving the fighter they were held in. He had seen no traces of any accompanying fighters.

In bored moments he had attempted to converse with Minalea, but her replies were listless at first and soon she stopped responding. Carali's mind reeled: how could she turn from so alive, so unconcerned at their capture, to so… broken?

As they finally arrived at Dina'amm, he could tell from the Touched's treatment of them that his worry was showing. He was not certain of exactly what betrayed it, but the Kelbrid handling Minalea constantly glanced warily his way, and those holding his arms kept their grips tight and rough. He could barely stumble along, scowling all the while.

His first impressions of Dina'amm were those of large trees – more large trees. Apparently Kelbrid were fond of trees. He did not have enough attention to spare from Minalea and his captors to take in any more of the sights than that.

They neared some sort of Kelbrid settlement – Carali could tell from the increase in activity, and the increase in onlookers – and that was where the unthinkable happened.

The Kelbrid around them stopped, greeting a fierce-looking Touched who had come to meet them. In quick voices they talked amidst themselves, and to the newcomer, and then Minalea was led one way, while Carali was steered the other.

#No!# he roared at once, digging his hooves into the soft soil – the wet and muddy soil, apparently it had rained – and trying to stop. #No! I go where she goes. I –#

A Kelbrid horn whipped across his face, and Carali found himself blinking and staring into the madly green pupils of the fierce-faced Touched. "You go where we lead you, Andalite. Nowhere else."

#Where are you taking me? I won't be separated from her. Let us… let us go together.# Carali found himself varying yelling with pleading, and he did not care: not a thought went to his honour or pride, he just could not bear the notion of Minalea alone and vulnerable in this foreign place. #I beg of you, let me come with her –#

"She's heading for the Blade ship," the Kelbrid told him coldly, his ears twitching outwards. "Truly care to join her? Oh, the Yeerks shall be pleased. They've captured enough Andalites to last them a long while, but I do believe she's the first female – the first the Glorious Whole will allow them to keep, that is. Valuable indeed." His ear-twitching smirk showed plainly in his green pupils.

Something flashed in front of Carali's eyes and mind and he charged forwards. He was immediately beaten down, receiving only the minor satisfaction of seeing the fierce-faced Kelbrid draw back with an annoyed huff as Carali's unthinking and foiled attack skimmed past him. #No no no –#As he hit the forest floor, Carali felt the whipping horns and beating kicks harass him, but he strained to his hooves and charged again, not caring at what.

Beaten down a second time, and a third, crying #Minalea!# in open thought-speech and uncaring for who might hear him. When there was no reply he finally curled into a heap on the ground and let the Kelbrid strike him.

They ceased as soon as they noticed his lack of resistance. He was dragged to his hooves, and dragged more than led away. Escaping him was trickling and broken thought-speech stream of #Minalea… let me… go with her… no, no…. Minalea. Minalea.#

He expected no reply – she was probably too far away already, and he had failed her, failed her. So easily had they been separated, and he might never see her again. Who knew what she would suffer, and it would be all his fault – he should have come after her sooner, brought her safe from that captured Jijfku ship, and not let this capture happen to begin with. Had he truly run as fast as he could while heading to that ship? Had he truly fought with all his might to escape his captors? Why had he simply warned her, instead of finding her and leading her out? Together, they might have stood a chance.

Together.

Why had he let the Kelbrid separate them? Why why why?

His thought-speech had descended to a sob. #Let… me…#

Then, impossibly: #Oh, Carali, I can't stand that any more, stop it. I hope you didn't make them hurt you too much.#

Carali could not care less about his own hurts: this was Minalea speaking, and she sounded almost herself. All his relief flooded towards her in the simple mention of her name: #Minalea.#

#I'm sorry I scared you. Well acted, though. Thanks to you, they'll truly believe my ruse – they'll believe I'm mostly harmless. There's only one of them with me, and he's barely holding on to me. I'll be able to flee easily. And I'll come back for you, don't worry. Just…# She hesitated.

#Just what?#

#If I don't come back… if I can't flee…#

#I'll flee, and I'll try to find you,# croaked Carali. #You know I will. But they're bringing you to the Blade ship, Minalea. They're… they've got… few females,# he finished weakly. He could find no more words, but he knew his stream of emotions and random thoughts reached her, and he could feel her mind grow numb as if she had been struck.

#Oh,# she finally whispered. #Well. Oh, well, I was planning on escaping in any case. Don't worry, Carali. We're not infested yet.#

#Plenty of time for that tomorrow,# Carali said darkly.

Minalea laughed softly, joylessly. Carali strained to hear her fading thought-speech as she went on: #Time enough to flee before then, Carali. Plenty of time.#

Even Olana was still trying to figure out how, but Ka'an had docked his small fighter craft seamlessly to the docking port at the Phantom's rear. He, thus, used his craft as his personal quarters but could move freely around the Andalite ship.

He was, of course, present when Estrid hailed the Rachel, as she had promised Prince Jake she would. Recent events – the attack on Cava'ara and the kidnapping of Carali and Minalea – had put it out of her mind, but Estrid's memory was good enough to remind her of it.

Ka'an stood half a step to the side of Estrid, with all his easy Kelbrid nonchalance, although his placement effectively caused Olana, Larynia, and Aralgo to fall back and out of focus. At least Larynia was not pleased at this.

It was Marco's face which appeared on the screen, not Prince Jake's, and he looked haggard. "Oh, it's you," he said, with clear relief. Out from behind him peered an unknown human woman, with that golden beast of Rachel's at her heels. "Almost afraid it might have been Melissa again."

#Where is Prince Jake?# asked Estrid. #Not hurt?#

"He's fine. He's just asleep – and I think it best to let him sleep. Oh, by the way. This is Jeanne. I don't think you've met her before."

Jeanne gave a small wave, and Estrid nodded at her.

"Rachel?" Ka'an cut in sharply.

"Translate into thought-speech for me, Estrid, my Kelbrid isn't so good," asked Marco, and went on – after a deep breath: "She's gone back to the Blade ship. In her fighter. To kill Melissa – Melissa's turned on us."

"Then what -" Ka'an hissed, and Estrid translated as he spoke "- is Tom doing there?"

Marco looked uncomfortable. "Long story made short… Tobias didn't want Rachel to go on her own, but she didn't let him go with her, so he… morphed into Tom and took the beast's place."

Ka'an's expression was foreign, but clearly outraged. "Does Rachel know of this foolery?"

"For Tobias's sake, I hope not," Marco muttered.

Ka'an glared viciously at the Animorph for a moment, took a good look at both Jeanne and Tom, and then spun on his great claws and turned to stride back towards his fighter.

#Was Melissa the one who had been working on the Blade ship?# Larynia asked, stepping up to take Ka'an's vacated place.

"Yes."

#Then why did you trust her to begin with? You could have easily known she would betray you.#

"Melissa was also Rachel's childhood friend. They'd been best friends for years. And Rachel thought… well, she was wrong." He sighed, shaking his head. "We escaped Dina'amm unharmed, but we had to leave Melissa behind through sheer bad luck and she turned on us. And Santorelli was infested, but we have him under control."

#Infested is hardly unharmed,# Aralgo pointed out dryly.

"We're on our way to Cava'ara, so it's only temporary," Marco said. "Hopefully he'll be over it soon." Then the Animorph turned to Estrid. Curiosity appeared in his gaze. "I think it's time for you to tell us how you ended up in this quadrant of space. I know Jake will want to know, too."

#Shouldn't we wait for the Prince?# asked Estrid.

Marco shook his head. "Let him sleep – he's been having bad dreams, and has hardly been sleeping since we arrived on Dina'amm. Unless you're planning on calling back?"

Estrid made a quick decision. #I will, then. But first… Cava'ara was attacked. Just after we had arrived there.#

"Any casualties?" Marco wondered grimly.

#Amidst our Kelbrid hosts, yes, many. None of us Andalites died – but two were taken prisoner.#

Marco began letting of a stream of words Estrid did not recognize, and she was almost glad that her translating chip took its time figuring out what he meant. Behind him, Jeanne looked concerned. "Who? Do you know if they're still alive, where they're being taken?"

"They'll be alive," Marco muttered. "Alive and headed to the One, who will hand them over to his Yeerks."

"Dina'amm?"

#That's our guess too,# Estrid revealed, relieved that the Animorph and his friend had reached the same conclusion as she had herself, as if that confirmed it. #We're on our way after them.#

Marco nodded. "One thing which might be good to know," he said slowly, "is about Touch. You've heard of the Touched, I hope. Well, Touch… if one of your friends is subjected to it… can be cured with morphing. If you acquired the morphing power before you became Touched."

#Neither Minalea nor Carali would ever consider –# began Larynia haughtily #… never… becoming Touched. Never.#

"Not if given a choice, maybe. But there is one Andalite Touched already, that we know of. I don't suspect that was voluntary, either."

Olana and Aralgo exchanged a glance, which Estrid could see through her stalks. She also saw Ka'an coming back towards them.

"That Andalite Touched… do you mean the one Melissa told Menderash of?" Jeanne asked Marco, who nodded.

#Do you know more of it?# Larynia wondered. Her distaste was clear in the use of the word 'it', although she did not stress it.

"Menderash knew her. Arayah, he called her. Apparently she had served under Ax."

#Aximili?# both Estrid and Larynia exclaimed, and Marco nodded.

"The One has sent her to your Home World," Jeanne went on. "Hopefully… hopefully she'll never reach it. For a Touched is like a portal for the One, and a portal for the One on your Home World... needless to say, it's bad."

#Very bad,# agreed Estrid in a whisper. #Thank you for warning us. We will call back later and speak to your Prince… tell him so.#

"Be careful on Dina'amm. I suspect we'll join you there, as soon as Santorelli's come close enough to Cava'ara to become Yeerk-less. We still need to save Ax, and fetch back Rachel and Tobias."

Estrid nodded distractedly, and stood still where she was as Olana took over the communication and cut it. The scientist had suddenly been given many new things to think about, concerning the nature of the One and his Touched. Her calculations would need some tinkering. And it was growing more and more important to find the One and destroy him, and free Aximili.

Firstly, however, she needed to focus on poor Carali and Minalea, who were under double threat: infestation, and now Touch.

It was just as Rachel had managed to land her tiny craft undetected on Dina'amm's surface that she received the call from Ka'an. He was rushed, and angry, and spoke in harsh tones. She found out about the attack on Cava'ara, and the two missing Andalite arisths, who most likely were being brought to Dina'amm, and told Ka'an she would keep an eye out.

As the main points of his message came through, she understood his fury – she echoed it. It was just… she doubted the truth of it.

How could it be, that Tom was not with her? He was asleep right behind her. His presence was warm and loving in the back of her head, as always. His dream-images flickered through her thoughts, a pale shadow of what he would be sending her while awake. And if that was not Tom, but Tobias…

The bond to her own beast must have been cut as she entered z-space. Tobias could have silently taken over Tom's place in her mind, and she might not have known. Dream-images were difficult to characterize, and Tom/Tobias had been asleep… she could not tell if that had been Tom's dreams, or if they might as easily have been Tobias's.

But Tobias would never do that to her. He could not. He should know what Tom meant to her.

Still, Ka'an had no reason to lie to her, and his anger had been real. She had to know. she turned towards where she knew the kii-raja lay asleep, and took the few steps towards him, kneeling in front of him.

She stroked the short fur over his head, and felt the dream-images grow stronger at her touch. She pulled gently at his ears, first one, then the other. The kii-raja mind slipped into awareness. His eyes slid open for a moment, revealing a picture of she herself seated in front of the beast.

"Tobias," she said then, and her voice was drenched with bitterness. She felt the images in her mind fade – the kii-raja's presence drew away, as if ashamed. That reaction confirmed what Ka'an had told her. "You might as well demorph," she hissed.

So far, there was only anger. But as she reached out, placing a hand on the kii-raja's muzzle and feeling it revert to the sharp beak of a hawk, she realised something else: if this was Tobias, and it was, then where was her Tom?

Still on the Rachel.

She had, unwittingly, left her beast on the Rachel. Pain raked through her mind at the thought; pain and fury.

Tobias had tricked her.

Her head was empty of Tom's images, Tom's presence. So empty. Tom was not beside her, and she was so alone, so alone…

Tobias's beak continued on to form the softer flesh of a human face. Rachel struck him as hard as she could, right across that face. She felt him reel back, surprised and shocked at the blow, and followed with her hands up to strike again.

"I hate you! How dare you take Tom away from me? How dare you! You can't –"

"Rachel, if –"

But the blind girl was not listening, going on, fury in her eyes and tears running down her cheeks, fists clenched and beating at the air in front of her in an unfocused attempt to find him and hurt him. He kept easily away, but then saw that she was heading right for a wall and was going to hurt herself if she was not stopped. She was too angry to think of where she was. He took a hurried step forward, caught her arm and pulled her away from the wall.

At that opportunity, Rachel forgot her ranting. Instead she spun and flayed wildly with one fist at Tobias, where he should be. She felt her knuckles make contact with something which definitely was human, and heard a wheezing grunt. The hand let go of her arm – he must have backed away – so she followed, and swung another fist, now in eye-level.

He moved again; she heard a footfall to her left and then her wrists were seized and she felt a wall behind her back, an arm against her throat holding her back. She trashed and kicked, fiercely but aimlessly, not thinking.

"Calm down, Rach," growled Tobias's voice from somewhere out of her attention. "You'll break something. If you don't calm down I'm going to have to… no, just calm down –"

But how could she calm down? They'd taken her kii-raja. They'd actually taken her kii-raja away from her. Tom would be so lost. Tom would be so, so lost. She was so lonely. Her head was empty, empty, no familiar kii-raja thoughts, no Tom –

How dared he? How dared he take away Tom!

"Rachel, calm down –"

A new burst of fury let her twist free – almost free, almost, but then caught and held against Tobias's chest, almost crushed by his arms, leaving her no room to breathe, less to thrash and struggle. She slowly realised, like someone walking up from narcosis, that he was holding her head in place by a grip on her neck and pressing his lips against her forehead, her cheeks, murmuring "calm down" over and over. She stopped trying to break free and a wobbling sob of "Tom" came over her lips. To quiet her, Tobias lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her properly, drinking her in as if his life depended on it, or as if hers did, and his arms tightened almost painfully around her.

It was almost as if he was desperate to keep her with him, fearing that she might disappear if he let her go.

Rachel couldn't move, she didn't know for how long, but she knew she didn't want to. When he finally released her neck, loosened the arms that had held her, she sank to her knees. She was only half aware of how Tobias followed, wrapping both arms around her again, more gently this time, wagging her from side to side and varying kissing her lips and forehead with whispering gently in her ear.

Only when she felt his lips tracing her cheeks did she realise that she was weeping, sobbing, and he was kissing away her tears, mumbling her name, drawing her closer, now comforting.

"I hate you. I hate you," whispered Rachel weakly. "I hate –"

"No, you don't," Tobias said in a thick voice, hating to see her in tears.

"I do," Rachel insisted, and nestled up against him, arms thrown around his neck, and cried against his shoulder.

Author's Note:

Well, here it is. After almost a year. Bad author. Well, I've been very busy. But now I sat down and made myself work on it, and finished it in five hours. Not proofread, unfortunately, but finished. So it you find any Major Mistakes, please tell me.

As last time, I'm making no promises about when. But it will be up. Sometime.