A/N : Sorry I havent reviewed for a while, hope you like this one, its quite long to make up for it :D

Hunter and Morgan winced in pain as they moved through the dark woods, and Hunter kept his head bowed, and limped behind Morgan down the narrow winding path, the silence between them punctuated by Hunters laboured breathing.

After walking twenty minutes, Hunter looked up to the sound of an intake of breath from Morgan.

Leaning round to see what Morgan was staring at, he saw a dark figure standing beside Blue Bell.

He recognised her a moment after Morgans witch senses kicked in and they both realised it was Alice.

Morgan rushed forward,

" Alice, its you, you scared me ! What are you doing here ?"

Alice moved forward to greet Morgan, wrapping her in a hug.

" I was worried about you my dear, after you came to me. So I've been scrying for you, every now and then, to make sure you were okay, and I came across this. I saw you fighting with a blonde woman, and Hunter, whom I thought was away, kneeling on the ground. I knew I would never be here in time, so I watched for a while, and then concluded you would need someone here when you got out of the woods." said Alice calmy.

" Dont you mean If I got out of the woods? " Morgan said.

" I have absolute faith in you Morgan, I knew you would get yourself and Hunter out, " said Alice warmly, smiling.

" Thankyou " said Morgan, and for the first time she let her gaurd down, the stress, pain and worry of the last few days showing on her face, making her look far older.

Alice drove them back to her house in Blue Bell, by which time Morgan felt better and could take over and drive herself and Hunter home. Alice explained she had gotten a ride from a friend who was going past the woods.

" Now, are you sure your okay ? Your dont need anything ?" Alice said, as she stepped out the car, making way for Morgan to move to the drivers seat.

" We're fine Alice, really, thankyou so much, " said Morgan, hugging Alice.

" Yeah, you've been great, thankyou, " Hunter said, his voice straining.

Alice went to walk away, when Morgan suddenly had an idea.

" Alice, wait a second, there is something you could do for us. You see, we left Salina unconscious in the woods. We've put a binding spell on her, but it wont last long. Could you get some people together and inform the council of her, it really would help. We dont want her on the run again." said Morgan quietly.

" Of course, my dear, if that is what you want then that is what I shall do. Have no fear I'll take care of it ", said Alice reassuringly.

The drive home was a tense one, neither speaking, nor touching.

Morgan parked the car in the driveway, and they both made their way up the porch and into the house.

Ten minutes later and they were both sitting in front of the fire, a mug of strong herbal tea in front of them.

"So, tell me what happened." said Morgan, folding her legs under her, and wrapping two hands round her mug, blowing the steam from the top of it.

Hunter looked up from his mug, and met Morgans eyes.

" I can explain everything".

Hunter cleared his throat, and began.

" After I phoned you, you told me not to worry, to stay where I was, but I was still worried, and decided to come home and surprise you. I got home, but you weren't in, so I decided to look in places where I knew you go. The most logical thing to me was to go to the place you'd told me you'd been when you were scrying. The woods."

Hunter took a deep ragged breath, and carried on,

" I could see smoke, and I could sense magic, but I couldn't see your car. But, you know me Morgan, I had to investigate." he said, sheepishly.

" Anyway, when I got into the woods, and the clearing, I found Salina. I tried to fight her, but I couldnt, she knew spells that only the most evil of people could know. She got them from a Birth Dearc, Morgan. A Birth Dearc ! The thing that nearly robbed my father of his life !" Hunter said, a touch of anger entering his voice.

" She restrained me, Morgan. Whenever I spoke of you, whenever I rejected her, she would cut me. Eventually, she got annoyed, and put a binding spell on me. An' Thra' Mirtha. The same as a binding spell, only it not only stops your spells it stops other things too. You are hers to command." said Hunter pleadingly.

" So what about the phone call, was that the spell ?" said Morgan, needing answers.

" Yes, my love, it was, you need to understand that I would never ever leave you, I love you." he said, a sad smile on his lips as he reached his hand across and brushed the hair to the side of her face, stroking her cheek.

" I found out that Salina had been after you for some time. Your baby had been propheted Morgan. She will be blessed with powers far greater than you or I, she will be strong Morgan. A Riordan. She will inherit the powers of all the generations before. She will be loved." Hunter said softly.

" Salina knew this, and she planned for months before hand. She knew your history Morgan. She knew about Learen and your great grandmother. And she knew that it was a past life, and that the one weakness you had was to protect the ones you love. Including our unborn baby. She knew that by sacrificing our baby to the spirits of the Birth Dearc that she would get so much power and knowledge. Well, she thought she would, but its a stupid thing to take the word of a spirit."

" She went to the same place your grandmother killed Learen. The clearing in the woods. She destroyed the stone, as she knew it was a talisman against evil. Then she hid out elsewhere in the woods. She watched you scry and knew you were scared. She knew the time to put her plan in action was near. She planned to capture me, as bait. Then when you came looking, she would spell you to. And when the time came to deliver the baby, she would do it. She knew it would kill both of us to see our baby be sacrificed."

Hunter said bitterly, as Morgan hugged her tummy protectively.

"That was her plan. It would effectively get rid of us, and gain her power. She thought her plan wouldn't fail. But she was wrong. She under-estimated your power, Morgan, and my love. It was love that broke through that spell, my love. It was power that killed her. And its both that has saved our baby." Hunter said passionately.

Morgan smiled, but still had one thing on her mind.

" Hunter, did you ever have an affair with her? " Morgan said, looking into his eyes.

" No my love, I speak the truth, I never have. She tried to seduce me, but it was you that was in my mind and in my heart. I know you saw her try to kiss me when you scried, I was aware of everything. But I was inacapable of doing anything. I promise you Morgan, from the bottom of my heart. My love knows no bounds, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Hunter said, the love he felt for Morgan evident in his face.

" I love you too," said Morgan, moving forward to meet Hunters lips.

This was just another experience that bonds Hunter and Morgan, together, heart, body and soul. Forever.

A/N : What do you think :D:D:D ? One more chappie to go ! Review, they mean everything to me !

Thanx to my buddy Yoda, aka Euan, and Chrissienuil.