Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I even lost my english corrector. There might be even more spelling errors, so be prepared!

Chapter Five: Dealing

It was Thunderhawk who came to Lara-Le when she arrived in front of Haven's cave. She was surprised by the expression on the elder echidna's face: a mixture of sadness and concern, but also a glint of hope as he looked at her. Lara gave him a smile to encourage him.

The lavender echidna's lips drew a weak smile on his own. "We knew you would come sooner. Call it a Guardian's intuition." He reached out and, like a gentleman, offered to carry her bag for her. "Shall we go in?"

Lara only nodded, allowing him to take her bag. As they turned and he led her into the cave, she couldn't help but notice how different Thunderhawk was from the grumpy echidna she knew. He seemed to be wiser, to act repressed. In all, he was looking much older.

Thunderhawk walked, silent and almost as dark as the cave itself. Lara-Le tried to engage a conversation. "So... how have been things in Haven?" she asked quietly.

The lavender echidna turned his head towards her and kept on walking. "Well, pretty much the same since this morning. Locke is in a bad shape, Sabre is running around, Sojourner is stuck to surveillance duty and doesn't even dare to come out of the surveillance room. Athair is either moping around or hiding, and Father has locked himself up in his bedroom in order to think about it, as he put it. As for me, I don't know what to think anymore. I hope that you'll be able to help Locke. To help us all."

Lara smiled weakly as they finally got into the elevator. As it began its descent, her fears caught up with her; what if it was already too late? What if Locke really died? She wouldn't be able to live with it.

To get her mind off these dark thoughts, Lara observed Thunderhawk. The male was standing up as straight as ever, but his dark blue eyes didn't hold that annoyed and hard glint Lara-Le always saw in them. They seemed softer and, instead of hard, tired.

Suddenly Thunderhawk sighed. "Better tell you now. Locke is really ragged up, not a pretty sight. Athair must actually be changing his bandages. If you want to wait, I can-"

"No," Lara whispered. "I would like to see him now."

Thunderhawk nodded. "I understand." He didn't add a word about Wynmacher, and for that she was grateful.

When the door of the elevator opened, they walked out; then Thunderhawk abruptly stopped. Lara-Le turned to see him frown. "What is wrong?"

"Something is happening to Locke," the lavender echidna said, his eyes staring off into space as if he was listening to something. "Something is wrong. Come." Thunderhawk took off running towards the medical wing, or at least Lara-Le supposed as she did her best to keep up with him. Her concern for Locke gave her the force to follow the male echidna's big strides.

A few seconds later they met with Sojourner in a hall. He looked like he had just run for miles and miles. "Son, what is happening?" Thunderhawk asked the panting echidna.

"I don't really know," Sojourner exhaled. "I've heard cries of pain and Spectre cursing, so Athair must have done something wrong."

"As if things couldn't get worse," Thunderhawk sighed. "Come on, let's go, before my father rips Athair's eyes out."

The three echidnas got to the medical bay in record time, and Sojourner hastily opened the door. Lara couldn't help but gasp at what she saw: Locke was lying spread-eagled on a bed, his face crisped in intense pain with his chest bleeding profusely from a nasty gash. Beside the bed were Athair, with a blood-soaked bandage in his hands and an ashamed look on his face, and Spectre who was looking ready to kill his fourth-son.

"What have you done, you moron?" the black echidna barked.

"I just tried to change his bandages, I wasn't aware that another rib was misplaced," Athair weakly replied.

"And of course, you didn't know his wound had reopened? And to think you're the medecine-qualified one!" Spectre said, sarcastic. He hadn't even noticed that there were three others echidna in the room. "Now, pray tell, what are we going to do?"

"Stop it, Father," Thunderhawk growled. "Lashing out at Athair won't heal Locke, you know." Specter turned to his son, and raised one eyebrow. Thunderhawk then turned to Athair and spoke to him: "What exactly happened?"

"I began to change his bandages like I do every couple of hours," Athair explained, "but as I removed the one around his chest, the wounds there began to bleed because, I think, of another misplaced rib." Then a look of horror crossed the usually happy echidna's face. "Oh Edmund, we have to act quick!"

"Why, what is going to happen?" Sojourner asked.

"The rib might not be broken, but I'm afraid that if it is misplaced it could be moving," Athair said, his head turned towards his relatives as he hurriedly flew to Locke's bed. "And if the rib is moving, then it might..."

He was interrupted by a choked and strangled cry, which caused all five echidnas to look at Locke. The male looked like he was gasping for air, but with his chokes came blood from his mouth. It flowed down his bearded chin and finally on the bed. His eyes were wide and his pupils narrowed as he coughed up more blood.

Only pure horror of what was happening kept Lara from running over to Locke to help him. She now really thought that he was going to die.

"By the Ancient Walkers," Athair whispered. "It happened. The rib pierced his lung... he now has ten minutes to live... it's all my fault!"

Thunderhawk advanced firmly towards his third-son. "This is no time to mope around, Athair. Now, tell us what we have to do. It isn't too late, Locke can be saved if you give us instructions."

Athair took a big breath and nodded, getting over his fears and now determined to do anything to asve his grandson. "I have to sew the piercied lung up, then replace the rib and close the wound, but I don't know if he will be able to handle the pain. He has been through so much already..."

"That can be fixed," Spectre said as he walked foward. The dark echidna was ashamed of his previous behavior and wanted to make up for it by helping. "I can take the pain for him while you take care of the lung."

Athair frowned. "Grandfather, through the mental bond the pain will at least be twice as hard. Are you sure you can deal with it?"

"Only one way to find out." Spectre walked over to where Locke lay twitching in pain and motionned to Thunderhawk. "Son, come here. No matter what, make sure my hands stay in contact with Locke's skull. Sojourner, help Athair." Yes, Spectre was back in command.

As the flying echidna was getting ready, Spectre composed himself and put his hands on Locke's temples. Almost immediately he felt Thunderhawk's hands on top of his own, and his son's presence gave him the force to gather his powers and begin to direct the intense pain from Locke's mind to his own.

At first Spectre nearly jerked away; the pain was so intense he felt like his chest was being ripped open. His hands trembled, and Thunderhawk did as he had been told and tightened his grip on his father's hands.

At once, Locke relaxed and closed his eyes as Athair moved to where he was floating above the bed. Sojourner was there as well, holding a metallic tray upon which were placed some surgery tools. Usually, Locke was the only one using them, but for once the slaves would save their master.

Gritting his teeth, Spectre nodded to Athair to signal that he was ready. The flying echidna returned the gesture and extended a hand toward Sojourner. "Scalpel."

Lara-Le was still standing in the corner of the room, frozen. Sure, she had known that Locke's state was critical, but that didn't mean she had expected her ex-husband to be such a mess. Bandages everywhere, blood soaking the once white sheets, and more pain that she thought was possible after one entire day of rest. Lara couldn't even bring herself to look at the surgery intervention, so her eyes were glued to the floor under the bed. All she could hear were Spectre's growls of pain and the metallic clang of the surgery tools being replaced on the tray.

"Needle." Athair's voice was unusually serious and stern. If Lara didn't now that it was him who was speaking, she would have never thought that this tone of voice was his. "Needle. Wake up, Second-father!" Lara's head raised up, and to her surprise noticed that Sojourner had his eyes closed and was turning a little green around the muzzle, as if he was sick.

Thunderhawk, still griping his father's hands, turned to Sojourner. "What are you doing, son? Open your eyes!"

"I-I can't," the red echidna shakily said. "I've never seen a wound so horrible... And Athair sewing it up... I can't look at it!" Thunderhawk sighed; he knew his son had the habit to freak out whenever he saw too much blood, he should have foreseen that Sojourner wouldn't handle the surgery well.

"Son, you don't have to look at it. Just give Athair the needle. Now."

"Quick!" the flying one piped. "We have four minutes!"

Sojourner gulped down and hesitantly cracked one eye open. He then grabbed the needle and handed it to his second-son, before closing his eyes tight once again. He could block out the sight of the surgery, but not the sound of flesh being punctured, nor Spectre's raspy breathing.

"Done," Athair anounced as he floated aside, replacing the needle back on the tray. "We should give him painkillers, a punctured lung isn't exactly a walk in the park. Second-father, could you go get some?" Sojourner swiftly nodded and exited the room.

Athair then placed his hands on Locke's forehead, near Spectre's hands. He seemed to focus on something for a minute, then smiled up at his fourth-father. "You can let go, Fourth-father. I've put him to sleep." Spectre released a relieved sigh at those words and let his hands fall from his grandson's head, breaking the mental contact.

Spectre staggered on his feet, and if it wasn't for Thunderhawk standing here he surely would have fallen to the ground. His son caught him on time and supported his weight as Specre regained his bearings. "Take it easy, Father," Thunderhawk said. "You should sit down."

The dark echidna suddely got the feeling that he was indeed getting old and needed to sit down to recover from a little pain. He gently pushed his son aside, determined to walk on his own. "Don't bother, Thunderhawk. I'll be in my room." And with that the elder black echidna was gone, followed closely by his stubborn son.

Athair turned to Lara-Le, who was still watching from the corner of the room. "You can come closer, you know, young Lara. Locke isn't going to wake up anytime soon, and when he does it won't be happy. He will need all the help you can give him."

Lara finally decided to walk over to the bed, but before she even took a look at Locke she spoke to Athair: "Why do you say that? You said you would give him painkillers."

Athair looked at her sadly. "I won't be able to. The only reason I sent Sojourner to find some is because he needed some air, he can't bear surgery. But I can't give Locke those, his blood is still recovering from lack of oxygen. Giving him painkillers would only make it worse."

Lara nodded in understanding and finally looked down at her ex-husband. His eyes were closed in restless sleep, and on impulse she took his hand in both of hers. The flesh was calloused and ragged under hers, but still Lara squeezed that hand which more than once had caressed her cheek, her fur, and had never hit her. Tears weiled up in her eyes as she looked upon the man she had and still loved, hanging between life and death.

Near the bed, a medical machine monitored Locke's heartbeats and blood pressure among others things. They were in all very weak, but Lara-Le wouldn't lose hope so soon. Locke was a Guardian, he would survive. However I think Wyn won't... Sabre will want to kill him, and I don't blame him. I would want to do so myself. She gave Locke's hand another squeeze as Athair moved to bandage his wounded chest.

"How long do you think it will take him to fully heal?" she asked the flying echidna.

"I'm not sure yet. One week, maybe two if he's lucky. Wounds like this usually takes a month to be fully healed, but Locke is a Guardian gifted with powers. He'll recover quickly, or at least I hope." Athair smiled brightly, a shining ray in the bare room. "But now you're here, all is well, right? Locke has got people who love him supporting him, that is the best cure we can find for now. All he needs is plenty of rest and his family, and he'll soon be jumping around!"

Lara smiled; she wished she could have Athair's optimism, unfortunately she was still worried somewhere in her mind. "I guess you're right, Athair. You always are." She reached out to caress Locke's cheek that wasn't bandaged, fighting off her sobs. "But on the other hand, I can't help but feel worried..."

"You have the right to. We are talking about your love, after all," Athair said simply, coming to float next to Lara. The female looked at him, surprised. "It is obvious that, deep down, you still love him. Why would you be there if you didn't? You two weren't meant to be apart, young Lara. It wasn't decided that way."

Locke looked around. He was standing in a dark corridor, and he could have sworn he was in Haven right now, at night. Maybe all this never happened... Maybe I'm just heading to bed and Wynmacher never attacked me. It could have been a dream, yes an awful nightmare. Father is right, I do spend too much time working. I need rest.

Now reassured, Locke turned around and cried with surprise when he saw Wynmacher standing here, a dagger in his hand and a smirk on his face. The brown echidna was looking at him like a predator watching its prey, dangerous and deadly. "So, Guardian, have you finally realized you should get your dirty paws off my Lara, or do I have to make you?"

Locke felt his anger burst through the roof. "What do you mean, your Lara? You have no right to call her that, she isn't yours! She isn't a thing!"

"Oh, really? Then tell me why you treated her like she was one? Give me one good reason why you didn't show you loved her? She loved you, Locke, but you didn't give a damn about it. You had your son, you ran away with him, and you left Lara broken. But it's all right, Locke, it's all right. I'm here to correct things." Wynmacher raised his dagger. "Now, prepare to die like the bastard you are!"

The dagger was thrown. Locke tried to dive to avoid being slashed, but to his surprise found his feet unresponding to his orders. All motions were slowed; the dagger was progressively flying towards the Guardian, who was unable to dodge it, and a second's time before the blade pierced Locke's chest a shadow moved in front of him. The dagger got stuck in the shadow, which fell back into Locke's arms.

To his utter horror, the shadow was a person. And this person was Lara-Le.

Staring at the pool of blood forming on the ground, at the dagger piercing his lover's heart, Locke found no words to express his despair. Instead of words, he released a heart-wrenching and ear-piercing cry of pain.

Lara-Le was startled when Locke, still lying on the bed, gave off a scream of pain. He began to trash around, his eyes tightly closed as he screamed repetatively. Athair himself didn't know what was going on, and was trying his best to smooth Locke down. "Here, calm down Second-son, calm down!" The flying echidna was trying to put his hands on Locke's forehead to get him to sleep again, but didn't manage because Locke was flailing wildly around.

His next words made Lara's blood freeze.

"Wynmacher, you bastard! You killed Lara!"