Ch.12 The Insanity of Kel

Kel's head slammed into the dashboard from Dom's erratic driving, what was it with awful drivers all becoming TPD officers? She groaned and slouched in her chair, waiting for the ongoing curses to erupt like a volcano from the man beside her. But nothing happened. He didn't shout, sigh, curse, rant, and to her it looked like he wasn't breathing. She quickly averted her eyes; she realized she once again had been staring at his chest beyond what was necessary, but then again, was it even necessary to stare at one's chest, trying to see the hardened muscles that one knew existed. She rolled her eyes at herself, she was surely becoming insane, what with the voice that had been interrupting her thoughts every so often, her talking back to herself in her mind. But she did have a good reason; she hadn't done much talking to anyone since they arrived at Tortall, and now they were leaving again, searching for three TPD officers. Wait, she scolded herself, make that two TPD officers and one unemployed woman. HA! Kel thought, Liz a woman, she was insane, ok at times she could be mellow and average, but only when she was in thought, she wasn't calm at all, only during "situations."

She looked over at Dom again, she was having trouble being entertained by the Scanran snowy plains, and quite frankly she just loved to stare at him. GAH! What was wrong with her, she was having one of those silly school girl crushes, the kind that made Liz wince and make funny faces behind the crushee. He looked over at her, one blue eye slowly sliding to the right. "…Yes?..." he drawled, sounding like Neal.

She jerked her head away, pretending to find the nonexistent dirt under her fingernails quite fascinating, in fact marvelous some would say. His throat made an odd noise, which she ignored before feigning sleep, once again, in hopes that she'd actually end up drifting off to sleep.

President Maggur sat perched atop his desk, papers askew, all with the faces of the three officers he had trapped in his cells. President, he snorted, if only they knew. But they wouldn't, and by the time they knew, it'd be too late, all hope lost for the fools. Neglecting him, HIM, Maggur Rathusuk. He growled, low in his throat, no one would ever forget his name. Not ever, and they would cower in fear, they would neglect to repeat his name aloud in fright, for they all had to pay. They all must pay for what they did. How could they think that they were better than him? They were pathetic, just as pathetic as their parents. Intervening with the petty mortals, didn't they realize it would just make matters worse to help the scum that he was forced to surround himself with everyday. Didn't they realize that he had powers beyond their belief and he was willing, actually willing, to help them out, to be on their side. But they humiliated him, ruined his name, all mortals mocked him now. Not as Maggur, but as another name. Yes, he was known, but they all thought him dead, thought him forever extinguished, to enter no realm ever again.

He looked at the photo of the curly haired man, useless. Absolutely useless to him, he was just a plain mortal. Nothing like the man in the next photo. This man would help him. Man, he scoffed, he is no man. He is…

Kel stood, feeling a strange ever present warmth all around her. She looked down; she was still wearing the outfit of navy jeans and red sweatshirt, hair still pulled up in a messy bun. She cocked an eyebrow at her state before turning around to look at the room. She jumped. She was not alone, there was a man sitting perched atop his desk, rummaging threw files with a vicious somewhat senile smile across thin lips. But he was handsome; Kel had to give him that, even if he was, in her opinion, below scum. A maggot he was, as President Maggur of Scanra was the man atop the desk. She growled low in her throat at his present.

Strangely she felt another presence in the room, a much stronger presence. She looked over to the right, and saw a woman, decked in a rich silk green toga, barefoot, long layers of red trailing behind her…wait, red. Her eyes widened and she shook her head. What the HELL was Liz of all people doing here with her in the same room as Maggot? Liz cocked her head, and Kel jumped at the sight, as she got to see her eyes more clearly. They were pitch black, and Kel could have sworn that when she looked long enough into her depths she saw moving images as if Liz's eyes were a great big movie screen. She rubbed her eyes and smacked herself in the head, trying to rid herself of the insanity she presumed she had.

Liz strode over, she obviously had no sign of Kel's existence as did Maggot, and it seemed he had no idea of the other two's presence. She bent double over peering at the files, her eyes widened slightly and Kel caught a quick glimpse of the familiar amber eyes before they shifted back to the darkened depths of black. She turned, still bent over, and when she spoke it was in a booming sing-song voice, one that Kel had never heard leave Liz's lips. "I know you're here Protector, take a closer look at this man, look at what he holds," she gestured to the files, and tried to hand one to her, but her hand plowed through the table. Kel could hear muttered curses at Liz's failed attempts.

Kel strode over, eyes never leaving Liz, or whatever this version of Liz was. She was so interested in Liz's appearance she bumped into the table and gasped as it shook. Maggot looked up, from his rummaging. And then Kel knew, he couldn't see nor hear, it was like she was a ghost, except she could feel. Maybe, she mused, Dom's reckless driving finally killed me.

She looked down at the papers on the oaken desk. Papers askew, all with three names, but two were repeated over and over again, more than the third. She looked up at Liz, eyes still black, and fingers still trying to grope the pages and quickly averted her eyes. It was pretty hard not to scream, as the woman some inches away from her was thought missing or dead, some of the other officers at HQ even said we'd never see her again.

Finally Liz gave up, crossed her arms and made to lean against the wall before remembering that she'd only fall through it. "Damn visions," she muttered under her breath, and Kel thought her eyes may have rolled but it was impossible to tell as they were an endless eerie black.

Kel finally caught a glimpse of the first photo. A familiar mop of curly sandy brown hair flopping into grey eyes was one of the pictures askew. Kel felt her heart pang. So the Scanrans really did have Owen. In the picture Owen grinned, his usual overly jolly self.

Some files over Kel's hazel eyes found emerald green that seemed to follow you wherever you stood. He had a cheeky grin, and this was of his TPD I.D. as Kel recognized his buzz cut he'd had then, clearly showing his widow's peak.

And then Kel's eyes met layers of auburn and amber brown eyes. Freckles danced everywhere on her pale flesh. She grinned, an expression that clearly stated she knew something the photographer knew not.

Liz jerked her head over to Kel. "You will find them, well us really," she said, voice starting to sound familiar, "you must find us Protector, you know where we are, we don't need your help in rescuing I can do that fine, I just need here. There are some things that need settling…" And with that the image of a toga clothed black eyed Liz slowly faded into nothingness, as did the room and President Maggur. Kel looked down at herself and saw her own flesh disappear. She gasped in astonishment repeating the phrase, "What the fuck!" over and over again in her head.

And then she felt her body grow icy cold and she felt drenched, she bolted half way up from her seat. Wait, since when was she sitting. She looked up and met wide blue eyes. It was Dom, his nose touching hers from his haste at thinking her dead. She blushed and jerked further back into her seat, trying to keep her cool down. Dom quirked an eyebrow at her, his usual personality peeking through, "What the hell happened to you? I mean I look over and you're passed out, I tried to wake you up to tell you we're at the hotel, but you won't wake. First you have a fever, and then I notice you weren't breathing, and your heart stopped too. And then you went cold," he rubbed his eyes, face still only an inch from hers, "I swear, I'm going insane."

Kel let out a shaky breathe. Not as insane as I am, not as insane as me, she thought. He smiled slowly down at her and Kel cleared her throat, "…well, I guess we're here…"

Dom blinked and pulled back from atop her, she could see a faint blush on his now rough cheeks, as he hadn't shaved in a while. She closed her eyes and stood up, pushing herself up from the pavement, as for some reason Dom had removed her from the car and placed her on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. Scanran passerbies were giving the two dirty looks, obviously thinking the worst of what they'd just done.

Some moments later Kel walked groggily into their hotel room, glad they wouldn't have to share a bed, only a room. But still, she'd rather have a room to herself to ponder on her insanity.

Really what was going on with her? And what was that strange peculiar look in Dom's orbs? Depression? As she knew he was depressed, uncertain of what to do with himself at the moment. But she knew it was just a stage of his grieving, and he'd get over it. She hoped. She plumped down on the overly springy mattress and looked over at Dom, he held his head in his hands and his elbows were planted firmly on his knees. She could hear his shaky breathing, and she knew he was thinking of Liz. Thinking of the ways he could have prevented this whole damn mess. Thinking of ways in which she could be sitting along with them and chatted away as she once had. Wishing that he could go back in time to his favorite memories, before the incident. Before Liz went into her own depression. And a time when he had both of his best friends beside him at all times, even at work.

Kel let her own sigh escape now chapped lips from the cold Scanran air, it was nearing winter. She knew he wanted to be in a different time, a different place. And she felt a pang in her heart at the thought. Wait, why should she care if he didn't want to be here? They were only partners after all, slightly friends. Now that she thought of it, she had no idea of what the man on the other bed thought of her. Were they even friends? Did he think of her in that way? Or did he just confide in her when his friends weren't around, as they were partners?

"GAH!" she shouted and clapped a hand to her mouth afterwards. She was insane. She couldn't sort through her thoughts. She couldn't untangle all this emotions. Her stomach clenched at the thought. She'd always been able to tell what was wrong with her. She'd always been able to control every movement in her body. And now, at times she couldn't. 'You're just thinking too much on the mission,' she thought. That was it. That's what was wrong with her. That was the reason for her newfound insanity. For the dream as she'd had was from her only thinking of finding Liz, Neal, and Owen.

She laid back, messy bun going askew on the old, somewhat moldy sheets. She closed her eyes and felt her chest move up and down from her heavy breathing. It was hard to be insane. Hard to know that you'd once been sane, and had lost your mind within a time frame of almost three months.

A voice, unrecognizable to her, even if it was her own, rang quietly in her head, as she began to doze off. 'Idiot, you're not insane, you've got a…'

And Kel shot up from the mattress immediately, knowing full well what the voice, her own conscious was about to say. She shook her head furiously, looking much like a dog, hoping that it would make what was clearly fact untrue.

'No,' she thought while peering over at her now room-mate, who'd fallen back against his own bed, face still in his hands. 'Couldn't possibly, no not all, I'm just losing touch with my feelings, it's just that I haven't been with anyone in a long time,' she thought desperately inside her head.

She stared at Dom, and felt her heart quicken in her chest. She shook her head; he was just extremely handsome was all. Nothing of the sort. She held no feelings for the man, except possibly friendship. She couldn't possibly have a…

And then she looked at him closely, his hands falling from his face as he had finally drifted off to sleep. She stared at his long wide tipped nose; she could faintly make out soft fading freckles on it. And she looked at his firm jaw line, and suddenly imagined herself fingering it. She shook her head and smacked herself for the mental image. That was bad, horrible; it was just because he was the nearest man in the room.

That was it, it could have been anyone else, it was just because of…but she stopped her internal ranting and raving and felt a goofy smile plaster itself on her face. His hair flopped into his closed eyes as he turned, facing Kel completely. She felt her stomach do flip flops as she gazed at his features.

No, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, body facing towards his as she was still watching him. She couldn't possibly have fe-

And her eyes closed, allowing her to drift to bliss and peaceful sleep. She never finished the last train of thought.

AHA! And what could Kel's insanity possibly be? I'll give you a virtual coupon for whatever you please if you get it right, and major props from me. If you can't figure it out, you might be a little youngun' (as my friend Helen would say).

Anyways I finished this chapter…THREE days earlier than planned. So klutzyspaz you can put your torture devices away (it would make me feel a lot more comfortable…hehehelaughing nervously)

Anyway I want to think everyone that has review in this chapter, you guys are awesome, even if some of you, not mentioning any names, have threatened me, so here it goes:

klutzyspaz- like I said I finished this chapter earlier than promised

LandUnderWave- thanks for all the reviews they made me happy! I give you a virtual hug!

AikiaRiyen- I hope that you're able to get the chapters and it's not all screwed up for you, wherever in the world you are

nicolerenea- thank you, thank you, thank you, virtual hugs around

SarahE7191- I looked in my Realm of the Gods book and it didn't have anything about mithros and the mother goddess being related, but it did have Gainel as one of their brothers, but I might not have looked hard enough, sorry for the confusion

And thanks to everyone else who reviewed I'd put you down as well but I don't have time. So next chapter I'll thank you. And if anyone is definite on their knowledge of the relationship between the mother goddess and mithros humor me. Even if they end up being brother and sister I stick with my story the way it is, it has to do with the plot and I'm going to be stubborn and not change it crosses arms across chest and nods somewhat fervently.

Much love,

redpheonix