Author's note: Guess who's back? Sorry I abandoned this story for a while. Between work, school, family, and being a responsible young adult I had to neglect this wonderful story. So without further ado I give you Chapter 5. This chapter has both James' (Dark Heart) and Christy's P.O.V. I hope you all enjoy! Remember I don't own any Care Bear original characters or content. Please review!

Chapter 5 Secrets

James surveyed the sun-filled kingdom and breathed in the fresh air. It was a relief to be free from the dark smoky room that Broken Heart called home. He started walking, it felt real enough, but he wouldn't know for sure. Up ahead rose the castle with its heart-shaped door. The Care-O-Meter bonged in the distance as he walked closer to the castle. He heard the laughter and giggles of the Care Bears. Funshine Bear and Birthday Bear played catch while Sleepy Bear dozed by a tree. Nothing malignant spread through the kingdom.

James quickly ran towards the castle, avoiding the Star and Heart buddies that swarmed past it. The sun shone brilliantly on the cloud castle walls, making them glitter and shine. There weren't any gates surrounding the castle and it was fairly small and easy to walk around to the back. There, exactly as she described it, lay a star shaped trap door, like an easy break in defense to an incoming army. If I'd known about this when I was Dark Heart…James shook his terrible thoughts away as he quietly opened one side of the doors. He entered a stair case and closed the door. Stars appeared on the walls and floors of the staircase, letting in light. As he climbed down the stair case he saw a heart door, followed by a star door, and finally he saw the moon door. It glowed a silver color amongst the light blue that lit the stair case.

James' heart beat rapidly as he approached the small moon-shaped handle. He knew that Broken Heart was wrong. He knew that Christy was probably being held somewhere in that decayed, burned hell. He bent down towards the handle and whispered "We care," he heard a soft click and gentle clanking as the door opened. Sheer purple curtains lined the room and a blue crystal emitting a harsh purple light stood in the middle of the room.

As James walked closer to the door his breathing grew shallow and he felt his heart begin to ache. There was Christy lying in the bed, seemingly emitting the harsh purple light. She lay sleeping. Tears ran down her cheeks, her brow was furrowed, and her hands gripped the sheets. Her closed eyes moved rapidly. James banged the glass. "Christy!" The glass pounded back, "Christy its me! Wake up!" He pounded with all his strength and slowly fell to the floor in exhaustion. Christy only lay there, only seeming to emit the purple light that came from the Crystal. "Christy," he sighed as he heard a small beep came from behind the crystal. James walked behind the crystal to a small heart meter. The tips of the heart were empty. James looked back towards the crystal as Christy gritted her teeth and another tear rolled down her cheek. The heart meter beeped and a small portion of the heart went dark.

James crouched there staring at the heart. Wordless he stood staring down at the crystal. A familiar hate crept into his heart. The light seemed to grow harsher and Christy shook her head as a beep came again from the heart meter and another small portion went dark. He stood there forgetting the time, forgetting Broken Heart's warning to slip out before the potion went out. His hands became visible and turned into fists. The beeps stopped and Christy's brow unfurled, but her hands still gripped the sheets.

"My love," James began walking towards the door, "I will kill every last one of them until you're set free." The light grew harsher as James turned to look at Christy. "I swear on my heart." James walked into the stairwell and was confronted by the darkness once more. The other doors must lead to answers. Were the Care Bears truly afraid of his former power? So much that they were willing to kill an innocent girl, his innocent girl? Who deemed it so? More importantly, how did Broken Heart find out about Christy? James made his way up the stairwell and left quickly deciding to first ask Broken Heart questions. He shielded his eyes from the blinding sun and pure white clouds. He could see why Grumpy Bear was so irritated all the time.

James peered around the side of the castle. The sound of a light bell rang from the castle.

"Lunch is ready! Come and get it!" A cheery voice called from inside. The Care Bears filed into the castle, laughing and chattering as they climbed the sun-lit stairs. James snuck behind trees and peered through the bushes. When he was sure that every last bear and cousin were inside gobbling up their dinner he made for the clearing where the doorway was. He saw the clouds that made a faint outline of the door he entered though. He looked back one more time at the castle, to where he left Christy and sprinted towards the door.

"Oof!" A small quiet voice cried out as James tripped onto the clouds.

"What the fu-," James looked back as his eyes widened to see Secret Bear rubbing his head.

Secret bear looked at James and quizzically tilted his head, but said nothing.

"Secret Bear right?" James held out his hand and helped the little bear up. "I'm so sorry about that. Dawn and John were here with me and I guess they forgot about me. We were planning a surprise party for the new Care Bear and Cousins, a sort of welcoming party for babies."

Secret Bear smiled and then looked up at James and then covered his mouth.

"That's right," James smiled, "You have to keep it a secret otherwise the surprise will be ruined, can you promise to keep bumping into me a secret?"

Secret Bear nodded vigorously and crossed his heart.

"Thank you so much Secret Bear," James brushed off his pants, "you best get to lunch before they start wondering what you're up to." James waved to Secret Bear as he ran off towards the castle. "Care bears are so naïve. No wonder it was so easy last time." James smiled to himself as he remembered seeing them captured in little red crystals. He found the invisible handle and opened the door back to his world, "Only this time I'll shatter those crystals for Christy."

Christy cried out in pain as she fell to the floor. Every time she thought of James a reverberating shock went through her brain. "I just thought I heard his voice! Please stop!" She cried out again as the shock coursed through her body. She was surrounded by white walls, white ceiling, and a mirror floor. She lay on the mirror wishing they would just kill her. Whoever they were, she didn't know what happened. One moment she was at camp and the next she woke up without James next to her. Another shock went through her as she thought of his name. "Why do they hate him so much?"

"Because of who he used to be." A soft voice came from the corner of the room.

Christy looked up towards the voice, surprised she hadn't noticed anyone there before. She saw a blonde boy with a cape and sad blue eyes, he looked to be in his twenties. "Who are you?" Christy asked as she walked over to the boy.

"Somebody who played with matches." The boy looked up at Christy's puzzled face, "My name is Nicholas."

"I'm Christy."

"I know." Nicholas looked at her sadly as she sat next to him, "I heard him cry out your name." A small shock went through Christy. "I'm terribly sorry, that's what they don't want you to remember. Isn't it?"

Christy looked at Nicholas, "Do you know where we are and who took us? What do they want?"

Nicholas shrugged. "I'm not sure. I was working on my magic when-," Nicholas shook and gritted his teeth with pain. "Sorry, that one is my trigger. I was….working and fell asleep on my desk the next thing I knew I was here and you were there. I don't know who could've taken us. I know what they may want from me, but I couldn't tell you without going into another painful convulsion."

Christy nodded. "I was sleeping with…I was sleeping when I was taken. I thought I was by my favorite spot in the lake. I've never slept walked before so I don't know how I got there. I didn't even notice you were there."

"You were asleep longer. I woke up as soon as I was transported here. I started having pain right away just as you did. Once you learn to not think of your trigger it gets easier. Only your trigger seemed to be close by, mine doesn't call out for me."

Christy shook her head and picked at her scab, "I don't understand."

"I wish I could give you answers." Nicholas smiled sadly as he tugged at his own hair.

"How did you-,"

"Know your trigger?" Nicholas sighed, "I was told about Dark Heart by the Care Bears. They told me so I wouldn't be alone because I was…possessed by something just as dark."

"He's not that anymore he-," Christy screamed in pain again as she began thinking about James.

"I understand," Nicholas shook his head when Christy's shaking stopped, "that's why I said because of who he used to be. Let us stop talking, we only seem to stumble on our past."

They sat together in silence and every once in while either she or Nicholas would make a pained face or grit their teeth. Suddenly they heard a chime soft at first and then it grew louder and louder.

"Nicholas?! What's happening to the room?!" Christy held her ears as the ground beneath her turned to dirt and the walls became covered with trees.

"That's the carriage from when I was an apprentice!" Nicholas cried out as he reached out towards the lake.

"Carriage? That's a lake!" Christy looked towards Nicholas as he faded away and the chimes died down. "Nicholas?!" Christy stood up. "Nicholas where are you?!" She looked around at the forest and ahead to the lake. It was so familiar. Christy looked down at her feet and recoiled in surprise. They were…smaller. She looked down at her hands and then felt her face. It was smaller, younger. She felt her chest. Definitely younger. "What the hell happened? Why am I ten again?"

She walked away from the lake and saw a nostalgic site. The camp with its totem pole and old cabins, the camp from when she was a kid. She backed away and walked quickly to the lake. There was a boat with an oar. Christy stood looking at the boat and up at the grey dark sky. It was like that day…the day that she pulled him from the lake. She waited for the pain to start, but the only pain she felt was an ache for the man she loved and the boy she saved. She took a deep breath and stepped into the boat. There's only one way to find answers.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: Well, I do hope that provides you all with answers and more questions. I figured I'd give a shout out to Nicholas. I like to think that he was possessed around the same time that Christy hitched up with Dark Heart. For whatever reason they're undergoing classical conditioning, and revisiting their pasts. I'll give you a bit more of what Christy is up to later. Until next time, adieu! Please review!