Okay this is weird to me…Chapter 23- 100 hits, Chapter 24- 130 hits, chapter 25 (The last chapter) - 170 hits? Hmmmm…hypothesis: People skipped chapters (not likely), People reread a chapter because they liked it so much (possible), People are logging on to see if the new chapter has been posted and they are going to the last chapter to see if they've read it because they don't know what number the last chapter they read was. Okay, I'm super flattered that people are eager for the next chapter. You can put me on your story alert and you'd know the moment it's posted or know this: I post on Thursday usually around 8:00PM EST (I'm an east coast girl), Saturday- around 6:00PM EST and Monday- around 8:00PM EST. That's the schedule I try to stick to. Excuse now while I don my armor….

NO JOKING MATTER

"GOOD EVENING, MRS. O'SHEA. I'm sorry to call on you so late."

"Lightening Claw, what a surprise!"

"May I come in?"

"Well, my husband is asleep."

Kyle turned abruptly into the doorway and faced her. "Hello Mom." Kyle grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door as Maggie stepped backward. Suddenly she dropped to the floor. Kyle caught her and lowered her slowly. "Mom!" Kyle shouted. "Please tell me she didn't shred her brain," he cried out in a panic.

I knelt to the floor and put my hand over her mouth and nose. "No, she's still breathing. She must have fainted."

Relieved Kyle whispered. "I'm going to the bedroom to knock out my dad before he wakes up."

"Okay."

By the time Kyle came back, his mother was just coming around.

"Maggie, are you okay?"

She opened her eyes and I helped her to sit up. "I'm okay…Kyle?"

"Yes, Mom, it's me." He knelt by her side but he refrained from letting her see his eyes.

She pleaded with him. "Don't tell them where Ian is."

Kyle immediately turned to face her. She stared at him before she spoke. "You're human!"

He stared at her. "Yes. Mom, are you in there?"

Maggie spoke. "She is. She was dormant for a long time until…I don't understand." She looked at me. "You are not human. How can you…" Maggie looked scared and confused.

Kyle took her hand. "Don't be afraid. She is my friend. She's not here to hurt either one of you."

Maggie sat on the floor looking bewildered. "Where's Tom?"

"Mom, where are your cell phones?"

"What?"

"The cell phones. Where are they?" he asked again.

"The cell phones are in the kitchen on the counter. Why?"

"This is dangerous. We have to get out of here mom. I'm going to put you to sleep for a little while. I'll still be with you when you wake up, okay?"

The poor woman was so confused. "You're going to put me to sleep?"

"Yes, Mrs. O'Shea. I'm sorry," I said softly as Kyle placed the towel over her nose and mouth. She looked terrified and then she was out cold.

"Let's get my father to the living room. Turn out the porch light."

I ran and turned off the outside light and then followed Kyle into the bedroom. Mr. O'Shea was wearing pajamas much to my relief. Kyle took the bulk of his weight and I took his legs. We carried him to the living room and placed him in a big overstuffed chair.

"Turn off all the lights." Kyle had obviously done this before probably when they were raiding houses and stealing souls to 'experiment' on. I suddenly had a sick feeling in my stomach.

"Wanda, go open the van doors all the way and wait for me there."

I did as I was told. Kyle came out carrying his dad. I got in the back of the van and helped to pull his upper body inside. Kyle ran back to the house and came back only a minute later carrying his mother.

"Get in the driver's seat. As soon as I close the doors, you go."

I started the van and waited. Kyle ran back into the house and was back after a few minutes. He jumped in and yelled. "Go, go, go!"

I pulled out slowly and tried to remain calm as I drove down the street. Kyle sat quietly in the back of the van. My cell phone started ringing.

"Don't answer it." Kyle ordered.

"But, it's Ian."

"And what are you going to tell him?"

"I…"

"That's what I thought. Don't answer it." I thought back to when Sunny had advised the same thing and I didn't listen. My heart was already racing. I didn't need the added stress of Ian right now. I drove directly to the highway.

"Drive for thirty minutes then get off at the first exit you see. Keep an eye on who is around you. Watch to see who gets off the exit when you do." I felt that Kyle was being overly cautious.

"Kyle, don't you think you're being a little extreme?"

"Extreme is what has kept us humans alive for the last six years. Do you want to take a chance on exposing your family? All the people you love?"

"No." I would never want to put them in danger.

"Then let's take every precaution."

"Can't they track us through Tom and Maggie's cell phones?"

"They could if I had brought them."

"Where are they?"

"I turned them off and flushed them down the toilet." He had done this before. His dad started to come around. Kyle gave him another dose to knock him out.

"How long are you going to keep him down?"

"I don't know yet."

"Well, I think before we get to the caverns we should talk to them. I can't drive all night and you can't drive during the day."

"Okay, let's make sure no one is following us first."

I drove for half an hour as Kyle had instructed and I kept my eyes on the cars around me. We weren't near any cities so there wasn't much traffic at this time of night. I was the only car that exited the highway. I drove around the outskirts of town before I got back on the highway.

"Look for the town of Hatfield. There's a campground there. It's about an hour from here. We can pull in and talk there for a bit and then I'll drive while you sleep."

"Okay." The campground was right where he said it was. About ten minutes before we got there his mom woke up.

"Hi again, Mom."

"Kyle?"

"Still here just like I promised."

"Where am I?"

"You're safe. We are taking you back to where we live."

"Is that where Ian is?"

I called to her from the driver's seat. "No, but when he hears you are with us, he will come."

Maggie thought for a moment. "Are you using me as bait to trap him?"

Kyle answered with a grin. "Mom he's already trapped."

"Kyle! He is not trapped!" I scolded him.

Maggie looked worried again. "What about me?" I knew this was Maggie the soul concerned for her welfare so I spoke to her soul to soul.

"Maggie, where were you before earth? What was your name?"

"My name was Beautiful Melody and I came from the world of the Bats."

"The singing world. Did you like it there?"

"It was better than here. At least I didn't have to share my host. It took me forever to silence Maggie and then when Lightening Claw showed up and mentioned Kyle and Ian, I couldn't shut her up. The worst part is I can't sing. This host cannot carry a tune."

"It's true, Mom never could sing." Kyle reiterated.

I offered her a solution. "Would you like to go back?"

"I'm no skipper."

"I can save both of you. If you are willing, I can take you from Maggie's body and send you anywhere you want to go. We have cryo tanks. You wouldn't be a skipper. You would be restoring a human life. You must know that humans have fought harder to maintain their existence than the hosts on any other planet. I did it myself for someone I love."

Kyle's father started to move around. He was waking up. We were parked at the campground and I had already climbed into the back with the others.

"Mom, I'm going to need you to help keep him under control. Will you do that for me?"

As Tom woke he was disoriented and he became violent. Kyle had moved to a position blocking the door. Maggie tried to soothe him. "Tom, it's okay. Kyle is here with us and look he's human."

"What?" It took him a second to process her words. "Kyle?"

"Right here Dad."

"How? ...How can you be human? She told us you were captured. She said they put a soul into you and you were blocking your memories."

"She had to feel you out. She actually told you her story. That's what happened to her first host."

He focused on me. "So, you share your body with the host too?"

"Not anymore. I gave the first host her life back."

"You skipped?" I could tell this was going to be a long night and I was exhausted.

"No, I didn't skip. Someone skips when they can't control the host. I loved and respected the host and she went through hell and didn't deserve to lose her life or her love." I turned to Kyle. "If I am going to drive in the morning I need to sleep and right now I am exhausted. Can you tell your parents my story? You know it as well as I do."

"Come here, sweetheart. Lay down here in my lap and go to sleep."

I scooted over and put my head on his chest. "Will you hold me till I fall asleep?"

"Sure." He kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair. "You did good today. I'm proud of you." I closed my eyes but I could still hear the conversation.

Maggie addressed Kyle. "Is Lightening Claw your…girlfriend?"

Kyle laughed. "No. Somebody obviously smarter than me beat me to her. Actually she's Ian's fiancée."

Dad piped up. "How old is she?"

"Eighteen."

Maggie weighed in. "She's just a baby!"

"I think that's why Ian calls her Babydoll." I popped my head up because I didn't appreciate being treated like a child even if Ian was nearly nine years older than me.

"I've been to nine planets."

"Nine? How old are you?" Tom asked.

"I don't even know. Ten thousand years, give or take. You spend a lot of time in a cryo tank when you travel from planet to planet, you know?"

Kyle pulled my head back to his chest. "Sleep, Wanda."

"Wait. I want you to know that when my life here on earth ends it will be my end. I want to spend my life with Ian and I want to be buried with him as well."

Kyle brushed his fingers across my face. "Wanda, I'll tell them all about you. I promise I won't skip the bad parts even though I'd like to."

Tom creased his brow. "You called her Wanda. I thought her name was Lightning Claw?"

"No. She made that up. When you are trying to remain anonymous you need to get creative. She made that name up as far as I know. Her real name is Wanderer from the last planet that she was on."

"Whoa. Wanderer as in Rides the Beast?" Tom asked.

I buried my head. Obviously Tom had come from the Mists Planet.

"Yes." Kyle answered. "She is also known on that planet as Rides the Beast."

"She's a legend. I can now see why."

Kyle began to tell my story and I fell asleep. When I woke up it was nearly morning. Both Maggie and Tom were asleep as well. Kyle was driving.

"Good morning, sweetheart." he sang out.

I yawned and stretched. "What time is it?"

"It's five. It's almost dawn and we are low on gas."

"Well, you could pull over and we can switch places. You must be tired."

"I'm exhausted but I don't get to fall asleep in your lap." He looked back at me and pouted.

I ignored him. "Are your parents asleep or did you knock them out?"

"I was going to knock them out but they were so tired by the time I finished telling them all about you. They actually apologized and asked if it was okay to continue in the morning because they wanted to sleep."

"Good, I think this whole thing is going really well. Don't you?"

"Yes, my parents think you're awesome. I think I am really jealous of Ian. Maggie is even willing to go back to that planet with the bats."

"The Singing World."

"Right."

"What about Tom? Is he willing to give up his host?"

"I don't know. I think he likes it here more than Maggie does."

"I don't want to force him but I'll talk to him. Maybe he'd be willing to give up the host if we offer to place him in another human body. We could put him in a cryo tank and leave him at a hospital and they would place him into a newborn."

"You don't think he'd expose us?" Kyle had a legitimate concern.

"Well, it would be several years before he could talk and probably several more years before anyone took him seriously. Also, he doesn't know where we are going. How much did you tell him when you told him my story?"

"Too much, I'm afraid. He knows we are living in the desert."

"Well, I think we should give him the option if he says he wants to stay here on earth. Souls are generally honest. I don't think he would break a promise."

Kyle and I switched places and I stopped at the next town for gas. I got us all breakfast at a fast food restaurant while his parents were still asleep. They didn't wake up until eight o'clock and then they had to use the facilities. This presented a problem simply because Kyle couldn't leave the van. I had to accompany each of them and unfortunately I had to brandish a gun as a deterrent to running. I was very uncomfortable with doing this but I needed to let them know that there were too many others at stake to allow even one of them the chance to ruin us and if I had to I would shoot. Whether or not they believed me, they did not cause any trouble.

Once we got back on the road, my cell phone rang. It was Ian. Kyle once again implored me not to answer. I had wanted to surprise Ian with his parents after the souls had been removed and the hosts were restored to their former selves. I knew Ian would badger me for answers about our sudden disappearance but I missed him and I longed to talk to him.

"I have to answer it."

"If you insist but I'm telling you if he gets crazy, I will take the phone from you and I'll give him a reason to be pissed off. Are you sure that you want to take that chance?"

I again ignored him. Kyle asked his parents to remain quiet as I picked up the phone. I was unsure of what I would hear so I spoke with caution.

"Hello?"

"You lied to me." He was calm. He was too calm. It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say.

He spoke louder now. "You lied to everyone and you took off again! Do you even have an explanation?"

"I brought Kyle with me this time." It wasn't an explanation but it was a defense.

"And you put him danger! Jeb read the note to me. Cyanide pills? You had no right to drag him into whatever stupid harebrained idea you've cooked up.!" He was irate.

"We didn't have to use them besides we carry them on every trip, you know that."

He was yelling. "That's not the point. We carry them as a precaution. You said yourself that this trip was dangerous. What the hell are you doing with my brother?"

"I can't tell you," I croaked.

"You better tell me, NOW!"

"Ian, please stop yelling," I begged. Kyle ripped the phone away from my ear and since I was driving I couldn't do anything about it.

Kyle was calm. "Hello, little brother."…"You know me and my little sis have gotten very close these last two months."…"Sunny's, well, she's not Jodie."…"Her mother wanted to see her lover."

What was he talking about? Who's mother? My mother? This is bad.

"Kyle, stop it!"

Kyle held his hand up to me. "I guess I'm saying your Babydoll is mine now and I've got the certificate to prove it." Kyle snapped the phone shut.

I was shaking. I had to pull off the next exit. "You told him we were married? Are you insane? He is going to kill you!"

Kyle sat back and laughed.

Maggie scolded him. "How could you do that to your brother? You're always bullying him!"

"Hey, I'll bet he comes home now. Isn't that what you've wanted all these months?"

"NO! He's been so busy trying to make our wedding perfect! I'm so angry with you! Give me that phone."

Tom obviously had heard something that stuck in his mind and he needed to get it off his chest. "I thought Sunny was Jodie."

"She's in Jodie's body but technically she's not Jodie." Kyle replied.

I interrupted him. "Kyle, give me the phone!"

Kyle refused.

I parked in the first parking lot I came to and lunged into the back of the van. "Kyle, give me the damn phone now!"

Maggie backed me up. "I think you should give it to her."

"Fine. He's got to know it's a joke. I mean who is going to marry a human to a soul?"

"Right. We're talking about Ian. Have you forgotten how he reacted over the Nate situation?" I grabbed the phone and dialed Burns' number. It went straight to voice mail. I tried again. It went straight to voice mail. I pictured him in the root cellar destroying the walls. I called Nate's phone.

"Hello, Beautiful!"

"Nate, where's Ian?"

"What? I don't even get a 'hello'?"

"This is an emergency. Find Ian now!"

"What's wrong? Are you all right?"

"Kyle told him that we got married."

"Oh, crap. You married Kyle?"

"NO!"

"Then why did he tell him that?"

"Cause he's stupid! Just find Ian PLEASE!"

"Okay, let me call you back."

"Hurry!"

I got back on the road and again headed to the highway but not before I smacked Kyle in head and used a few choice words which shocked both Maggie and Tom who had been living in their non-violent world for so long. As I drove the tears finally made their appearance. I had been holding them back throughout my angry tirade with Kyle. I was wiping the tears from my face with my arm when Kyle finally decided to apologize.

"Look, I'm sorry. I figured he'd just keep calling back. I didn't think he'd shut off the phone."

"I don't want to talk about it with you. You know how Ian is."

Maggie spoke up. "Excuse me. Your mother is very confused. She wants to know what happened to both of you because she says that Kyle was always the hothead and Ian was always the calm one."

"Yeah, well, Mom, Ian was never in love before."

The phone rang. I grabbed it before Kyle could.

"Hello?"

"He's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?"

"Megan and Sarah were in the house watching TV. They said Ian came in like a wild man and demanded the keys to the truck from Burns. Of course Burns wasn't going to just give them to him. Ian said if Burns wouldn't give him the keys he would hot wire the truck."

"Why didn't Burns call me?"

"He couldn't. Ian destroyed the phone. I'm looking at it now. He tore it in half."

"Oh my god."

"Burns decided the only way to appease Ian was to take him to the caverns. Megan said they left in a hurry. Ian practically pushed Burns out the door. So, I guess they are coming your way and there is no way to reach them."

"Great, then there is no way to diffuse him before he gets here."

"Sorry, Beautiful, I wish I could help."

"Nate, I gotta go."

"Call me."

"I will." I snapped the phone shut. I turned my head to address Kyle and his parents. "Apparently Ian ripped the cell phone in half. And he forced Burns to drive him back to the caverns. I just hope we get there before he does."

"I'm sorry, Wanda."

"If he thinks we are married, he will try to kill you. When he gets there, you need to be out of the way until I can explain things."

Again Tom was still stuck on something that had been said. "What was the 'Nate situation'?"

I spoke before Kyle had a chance. "Nate is another human who I met that belongs in the other clan. He's very charming and handsome and he took an instant liking to me. Ian saw the easy interaction between us and he became jealous. The whole thing just sort of snowballed."

Kyle interrupted. "Wanda, the truth is Nate fell for you like a ton of bricks and you admitted to having feelings for him as well. That's why Ian was jealous."

"You may be right but I always knew that Ian was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Tell me why Ian should be jealous of you then. "

"Maybe it's because I am your Ian fix and I seem to be spending more time with you than he does."

I glared at Kyle. "Anyway, Ian forced me to return home without him because he wanted me to make a choice even though I had already made it. After six weeks, I couldn't take it anymore and I went back to give him an ultimatum. After that we were really happy."

"Until the kiss." Kyle blurted out.

Maggie blubbered, "What kiss?"

I started to cry. It was my only defense. "I can't do this." I knew they would think I was horrible.

Kyle came up behind me and hugged me. "You drive, I'll talk," he whispered. He sat back down and told his parents about the unexpected kiss and the battle that followed with Ian.

Maggie took a deep breath. "How do you keep it all together? You've been through so much."

I drove in silence the rest of the day. Kyle knocked his parents out with the chloroform so he could sleep. Kyle's parents woke up before he did but they sat quietly while he slept. Once he was awake, I pulled off at the next exit for a bathroom break and to get some dinner. It was just getting dark. After we ate, Kyle and I switched places and he drove. We were only a few hours from home now. When we got close to the place where we exited the highway to head to the wash and then to the caverns, I put a blindfold on each of his parents as a safety precaution. Kyle drove directly to the caverns and pulled up under the overhang. Jeb and Brandt were there to greet us and were quite surprised when they saw that we had guests. We led them to the facilities first and then back to Doc's office. Doc was sitting at his desk reading and he was surprised when our group entered the room. Jeb had come with us.

"Well, what do we have here?" Doc asked as he looked up from his journal.

"It seems the big secret Wanda was keeping was not her parents, but Kyle and Ian's parents." Jeb explained.

I pushed my way to the front of the pack. "This…is Maggie and Tom. Maggie says that she wants to go back to the Singing World."

"That's the planet with the bats right?" Doc asked.

"Right. I don't know what Tom wants to do. We never got around to having that discussion thanks to Kyle."

Tom spoke up. "You said that you had cryo tanks. Where are they?"

Doc opened the big drawer to his desk and pulled out two empty cryo tanks. "These are the last two."

"And where is this girl Mel? If she was once occupied by a soul she should have a scar."

Kyle spoke. "I'll get her. I have to check in with Sunny anyway."

I called out to him. "Sure, you go check in with your girlfriend. Make sure you tell her that we're married!"

Jeb and Doc both spoke at once. "What? You And Kyle are married?"

I turned to them. "No, but idiot Kyle thought it would be cute to tell Ian that. Ian destroyed the phone and now he and Burns are on their way here and he doesn't know that it's a hoax."

Jeb took a deep breath. "I'll never understand you young people. I suppose I better get my gun. It may be Kyle's only protection until Ian finds out the truth."

Mel and Jared appeared in the doorway. "Kyle said that you needed me in here?"

"Jared, Melanie. Yes, I would like to introduce you to Tom and Maggie. They are Kyle and Ian's parents."

Jared placed himself between Mel and the newcomers. "Was this Kyle's idea?"

"No, it was mine. I went to visit them and I knew that Ian's parents were still fighting for the host body. I talked Kyle into coming with me."

Jared pulled me away from Tom and Maggie. "So you plan to remove the souls?"

"Yes, Maggie wants to go. Tom has some questions. He wants to make sure we can do this. He wanted to see Mel."

Tom spoke up. "I wanted to see if she has a scar. Wanda says she was once in Melanie's body. Is this the truth?"

Melanie stepped forward and around Jared. "Yes. Wanda made the ultimate sacrifice for me. She decided to give my body back to me even though she thought she would die. She said she didn't want to live as a parasite anymore, but we couldn't live without her." Melanie turned around and pulled her hair off of her neck exposing the scar. "Candy has a scar as well. Her soul was sent away to another planet."

"Well, if you can send me back to the Mist planet I would like that. I can tell the others that I knew Rides the Beast."

Doc stepped forward. "If one of you would like to lie down here, the other can wait in the kitchen. Would someone please get Candy in here?"

Tom spoke again. "If you don't mind I would like to watch. Can I say good bye?"

Doc called out. "Everyone clear the room please?"

We all filed out into the hall. Jeb went to find Candy. In the meantime, Kyle and Sunny returned. Sunny ran up to me immediately. "I'm sorry about what happened. Kyle can sometimes be really thoughtless."

"I know I'm just afraid. After Ian's near death experience he was really mellowing but this morning on the phone he was out of control and then Kyle pushed him right over the edge."

"Well, Kyle will be sleeping with Ice tonight. You can stay with me."

"Burns is supposed to be driving straight through. I want to get up early so I'll be awake when Ian gets here. Okay?"

"Sure, I'll set the alarm for you."

"Kyle!" Doc called. Kyle went into the room. Candy passed us in the hall and entered as well.

About fifteen minutes passed and Doc came to the hall. "We're just waiting for Kyle's mom to wake up. He's talking to her now."

We quietly entered the room and waited while Kyle spoke to his mom.

"Mom, come on. Wake up. We need you so we can be a family again. Don't you want to see your grandchildren?"

Maggie opened her eyes slowly. She looked at Kyle, then she touched her own body. "This is me, right?"

"Yeah." he smiled.

She reached out and he leaned in and they hugged for along time. Tears were streaming down both of their faces. I walked over to Tom who seemed in disbelief.

"See? It's not so difficult. We have two healers her, all the medicine we need and the cryo tank. You want to give it a go?"

"You promise I'll go back to the Mists Planet?"

"I promise."

Kyle ushered his mother out of the room into the hall. I stayed in the room with Doc and Candy while they performed the same procedure on Tom. When they finished I went to the hall and retrieved both Kyle and his Mom.

"Sunny. I'm going to leave them alone. I'm going to bed. Please don't forget to set the alarm."