Summary: Movieverse, post twitches II, Aron/Miranda, angst, continuation.

Disclaimer: I do not own this. If I did, it would not be a kid's movie. This is not a kid's story. I have not read the books and do not intend to because I like messing with the movie characters. The books may well be better than the movies, but since it is the movies' faults and inaccuracies that inspire my subplots… being too correct would destroy my material.

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Aron is trapped, with cold wet stone pressing into his back and Thanto's face before him.

"Nice evening, brother," Thantos tells him hatefully, spraying him with a burst of destructive power, "Isn't it? Beautiful eclipse."

A ring of light passes the edge of the moon, torturing him. He groans.

"Do you miss Miranda, brother?" Thantos presses on sardonically, throwing another power shot at Aron, tossing him up a few more steps towards the top of the north tower. "She missed you."

Another blast of power and he reaches the top of his stairs. Aron's heart races and he feels himself start to panic. Behind him is a sheer drop.

"She's mine now," Thantos finishes, "Goodbye brother."

Aron falls

And screams

Then wakes.

Miranda bends over him, her hands on his shoulders, shaking him. Sweat stands out on her forehead. It is night again, and somehow he has found a way into bed.

"What? What happened?" He gasps.

"You were dreaming." She answers.

"Light!" He shudders and compulsively draws her to his chest in a rough hug. "Miranda!" She slumps against him, and he crushes her in his arms, trying to drown out his fear with contact.

Suddenly realizing how abrupt and physical he has been, Aron loosens his grip. "I'm sorry," he mutters.

"That's alright," Miranda answers softly, and she returns his embrace with some force.

For a moment, he grips back desperately. Then, he lets her go again. "Thank you."

"Thantos can't hurt you anymore either." Miranda says gently, resting on her side next to him and running a comforting hand down his arm.

"It was you he hurt." Aron answers, confused.

"In a way," she explains conversationally, "You were worse off than I was. I was sure you were dead, so I never had to fear for you. When everything became unbearable, I would imagine you contented in the afterlife, waiting for me, and the girls growing up in some far away dimension, safely away from our war."

"I knew the girls were safe," He says clumsily, finding his voice awkward after hearing her musical one, "But I couldn't help them. When Alex lost her adopted mother, I wanted to comfort her and could not. When Cameron drew you, I was relieved in a way because I knew you were alive. Yet, in 21 years, I never saw a sketch of you smiling or laughing, but there were more of you crying than I could count. Cam is such an upbeat girl; I knew she'd never have drawn Coventry so dark or you so sad if it weren't true."

Miranda touches one of his hands gently.

He continues. "I prayed that someday you'd drive the darkness back and forget about me so I could see you happy again."

"Most nights," She answers tenderly, "remembering you was the only thing keeping me sane."

He notices that Miranda is fully dressed, "Were you still awake?" He queries, "It's the middle of the night."

"I need to read these for tomorrow," She explains, indicating a stack of papers on a nearby table. "They're briefs regarding the inquiry into Thantos's death and reports from the rebuilding efforts in the outer provinces."

He feels a bit ashamed of himself for not thinking of this earlier. Of course, there would be paperwork for them to read. It is not as if he has not ruled this land before. It has been a while, but still…

He gestures and light engulfs the room.

"Don't you want to sleep?" Miranda inquires.

"I should be helping you with this." He answers decisively.

Nodding, she takes the documents from the table and two heavy books from their shelf. Vaulting lightly over him to her side of the bed, she hands him a book and half the pile of papers. She rests the papers on the book and leans on her knees, summoning a quill.

"I'll mark these for you and draw your attention to anything out of the ordinary. Do the same with yours. With luck we can finish these in about two hours."

It quickly becomes apparent to Aron that Miranda may have overestimated his capabilities. At least, her pen is flying over the pages and she is turning the papers at an alarming rate. He, conversely, recognizes almost nothing in the reports, and finds himself asking questions five or six times a page, unfortunately for his efficiency.

"Who is Altera Ziya?" He wonders, frowning at the unfamiliar name on the page.

"A political rebel from South," Miranda responds without slowing down. "She was very outspoken against Thantos until the darkness took her about a year ago. Her former followers have been keeping hidden for the most part."

"Are they angry with you in particular or was it just Thantos?"

"I'm not sure they've decided yet. Their particular problem was with his emergency powers acts and his suspension of the courts. I've been working on reinstating everything as fast as I can, but I can hardly expect them to assign me no culpability when my own daughter thinks I'm guilty."

"Alex didn't know the situation." Aron says, seeking to assuage Miranda's feelings.

"I'm glad she's an idealist. It shows character. Alex was right to be angry with me."

"No Miranda. She was afraid and her fear made her cruel." Aron wishes he knew what to say, as every word from his mouth seems to make this worse.

"She had good reason." That pen of hers still has not slowed down.

"Miranda…" She does not even look up.

"I could have killed you..." The pen still scratches away

"Miranda…" If anything, she is writing faster.

"Because I didn't have the courage to face him again…" Oh, for light's sake, he thinks.

"Miranda!" In frustration, he seizes the quill from her, and she flinches and shrinks away from him.

For a moment, the only sound in the room is their fast breathing. Miranda stares at him with wide eyes, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

"The vanquishing spell was the right decision and the one I would have chosen." Aron says with quiet intensity. "So, stop berating yourself over it. You did a blasted good job in a position that would have defeated most people."

Miranda does not break eye contact, but he thinks he sees tears in her eyes.

"You are not a coward, tyrant, or weakling. By light, if anyone outside our family said the things you've been saying about yourself, I'd probably end up fighting a duel!"

She throws her head back and her chest spasms. Aron notices tear tracks on her eyes.

"Are you laughing or crying?" He asks, hesitantly placing a hand or her shoulder. .

"Both!" She answers hysterically, embracing him tightly. He holds her as she shakes with sorrow and mirth. "You're going to have to fight a lot of duels!" She sobs and laughs.

Maybe a hand of time later, she sits back up and wipes her eyes. "Light that felt good," she mutters to herself.

She picks up the papers again. "Back to work."

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Author's note: Ileana and Karsh will appear in the next chapter.