Chapter Thirty-four
Somewhere
Sean shook his head as though he had just woken from a dream and looked at the woman again. She was beautiful enough, but there was still something that held him back and he realized it was Em. He could no more take the hand of this bonny lass and leave Em behind than he knew that she could not leave him behind. Somewhere, in this most beautiful world, Emma was. He vowed he would find his beloved, but first he had to defeat the woman who beckoned to him like a candle to a moth. "Gi away, lass; ye bother me! Yer song entices me, but I can nae gi. Me heart belongs tae another, an' I will have nae part o' ye."
She screeched, and in the moonlight, Sean saw the beautiful woman turning into the ugliest hag he'd ever seen. Yet her fingers still reached out for him. He jumped back so fast that he backed into a tree. If she had made one more step to him, he knew he would have been lost. "In the name o' Aphrodite, be ye gone!" he screamed at the hag. Her screams echoed long after Sean could no longer see her as she faded away from sight completely, leaving only her high-pitched screams. A chill wind rushed over Sean so cold that it touched his heart, but he refused to yield.
"Em," he moaned, "I'll find ye, me love. Jest hang on an' wait fer me. I'll be there as soon as I can be." With a whistle in his tune and a livelier step to his pace, Sean turned to go in search of Em, but a loud crack suddenly filled his ears. The hillside gave way underneath him, sending him falling straight toward the river of whiskey that still gurgled . . .
Sean scrambled wildly at the hillside, but he could find nothing to gain purchase of. He was more afraid of that river of whiskey than anything he'd ever encountered before in his life, but despite his valiant fight, he landed right in the middle of it! He felt himself drowning and, even in his lost and despair, cried out for Em . . .
Somewhere
Salem skidded his paws into the dirt, coming to an abrupt stop. He looked back over his trembling shoulder. What was he doing?! He was running right back into those two fighting bulls! That would never do, yet he damn sure couldn't go forward! He'd be trampled if he went forward or backwards!
There was only one thing to do, the would-be world leader decided. He was going to have to run diagonally and hope -- no, pray that he could, by some miracle, run past the end of the line of the buffalo before they could reach him and stomp his bones into the ground! He ran with everything he had in him and swore, as he ran, that if he ever managed to escape the trials alive, he would eat his weight in beef!
Somewhere
Kurt reappeared only to hear a huge rumbling again. He looked over his shoulder and screamed. "MEIN GOTT, LIEFERN MICH!" He bamfed again, leaving the huge stones to roll in the dark cloud of brimstone that lingered behind him. When he reappeared this time, things again seemed calm.
Kurt was taking no more chances if he could help it, however, and turned slowly around several times, his yellow eyes taking in every inch of detail that he possibly could. He appeared to be on some sort of shore. There were palm trees quite a ways in the distance in one direction, and the ocean gently lapped against the sand. Nothing seemed to be moving, and he could see no signs of life which, he tried to tell his panicked mind, meant that there was nothing there to harm him. He could relax, take a few moments, and try to calm down after everything that had just happened to him.
Kurt took one step forward, and something squished underneath his foot. He moved his foot, looked down, and saw that what he had stepped on appeared only to be a ball. He reached down and picked up the ball. He turned the object around in his three-fingered hand and almost lost what little food still remained in his system when he found himself staring directly into a pupil.
"MEIN GOTT!" he yelled, dropping the eyeball. It squished again as it hit the sand, rolled a tiny distance, and stopped with the eye looking at him. Kurt stared at it in a mix of repulsion and fear. Something may well have killed whatever the eye had come from; if that was the case, they had evidently eaten the rest of the body for Kurt could see no other signs of anything living along the shore. However, if it was not the case, then something had apparently lost its eyeball, and whatever it was would surely be along to fetch it . . .
Somewhere
Erik's face became a starch white as his oxygen was cut off and the air around them became even more chilled. A thick fog was growing now, and he knew what was coming. It was that thought that made his face grow so pale, his countless wrinkles become even more apparent, not the fact that he and Joseph were doomed to being these women's slaves, or, at least, that's what the Amazon who had his fragile neck in her arm thought.
Magnus had expected an attack from behind and, ever the devious schemer, had taken steps to prepare for just that. It was for this very reason that he had taken one sword completely out of the area of their sights, but now that blade returned, zinging through the air and embedding into the back of the woman's shoulder. She screamed and released him, dropping to her knees, and as her sisters ran to see about her, Magnus rushed to Joseph.
It was the terrified look on his little brother's face that made Erik turn around, and when he did, his knees went instantly to jelly. The men stared upward at the beings who floated in the air. They were wrapped in such darkness that no form could be made out. They merely looked like two moving black clouds, but it was the omnious feelings that radiated out from them that made the entire group know that they were alive and after them. One stretched out a gnarled hand toward Erik, and he knew they only had a split second at best.
"What the Hades are those things?!" one of the Amazons cried out amongst the screams that were raising from her sisters, her sisters who normally never screamed.
As the Amazons stared at the Dementors, trying to decide whether to stay and try to fight or to run for their lives, Magnus returned the metal objects he had taken to their owners, grasped Joseph's hand, and fled, pulling his brother after him. He did not dare to look back, and Joseph quickly looked ahead when he saw a Dementor lift an Amazon to it . . . He shuddered, and the brothers doubled their speed without a word.
A Forest
Spot came as close to the branch as he could with his head, and Ace began to yell Kat's name. He hoped his poor darling did not faint and fall off the branch as Spot's head was massive and knew it must be monstrous coming straight at her, but he knew no other way to reach her. "KAT, DARLING! CLIMB ABOARD!" He grinned impishly, hoping she'd see him.
As soon as Ace had first started calling for Kat, she had tried to get another look at the ground, but the huge, scaly body of the T. Rex was blocking her vision. "ACE!" she had screamed. "GET AWAY FROM HERE!" Then had came his call to climb aboard. Her brow drew down in confusion, and she slowly looked up. Her mouth fell open again. Then she found her voice. "ACE, WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL ARE YE DIIN' UP THERE?!"
"BEING SAFE FROM THINGS DOWN THERE!" he told her. "SOMETHING'S GOT THOSE ANIMALS CRAZY! YOU CAN'T REASON WITH THEM! I TOLD SPOT NOT TO KILL THEM, BUT THEY'RE BITING HIS LEGS! IF THEY MANAGE TO PULL HIM DOWN, I'M NOT GONNA BE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HE DOES TO THEM! A T. REX ON THE GROUND IS NOT A GOOD THING!" He reached a hand forward and leaned out as far as he dared, waiting for Kat to reach to him.
Kat stared at Ace in shock. She knew the wolves must be under some kind of spell, but surely a T. Rex was not any safer?! Yet Ace was riding this one and clearly considered him an alley! She stared into her partner's face. She trusted him. She had for years trusted him with her life, and more importantly, those of her -- their children. She stretched a hand out toward him. She strained with every bit of her strength and length and the tips of her fingers had barely managed to brush Ace's when teeth again sank into her legs, snatched her, and ripped her away from him.
"I'M PULLING OUT THE STOPS!" Ace told Spot. "KNOCK A FEW MORE OF THE BASTARDS OUT!" Spot began his game again, twirling on the ground like a whirling dervish, knocking and whacking wolves. Ace couldn't figure why the wolves kept getting up and coming again. It was the first time in his life with her that Kat had not been able to not only talk to but control the animals; he knew something was definitely wrong with them. Again, Spot came to a standstill beside the branch, lowering his head as far as he dared to keep from tumbling forward and allowing Ace to reach out for Kat once more. "JUMP, DARLING; I'LL CATCH YOU!"
One of the wolves Spot had knocked had slammed into the wolf that had been on her legs. The impact had knocked him off but had also came dangerously close to breaking her grip entirely. As soon as she had managed to regain her grasp on the branch, she had clambered up and was holding to the trunk, waiting, when the T. Rex again came to a stop beside the tree and Ace reached for her once more. She took a deep breath and leapt, her arms reaching out in front of her for Ace. She would never have trusted any other human to catch her.
Ace caught his beloved and let her slide down his body, sniffing her all the way. Her delicious scent filled his nose. Gods, how he had longed to hold her, and those damned wolves had almost ate her! He had to keep reminding himself that the wolves were not at fault and something was wrong with them or else he would have unleashed Spot.
Kat's face pressed against Ace's, and her arms clung to him. She hoped he did not feel her trembling, but she had not been as scared as the wolves had made her in years. At least, last night, she had been determined to fight the Ice Elemental, even if she wouldn't have stood a chance against him, but even if the wolves had pulled her down into their midst, she still would have been incapable of fighting them.
Ace nuzzled her and held her trembling body close to his, running his hands gently up and down her back. He'd never tell her that he felt her trembling, but his bare hands itched to choke whoever had caused those wolves to go rabid. He had not been able to hear the words that they were snarling and snapping at Kat as he was too high up, but when Spot had lowered his head, he could have sworn that he had heard one of the wolves cussing Aslan and laughing about Kat evidently declaring herself as a friend of the idiot lion's. What animal would ever dare to spit on Aslan? Didn't they adore their King? He did.
He shook his head. Something was not right, or else those were shapechangers and not actual wolves. Without closer examination, he could not tell the difference, but he did know that they had to get out of here and right now! He pulled Kat onto his lap and held her close as he returned to his perch. "SPOT, GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE," he told him, "AND DON'T LET ANYTHING STOP YOU!"
Spot took off running as best he could. When was the monkey going to feed him?! "WE'RE GOING TO GET FOOD NOW, SPOT." He wondered what the T. Rex would consider food other than meat, because he had no intention of killing anything or allowing him to kill anything.
Would it eat bananas? Were there bananas even here on this island? "LOOK FOR A TREE WITH SOMETHING YELLOW ON IT. LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU FIND IT." Spot tried to reason this out. It must be some kind of new, strange animal that clung to trees; it was going to be his dinner. He wondered what it was.
Somewhere
Emma landed on something hard but not as hard as a flooring or ground. Darkness surrounded her, and there was not a single hint of light to be found. She felt beneath her, and her heart shot into her throat as she touched a cold, lifeless body. She continued to feel, her fingers inching, in growing dread, across the familiar muscles, familiar chest, familiar shoulders, familiar face . . . "Sean!" she cried out despite herself. "No! NO! It can not be!"
Torches suddenly flared on the surrounding walls, and Emma looked down through tears at the face of the man she loved, the man whom she had believed dead for centuries and only just been reunited with . . . "It's a trick! It's got to be a trick!"
"Go ahead and try to make yourself believe that, if you must, Emma," the voice of Adrienne Frost reverberated through the room, "but it'll do you no good. You claim not to be ashamed of anything you've done, but what of these lives you have caused to be lost? Sean's not alone, Emma. Look around! Look around and see the destruction you've caused!"
Emma looked. Through the tears that poured from her eyes and continued to increase steadily, she peered around the room. The stench of death filled her nose, and the sight she took in made her tremble and shake. It couldn't be! It couldn't be!
Sean was only the one who mattered the most to her in the sea of bodies that surrounded her, but they were all here. Every body whose life she'd ever taken, every corpse whose life she'd ever caused to be taken, some she hadn't caused, and even some who she did not recognize filled every inch of the room. They were all here. Sean; her students, both teams of them; the Piratesses from the Saucy Wench; the beings she'd killed in battle; all the way to her parents and, before them, the others who had been trapped in the same asylum she'd been locked away in as a child and the guards from that asylum . . . They were all here.
It couldn't be! Yet it was for she could see them with her own eyes and feel them with her own hands . . . Emma sobbed, and then the scream that had been building within her ever since she'd looked down into Sean's lifeless face erupted. Her scream echoed through the room and far beyond . . .
The Beach
Wesley awoke and found that he was so wet and hot he could hardly breathe. He tried to get to his feet but realized that, while he had been out, his bulk had increased even more. He crawled over to a tree and began to try to pull himself up. It took him several tries over quite some time before he finally succeeded in getting himself to a standing position. His first steps were wobbly, and he felt like he would fall down. He thought the feeling would pass with more walking, but it continued regardless of how many steps he took.
Where was he? Was this beach the shore of the island, or was he somewhere else? Why had every one ran off and left him alone? "Jasmine?" he called her name. He thought he had been talking to her a few minutes before he had passed out. He had no idea as to what had caused him to pass out or to feel so weak that he already wanted to sink back down onto the ground. He raised his voice again, hopefully calling the blonde woman's name. "Jasmine? Anybody?" But all was quiet.
As he continued to walk, he began to realize just how quiet everything was. There were no chirping crickets or calls from night birds; even the dinosaurs were quiet. The only sound was the gentle lapping of the moon-lit water onto the shore. It was too quiet. Either something was already with him or something was coming, and it had scared all the wildlife into silence.
He wished he could hide himself or somehow make himself small enough that he would not be noticed. He felt as huge as a mountain. Looking down at himself in the moonlight, he realized that something was horribly wrong with him for his stomach had now blimped to three times the size it had been when he had fallen unconscious.
He was walking in the direction the house would be if this was the island he hoped it to be. He wanted to call out for help but dared not lest the sound of his voice call the creature closer to him. He hoped that he would find help before the beast found him but was beginning to doubt it for, no matter how fast he strained to go, he remained crawling at the pace of a turtle.
His brain screamed at him to hurry. His body ached to hurry but also to slump to the ground and rest. Regardless of his every sense screeching at him to hurry if he wanted to live, he was not able to move any faster than a waddle. He did not recall ever being this slow, weak, or heavy!
In desperation, he began to call out again. "Help me! Please, somebody help me! Jasmine? Captain Jack? Xena? Some one? Any one? Please, somebody, help me!" Silence remained his only answer.
He ached to rest, to slow down for just a moment, but he knew he could not. He pushed himself ever more, but still he remained slow, slower even, he thought with a grimace, than Jasmine's brain. He could barely even hear the ocean now, and the moon had slid behind a cloud. Whatever was coming was closer. He could feel it though he had yet to see any sign of it, and his every sense screamed even louder at him to run. He could not, though, and all he could do was continue to scream for help and push himself along the pathway.
He received no warning. The brush did not even rustle, but suddenly, the creature was upon him. Its huge form fell upon him, knocking him to the ground. He screamed as he fell but raised his fists in feeble hopes of defending himself. He screamed again as razor-sharp claws sliced his hands off and then turned to ripping into his stomach. It began clawing savagely at his gut, and then Wesley's scream increased even more as it began biting his stomach.
What had remained of his clothes were already gone, and the monster's fangs made short work of what little flesh its claws had left. Soon, his stomach was open, and it continued to feed on him. Wesley's scream reverberated through the air, but he heard no sounds of any one coming to his rescue. The crew mates he had thought of as family and friends were nowhere to be found. They had deserted him, and now he was dying. He continued to scream until his mind slipped into darkness . . .
Somewhere
Wolf had some time ago washed up upon a shore, but still he continued to howl at the awful stink that seemed to be on every inch of his body. He ran blindly until he ran into a rock that was in the shape of the man who his prey had grabbed to keep from falling. He knocked himself cold.
When he woke up, there was the man, looking down at him in disgust. Wolf sat up groggily. He sniffed the man and discovered that the rock was and yet was not the man as it looked but did not smell like him. He hiked his leg and let rip. There, Jareth, that's what I think of you! the wolf seemed to say.
He then loped off in another direction, hunting for something to get into or, failing that, something to eat. He longed for fresh Spring lamb but knew the whole while that he'd never find any in this black hole of a place, and even if he did, they'd smell him and run before he ever got there. He never once looked back at the now-dripping Jareth.
Somewhere
Shadowcat stopped suddenly and held a finger to her nose. She looked pointedly at both Rachel and Lockheed, whose brows were furrowed in concern. There were voices up ahead, voices that sounded familiar to all three sets of ears. They started to slowly and quietly go closer, and Kitty froze as the voices raised and they were suddenly able to make them out clearly.
"NYET! MY KATYA LOVES ME MORE!"
"YOU'RE WRONG, TIN CAN! PRYDE DOESN'T LOVE EITHER ONE OF US ANY MORE! SHE'S MOVED ON A THIRD TIME!"
"IT'S NOT LIKE SHE CAN HELP IT!" a female voice told the two men. "SHE DIDN'T ASK TO FALL IN LOVE, AND SHE DID FIGHT IT!"
"NOT LONG ENOUGH!" the British voice snapped.
"JA! NEITHER TIME, LITTLE SISTER, DID SHE FIGHT IT ENOUGH!"
The Russian voice lowered, and Kitty could no longer make out what Piotr was saying. She could not believe what she had heard, and she stood rooted to the spot and paler than a ghost. Rachel caught Kitty's elbow and tried to pull her in a different direction. "Come on," she whispered urgently. "We don't have to go that way! Let's go this way!" She could not move Kitty, however.
Lockheed cooed and butted his head against Kitty's side. He, too, was trying to send her away from the three voices they had just heard, but Kitty refused to give in to either. She slowly shook her head, but it was some time before she managed to find her voice. "No."
"What do you mean no?!"
"Coo coo!"
"I said no." She looked at her two best friends with gratitude shining past the fear, concern, and worry in her wet, brown eyes. "I appreciate it, guys, but I have to do this. You can't tell me that that's not my test up ahead."
"If you don't take the test, you can't fail it!"
"I can if I don't try! Besides," Kitty looked into Rachel's green eyes, "do you really think I can't win?"
"Kitty, that's Peter and Wisdom! You shouldn't have to face your dead husbands!"
"I shouldn't," Kitty agreed, "but I have to. For whatever reason, that's my test, and I have to go ahead with this, Ray." She cupped Rachel's face in her hand. "I appreciate the concern, but I have to. Stay here and look after 'Heed for me."
There were tears of concern in Rachel's emerald eyes, but she nodded nonetheless. "All right."
Kitty looked to 'Heed, who looked as though he would do anything, even possibly burn her to a crisp, to force her to stay. She shook her head again and placed a gentle hand on his head. She scratched him lovingly as she told him, "I have to do this, 'Heed. Keep an eye on Rachel for me."
Catching Ray's glance, Lockheed nodded reluctantly. "Coo coo." He pouted, but Kitty pretended not to notice.
Shadowcat turned and started to walk toward where the voices had come from. She paused and looked back at Rachel and Lockheed who were still where she had left them. "And no following me, you two. Promise." When they had both nodded, Kitty turned around once more, and Shadowcat headed out.
Lockheed and Rachel looked at each other, then looked after Kitty. As soon as she had vanished from their sight, they both started to inch silently forward . . .
Somewhere
Jack coughed. He felt as though he was about to retch up his entire stomach, but all that came up was water. Nasty water. When he finally stopped and his stomach felt empty, he opened his eyes. "Is this Hell?" he croaked.
Elizabeth screeched for joy, and Didymus yipped just as happily. Tears ran down Will's face as he stroked Jack's face, forehead, and hair.
"It can't be. Chocolate brown eyes . . . " His voice trailed off. He was so very weak, but those eyes! He had opened his own, gazed into them, and knew he had to be in Heaven.
"If this is Hell," Will breathed, his voice shaking almost as much as his heart pounded, "there's no place I'd rather be as long as you're here with me."
Wolverine sat back on his heels, watching his son. Was he the only one who caught the reference to the chocolate brown eyes? He was thrilled that Jack was going to be okay, but he still vowed to pay the Council back. He had never thought of Will as having chocolate brown eyes, but then he wasn't in love with the boy. Was that the one thing that had actually brought Jack back? If it was, then he knew his son was truly in love, because only love would have brought him back.
Elizabeth placed one comforting hand on Will's shoulder and her other on Wolverine's though she expected that the first did not currently know she was even in the world and the latter would shove it off at any second. "Yes, Jack," she answered the comment he'd made about the chocolate brown eyes, "Will is right here."
Didymus looked on happily. He was now quiet, but he had done a goodly piece of work this night. He had helped to save their dear Captain, and he knew Jareth would be proud. His tail wagged slowly as he imagined the praise Jareth would heap upon him once he was reunited with his dear King. He was glad he had been able to help.
Wolverine reached up and gripped Elizabeth's hand. This night, he had gained another daughter, though he would not dare broach the subject with Elizabeth, not yet. "Thank ya," he told both of them quietly although he knew Will did not hear him. "Sometimes, a cool head is much better'n brawn," he told Elizabeth. He was rather proud of her and still surprised that she'd come to commandeer the situation. The things that Elizabeth had accomplished this night had simply blown Wolverine away! How had the quiet, little mouse become a roaring lioness?
Elizabeth looked down at where Wolverine's hand gripped hers in surprise. She had not imagined his words, she realized; he had thanked her. She smiled, tears of relief and happiness shining in her eyes, but did not speak for fear of ruining the moment.
A Cavern
Spike's arms were still wrapped around his beloved wife in a tight, comforting embrace and he was still stroking her softly and murmuring soothing sounds of, "It wasn't him, luv," and "It'll be all right, beloved," and, "It's gonna turn out okay, pet," when sudden movement behind her caught his eyes. He turned his head to look and swallowed hard at what he saw. There, standing just a few feet behind Kyna and looking directly at him, was a new Vamp. A Vampiress, to be more exact.
Kyna knew the very second her husband's attention became diverted, and as she felt him tense, she suddenly became calm. Her face, which only a heartbeat before had been haunted by deep, wretched despair, became instantly like a placid, tranquil lake with its only ripples being slight ones of curiosity. "William?" She began to ease out of his loving embrace. "What is it, ai?" Leaving the safety of his arms, she turned and saw what appeared to be a little girl. Kyna's almond eyes instantly darted back to her husband, and she placed a staying hand on his chest. "I'll deal with this one."
"No," he spoke quietly, gently lifting her hand from his chest. Though he lightly kissed her knuckles, sending a delightful chill through both of them, his eyes never left the Vampiress before them. Clothed in a white dress decorated to the nines with frills, bows, and laces; long, white stockings; and black shoes that he knew how they'd gotten their brilliant shine, she looked more like an innocent, little girl dressed in her Sunday best and waiting expectantly to go to church than she did anything even remotely close to the soulless, blood-sucking fiend she truly was.
Her long, blonde hair framed the face he continued to stare at through black eyes widened with shock. Hers was the face of a golden Angel of a little girl. The face of his baby sister. His baby sister, who he had, at one time, thought the world of though he had, several centuries ago, been the one to make the light in her eyes die.
His hands clenched, and his eyes saddened in remembrance of the night he'd killed her as he stepped past Kyna. He walked past his lady love, only vaguely aware of her gentle reminder that the creature before them was no more his sister than the Vampire she'd killed only a very brief time before had been her Sheng, and opened himself for the creature's attack.
Rogue & Joseph's Bedroom
She had been crying for what felt like an eternity, and still tears slipped from her eyes. She had no idea where she was, and she didn't care. She only knew that Willow was gone, and she wanted to be with her. Rogue had been trying to talk to her, trying to comfort her, but no one could comfort her now, not now, not when she had lost her entire world.
That magical redhead was her whole world. She loved Willow with her whole heart, and now her whole heart ached with a pain even beyond what she'd felt when the six-armed bitch from the night she'd lost Willow had cut off her arms. No pain could compare to this, and only reuniting with Willow could ease her pain.
She wished she could avenge her beloved's death, but she knew that it was a pointless mission. If even Willow, with all her powerful magick, had been unable to do anything against the evil Ice Demon, she knew she'd be helpless against him. Why bother to wait to be reunited with her lover when she could find her again a lot faster? Surely Willow awaited her in the land beyond? Surely, when she breathed her last, her lover would come to her and they would be together again?
Sobbing quietly, the brunette lifted her head and looked around. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes several times, trying to clear her vision at least enough that she could see her surroundings. She was on a strange bed in a room she did not recognize. But there was a sword in the corner of the room, and she was alone.
There was no one here to stop her from going to her beloved Willow. Kennedy rose from the bed and stumbled toward the sword. As soon as she reached the sword, she lifted it, slid it out of its scabbard, and tossed the scabbard to the floor. Without any hesitation, she aimed the blade for her heart and thrust it forward. She did not scream as it pierced her flesh.
"I'm coming, Will," she whispered through sobs. "Forgive me, love. I know you wouldn't want me to do this, but I'm not staying in a world without you. You are my world, and I'm coming home to you." She began to thrust the blade further into her body and never screamed.
Somewhere
Sam suddenly orbed back in. "I can orb home," he told the others, "but I can't take Faith out. She has to remain for the rest of her trial. Do any of you want to return to the house, or will you stay and stand beside Faith?"
Dawson looked at Sam. "You know I will stay beside her. I will not ever leave her willingly." He stroked Faith's face gently.
Sam looked at the other two questioningly.
Hansel was still gazing into Chong's eyes. "I have to stay, Chong; you know that. I can't leave her, not when she needs help. I'll understand if you want to go, though." He knew he would not leave him, however.
"I'd never even think of it," Chong told Hansel. "I'll never leave your side again." He touched Hansel's face lovingly. "We've been too long apart. She's part of your family." He felt Dawson's eyes on him, on his face, and he looked at the boy. "She's like his baby sister."
Dawson accepted a new family member. Did the love ever cease to grow in the new family he had? It filled his heart with a sense of warmth and gladness and comforted him despite the fact that he knew not what would happen next.
Hansel was also lovingly touching Chong's face but let him look toward Dawson. When the kid settled, Hansel gently brought Chong's face back to look into his eyes. "You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that, my love. I know I was a fool." He shook his head disappointedly.
"I don't know what happened to me, and I'm more sorry for it than words can ever say. But I'll never leave you again. I love you!" He leaned forward and kissed Chong's lips. He had missed the taste of him; even on occasion when kissing Derek, he had remembered the salty, sweet taste of Chong's lips and longed for his taste again.
Chong returned his kiss, and Dawson adverted his eyes. He needed no other proof that Hansel was not interested in Faith. These two appeared to be in as much love as he and Faith. He settled down beside Faith to wait until she opened her eyes, his sword within easy reach if he needed it.
Kents' Farm
"Isn't it enough you raped me?! Do you have to lie to my parents too?!"
"I never -- !" As soon as Lex found his voice, it left him again. He rose his hand to his mouth and wiped away the blood that was spilling from his mouth. He didn't know how many places he was bleeding from, but he felt as though Jonathan and Martha had pummeled him almost to death. His physical pain could not even begin to compare to the pain that was now filling his breaking heart. "I don't understand, Clark!" he sobbed. "You've always said you love me! Why'd you come to me if you didn't?!"
"I didn't come to you! You stole me from my room," Clark told him. "You attacked me, Lex! You -- " He sobbed loudly, and the heart-wrenching sound that left his love's lips tore even more at Lex's heart. "How could you?! I thought you were my friend, but you're only a Luthor! You're even worse than your father!"
Lex shook his head, trying to clear the blood from his eyes. This couldn't be his Clark saying these awful things! It couldn't be! "Clark, you said you loved me more than anything in the world, that I was your everything! I've always loved you! How can you lay there and deny me, deny everything we've felt for each other all our lives?!"
"I never felt anything for you except pity!" Clark spat at him. "I tried to be your friend, because you wanted one so badly and I thought you weren't like your father and deserved one! But I was wrong! So completely wrong! You are filth! You are vermin! You are below both that and everything else nasty, wicked, disgusting!" Clark vehemently attacked Lex, getting to his feet and heading toward Lex. "You should be ashamed of yourself, coming here, pretending to be my friend, and then attacking me, raping me!!!!!"
Jonathan was quiet, but his quick eyes kept watching Lex and Clark. "My son doesn't lie," he finally told Lex. "You're a liar, just like your father! A no-good, sorry cheat just out to get what you can get, and now you've attacked my son! YOU RAPED HIM!" He used the two-by-four to snatch the pitchfork out of Lex's shaking hands and threw it across the barn. He leapt toward Lex. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!!!!!!"
Lex darted out from underneath Jonathan and jumped out of the hayloft. He hit the ground hard, rolled to his feet, and ran.
Martha screamed behind Lex. "GET OUT OF MY BARN! GET OFF OF MY LAND! AND DON'T YOU EVER LET ME SEE YOU NEAR CLARK AGAIN, OR I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"
Lex ran blindly, the Kents' yells and Clark's sobs and cries haunting him every step of the way. He did not know where he was going, but he had to get away from the Kents. This was his worst nightmare come to life! He had lost Clark! In fact, Clark had no memory of their love! Lex had become the beast his father had always told him he would, and the only thing that Lex could do now was run away!
He headed in the direction to where he knew his estate lay. He didn't know if Lionel was home or not, but it didn't matter. He had to get somewhere safe. He had to think! Somehow, the Kents had brainwashed Clark, and he had to save his poor, lost love! But he had to get his brain back together again.
They had attacked him and called him the most horrible things! How could he ever prove to them that they were wrong and that Clark truly was his love? How could he remind Clark that he did love him? What if he couldn't? What if Clark really did hate him? But then why had he acted and said that he loved him so throughout all the years they'd spent together?
Lex had no idea how he was going to fix things between Clark and himself, but he had to. Somehow, some way, by some miracle, he had to! He had no reason to live if he couldn't . . .
The North Pole
Prue pulled her cloak off and handed it to Crys. She knew Crys was not wanting to stand there, nude, in front of everybody, but she had not thought of it sooner. Now she, too, added her voice to Cole's, calling Phillip. She wondered what was keeping the little Demon.
Unable to feel the temperatures, Crystal had not realized that she was naked until Prue handed her her cloak. She took it hurriedly with a murmured, "Thank you," and a blush staining her cheeks an even darker red (at least, it appeared darker in contrast to the rest of her body which was still blue) than Clark's blush that was still firmly in check. She wrapped it around herself and dared not meet any one's gaze. She couldn't believe she had been standing there naked! She looked at Blue and whispered, "Why didn't you tell me?"
The little dragon lifted his shoulders and wings in a shrug. "Coo coo."
Crystal sighed, rolled her eyes, and shook her head, but yet she smiled. She didn't know how she managed to continue being blessed with miracles each time she believed she was in the last seconds of her life, but she was thankful for them and even more thankful that her family had lived through the battle. She dared not believe that Frostbite was truly gone, however, not until Jack brought back news of whatever he found when he returned to the village.
Clark sighed exasperatedly. Phillip seemed determined not to answer them! "Phillip, I don't know why you're ignoring us, but if you can hear us, we're ready to go home!" The words were no sooner out of the young man's mouth than a golden portal, in a form identical to Phillip's except for the coloration, appeared.
"Phillip?" Cole asked, peering anxiously at the golden mirror. "Why are you golden?" He wasn't about to let any one step foot into that portal until he knew, for a fact, that it was Phillip!
Angel had scooped Delvira up and was holding her gently. She seemed to be in a very deep sleep. He, too, peered anxiously at Phillip.
Phoebe's eyes shone with excitement when she heard a voice calling from the other side of the mirror. "Guys, can you hear us yet? He keeps muttering about not being able to talk to you and having to wait for you to say the words. Did you say them yet?"
"Yes, you moron," a rather ticked voice told Joxer, "they finally spoke the words. Now they can come through! Really, mortals!"
"Don't call my Joxxy a moron, you stupid mirror!" Phoebe exclaimed, rushing forward. "And we're not all mortals any way so that just goes to show what you don't know!" She gave Phillip a raspberry.
Cole was insistent upon being the last one. He kept a constant vigil. Everything went fine until it was Crys and Lorne's time, and he noticed that they had held back too. He looked at Crys questioningly.
Crystal met Cole's gaze, her chin lifted in determination. She knew Lorne would insist upon staying until she jumped. They could jump together, but there wasn't room for three. Her babies had gone just ahead and Cole had just finished pushing Donkey through along with Elvira before looking questioningly at them. "Go ahead," she told him. "We'll follow. If there's any trouble, you'll hear us and can come back."
Cole shook his head but knew better than to argue with Crys. "You jump; I'll shimmer at the same time." He hoped she wouldn't try to argue with that.
She studied him with a raised brow. "I trust your word, Cole," she told him and, hand in hand with Lorne, jumped.
Cole shimmered simultaneously, never realizing that another being came through Phillip behind him until he reached the other side and heard Phillip screaming. "THERE'S SOMETHING COMING THROUGH ME! THERE'S SOMETHING COMING THROUGH ME!"
To Be Continued . . .