She woke up to grey skies the next morning, her heart torn in two. On the one hand, she was glad her children were finally safe, but on the other, she was deeply worried about the future, what would happen now that she knew her husband's secret. She breathed deeply, lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her thoughts were swirling around three separate men; all of whom had affected her in one way or another. First was Jonathan, the mouse she had married, the mouse she'd had children with. He'd been sweet, loving, gentle, so willing to sacrifice his happiness for others, so willing to give his life if the situation demanding it ever arose. She loved him. She always would, but knew there was still room in her heart for others.

Jenner, however, was a different story. The dark rat frightened her, had haunted her dreams the evening before. She'd never known insanity until she'd looked in his eyes, those strange, yet strangely alluring emeralds that were now closed forever. Yet she had the feeling he hadn't always been that way, that his soul had been corrupted, warped and twisted. She wondered by what. Her body shivered when she thought about his fight with Justin, how he'd nearly killed her to get the Stone, the gem that had saved her family.

He would have killed Justin, too, she realized. Justin would have perished had it not been for Sullivan, the sword he'd been torn in half for, the dagger he had used to pierce Jenner's heart. She offered up a silent prayer, hoping his soul had been saved. But she didn't focus on Jenner for long, as other thoughts were begging for dominance.

Justin had been charming, calming her fear about the Rats of NIMH, helping her more than once when others had thrown her down. She remembered hiding behind him in the council chamber, the few times their eyes had met, the way his touch sent fire down her spine. Elizabeth recalled crying in front of him, after he'd taken her to the library, telling him everything that had led to her being there. At first he'd been merely sympathetic, telling her it would be all right, but then his arm had drifted slowly around her, her body moving closer to his. She recalled feeling his breath on her lips as he told her of their plan, how they'd been so close to kissing when Ages interrupted, saying that Nicodemus was ready for her. At that point Justin had done little more than grasp her hand, watching her fingers fall slowly from his. Already she longed to see him again, but couldn't go anywhere until Timothy was healthy again.

She rose after this, pulling her cape tightly around her, going silently to the bed where her youngest son slept. Timothy's forehead was still coated with sweat, but his breathing was more even than it had been in weeks, his heartbeat calmer. She smiled, gazing at the ceiling, knowing he would be able to recover in peace, thanks to the friends that had lost so much. But she fought not to think about it, knowing she would burst into tears, instead taking her basket to see if she could collect some seeds for breakfast. The air was cool, the sky clear, the farm quiet. She headed quickly to the farmer's field, seeing a group of birds picking around in the soil for bugs and worms. She avoided them, sticking to the grassy edge, gathering what she could. In a few hours her basket was full; she slipped away to avoid becoming a target. Her children were awake when she arrived home, dressed and expectant.

"Morning, mom," said Martin. He didn't seem to remember the night before.

"Hello, children," Elizabeth placed her basket down on the table, going in to check on Timothy. His forehead was cooler, but his breath wasn't any quieter. At first she was worried, then remembered what Ages had said. That medicine had helped mostly with his fever, and that three weeks would be needed for him to fully recover. Again, she thanked the rats with a silent prayer. Her family was safe now, and they could stay in this little house for as long as they needed to. She kissed her child's gleaming forehead, feeling the earth vibrate beneath her. She moved to the window, seeing the NIMH truck pull up beside the farm house. She'd almost forgotten it was coming.

"Stay here," she said, once she'd returned to the other room. She doubted the kids even heard her, as they were busy looking through the basket for breakfast. Normally she would have scolded them, but she was too distracted to care at the moment. Elizabeth moved silently through the tunnel, gazing cautiously about before emerging, going directly to where a man in a long coat was speaking with the farmer. She paid them little mind, however, watching the other scientists drag a wide grey hose to the rosebush, shoving the nozzle into a deep hole. They backed away then, one giving the signal to start the gas. Elizabeth moved away too, seeing a large shadow emerge from the roots, staggering as though injured. But something made her stay back, watching as it made its way to the forest, as it vanished into the undergrowth. The shadow gave her a feeling of dread.

Should I tell Justin…she shook her head. Justin had enough to worry about. He didn't need to be bothered by her fear of false specters. Besides, it had probably been nothing more than an ordinary rat, one who had found the hole after those from NIMH had abandoned it. But then why had she felt that she recognized it?

I must be tired, she thought. Yes; I'm still tired from last night…though she didn't seem so sure.

(****)

Miles away, a young rat lowered his bag to the ground. Somehow, he'd fallen behind the others, and was having a hard time keeping up. The problem wasn't his pack, heavy as it was, or the fact that he was sore from hours of hiking. Maybe it was his exhaustion from the night before, combined with his lack of sleep, or maybe it was the pulsing pain spreading from his upper arm. As luck would have it, he'd torn his sleeve walking by a shrub, and now he could see the area was swollen, a slim line leaking red ooze. Thinking quickly, he pulled a small knife from a case at his side, knowing Ages had sterilized the blade just an hour before. He took a deep breath, and quickly reopened the wound.

Blood, soil, and pus burst out, quickly relieving the pain, the mess flowing to the ground beneath him. He nearly blanched at the strange smell, looking away to avoid throwing up. He'd never had a weak stomach, but for some reason could no longer take the sight of his own blood. Though he found himself wondering how it had gotten infected so quickly.

Oh well, it was my own stupidity. He figured he should let it breathe for a bit, hurrying to catch up with the others. They stared at him like he'd gone crazy, but asked no questions. They were all too distracted by the loss of their leader, the loss of their home. Knowing there wouldn't be a conversation any time soon, Justin allowed his mind to wander, thinking again of the day before.

It had started out normally; he'd gotten up at five for an early-morning training session with the rest of the guard, had eaten breakfast at eight, and had hung around the barracks until his shift at the back entrance, where he'd had a little fun with that old mouse, Ages. He hadn't noticed until the doctor shoved him away that there was another mouse with him, a much younger female in a torn red cape. He'd instantly been struck by her beauty, taking up his old tricks of the trade. She'd blushed at every word that left his lips, her shy nature just making him fall further. He recalled her confusion as he spoke with Ages about Jenner, how the rat was becoming a problem. She'd apologized for coming then, and he'd come back by saying it was no trouble at all.

His memory moved to their short conversation in the library, how the poor girl had broken into tears. At first he'd felt nervous, trying to comfort her without really being able to, surprised when he'd noticed his arm around her. Elizabeth had moved closer, her tears slowly drying. She'd looked so innocent then. He recalled how close his lips had been to hers, how he'd been able to feel the moisture of her breath when Ages showed up, saying their leader was ready for her. He didn't know whether to thank the mouse or despise him for not coming later.

It wouldn't have worked anyway. He was already forcing himself to believe that. After all, she was a mouse, a normal mouse, and he was a mutated freak, as well as a rat. There was no way she felt how he did, no possible way she could love him, though his heart still believed otherwise. How did this even happen? He didn't even know her, but unfortunately he knew her pain all too well.

He never told anybody, but Justin had been all but married when he'd been captured by NIMH. Her name was Alina, and he'd made love to her, almost like an experiment, and she'd gotten pregnant. The night before he'd planned on asking, he'd gone out to enjoy one last night of childhood, playing with his friends like he had when the business had started. He'd told them of his plan, then minutes later the nets had come down, stealing him from his old life, thrusting him into a strange new world. He would never know that Alina had given birth that night, and had died in labor, with only her parents for company. Their litter of five hadn't lived much longer. The next day his friends came by to tell them the news, but by then it was already too late.

You didn't even love her, did you? His conscience was arguing with him, as it had been for almost half a mile. If you had, you would've been there.

I had no way of knowing, he argued, then sighed. But you're right…she was just an experiment that went too far.

How do I know it won't be the same with Elizabeth? It asked. You abandoned her too, didn't you?

Screw off, will you? It's not like I had a choice in the matter!

With Alina, you did, it informed him. You could have stayed with her that night, then maybe she wouldn't have died.

I shouldn't have used her! The rat shouted in his head. I know that now, but I was young then!

You're young now, aren't you?

He scoffed, quietly enough not to be head. Yeah, thanks to NIMH!

And that's a bad thing? His conscience was relentless. Come to think of it, you could have stayed with Elizabeth, too.

Yeah, after knowing her one day? She would've thought I was nuts!

You're the one arguing with yourself…

Shut up. Besides, it wouldn't have worked anyway.

And just how do you know that? She seemed pretty into you.

He scoffed again, a bit more loudly. So is every girl I meet.

The voice seemed to laugh. Face it, you're irresistible.

Justin rolled his eyes, staring at the clouds. They'd been there since the night before, but no rain had fallen since midnight. The others were behind him, apparently worried. The last hour he'd been walking with slumped shoulders, staring at the ground, hands thrust in his pockets. A new bandage had been placed on his wound, this time with herbs to prevent any infection. His conscience was still berating him, and he was doing his best to ignore it. The argument was helping to vent his frustration, but he was afraid it would go too far, that he'd do something to reveal what was going on in his head. Instead he lifted his face to the sky, seeing the rays of the sun breaking through. He felt a smile form on his lips, but it instantly faded at a sound from the bushes.

He turned to the others, "Did anyone else hear that?"