"But," Jake immediately protested, trying to tamp down the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. "The world needs Gramps. He's the Chinese Dragon! How could you just … I mean, how can he … He can't die. He just can't."

And that had to be the end of it. The Oracle Twins just had to help him find Gramps before it was too late. The world needed the Chinese Dragon – they needed his wisdom, his experience, and they needed his protection. Beyond the world, Lao Shi's family still needed him. Jake was ready to let go of his grandfather and mentor; he knew Haley wasn't ready to lose her grandfather either. And his poor mother, who would be losing her father far before his time for no good reason at all.

Jake wished he had some semblance of a reason. The magical community hadn't been at war; there had been no skirmishes breaking out anywhere. Since Rose had taken over the Huntsclan, there had been no need for it. There had been relative peace. Of course there were still slight disagreements between creatures – no one ever got along perfectly – but it had been nothing compared to what it had been like when the Huntsclan had actively hunted creatures. There were disagreements, not wars.

He knew that the Dark Dragon was behind what had happened to Lao Shi. That being said, Jake didn't know what his motivations were behind kidnapping Lao Shi (other than the fact that the Dark Dragon had a bitter hatred for Lao Shi). And he certainly didn't know what the Dark Dragon was doing in New York again. He didn't have all the details that Lao Shi did – he hadn't paid enough attention he supposed – he knew that the reports on the Dark Dragon were sketchy at best. He knew that there was no clear rhyme or reason to what the black scaled dragon had been doing.

Except now the dragon had stolen his grandfather, was going to kill his grandfather, and Jake suddenly had all the motivations in the world to find the useless dragon and put him to death. If only the Oracle Twins would cooperate then he could; he knew, beyond a shadow of the doubt, that he would not be able to find his grandfather on his own. But … then again, he wasn't alone, was he? Rose had promised to search for the Dark Dragon and he knew that she could do it.

"Jake," the Oracle Twins chorused in voices that barely broke a whisper.

Jake's attention was forced back to the beings in front of him.

"We know that it's hard to understand; you might think we don't but we do."

"If you understand then why don't you help me?!" Jake shouted, frustrated with the duo.

"Because we know the future and we know that, unfortunately, he has to –"

"He doesn't have to though! He really doesn't. He can live and it will be great! If you can see the future, why can't you see how much better the world would be if he lived?"

"Jake," they sighed. "We know that we can never make you understand. We know that we could talk forever and you wouldn't be able to accept it. And, really, the death of your grandfather before it even happens is a hard thing to come to terms with."

One twin looked more sympathetic than the other; Jake thought that she may have been the one to connect with him the last time they were here.

"I know," she reiterated, "it's hard. I know you may not think that it is the right thing to do but if you saw what we saw, if you knew what we knew, then you would not argue with us."

"If it would be better for me to know, why not tell me?" Jake asked.

The Oracle Twins seemed taken aback, as though they had never considered Jake asking them to reveal what they knew. With one look though, the Twins knew that they must not tell him. If Jake were to know what they future held then he would most certainly try to change it. That couldn't happen. The Oracle Twins were toeing a very delicate line by being with him at all; one little upset and the American Dragon would end up overdosing, alone, due to the events that the next few weeks would bring.

"We can't."

"What good are you then?!" He demanded, angry as ever. "If you're not helping me to find him then what are you here to help me with then? And …" here, his voice turned slightly broken, "please, don't give me some vague answer. I can't take vague right now. I can't take the unknown right now. I have to know. Please."

"We can't," though seeing the depth of his broken heart, the Oracle Twins desperately wished that they could save the American Dragon from the pain that was tumbling over him.

Jake shook his head.

"Just remember," they urged him, "that love – "

"Transcends everything," he snapped. "I love my grandfather. That's not going to stop his death."

He pushed past the Oracle Twins, heading to the door. It was time for him to search himself instead of staying at home, talking to creatures and caring for Fu Dog. Perhaps the presence of the American Dragon would draw out the Dark Dragon – in fact, Jake was banking on it.

He paused at the door. "You're welcome to stay in the attic again. Please keep an eye on Fu. I'll be back later."

And he slammed the door shut behind him.

(-.-)

"Let's talk strategy," the Huntsmaster grunted, dropping into his chair.

Rose, who had been coiled on the loveseat in the corner of his office space, lifted her head up. She brushed her long hair out of her eyes. Master and the Dark Dragon had been attempting to interrogate Lao Shi for the past few hours. She'd been unable to listen to the man's screams and had secluded herself away in Theron's office to escape the headache-inducing noise that the elderly man had elicited at the torture the two villains had concocted.

"Did he talk?" Rose asked, though she knew the answer as well as she knew Lao Shi. The old man had probably already deduced that he was going to die if he couldn't find a way out and she knew that he was smart enough to realize that there was no way out for him. She knew that he was now simply biding his time, keeping his mouth shut and waiting for the end.

Theron shook his head, confirming her thoughts. "I am disappointed but unsurprised," he revealed.

Rose nodded and made her way across the room so that she was standing behind her Master's broad shoulders. She put her hands on him, gently massaging the tension out of his upper back. She knew that it was her job to make sure that he was happy and comfortable – he'd been sure to stress that to her when he was rehabilitating her – and Rose knew a massage was what he needed.

"What strategy would you like to discuss?" she purred in his ear, her small, capable hands running across his muscles.

"When do you think the Huntsclan will be prepared to revert?" Theron asked.

"They're ready," Rose answered confidently. "I, however, think it's the wrong time."

Theron raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Why is it the wrong time?"

"I think that we shouldn't reveal ourselves until after Lao Shi's death is confirmed to the American Dragon. The death of Lao Shi will cause some changes to how the magical community operates. I think that I should remain with the American Dragon until I can get some intelligence on the state of affairs."

"Mmm," Theron murmured, not completely sold on the idea.

"And," Rose hummed seductively in his ear, "think of what the funeral will look like. The entire Dragon Council might make an appearance for it. All of those magical creatures, convened in one place, just waiting for us to swoop in on them and destroy them. Hundreds, maybe thousands of them, dead in moments as the Huntsclan makes its comeback; it's just what we want, Master. And the American Dragon will be at his weakest, easy enough to kill. After all, we won't need him after that, will we?"

Theron shook his head, completely sold on this scenario. He could just picture it now: a throng of weeping creatures, staring at the mutilated body of one of their treasured protectors. Then, just as they were preparing to mourn together, the Huntsclan would swoop in, full of fatal glory, killing all they could get their hands on. Rose would know where this funeral was being held, due to the American Dragon. And, once the American Dragon was dead, they would have time to pillage the late Chinese Dragon's home for all important artifacts and files before anyone was any the wiser!

"You are brilliant," Theron complimented his protégée.

"I know," Rose sniffed, slightly arrogantly.

Theron felt himself bristle. He hated when she felt arrogant. The Huntsgirl had such an air of superiority around her to begin with; he couldn't stand it when she put on even more airs. He needed to remind her that she was in no way superior to him; he needed to remind her that she was, in fact, his subordinate.

And he knew just the way to do it.

He grabbed her hand, the ones that were still massaging him (at least she remembered that her place was to make him feel good) and led her around in front of him. He pushed the Huntsgirl down onto her knees in front of where he was seated and she knew what to do. She reached out, unzipping his pants and releasing his erect member. Her practised hands began to work on him, until he pushed her head down.

He'd been waiting, since the Huntsgirl had been just a young girl of fifteen to take her to bed with him. Though he could have had her then, if he'd so wished, he hadn't. It wasn't due to any moral code that the Huntsmaster had –for Theron's moral code was notoriously nonexistent – rather, it had more to do with the fact that she had been travelling at that age, learning about her future duties. He wasn't about to sacrifice her learning years because he was slightly lustful. He'd been tempted, so very tempted, when she had returned to New York at the age of seventeen. He'd stopped himself then too, however, due to the fat that the Huntsgirl was on a mission and he didn't want to distract her from her cause.

Now, Theron had all that he wanted. He had Rose catering to his every need, believing him nothing short of a God; he had Lao Shi in his clutches, on the verge of death, after years of waiting to exact his revenge; he had the American Dragon perfectly lined up in his crosshairs; and the magical community, the ignorant little community who thought that they could exist in their unnatural state, was about to perish and they had no idea. An evil chortle left his lips at the thought. The best thing, though, Theron knew, was the fact that the Huntsclan was finally going to seize the power that it deserved.

After so long of being cast as the villains, as the ones who were in the wrong, the Huntsclan was going to be the only option; the magical creatures would be gone and the humans would be enslaved.

Giddy at the prospect, Theron seized Rose from the floor. Without care, he threw her across the top of his desk, mauling at her clothes until she was lying nude in front of him. Then, he pressed his heated lips against her exposed throat, reminding her that he was dominate over her; that he owned her and everything she was made of.

She was his; she always would be.

I don't own anything recognizable.

~TLL~