A/N: hello people of earth and beyond who own computers. It's me again. I know it has been simply forever since I updated. Unfortunately I worked myself into a corner and was stuck. Still sort of am, but I'm working on it. Hopefully it doesn't suck.
It had been raining for three days straight. And not just a drizzle either. No, naturally, it was pouring buckets…no bathtubs…or maybe Olympic sized pools…either way, it was raining quite a lot.
This wouldn't be a problem if the gang were in DG's farmhouse. Unfortunately, they were not. Since the attack, DG had decided it wasn't safe to stay there, and had packed them up and lead them out the door, after laying a spell on the whole building to ensure it would remain safe and hidden.
"Mummy, I'm getting drenched. My boots have soaked through. Why don't we have any horses or carts?" Wren whined. "Because Wren, we just don't," DG said, trying not to snap at her daughter. Wren hung her head, clearly upset. She didn't understand exactly why they had to leave. Couldn't they just cloak the farmhouse? But her mom and dad had explained that some of those who were against them had magic abilities, and could find them even if they cloaked the house.
Wes had long ago given up trying to cheer Wren up. She was determined to be grumpy the whole trip, and thus bring everyone else down with her. He simply plodded along, his shoes filled with water, his hair plastered to his head, brushing water out of his face every now and then. For the first day, his bag had cut into his shoulders, but now, his arms and back were numb. All of him was, from the rain and from disappointment at his dad.
Glitch stayed at the back of the group, head down, not even bothering to avoid puddles. He sniffled miserably as he stumbled and fell into a puddle, getting covered in cold muddy water. Cain glanced back and saw him struggling to his feet. "C'mon zipper head, up you get," he grabbed Glitch's arm and tried to pull him to his feet. Glitch shrugged off his hand and pushed himself up. "Don't need help," Glitch mumbled. "You alright?" Cain asked. "I'm…I'm fine. You should probably get back up, lead us through the woods." Cain looked concernedly at Glitch, before turning and slogging through the mud back to the front of the group.
Sad brown eyes watched him go. He felt he deserved to be alone at the back, after he'd caused them to leave the comfort of the house. Never mind that there's been a spell on The Realm, he had consciously gone there and given away their location. He was the reason they'd been attacked; he was the reason that Wyatt had been shot. And the way Wes looked at him, in complete and utter disappointment. His son had looked up to him, and he'd let him down by making a stupid bonehead mistake. All just to prove he was right. It was worse than when he'd lost half his brain and almost caused the OZ to be cloaked in perpetual darkness.
"Hey, guys, look," DG pointed through the trees. There was a small cave not far off, which looked like it would be big enough for them all. She nodded to Cain, who trudged through the trees to the entrance. It was dry and empty and would hold all of them with room to spare. "It's clear," he called. "Thank goodness," Wren sighed in relief as she sat on the cool stone ground. "Uhh…guys, this is going to sound awkward, but, if we don't want to get sick, we're going to have to hang up these wet clothes. That means…" "Stripping? Mum, are you serious?" Wren asked. "Do you want to catch a cold? Because I certainly don't, and I don't want to hear you complaining about being sick. Besides, we're all friends here, it's ok."
The idea was good in theory, not so much in reality. While DG and Raw hung up the wet clothes, and Cain and Blake built a fire, the kids slowly, awkwardly, removed their wet clothes, determinedly not looking at each other until they were in their underclothes. "Here's some blankets," DG passed them around, and they huddled in them around the crackling fire. She did a quick head count when she realized she had an extra blanket. "Hey where's Glitch?" At once Cain scanned the cave, startled that he hadn't noticed his absence earlier. But he'd been so quiet and withdrawn. "I'll find him," he replied, looking only a little ridiculous with his hat, holster and just his underwear.
Glitch was slumped on the ground leaning against the cave wall, not caring that he was sitting in a puddle. Cain crouched down by him. "What exactly is the problem Glitch? And don't give me that line about there being nothing. I know when something's bothering you." Glitch turned to face him, looking completely worn down. The sight made Cain's heart ache in sympathy. "It's all my fault that we're stuck out here. It's my fault that we're being tracked. My fault you got shot. And it's my fault Wes is so disappointed in me." He hung his head, letting the rain trickle down his face. "And don't even try to convince me otherwise 'cause I know it's true, and to say it's not would be lying and you're not supposed to lie."
Cain resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Yet again, Glitch was bringing too much onto himself. It was in part his fault they had to leave, but he needed to let it go. He was just going to make himself sick worrying like this. Already he wasn't looking too good. "Glitch, my overly anxious head case. Yeah, it's sorta your fault, but you have to let it go. You look like hell from worrying yourself like this. You're even paler than usual, and your eyes are got these big circles around them," Cain cupped Glitch's face, rubbing his thumb gently under his eye. "But I just can't Wyatt. Not with Wes not even looking at me. He looked up to me and I let him down," Glitch sighed.
It barely registered with the inventor that Cain had gotten to his feet and strode into the cave. A few seconds later he was back with Wes in tow. "Dad, why'd you bring me out here? It's wet and I'm cold," his son complained, hugging his bare arms around himself in an effort to keep warm. "Yes Wes, I'm aware of the weather just like you. It's not raining only on you. But you need to talk to your dad," Cain said sternly. " Why?" "You figure it out," with that Cain went back into the warmth and protection of the cave.
Wes crouched down next to his dad, neither of them speaking. "So…d'you know why I'm out here?" Wes asked after a bit. Glitch shrugged, having a vague idea but wanting his son to figure it out. "Maybe it's because you've barely spoken to me since we left the farmhouse," he suggested delicately. "I haven't? Really? I must have though. Are you sure?" Glitch glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "Don't play dumb Wesley. It isn't becoming of you." "Ok, fine dad. Here's the thing. I know you're like, impulsive and stuff. I mean, dad's told me plenty of stories. And I know you like to be right. Probably where I get it," Wes grinned slightly. "But what I don't get is just why you wouldn't listen to dad and Aunt DG. Clearly there was something wrong with that place. And why it's like you hooked up with that random guy who shot dad. It was really stupid, and I mean that in a good way so hopefully I don't end up grounded."
Silence enveloped the pair as Wes finished his speech. "I know it was stupid. I just really wanted to prove that I couldn't be swayed by a spell on the building. That I could enjoy the music and still know why we're here. And sometimes, it feels like I'm still treated as a head case with only half a brain. I can't be trusted to not mess up. But I'm not a head case any more. I know your dad has an extreme case of Boy Scout syndrome and wants to protect me, you, all of us. But I don't need twenty-four hour surveillance. And Wyatt, I know you're listening at the entrance of the cave. You should take note of this." Glitch saw a flash of tan skin as Wyatt sheepishly ducked back into the cave.
Wes and Glitch both chuckled at Cain, the tension between them eased. "So we're both in agreement, I was pretty stupid, but I had a semi good reason for it. Are you still disappointed in me?" Glitch asked. "No, we're good. We're in agreement. Now can we go back inside? I'm cold and hungry and soaked," Wes scrambled to his feet and offered a hand to Glitch. In much lighter spirits, they strolled into the cave where Cain threw a blanket over Glitch's shoulders and Wes helped himself to one of the hot dogs DG had brought and speared on a stick to cook over the fire. They were pretty tasty, it had to be said, and it was amazing they didn't have them back home. But DG promised to see to that.
Carefully, so as not to disturb even the smallest leaf, he lead his team through the woods. He was thankful for the rain, even if his team wasn't. But the way he saw it, they had two viewers with them, both of whom had keen senses of smell. The rain washed away any scent trails that could be followed.
"Up there. There's smoke. Could be them," his tracker, by the name of Beau, darted up, breathing heavy. "Did you see anything else?" he asked. "Just the smoke. Didn't want to get too close y'know?" Beau shrugged. He was something of a rookie, but a good tracker all the same. He nodded in understanding. "Let's go. Beau, behind me, so you can give directions." Beau's eyes widened in awe. He was being allowed to help the boss? He was just a new kid. It was too good to be true.
He stopped them just before the clearing in front of the cave. He could hear them, almost asleep, the fire only just put out. "Budge over Wyatt, I don't have any room." That was him, the advisor his boss had told him about, the one that lead him right to them. He grinned deviously. "We'll wait here. When they're asleep, we'll take them. But only two, as bait. Lure them to her. She wants to deal with them herself."
Soft sleepy sounds filled the cave as the gang fell asleep one by one. Glitch cuddled close to Wyatt for warmth, his clothes hanging to dry by the embers of the fire. It was peaceful there, with the rain finally tapering off to the occasional drip sliding through the leaves to thud into the soft ground. Quiet snores and mumbles echoed off the stone walls, lulling them. Nothing could go wrong now at one of the most tranquil hours of the night.
Light blazed into the cave, and gunshots screeched past them. Screams bounced off the walls, adding to the confusion and chaos barely contained in the cave. And as quickly and unexpectedly as the attack happened, it was over and Wes and Wren were gone, taken away by whomever had attacked. They left no sign other than a few chips in the stone wall of the cave from bullets that went wide. It was like they simply vanished into thin air.
DG collapsed onto the sodden ground, silent and distraught. Wren was gone, and she didn't know where she was, or why, or who had taken her. Same with Wes. Glitch had taken it harder, having only just made up with his son. Cain was trying to calm him down, reassuring him that they wouldn't stop until they'd gotten the kids back. "And don't even think about blaming yourself for this one zipper head or so help me I'll…just…well, I don't eve know what I'll do. Ok?" Glitch nodded, biting his lip anxiously. He knew, this time at least, it wasn't his fault. He didn't lead them to the cave. Plus, he didn't want Wyatt mad at him.
DG had wandered off to sort of gather her thoughts, with Blake watching nervously a few paces away. She hadn't said anything yet, and he was afraid that she would yell or blow something up with a flare of magic. So when she turned around suddenly, he winced, not seeing she was rather calm looking. "We're going to have to track them somehow. I'm not sure how as of yet, but I don't aim to let them keep Wren and Wes." "So…you have some sort of vague plan?" Blake asked. She sighed, "No, hun, I don't have one. Weren't you listening? But, we can come up with one, or at least a vague conception of a plan. I mean, it's never failed before."
"Wes? Wes, you ok?" Wren whispered. "No, I'm not. I can't move anything," he moaned and tried to sit up, only to find he couldn't. His arms were bound behind his back and his legs were tied tightly, cutting off the circulation. "Here, let me," Wren carefully leaned over him and seconds later the ropes fell away. "How'd you get out?" Wes asked. Wren grinned deviously and her fingers lit up. "I wish I could do that. Where are we anyway?" he asked, struggling to gain solid purchase. Wherever they were it was bumpy and moving fast.
"I'm not sure, but I think we're in one of those big tuck things my mom mentioned. I looked through that crack there," Wren pointed to the little slit where light leaked through and wind whistled, "and I can see a road moving by. And it's a really rough ride. I don't like it." Wes peered through the gloom and saw she was looking tearful. "C'mere. It's…well, not ok exactly but we'll be all right. I promise," he hugged her tight, trying to be comforting.
"Why d'you think they took us anyway? And who are they anyway?" Wren wondered, cuddling closer to Wes. "Why us, well, we know the witch is responsible and look who our parents are. The ones who defeated her. She probably wants to hurt them by hurting us, or use us as bait or something. As to who they are, her henchmen obviously." "Wow, that's really comforting Wesley," Wren muttered sarcastically. "It wasn't meant to be, clearly. You asked and I answered as best I could." "I don't like this at all Wes. I want to go back home. I want my mom and dad," she whispered. "Same here. I miss my parents, and Kalm and Victoria and Raw. And I don't really want to know where we're going." "Why?" "Because I know we're not going to like it at all."
The two huddled together in the back of the truck, stiff and sore and tired, but too frightened and worried to sleep. After hours of travel, the truck jolted and screeched to a stop and the back was shoved up, letting dim light flood over Wes and Wren. "Look here Boss. The clever little lovebirds got themselves untied," Beau cackled. Wes glared at them, pushing Wren behind him to protect her. "No use boy. We'll take you, then your pretty friend," the Boss said, stepping into the light. Wes recognized him at once, from the fight at the farmhouse, where he'd been watching through the window, like he wasn't supposed to be doing. Tony.
"Hey, hey DG! Me and Raw, we found tire tracks in the mud! They go out onto the road," Kalm called excitedly. "See," he pointed to the deep grooves in the ground that rolled out of the woods and onto the remnants of the highway. "Which way did they go though? That way or…that way?" Glitch looked down both ends of the road. DG paced a circle around her friends, thinking hard. "If I remember right, which I hopefully do, there's a big city that way. Which is most likely where they went," DG pointed to her left. "So we're walking this?" Victoria asked. "Yeah. I know we've been walking forever, but we don't have a car. If we're lucky, maybe we'll find one in good shape on the way that we can take," DG answered, and started walking. The others tailed after her, sticking to the road with the sun high in the sky above them.
A/N: again, sorry it took so long. I've been stuck with this. But I think I got it now. And sorry it was such a short chapter. I need to work on where this is going some more before I add anything else.