"Was this supposed to impress me, Jessie-?"

"Shut up," snapped Jessie, her voice was hard and cold. Gabriel looked almost stunned by her anger.

Now that Robin thought about it, he couldn't think of a time where Jessie had ever spoken to anyone like that. Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but Jessie cut him off before he could say a word.

"What is the common thread that connects all my stories?" She then gestured to all the fractured doors.

Gabriel blinked at her as if he couldn't understand a word she said. Alexandra stepped out of the shadows and stood beside her sister. Robin's mouth dropped open at the costume she wore. Alexandra looked like a Greek goddess straight out the old paintings.

"The protection of family or those perceived as family, and bonds that tie people together even if they are wildly different and have no common blood."

Robin thought about it and thought there was something missing to the description. "And the removal of threats to those family and bonds," he added softly.

Jessie nodded coldly glaring at Gabriel. Ice moved through Robin's veins, Jessie may not be a cold blooded killer, but some of her characters would kill if provoked, and Gabriel sure as hell had done that. Jessie lifted her hands up and a gust of wind kicked up. Bits and pieces from the broken doors were picked up and flung around. The wind's whine rose to a howl that was filled with betrayal, rage, and sorrow. Robin had to cover his face to keep debris from his eyes. A voice cried out before the wind snatched the sound away.

"Jessie!" It was Gabriel's voice that had just barely managed to pierce the tempest.

Then the wind died as suddenly as it had reared up. Glancing around Robin realized Jessie was no longer Jessie. Coppery gold hair cascaded down the woman's back, flowing over large feathered wings. The wings were easily twice her size. Each feather was silver in color and each feather was banded in red like fresh war paint made from blood.

Movement behind Robin caught his attention. Turning his head he gaped at the beautiful brown feathered wings that sprouted from his own back. Miraculously his shirt was still intact. A look in Gabriel's direction revealed he too had feathered wings, but instead of Galen's stark white wings they were Isaac's wings; white with black stripes.

"Why am I Isaac," Gabriel demanded, his nostrils flaring when he noted Robin's wings.

"You no longer represent Galen to Bard," Jessie's character; Robin searched his memories for her name, Nicky he finally remembered, answered coolly.

"You can't do that," snapped Gabriel for all the worlds sounding like a spoiled child who had his favorite toy taken away.

"Can't I," Nicky asked coldly. "I am the holder of Bard, writer of these tales. You have betrayed Bard in the same way Isaac betrayed me." Nicky pulled the sword from her belt making a shing sound as it slid free of the sheath. She caught the sharp edge of the weapon on her palm sliding it down her open hand and drawing blood. "With blood you were given a home and power, and with blood I banish you."

Gabriel screamed in pain and clutched at his right hand. A brand, much like the one Robin had seen on his own hand, now glowed like fire on Gabriel's right hand. The dragon grabbed the swords and carved itself off his skin.

"You were my friend and now and forever more you are my enemy."

Blood dripped down Gabriel's hand and the dragon wrapped its body around Gabriel's wrist and began carving letters into the book. Traitor. Then the dragon released Gabriel with a roar and glided to Nicky's shoulder were it watched him with a hostile expression.

All but three of the doors were flung open. Robin briefly wondered if they had been repaired in the wind storm. A woman stepped out of each newly repaired door. All of them brandished various kinds of weapons.

"I banish you from my heart, mind, and soul."

Gabriel looked like he would rush from the nearest door, but the line of women closed him in. The roof above them came alive, branches and vines twined down and around Gabriel. They jerked his wings back, painfully stretching them to their full length, and exposing all of his feathers. The more Gabriel thrashed against their hold, the more they twined around his body and limbs. Bard's mind had not forgotten how he had invaded it. Now it sought retribution for the damage he had inflicted upon her. The first woman step up in front of Gabriel.

"You and all of your line are no longer welcome here," Nicky finished her curse and the woman that stood before Gabriel quickly grabbed a handful of feathers and sheared them off with the serrated hunting knife she produced from her belt. His scream was like a wounded wild animal that echoed around the chamber, and it reached a point that it actually hurt Robin's ears. He put a hand on Nicky's shoulder.

"You can't torture him."

She cocked her head to the side.

"You misunderstand Sam."

Robin was about to say that wasn't his name, but Nicky continued before he could say anything.

"I am not torturing him, neither are any of them."

Another scream echoed off the walls and jarred Robin's nerves.

"Each of those feathers represent a character from a story he stole from Bard. The only reason they hurt is because he does not want to give them up and he clings tightly to them."

"So the pain is just his imagination," demanded Robin highly doubting her words.

"In a way, yes." Nicky asked when it was clear that Robin was about to argue further, "Would you let a thief keep gold he had stolen?"

"No, but I wouldn't break is wrists to take it from him either." Robin may hate Gabriel for what he had done, but he would not condone torture.

"If I leave even one character he will have access to Bard's mind to do this again. I will not allow that, and there is no other way to reclaim what he has taken."

Robin bit his lip. He didn't believe this was right, but he couldn't leave Jessie vulnerable to Gabriel either.

"Will there be permanent damage?"

"No, he will be fine except for the brand. That will be a permanent mark and it will hurt, but it certainly won't kill him." She thought for a moment. "I guess you could call this a break up of sorts. His feelings will be hurt along with his pride, but no other damage will be done."

Robin blinked at this. He had been under the impression that Jessie hadn't loved Gabriel as anything more than a friend. Now he wasn't entirely sure.

Nicky guessed where his thoughts had gone. "Isaac-," she corrected herself, "Gabriel as you know him, was not the one who held Bard's affection. I think that's part of the reason he did this, because she choose you, not him."

"So what now?"

"Depends on what you mean by that. If you mean what happens between you and Bard or what happens right after this?"

"Both."

Nicky looked back to Gabriel as another woman cut away a feather with a sharp sickle. His screams had died to wailing moans.

"He will be angry, his pride is hurt, Bard has chosen you at every step of the way. He will attack, I think. I'm unsure if he will attack you or us, but make no mistake we are hanging on by a thread. The power we are using is borrowed and will soon run out. We will be a burden to you and Muse."

"And the other?"

Nicky smiled mischievously at him.

"That is between you and Bard."

Robin snorted.

"Of course it is."

Nicky's smile faded as a small child walked up to Gabriel. She couldn't have been older than six years old. She approached cautiously and Nicky stepped up to help her.

"I'm fine," the girl told her in a small voice. She looked up to the lone feather that hung from the top of Gabriel's broken and bleeding wings. The feather was well out of the girls reach that Robin wondered how she planned to get it. The door she had come out of swung open and creature walked out. Robin gaped as the alien from the movie 'Alien vs Predator' walked out and stood obediently by this small child like a well trained dog. She patted it's elongated dome shaped head affectionately. The monster wrapped it's long armored tail around the girl's waist and lifted her gently up to the feather. The girl plucked the feather by hanging on it with all her weight. After she was set back down, both the girl and Alien walked back to their door, closing it softly behind them.

"Jessie has a lot of explaining to do," he muttered under his breath.

Nicky's smile didn't reach her eyes this time. She slowly walked around to stand behind Gabriel. She placed her hand at the base of his wings.

"Do not try to hold onto them," she whispered. Then she ripped the wings from his body. Gabriel shuttered, but this time he made no sound. Nicky staggered back and then seemed to split into two separate women. The first was Nicky, the second was Jessie. Jessie's body trembled and her legs gave out from underneath her. Nicky caught her around the waist and hauled her up with one arm while holding her bloody prize in the other hand. Robin stepped up beside the two women and pulled Jessie's arm around his shoulders holding her up until she was able to stand on her own two feet.

"All you had to do was ask," he reprimanded her.

Jessie laughed weakly at this.

"I seem to recall saying the same thing to you once upon a time."

Robin grinned at his friend, that she had, he thought.