I don't own the Mighty Ducks.

They left the Chameleon to recover but only for a little while.

Mallory went to the rec room and sat down on one of the couches, thinking about how she had washed her hands of Chameleon's blood but didn't have an episode. "Am I getting better?" She stared at her hands, deep in thought about whether or not she was finally getting past these episodes.

That was how Grin found her. "Mallory are you alright?" She looked up a little startled but not much. With everyone talking about plans she just needed a moment to herself and she had forgotten that Grin wasn't with them since he did not approve torture. Not sure how to answer his question she opened her mouth but then closed it. "Hum.. Did hurting the Chameleon cause an episode?"

Mallory shook her head in the negative. "No... actually I think I'm getting better Grin."

The large gray duck took a seat next to Mallory on one of the three large couches. "Yes I can see it in your aura. You are slowly healing. There is a great difference from when you first got back but something else is different... I sense... you are less tense, you are happier now." Mallory looked up at Grin surprised.

"When did you notice this?"

"The other day. This change is recent. Whatever it is, whatever you are doing, you should keep doing it. It's helping you."

Mallory stared at Grin dumbfounded but then smiled and sagged her shoulders in relief. "I should have known you would notice this."

"May I ask what this change is?"

"... Wildwing and I... are together now."

He stared a moment but seemed pleased with this answer. "I should have guessed." Wildwing had been so concerned and distraught over Mallory being taken that he wondered now why he didn't realize that Wildwing had feeling for Mallory. It was a good pairing, they would balance each other well, Grin could see it. They were alike and not at the same time, they thought the same but reacted to things differently. Wildwing was like water, calm, can heal and can nourish but a force of nature if tested. Over time water can carve through anything, even rock. Water is needed to survive and can put out any fire. If there is a path then water will find it or it will make one because water is clever and flexible. Mallory was like fire, fierce and wild but could keep you warm and safe from the dark and the dangers that roamed in it. Destructive and dangerous in it's own right, burning anything in it's path if it gets out of control. Fire blazes with passion but if not handled carefully can burn out too quickly. That was why Wildwing and Mallory fit so well, they were like fire and water. Wildwing's water tempered Mallory's fire and vice-averse. A very good fit.

While Grin was lost in his thoughts, Mallory was thinking about if she was really healing as much as he claimed she was. There was only one way to know.

"Grin." She pulled him out of his thoughts, giving her a thoughtful look he waited for her to finish. "Could you help me with something?"

…...

"Your sure about this Mallory?" Grin waited out on the middle of the ice. Mallory skated out cautiously since this was the first time back on the ice since the incident with Nosedive. She didn't have any flashbacks yet but this was not the final test, she had gotten out here before without problems. It was when she saw the blood on the floor that she freaked.

"Yeah. I need to know."

"Alright. When your ready."

Mallory nodded. "Ready."

He pulled out a pack of blood from Tanya's lab and poured it on the ice. Letting it slowly come out as if draining from someone. Blood slowly filled Mallory's vision and her eyes zeroed in on the thick red liquid, watching the way it moved sluggishly across the ice.

Grin watched as her eyes dilate, then take on a glazed look. He realized that she was having a flashback and that she hadn't been ready for this. Wildwing was going to be angry when he found out.

"Mallory it's me Grin. I want to you focus on the way your body feels. Really focus. You have no injuries, you are not in any physical pain, remember the lessons I taught you in meditation. Use that now. Your back on Earth, your safe. Your with the ones who care about you." He kept his hands up as he spoke but did not approach her. After all she was like fire.

In Mallory's mind she was standing in the center of the Dome, crowds yelling and booing at her but she wasn't focused on them. She was focused on the floor were the blood was. Following the trail of blood to a duck standing in the middle of the rink. The blond duck had crimson liquid dripping from the side of her beak and was drenching her shirt. Ashley raised her arms out to Mallory who could only stare. "It's not real. It's not real." She repeated in a whisper to herself. Blood started flowing out of Ashley's eyes and ears now, quickly adding more to the puddle at her feet and turning all of the ice around her red. "It's not real." Ashley's mouth moved but it wasn't her voice that came out, it was male and deep. "Grin?"

Mallory's eyes were focused on him but remained dilated, it was clear that she wasn't seeing Grin. "Breathe through it. I will not hurt you. Think about what helps you stay connected to this world. Think about your friends... Think about Wildwing."

Hearing Wildwing's name brought Mallory to pause. Ashley's image began to fade to that of a larger duck. His gray feathers and dark hair was the complete opposite of the small female she had been seeing before. She seemed to snap out of it, focusing on her breathing and her meditation lessons she brought her runaway episode to heel. Her eyes undiluted and Grin could see that she was sharp and focused again. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... It happened again. Only this time it wasn't as strong. I was seeing the Dome, I was seeing Ashley again. She went to speak but your voice came out instead. What does that mean Grin?"

"It means that you are getting better but still have a long way to go. The fact that you were able to hear me was a good sign. It shows that you are connecting reality into these... waking nightmares. Soon you will be able to pull yourself out of it without anyone's help."

"Are these every going to go away?" She asked herself but Grin answered like she had been talking to him.

"Only time will tell. They could continue or they may stop but if you keep doing what your doing, then I personally believe that they will stop. I wish master Tie-Quack-Do was here. He is better and more experienced at guiding one through dreams and nightmares." He had done it for Grin, plenty of times. Grin was an angry but tortured child. He suffered from nightmares about his distant and poor parents. There were many times he'd find himself alone in his broken down house for days before his parents came back. They'd go off on their own all of the time and not tell him where or when they were leaving. They just didn't care. So he raised himself. He was awkward and unsocial because of it. He didn't know how to relate to other kids and they started making fun of him for it. So he did what any kid would do, he turned his anger on them as a defense mechanism and that was how Tie-Quack-Do found him.

"Thank you Grin. Your a great friend." The word always filled Grin with warmth. He didn't have many friends back on Puckworld, so keeping the ones he had now was important. He nodded to Mallory and grabbed some paper towels from the side of the rink. Both slowly cleaned up the ice in a comfortable silence. Just enjoying the peace and each others company while it lasted.

…..

She sat in her room in quiet meditation, trying to focus on her past and connect it with her present but she just couldn't focus. She was down about still having episodes and wanted to avoid the others. Sighing she thought about Buzz, she wanted to talk to him and see how he was doing. Wildwing had been worried about her having an episode with Buzz there and had called Buzz to let him know that Mallory was back safe and sound. Buzz had been adamant about coming to see her but Wildwing held him off with promises of them visiting him soon. Wildwing was just trying to protect her from possibly hurting others but mainly from hurting herself.

Getting to her feet she walked to her door and opened it only to find Nosedive there again, about to knock. "Do you have a sixth sense about when someone is at your door or is it just for me?" He grinned at her.

Mallory smirked. "It's only for you Nosedive."

"Awww you shouldn't go through so much effort for me." He put his hands behind his head, as if he was resting on his back. "So wanna go chill on the roof? You've been cooped up and the last time you went out, the Chameleon tried to send you packing."

"Actaully.." She was going to say no but then something in her yearned to spend time with others and Nosedive was fun and cheerful. "That sounds good."

"Great! I didn't even have to twist your arm." He smirked. Mallory followed him to the roof and was surprised by the set up. It was made to look like a picnic with food and magazines, nothing intimate but and kind gesture of a concerned friend.

Mallory's heart ached at his kindness. She didn't realize how sweet Nosedive could be before she was taken and wondered how she had missed it. Then again at the time he was pulling pranks on her and being a general nuisance but still he was a sweet kid. In a way she found that she noticed more things about her teammates now that she had been blind to before she was taken. She truly appreciated them for who they were now. "Dive... I don't know what to say. This is really sweet of you."

"Don't say anything Mal. Just enjoy." Nosedive laughed, brushing off her tender moment.

She surprised him when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I might not say it... but I want you to know that I love you guys. I love you Dive." Yeah she knew she was having an emotional and vulnerable moment but she couldn't help it. Nosedive had struck a cord in her with his kind gesture and she needed to let him know how she felt before her defenses were up again.

He seemed surprised by her tender moment but responded in kind and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I love you too Mal. We all do."

"When did you get so mature?" She asked, letting him go.

He shrugged. "Was always there. Just didn't want to act it." He smirked and Mallory laughed. Together they talked and laughed over their little picnic on the roof, enjoying each others company. It seemed that when spending time and talking to each team member, Mallory was healed a little more every time.

…..

Wildwing paced the hall in front of her door. He was worried, he didn't want to send her out on this mission but she had been adamant about it. Sighing he ran his hand through his hair. What was he supposed to do? On one hand he could let her go do this dangerous mission and risk her life or he could scrape the whole thing and lose their best chance at catching Dragaunus and getting home. What if she died? What if Dragaunus got his hands on her? Chameleon claimed that Dragaunus saw Mallory as his property and that he wanted her back. He didn't want that to happen. Mallory was finally getting better! She didn't need something like that to set her back. He sighed again. "Sometimes I hate being the leader."

"Yeah but you always make the right call in the end... that's why your so good at what you do. That's why you our leader." Mallory walked up behind him. She had just returned from her picnic with Nosedive on the roof and she was in a good mood. Wildwing stared at her but she couldn't tell what face he was making, the mask made him very stoic looking. "Even when the decision affects you personally you still are able to remove yourself from the situation and make a level headed decision."

"Well I don't want to this time." He placed one gloved hand around her waist and pulled her to his armored chest, letting his other hand rest on her flat stomach. Mallory accepted his hug and placed her hands on his chest while looking up at his face.

"Want to come inside?" She asked knowing he wanted time alone with her but he would never impose himself on her. Wildwing nodded his head and let Mallory pull him into her room and shut the door behind them. Once in, Wildwing sat down on her sofa and pulled her down with him. "Are you sure you want to do this? There's no shame in walking away." Mallory smiled at Wildwing's concern. He was more worried about her than she was. She kissed his beak sweetly and ran her hands up and down his chest in a comforting motion. He seemed to relax some but she could tell he was nervous about this mission. "Yes. I'm sure."

"I was afraid of that." He mumbled, disappointed that she didn't want to change her mind.

"You'll be there by my side Wildwing. I'm not worried." He watched her face, studying her features as if quoting to memory. "Is that what you really came here for"

"No. I wanted..." She gaze up at him with soft eyes, it was a look that she never showed anybody. At least anybody but him. How did he get so lucky? "I just wanted to be with you, near you." He leaned into her and kissed her again, this time for a longer and more intimate kiss. Mallory closed her eyes and returned the kiss with passion. Some time to themselves was just what they needed before the chaos started.

…..

The plan was in motion, everything was set.

Mallory drove out to the cabin that Wildwing and Grin were already waiting at. Once in her room, she contacted Wildwing on her com. "I'm here."

"I know. I can see you." Mallory raised an eyebrow at that but choose not to tease him about it. However Nosedive had no such reserves. "Wow bro! You shouldn't use the mask to spy on Mal like that. That's just un gentlemanly like. Mom would not approve." Mallory snickered while Wildwing admonished his brother for joking around on a mission. They were so alike and so different at the same time.

They waited for an hour for someone to show up but no one had come yet. Mallory sighed in frustration. It was looking like the plan was falling through until Tanya's voice came over the com announcing the lizards arrival. "Heads up guys. Their here."

"Alright, everyone take your positions." Wildwing and Grin were ready to go until Siege and Wraith teleportered into their room, taking both parties by surprise. "It's an ambush!" Siege growled. A fight ensued and Mallory went to the door to go help them only to find Orgg standing there, smirking down at her. "Hello little duck."

Before Mallory could react he punched her in the stomach, throwing her across the room and into the opposite wall. "So Orgg was working with Dragaunus now. Should've seen it coming." He charged her and grabbed her neck, lifting her up off of the floor so that her feet dangled two feet from it. "Did you miss me? I missed you." He tightened his grip when Mallory started punching and kicking at him. He laughed at her attempts.

"Please. Don't even bother. It's like getting kicked by a rabbit." He laughed.

Mallory put all her strength into her leg and kneed him hard in the stomach. Orgg let her go and gasped, clutching his stomach. Grabbing the lamp next to the bed, she smashed it over his head. Unfortunately it didn't do much but bring his attention back to the situation at hand. She ran to the door hoping to get some distance between them but Orgg grabbed her foot. Spinning around with her he threw her with all his might through the wooden cabin wall and into the next room where Wildwing and Grin were fighting. Everyone paused in surprise to see the wall suddenly be busted down, even more so to see that Mallory was the one thrown through it.

"MALLORY!" Wildwing yelled out in concern for her.

Poor Mallory was in a slight daze as the big brute Orgg walked in through the hole he had just made with Mallory's body. Tearing down more of the wall as he walked in. He growled and bared his sharp teeth at the red headed duck. Wildwing and Grin watched in horror as he picked her up and tossed her up threw the roof and saw her come back down through it in the next room. Orgg advanced on her ready to continue tossing the smaller duck around, enjoying how easy it was to throw her like a rag-doll. Mallory grunted as she grabbed her gun and aimed it at Orgg, however he was fast and wrapped his hand around it, crushing it in her grip. Mallory was forced to release the gun otherwise her hand would have been crushed with it.

Wildwing and Grin were desperately trying to battle off Siege and Wraith to help Mallory with the giant red saurian. Seeing that they were getting no where fast, he radioed Duke and Nosedive for help. They were on their way while Tanya kept an eye on the knocked out Chameleon, but it would take them five minutes to get here. Wildwing threw Wraith into Siege knocking them both down while Grin picked them both up and threw them through a wall. This place was never going to be the same after this.

Orgg grabbed Mallory by the neck slamming her into the ground, then lifting her up to look her in the eyes. "Your so weak. How did you ever make it through those games?" He laughed.

"MALLORY!" Wildwing charged Orgg only to be hit with his tail and thrown to the ground. Taking her chance Mallory grabbed her knife and stabbed Orgg in the side of the neck. The large saurian yelled out in pain and dropped her. Taking her chance she kicked him hard in the face, knocking him onto his back. He rolled with it and went to whip her with his tail but she dodged and jumped up to kick him in the face again, Orgg stumbled and held his bleeding snout.

Wildwing had gotten to his feet and delivered a hard punch to the right side of Orgg's face, sending him sprawling to the ground. "Damn ducks!" He yelled.

Just then Grin went sailing overhead, Mallory and Wildwing ducked just in time to avoid being hit. "Grin!" Mallory called worried about her teammate. Siege and Wraith came out from where Grin had been thrown from. They were closing in on Mallory and Wildwing.

Orgg shaking off the punch to his face was on his feet again, ready to beat the life out of the two ducks that attacked him.

Mallory and Wildwing were back to back, while Grin was trying to stop the world from spinning around him.

"Looks like it's over for you ducks." Siege smirked. "Your as good as dead and you..." He pointed to Mallory. "...are officially the property of Dragaunus now." Mallory held her knife up, ready for a fight, and Wildwing had his guns ready.

"Not gonna happen creeps." Wildwing pulled up his ice shield.

"And whose gonna stop us?" Siege questioned.

"We are losers." Nosedive yelled jumping down from the Aerowing and landing on Siege's face feet first. Duke followed after and attacked Wraith with his saber, leaving Mallory and Wildwing to deal with Orgg. Orgg snarled, making steam come from his nostrils.

Whipping his tail back and forth he planned to use it like a whip to keep the ducks at bay, however he completely forgot about Grin who was up and approaching him from behind. Grin grabbed his tail and started spinning the surprised saurian around until he threw him into a tree, temporarily knocking him out. "Don't touch my teammates." Grin growled.

"Nice one Grin." Wildwing was happy to see the large duck up. Grin nodded and tied up Orgg. Duke kicked Wraith's can out of his hands and used the duck skull on it to smash into Wraith's head, rendering unconscious. Nosedive was taking on Siege who was proving more difficult. Siege swung his clubbed tail around, trying to hit one of the ducks. However he was stopped by Nosedive getting a good shot off with the puck ropes. They wrapped around Siege tightly and brought him to his knees.

It was drag down knock out fight but they came out victorious, that is until Dragaunus's voice came over their coms. "I'd suggest that you release my men or Tanya here is going to have a very bad day." The ducks looked up to the Aerowing to see the Chameleon with a gun to Tanya's head and Dragaunus standing behind them.

"TANYA!" Everyone called out in concern. She sat in the seat of the plane nervously as the Chameleon chuckled.

"Drop your weapons ducks and release my men. NOW!" Wildwing nodded and everyone did as told. "Good. Orgg, Siege! Tie them all up. We're going back to the raptor... together. He he he."

They tied up the ducks and put their hands behind their backs. Orgg laughed as he kicked Wildwing hard in the face, knocking him over. The mask took the brunt of the hit but still it hurt. Wildwing growled at Orgg who laughed harder.

"Fucking coward!" Mallory yelled at him. Orgg just turned to her and backhanded her across the face knocking her to the ground. Wildwing charged in and kicked Orgg hard in the back. The saurian yelled out in pain and went down to his knees, holding the spot that Wildwing had kicked.

"ENOUGH!" Dragaunus roared over the com. "ORGG! Hurry up. Leave abusing the ducks to later."

Mallory sat up with Wildwing crouched protectively over her. He growled at Siege but Siege ignored it. "Do you want us to kill the nerd in the plane?" Wildwing stopped growling and Siege grabbed them both and threw them over his shoulders. Once all the ducks were gathered, they were knocked out and the saurian's teleported them all back to the Raptor.

…..