They'd been digging in the rubble for what felt like forever when Virgil stood up straight, cocked his head, then froze, his pupils dilating. Logan and Patton looked up at the abrupt movement, and Patton thought that Virgil looked kind of like a curious dog. He was about to say that to Logan when Janus jolted to his feet just like Virgil had and tilted his head, his tongue dashing out to lick his lips. Logan stiffened, understanding at once that they were sensing something that neither he nor Patton could sense.

"What's wrong?" he asked, standing up.

Janus and Virgil looked at each other then bolted like frightened rabbits. Without hesitation, Logan and Patton followed. They got away from the castle, and Janus and Virgil gestured frantically for them to get down in front of them. Logan and Patton did. Then they heard an ominous rumble.

"A storm?" Patton asked as he knelt down beside Janus. Then the sun disappeared, plunging them into semi-darkness.

In one movement, Janus and Virgil knelt down and seemed to pick up the ground as they lifted a patch of earth above their heads like a blanket then arched it over them. As they went down, Janus's arm settled over Patton's back and Virgil's settled over Logan's, pushing them until they were flat on the ground.

The earth above them felt like a heavy blanket, but before they could ask what in the world was going on, the ground beneath them heaved and rippled. Patton screamed, and even Logan made an undignified yelp and clutched at Virgil as terror swept over him.

"Hold on," Virgil rumbled, his voice layered. A surge of electricity suddenly washed over them, and Logan gasped and writhed.

"W-What's g-g-going on?" Logan stammered.

"Lightning storm?" Patton asked, his voice high and frightened as he held tightly to Janus.

"Not quite," Janus hissed. "Emotional storm. The good news is we now know that Remus and Roman are not beneath the rubble. They must be somewhere else."

"Where?" Logan asked.

"The pool," Virgil said. "The runoff into the river."

"We'll search the banks," Janus said. "They've got to be downstream, not upstream. We'll find them."

"Whole or in pieces?" Virgil asked tightly.

There was a howl from above them that didn't sound like any wind they'd ever heard and thunder rocked the sky.

"I'm totally sure it'll be okay," Janus whimpered. "Remus…"

Patton reached out his hand and found Janus's cheek. He could feel the scales, and they were wet with tears. He scooted closer in the tight space, squeezing Janus.

"They'll be okay."

Janus sniffled. "You don't know that."

"But you didn't say I'm lying."

"Because you weren't."

Janus turned and nuzzled Patton, and Patton was reminded of a dog or cat seeking affection and reassurance. He smiled and squeezed Janus tighter. The earth continued to ripple beneath them, sometimes jolting them so hard that it seemed to rattle their teeth. Virgil grasped Logan and shuddered, soft, inhuman noises bubbling out of the back of his throat.

The world finally settled around them, but Janus and Virgil didn't let them leave for several minutes. After they were sure there would be no more aftershocks, they pushed aside the dirt, allowing it to fall off of them in chunks. The world was absolutely ravaged. The rubble from the castle had been blown about by what had to have been hurricane-force winds, scattered here and yon for miles. Logan's jaw dropped and Patton's mouth fell open when they saw the enormous spikes that had erupted out of the earth, glistening black and red in the cloudy day.

"Holy crap," Patton murmured, which was the strongest language he ever allowed himself to use.

"No kidding," Logan said.

"We totally don't need to find them now. Because I'm definitely not panicking," Janus said, speaking fast.

Dipping down to retrieve his hat, he tucked it under his arm and began to hurry down toward the river. Virgil bounded after him, and Patton and Logan ran to catch up. They began to call for the brothers again, hoping for any sign of them. And then Patton saw sparks in the sky, glorious sparks like in that wonderful book that he couldn't name, but he knew what it was, but it didn't matter.

"There!" he gasped, and he bolted toward the sparks, his heart hammering in his chest. When he burst through the bushes and saw them, he gave a relieved shout. "There you are!"

And he threw his arms around Roman, who grunted and grabbed him.

"Patton! You're bleeding all over me!" Roman exclaimed, but he held him tightly for a moment.

"I'm glad you're okay," Patton sighed, then he pulled back and glared at Roman as Virgil, Logan, and Janus pushed through the bushes, looking relieved. "Don't you ever worry me like that again, mister! Do you know what I've been through to make sure you're okay? I've fought rogues and I had to face down a red fire drake! You—" Patton stopped then embraced Roman again, tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Geez, Pop-scicle, I'm okay," Roman said. He pulled back and smiled at Patton. "And I'm sorry I worried you. And that I called you stupid."

Patton blinked at him, wiping at his cheeks. "You called me stupid?"

"Not today," Roman said quickly. "Back when you came in here without anybody." He paused then looked down. "I felt worried for you then, just like you just did for me. And I was upset. I said things I didn't mean. And I should have listened when you said you wanted to show me your statue. I'm sorry."

Patton stared at him then smiled. "It's okay, Roman. I shouldn't have yelled at you just now either. But I get it. Let's promise to let others know when we're going somewhere, okay?"

"Yeah," Roman said. Then he glanced at Virgil. "I'd also like to apologize for blaming you for things you had nothing to do with. I honestly didn't realize I was doing that. I'm sorry, Virgil."

Virgil paused then scuffed his sneaker in the grass and smiled. "Thanks. That… that means a lot. And I forgive you. It's a big adjustment. We're all still adjusting."

Roman turned to Janus and opened his mouth. Janus threw his hands up. "Oh. spare me from this sappiness!"

"We did defeat Ego," Remus said, his lips twitching as he dabbed at a deep cut on Roman's back. "It's gonna happen, Janny. Just let it."

Janus huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine. Go on, Princey."

Roman chuckled. "I'll make it short then. I'm sorry I never gave you a chance. You are far better than I am, and I beg for your forgiveness. And I want you to let me, well, us, prove to you that you are not a monster."

Janus stared at him then blinked and looked away. "You expect to move me with that apology? You expect me to be happy that you've let go of your blasted prejudices and are giving me a chance?"

Roman smiled. "I expect you to do just that, but I don't expect you to admit it."

Janus flushed and spun his hat onto his head, pulling the brim low over his eyes, but he couldn't hide the pleased smile that curled his lips.

"Do you owe me an apology?" Logan asked when Roman turned to him.

"I owe you a better one," Roman said. "I'm sorry that I've been daydreaming so much. You told me how much you've been bothered by the clutter and mess, and I haven't stopped. And I probably will never be able to permanently stop, but I promise I'll stop for now and let Thomas get some actual work done. I know it's one of your pet projects."

Logan looked touched. "Thank you, Roman," he said softly.

"I can come up with a few horror scenarios to encourage him," Remus suggested.

Immediately the imagination flashed and they all got the image of a situation where Nico theatrically laughed at Thomas for his abysmal house-cleaning skills. Virgil let out a whine and dropped down to put his head between his knees.

"Remus!" Roman and Janus both snapped.

"Oops," Remus said, grinning.

"You're impossible," Roman grumbled fondly.

"Thanks! Now, you're done Romy. Patton, come here and let me stop that bleeding."

Logan watched Remus, and he hesitated then took a deep breath. "Not to kill the good mood." He paused and peered around to make sure he'd used the proper phrase before he continued. "I have a rather serious question for Remus."

Remus continued to wipe at the wound on Patton's side, but he was no longer smiling. Instead, he looked scared, and his hands began to tremble.

"Remus," Logan said coolly. "Ego stated you were draining oxytocin for yourself."

"So?" Remus asked faintly.

"So Janus did not say he was lying."

Remus felt his face redden and he continued to wipe at the wound, though it had stopped bleeding.

Logan reached out and placed his hand over Remus's shaking one. "Are you addicted to oxytocin?"

Remus didn't move for a long moment then he nodded his head once. Logan breathed out and reached out to rub his forehead. "Okay then. That answers that question." He turned and began to pace, his face serious. Then he stopped and turned to Janus. "I suppose you knew about it."

"Not at all and I can't believe you'd accuse me of such a thing," Janus said, meeting his eyes defiantly.

"So you actively decided not to tell me," Logan concluded.

Janus flushed and shrugged. "It's not like lying is my first line of defense or anything."

"And I understand that. But something like this is important for me to know, for us to know," Logan said sternly. "Why didn't you tell me? Be honest, please."

Janus squirmed then huffed and took off his gloves and raised his right hand, rolling his eyes back as if in great discomfort. "Because I thought that your reaction would be too extreme and I didn't want Remus to suffer any more than he already was."

"I see. Thank you. I know that it is not comfortable for you to be honest in such a personal situation." Logan ran his fingers through his hair. "Now, on to the problem of the addiction. I know it is never easy to quit a habit like that, so we will simply have to come to an agreement on what to do in situations like this. To start, I will implement a regular chemical check to discourage any more theft. I also believe it will foster the desire to be honest should another slip occur."

"Wait!" Remus exclaimed, looking over. "You're not mad?"

Logan peered at him then looked down at himself, puzzled. "Me? Be angry? Whatever for?"

"I stole oxytocin last night."

"I am aware of that. And I am coming up with measures to help you. Is that not what you expected?"

Remus and Janus frowned and looked down. Then Virgil spoke. "I told you so."

"Okay, so you were right," Janus huffed.

"We could have avoided all this $&!# if you'd listened to me," Virgil said. "I do know them a bit better than you. And your scenario of Logan skewering you was entertaining but completely illogical. And that's where you went wrong."

Remus breathed out. "I guess you're right. I just… I didn't want to tell them. So…"

"I can understand such reluctance," Logan said, adjusting his glasses. "I'm guessing you're ashamed?" Remus shrugged and Logan smiled. "I recognize that feelings are powerful and can lead to rash actions. But please tell me if you do that again. I can't help you if I don't know you're struggling. I will not get angry. I will instead try and help."

Remus swallowed hard and looked up at Logan. "I'll try. I can't… can't promise. But I'll try."

Logan smiled and nodded. "Excellent. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I think we'd better get home. I desire a hot shower and a hot meal, preferably in that order."

"I'll throw something in the oven when we get back," Patton promised. "Nothing fancy. I want a shower, too."

Remus stripped off the gloves and tossed them in the air. They disappeared with a pop. "Then let the champions return home!" Remus declared, and he waved his hand. The door to his room opened and he walked through. The others followed, relieved to be done. The mind was extremely dark, and they realized it must be either very late or very early.

"Well, there goes my schedule," Logan sighed, slumping. "Thomas is playing video games and we're all wide awake."

Roman thought for a moment then looked at Virgil. "How about some chamomile? That's always good for sleep."

"Unplugging for awhile would be a good idea," Virgil said. "Maybe putting away the screens and listening to a book."

"And a nice, hot bath," Janus suggested.

"With a healthy snack," Patton said.

Logan smiled at them. "Thank you. But the schedule cannot be fixed like that."

"Shut up, dork. It's a start," Remus said. "Come on, Janny. Let's go and play your music. That always soothes Thomas."

He and Janus turned to leave the room, and they opened the door and walked into the hallway. There was a pause then Janus spoke.

"What the %#*&?!"

Instantly on alert, the others hurried into the hallway and didn't see the problem at first. Janus and Remus stared down the hallway where the rest of the bedrooms were, and it took a moment to register what was wrong.

"Wait a second!" Patton yelped. "Your rooms moved!"

"We're in the Conscious!" Logan exclaimed. "But weren't we just in Remus's room?"

They turned and saw Remus's room behind them, and across the hall was Janus's door with the snake painted on it. Roman laughed and clapped his hand on his twin's shoulder.

"Welcome to the Conscious, bro! Apparently you room with us now!"

"B-but how?" Janus stammered. "Why would our rooms move?"

"Seems to me like it's because you two belong with us, and we all agree on that," Roman said carefully.

In the dim light, they watched two tears slip down Janus's cheeks as he tried to compose himself. Remus wasn't so subtle.

"Hell yeah! We're gonna have so many sleepovers, bro! Ooh, it's good to be home!"

Roman laughed. "As long as you keep your room clean."

"Every three months!" Remus said proudly.

"We might have to amend that," Logan said. "Considering the odor that is already building up."

"Good luck with that," Janus said dryly.

"I'll go and put something in the oven for a really late dinner," Patton said. "You all freshen up."

"Thanks, Patton," Roman said, flashing a smile.

"Ugh, even I want a bath," Remus said.

They all headed for their rooms, and Virgil stopped after opening his door and looked back to see Janus still gazing in wonder at his door, as if he couldn't believe it was there.

"Welcome to the party," Virgil said.

Janus glanced at him then ducked his head and opened his door. He hesitated then spoke quickly, his eyes dashing away. "Remus is right. It's good to be home."

Virgil smiled to himself as Janus slipped into his room and shut the door. It was good to have his friends back. But there were still a few lingering doubts about the Light Sides. He couldn't help it. But for the first time, he wanted to try and face it instead of running away. For now, he'd settle for a hot shower and the frozen pizza that Patton was heating up. He'd deal with his doubts later.