Phoenix woke up in the early hours of the morning. It was time. She looked over at Bucky sleeping next to her. She leaned over to kiss his temple. "Don't worry. I'm doing this for us," she thought to herself. She slipped out of the basement and out of the house. She headed for her usual haunt when down in Louisiana and went a bit farther than that. Her heart was pounding from what she intended to. Once she reached a clearing that was about half a mile from the house, Phoenix looked around to ensure she was alone before heading to the center. Walker's words rattled around in her head. He had implied that Bucky was playing her, tore her down because she couldn't fully care for his own needs, and hit her with the coup de grace that she was nothing but a freak of nature. That had done it. Phoenix knew she could live as a human by simply never shifting back but that wasn't enough. If she could separate her two aspects…maybe she could really make Bucky happy.

She sat down in the center of the clearing and closed her eyes. Up until now, she hadn't really explored just how deep her magic ran. Being a chimera whose primary genetic ancestor was a magical creature made her something of an anomaly among her own kind. Very few chimeras like her existed and she didn't know how in touch with their base magic they were. Still, she had to try. She started to let her magic flow and concentrated. "I want to be human. I don't want to be a chimera anymore. I want to be human," she thought over and over again. A sharp pain in her head almost made her stop but she powered through.

At the house

Bucky awoke with a start. He wasn't sure why. He had been sleeping very peacefully. He looked to his right to see that Phoenix was gone. He sat up, confused. His gut was going haywire. Something didn't feel right. The fact she was gone wasn't unexpected. There had been plenty of mornings where he woke up in bed alone. He didn't know why this time felt off. Getting out of bed, Bucky threw on jeans and a shirt. He left the house and went to Phoenix's usual haunt. She wasn't there. The feeling something was wrong kicked up a huge notch and he was starting to feel anxious. Something flared up in front of him. It was a blue flame. Bucky recognized it as the protection spell Phoenix had been under for as long as he had known her. The flame flickered out, only to reappear further ahead. Getting the idea he was meant to follow, the White Wolf started to walk, keeping his eye on the wisp.

Bucky had walked a short distance when he heard a bloodcurdling scream. "Nix!" he shouted, taking off at a run. The wisp picked up speed in vanishing and reappearing as well and he came to a clearing. Bucky hit the breaks, horror dawning on him. Phoenix was on her hands and knees. She was surrounded by what he could only assume was her aura. It was a violent purple color, a stark contrast to the protection spell. What really got him was sticking out of her back. It was her true form, scaled to her human size, but still her true form. Its head and shoulders were free but nothing else. Phoenix was covered in blood and the chimeric body out of her back looked dead or zombie-like. "Phoenix!" Bucky shouted over the rushing wind.

His only response was getting pushed back by a magical flare. She apparently heard him because she looked over in his direction. "Bucky?" she questioned. "What are you doing!?" he exclaimed, fear evident. Phoenix only cried as the body in her back emerged a bit more. "I'm doing this for us! You deserve a woman who can give you what you need! I can't be that as I am now!" she explained. Bucky had no idea what she was going on about. He thought they were on the same page about everything. He wanted things but he wanted her more. Those things didn't matter as long as she was in his life. He wasn't able to say anything more because a sudden bolt of blue lightning dropped from the blue and hit the aura barrier. Phoenix looked up long enough to see the lightning before it broke through and she was struck. A scream filled the air and the wind suddenly died. Phoenix fell onto her side, unconscious. Blood started to pool around her.

Bucky started to run towards her but he was sent flying back when a second bolt of blue lightning struck the ground between them. Shaking his head of the cobwebs, the former Winter Soldier looked to see that someone had arrived. Kneeling between him and Phoenix was a man with long sky-blue hair done up in a high ponytail. His back was to him but Bucky could see his body was covered in armor and a cape the same color as his hair. The man stood up and looked at Phoenix. He then turned a hard eye at Bucky himself, revealing a missing right eye covered with an eyepatch. "I'll deal with you in a moment. For now, stay out of my way while I fix this mess," the mysterious man said. Bucky could only swallow and stayed where he was. The man turned towards Phoenix's body and drew a katana. "Wait, what are you going to do!?" Bucky interjected, getting to his feet. "DON'T MOVE!" the man barked, turning the blade on him and his remaining eye glowing viciously.

Bucky stood down, sufficiently cowed and somewhat in fear. His worry over Phoenix was more powerful than that but he wasn't about to cross the stranger. Once he was sure he was going to stay put, the man turned back to the matter at hand. He closed the distance and knelt down to inspect the chimeric growth emerging from Phoenix's body. "Phoenix…what were you thinking?" he muttered to himself. Standing up at his full height, the man raised his sword and quick as a flash, cut the massive growth off. Bucky felt extremely sick when he got an eyeful of the damage to Phoenix's back and the underside of the growth. It was beyond horrific (he could see malformed organs in the rib cage) and there was no way a mere mortal could've survived what had just happened. The only way to describe what he was seeing was unadulterated body horror.

Sheathing his sword, the man concentrated what could only be magic in his hands and slammed them against her back. Though still unconscious, Phoenix started to scream from pain as her back was magically closed up. By the time he was done, all that remained was a large, gnarly, ragingly red scar running the length of her spine from the base of her neck down to her tailbone. Bucky watched as the man turned to face him before he suddenly vanished and reappeared right in front of him. Startled, the White Wolf took a step back but the man snatched him by the throat and slammed him up against a tree, feet dangling off the ground. Bucky choked a bit, hands on the man's wrist and in shock at his strength.

The man's identity was suddenly apparent to him. It could only be one being and that was Seiryu High King himself. Seiryu was glaring death at him and lessened his grip enough so he could get his answers. "You have three minutes to tell me the truth, James. Did you know she was planning this?" Seiryu asked. "I didn't. I swear. I don't even know what was going on," Bucky protested. The dragon-turned-human snarled and raised him a bit higher. "As if the word of a human is enough. I know all about you, James. She hasn't held back anything from me where you're concerned. I warned her that loving a human wasn't easy but I never thought you'd try to push her to this extreme," he growled.

"I didn't do anything! What's going on!? What was she trying to do!?" Bucky shot back. Something in his eyes stayed Seiryu's hand. As angry as he was, he wasn't so far gone in his rage that he couldn't hear the honesty in Bucky's words. "You swear on your life that you're telling me the truth? That Phoenix tried to separate her two aspects of her own accord?" he asked. "I swear," came the response. Deep blue eyes kept locked with blue-greys. "I hope for both your sakes you're being honest with me, James. I sense no lie but at the moment, I can't trust my own judgment. You're not off the hook just yet so don't get cocky with me," he warned.

Bucky was dropped to the ground, coughing and rubbing his throat with his metal hand. Seiryu crossed his arms, glaring at him. "Let me go to her," Bucky found himself begging, looking up at the High King. Seiryu shook his head. "You're staying right there until I get to the bottom of this. I don't want you anywhere near her," he responded. Helpless and not wanting to cross the dragon in human form, Bucky felt cold as he looked over at the unconscious woman. Phoenix looked like a corpse. The only sign she still drew breath was the ragged, jerky movements of her body. "What…what was she trying to do?" he asked in a small voice, not daring to look at the High King.

"From what I can tell, she tried to split her essence. Expelling her true self to exist separately as a human. The only way she would've known about this is a scroll in my archives that talks about the separation of aspects. It was a theory I studied millennia ago after the Elder Phoenix, Ho-oh, was split into Suzaku High King and Oh, Mother of Phoenixes. I later came to the conclusion that the only reason this worked on him was that Ho-oh was created male and female in mind, body, and soul. Thus the Weaver was able to split its essence into two separate birds. Why Phoenix attempted this when she only has one complete soul is the question I hope to get answered," Seiryu responded.

"What the hell is going on?" came Sam's voice. Bucky and Seiryu turned their heads to see him and Sarah making their way to them. They both spotted Phoenix lying in a pool of her own blood and Sarah gasped, hand to her mouth. Sam was looking between Bucky on the ground and Seiryu standing near him with his arms crossed. "What happened?" the new Captain asked with a hard edge to his voice. His question was aimed at Seiryu who regarded him with a neutral look. "Phoenix decided to do something stupid. I was the one who stopped her and I'm getting to the bottom of it," he responded. "Is she…?" Sarah asked before trailing off. The High King just shook his head. "She's alive. But if I hadn't intervened, this could've been fatal," he replied. His deep blue eyes then went to Bucky.

"Tell me something. Has Phoenix ever expressed any abnormal desires in your courtship? This attempt didn't come out of nowhere and for no reason. Just remember that I've been around for an obscenely long time and I'm a dragon. I know when someone is lying to me," he ventured. Bucky took a moment to try to pinpoint anything that could've caused this. "I honestly don't know. Things seemed pretty solid. We have talked numerous times about normal couple things we can't exactly do because of…you know…reasons," he then responded. He met Seiryu's eyes and quailed a bit under the stony gaze he was getting. "I promise I wasn't pushing her into anything. I accept there are things we can't do. I just…I want her with me no matter what. I thought we were on the same page," he said, his voice growing softer. Sam and Sarah looked at Seiryu. The armored figure had his eyes closed in thought. "I believe you. I suppose I'll just have to wait for her to regain consciousness. All of you need to stay back," Seiryu said. Sam, Sarah, and Bucky just exchanged a look and tried to avoid the gory body lying near their mutual friend.

Phoenix let out a groan and slowly opened her eyes. She felt like she got hit by a Behemoth. Then she felt the unspeakable agony in her back. "Back with us, Phoenix?" came the last voice she expected to hear in this world. Fighting against the pain that threatened to knock her out cold again, she turned her face towards the voice and her eyes trailed up to lock with Seiryu's. His overall expression was stern but she had known him long enough to see that under that, he was out and out furious. She broke eye contact to see the growth lying nearby and she almost hurled. She then noticed she and Seiryu weren't alone. She could see Bucky on the ground with Sam and Sarah standing nearby. Her face started to burn in humiliation. She was covered in blood, her shirt was practically destroyed, and Seiryu had somehow managed to make it from All World to stop her.

"I know it hurts, Phoenix, but you need to start talking. What in the Weaver's name were you trying to do?" Seiryu asked. The shifter was powerless before him. "I…I just wanted…," she trailed off, finding it difficult to breathe. "Out with it. Tell me I wasn't wrong to entrust you to James because right now, he's on thin ice with me," Seiryu prompted. "Bucky had nothing to do with this! This was all me!" Phoenix ranted, losing her already thin composure. Seiryu cocked an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that you tried to cast a spell that was only theoretical in execution entirely of your own volition? He wasn't pressing you to attempt changing what you are?" the dragon asked. "No! I wanted to expel my true self because I want to give him the relationship he deserves! I can't do that as I am!" she shot back.

"Are you kidding me, Nix?" Bucky interjected, getting to his feet. Phoenix shifted her gaze from Seiryu to him. Her fire died instantly and she winced as excruciating pain hit her back. "How did you get it into your head that I would've wanted this for you?" he asked. Unseen, Seiryu cocked an eyebrow. "I don't care about the things we can't do. I was happy just having you," Bucky continued. He looked at the armored figure standing nearby and got a slight nod. The White Wolf slowly closed the distance. "You could've died, Nix. Did you ever think about how it would kill me if you did?" he asked. Phoenix's eyes started to glow a bit as her anger started to build. "I want to be good enough for you!" she shouted. "YOU WERE GOOD ENOUGH! YOU'RE MAKING A LIAR OUT OF ME IN FRONT OF HIM!" Bucky exploded, jabbing a finger in Seiryu's direction. It was so unexpected, it caused everyone (except the dragon in question) to jump a bit. Phoenix was so startled that she tried to move back, only for her damaged back to remind her she was gravely injured. She let out a pain-fill scream and the healing scar opened a bit.

Sam noticed the same time Seiryu did and he closed the distance to push Bucky back a bit while Seiryu handled the injury. "Back off, Bucky. This isn't helping," the new Cap said. The White Wolf ignored his words. "Seriously, Nix, look around. You're covered in blood, your back is opened up, you somehow caught Seiryu's attention with this stunt to the point he had to come here to stop you, he had to cut…whatever the hell that thing is off, and you thought this would somehow magically fix the issues I thought we managed to work through? You're making us BOTH look bad here!" he ranted. Sam pushed him back again. Phoenix was silent as the tomb. Seiryu finished reclosing the wound and sighed. He kept his peace though because he was still observing the situation. Sarah was looking at everyone, wondering what was going to happen next.

Bucky just deflated and turned his back, running a hand over his face. Sam looked at Seiryu, who was standing straight again with his arms crossed. "If we're all done here, let's table the conversation for later. Right now, Phoenix is wounded and needs to heal. Sarah, go back to the house and keep the boys in their rooms. Seiryu, mind helping her if you think we can safely move her?" he asked, taking charge. The High King looked down at Phoenix, her eyes glassed over, and was overall unresponsive. "Levitation is the best bet I have to move her without reopening the wound. I have to play it by ear but I shouldn't linger here on this planet for too long," he then responded.

Seiryu then looked at the partial chimera body he had cut from Phoenix's back. He snapped his fingers and it went up in flames, surprising the witnesses. "Can't leave any part of that behind. Wouldn't want her genetic information being found, no matter how unlikely that is," he explained when he noticed the looks he was getting. The corpse finished burning and all that remained was the horned skull. Seiyu picked it up and looked at it. He then looked at the woman at his feet. "This isn't over, Phoenix. It's taking everything in me to resist taking you home and making sure you stay there. From everything I've witnessed, you're becoming too human and I've been around long enough to see how bad that can get for those like us. While he didn't mean it, James is equally as responsible for this mess as you. Because he's human and his influence runs strong," the dragon said.

Bucky's shoulders dropped and his eyes were downcast. He didn't fault Seiryu for what he said. He did feel responsible for what happened. He didn't understand why Phoenix went to such lengths. He heard an odd sound but didn't turn to watch. He had a feeling it was Seiryu's magic. The dragon walked past him, Phoenix levitating in front of him. Bucky caught sight of her facial expression and it almost broke his heart seeing how defeated she looked. But it died a bit as his anger spiked a bit. He brought up the rear as the Wilson siblings followed the High King. Sarah jogged ahead to keep Cass and AJ in their rooms for a while. When they reached the house, Sarah was waiting on the porch. Sam motioned for Seiryu to follow her inside before he stopped Bucky from following. "I think you need to stay out here, man. You're not in a good place mentally. Let Sarah take handle things," he said. Bucky just nodded with a rough sigh.

Sarah led Seiryu to the bathroom. "So…how should we proceed?" she asked, a bit awkwardly. "First step is to get all this blood off. Then we need to cover the wound. Do you have anything big enough to cover it?" Seiryu asked. "Not for something like this," Sarah admitted. "Perhaps your brother can find something. I'll leave Phoenix to you. Be very careful. The scar may look healed but it can still reopen. James and I have a lot to talk about," the High King instructed. Sarah nodded and he left the room. Phoenix was huddled against the tub and her face was twisted in pain from her wound. Sarah knelt down and gently set a hand on her shoulder. "Let me help. You're safe. No one will come in," she said.

Phoenix slowly looked over at her and nodded. Sarah carefully removed the remains of her shirt. Fortunately, it was almost completely ripped down the back and Sarah only had to cut the bottom off before she could slide it off Phoenix's arms. She helped her into the tub and explained what she was going to do so the injured shifter knew what was going to happen. Sarah had Phoenix face the wall opposite the faucet. Her plan was to run a washcloth under cold water and clean her up that way. Phoenix only jumped a bit when the faucet came on but she was quiet and still otherwise. She winced a bit as she felt the cold washcloth on her back. She was acutely aware of her wound and was constantly hoping Sarah wouldn't hit it.

Outside, Seiryu told Sam they needed some supplies for Phoenix's wound and the new Cap headed off to town. The High King then looked over at Bucky, who was leaning against a tree and looking sour, disappointed, and depressed. He preempted the dragon by speaking first. "Are you going to take her away?" Bucky asked. Seiryu cocked an eyebrow before sighing a bit, reaching up to pull the tie from his hair. "As much as I want to, I have no say in any decisions she makes and it's not my way to deny anyone the freedom to choose. This mess is between the two of you. I'm the outsider here, no matter how long she and I were together. However, the wound is extensive enough that I feel it's a medical necessity to lock her shifting ability away until her back heals. She'll have to spend the next month or so as a human. She's going to hate it but it has to be done," he explained.

"I didn't mean for any of this. I can't believe she would do something so boneheaded," Bucky ranted a bit. "Relax. What concerns me more is why she tried. That isn't the Phoenix I know. The Phoenix I know wouldn't try something so risky and theoretical," Seiryu responded. Bucky slowly looked over at his companion. "Mind explaining what exactly was going on?" he asked. Seiryu brought the skull he still had up to look at it. "The spell she attempted was theoretical magic, based on something that happened long ago and in vastly different circumstances. I studied it in detail before I came to the conclusion that shifters attempting this on their own wasn't going to end well. And we saw that I was right. When I get back to my Castle, I need to locate the scroll she read and seal it. I can't afford for another humanshifter to kill themselves trying," he responded.

Bucky looked towards the house. "Who was the first?" he asked. "Suzaku. Though at the time, he was known as Ho-oh and Ho-oh was a unique entity," Seiryu responded, before launching into the story. As he finished, Sam came back and nodded before heading into the house. Seiryu looked up at the sky. "The day grows late. I can't linger here any longer. If my absence is noticed, it could get bad. Stay here. I need to speak to Phoenix and tell her I'm placing a temporary spell on her to keep her from shifting. After that, I must return to my world," he explained. He and Bucky looked at each other. "This changes nothing, James. Now that I have a better idea of what is going on, my trust in you remains solid. You've taken care of her very well up until now. The ball is in your court now," the High King said before turning to head into the house.

Sam met him inside. "Mind taking these to my sister? I have a feeling I'm not meant to hear what's coming," he said. "It doesn't matter either way. I'm going to be placing a temporary spell on Phoenix and then I have to return to All World. Thank you for your help," Seiryu responded. He took the bag and looked inside. Sam had gotten the largest cotton pads he could find along with medical tape and several rolls of fabric bandages. Nodding in approval, Seiryu headed up to the bathroom, catching sight of the human children peeking outside their door. He gave them a look and waited for the door to close before knocking. Sarah opened it and let him in. Phoenix was leaning against the tub, as clean as she could be, given her extensive injury. Handing the bag to Sarah, Seiryu knelt down. "I won't ask you to look at me, love, but I do need you to listen," he started.

A shift of her eyes in his general direction was his sign to move forward. "Given the scale of your injury, I need to lock your magic away until it heals. This will be a time-sensitive spell so it will break when the time comes so I don't have to come back to this planet. Your healing magic will be working autonomously for the time being but your access is going to be blocked," he explained. He set a hand on her face and turned her eyes to face his. Seiryu smiled gently. "If and when you come home, I'll not speak of this day. I'm just sorry it had to come to this," he said before raising a hand to set it on her forehead.

Phoenix felt her connection to her magic get blocked and she felt a lump form in her throat. Seiryu then left the room and Sarah started pulling out the supplies. The wound was still looking very raw. Sarah carefully taped the large cotton pads along her back before wrapping her entire torso with the fabric bandages to keep the whole thing in place. Something in Phoenix broke and she started to cry. Sarah was startled a bit but she quickly realized what was happening. She finished tying off the bandages and draped her robe around her to preserve her dignity. She then sat with her, holding her when the shifter moved to be held. Sarah was glad she was a mom herself. It helped when it came to comforting people and Phoenix clearly needed a mother at the moment.

Outside, Sam, Bucky, and Seiryu stood near a tree. The High King's eyes were closed, his sharper hearing picking up on the fact that Phoenix was falling apart as her world crashed down around her. Sam ran his hand over his head before looking at Bucky. It was obvious he was feeling very conflicted. "So what now?" he asked. "My work here is done and I'm going to return to All World. Whatever happens now is in your hands. I know I can trust all of you to protect her while she heals. But don't brush this under the rug. She needs to understand the gravity of the situation. For the time being, however, give her time and space. Let her physically heal before you have that discussion. I set the spell on her to break in about two months. That should be sufficient enough for her healing magic to do its work," Seiryu responded. He gave the two a slight bow before shifting into his true form.

Bucky and Sam stared in awe at the blue dragon. He was thirty feet long, his muzzle was full of whiskers, and he had two long tendril prehensile whiskers. His remaining eye regarded them with approval before he flew off into the sky. The new Cap and the White Wolf watched as a portal opened and the dragon flew. It slammed shut like thunder. The two then looked at each other. "I think it might be best if Phoenix stayed here to recover. It's quiet here with a lot of nature around. You, on the other hand, should leave. Both of you need to be separated so you can get your heads on straight," Sam suggested. Bucky sighed roughly. "No beating about the bush, huh?" he asked. Sam gave him a stern look but the White Wolf looked towards the house. "I'm going to be honest, Sam. I don't know if our relationship is even going to survive this. I can't even look at her right now. I feel betrayed and made to be a liar. Seiryu actually did us both a favor by locking her magic away. It means the Road is closed so she can't get back that easily," Bucky admitted.

Sam looked up at the sky and saw the evening was falling. "Let me talk to Sarah about this and we'll come up with an arrangement. Mind chilling out here a bit longer?" he asked. Bucky just nodded and headed off to Phoenix's usual haunt. Sam went to the house and found Sarah in her room. Phoenix was lying on the bed and it was quickly apparent she was out for the count. "She just fell asleep," Sarah whispered. "We need to talk," her brother said, motioning for her to follow. They went out and stood by the door. "I'm really sorry to impose this on you, Sis, but I told Bucky that Phoenix should stay here to recover and he should head back to New York alone. She needs peace and quiet to heal and he needs to stay away from her while that happens. Can you put her up for a couple of months? I'll help out with finances," he said.

"It's no trouble, Sam. I think that's for the best for them both. I was already planning on her being a long-term guest and given her injury, I'm letting her have my room. My bed's the comfiest in the house," Sarah agreed. She looked at the bedroom door. "Love does crazy things to people," she mused. Sam looked at the door as well. "Sure does. He and I aren't sure they're going to survive this. I believe Bucky when he says he didn't put this idea in Phoenix's head but there's something she isn't telling us. If he didn't, who did?" he mused. Sarah just shrugged before heading to her sons' room to talk to them about expectations going forward.

Later that night

Bucky finally returned to the house after the Wilsons had gone to sleep. Sam had found him earlier telling him that Phoenix was going to be staying in Sarah's room, Sarah was taking his old room, and he was taking the foldout in the basement. That left the living room couch for Bucky. The White Wolf quietly went upstairs and found Sarah's room. He cracked the door open and peered in. Phoenix was lying on her stomach, her bandaged back out in the open. She was fast asleep. Taking a deep breath and entering the room, Bucky closed the door and knelt down beside the bed. His flesh hand slowly set itself on hers. She didn't stir but the moonlight through the window allowed him to watch her face twist in sorrow. Tears forced themselves out from under her eyelids but Phoenix did not wake. Bucky had to wonder if her healing magic put her in a coma somehow. Either that or her wound being as grievous as it was put her out for the time being. Her fingers closed on the comforter.

Bucky's metal hand slowly set itself on her head. As angry as he still was, Bucky hated seeing Phoenix this way. He was of the mind the injury itself was punishment enough. What's done was done. He had two months to decide where they were going from here. Bucky went to stand but he felt a small hand close on his. Phoenix hadn't woken but her hand had instinctively taken his to ground herself. In spite of himself, Bucky just sighed and sadly smiled. He straightened up a bit and gently pulled his hand from hers. He found a light blanket to drape over her legs. Brushing her hair back, the White Wolf slipped out and headed for the living room. "Not how I wanted to spend my birthday week…," he mused, pulling his boots off and settling in.