"I really wish the two of you had not gone over there," Laura said with a sigh. This was not the conversation she wanted to have at the dinner table. Especially not a dinner table in public.

"Why?" Amelie asked. "He's our brother isn't he?" She might have been throwing attitude at Peter, but the truth was, she was most angry with her mother for her secrets. She didn't know how Julian handled things so calmly. She wanted to scream and yell and throw a tantrum like a child. Not that she would. Contrary to her mother's belief she wasn't a child any longer.

"That isn't the point Amie," Laura answered. "It's really not."

"Then what is the point, Mother?" She asked, locking gazes with Laura. "I would very much like to know what it is."

Javier smirked, "As would I."

Laura sighed and rolled her eyes. "Peter has enough on his plate, he doesn't need to have the two of you rubbing his nose in it."

"Rubbing his nose in what?" Julian asked, with a much more neutral tone than his sister. "When I spoke to him both in St. Adele and here today he seemed happy to see us. I don't think it's us that he has an issue with."

"He was merely being gracious," Laura said and took a bite of her salad.

"If by gracious you mean overly polite and a bit long-suffering. No, he wasn't being gracious." Julian said. "He and his fiance welcomed us warmly. He tolerated Amie's disdain until she got over herself. We have plans for later this week."

"No," Laura said. "I will not permit that." Not with Yulong Yeoh rearing his ugly head again, likely due to finally getting his way and trapping Peter with that … woman… he called his granddaughter.

"I am an adult, Mother." Julian said, "Here, in France and in Spain. I will continue to see Peter if I choose. It doesn't concern you."

Amelie laughed. "Wow, you've finally found your spine, about time."

Javier smiled. "I think it is more than understandable that they wish to know their brother, and he them. So this conversation is at an end. Just please don't go anywhere without one of us or Julian, Amelie. This is a strange city, in a strange country. A young woman should not wander about alone. You don't know where it may or may not be safe."

"Yes, Papa." She said, careful to use a warm and neutral tone. She loved her father deeply. But she knew what he was capable of. She wondered if Peter realized how dangerous it was to cross Javier Navarro.

"Don't worry, Father. I'll keep an eye out." Julian said. He was protective of his sister. She often confused attitude with actual capability. It was normal enough when all you had to deal with were annoying authority figures and wannabe bullies. It did nothing against an actual threat.

"Good." He said. "We'll have to see about getting you something to drive while we are here. God only knows how long it will take to clear this up." He gave his wife a sharp look when she opened her mouth to object. His smile returned when she chose, in his opinion, wisely not to pursue the conversation further. "Now… tell me what all you saw while you were out and about. I am sure you didn't just go to the martial arts studio."

Amelie shrugged. "Not much to tell. We had the world's worst coffee and danish before we went to Chinatown. There were a few interesting shops there. The lake is beautiful. Julian insisted that we go home before we explored much at all."

"We were taking public transit," Julian said. "I didn't know how long it would take to get back to the hotel."

"We'll go get you a car tomorrow morning," Javier said. "I don't want the two of you on the bus."

Amelie rolled her eyes. "It's unpleasant but it's not exactly a nightmare."

"Neither is it exactly safe," Javier said. "No arguing."

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Peter opened the door to the small diner in Chinatown that his father often frequented, and waited for Leanne to enter before he went inside and closed it.

"It's been a long day," Leanne said, glancing at the clock on the wall. "I could have sworn it was later than 7 o'clock." Leanne eased into the chair at their favorite table. Sliding her purse off her shoulder and draping it over the chair beside her.

"You haven't been sleeping well since the break-in," Peter said.

"I've been keeping you awake, haven't I? I'm sorry."

"Not really. I can tell when we get up that you're still tired."

"I've been having weird dreams. Nothing I can put my finger on, they're just… disturbing. I think it's as much about being over-tired as it is the break-in. I hate that he got bail. I knew it would happen, it's not like they could put it high enough that he couldn't manage ten percent of it."

"Yeah, I know." He said. " Although part of me wishes he'd just jump bail and go back to Spain and take my mother with him. It's not like we'd go through the hassle of extradition for a breaking and entering charge."

"I think her being in town is what's keeping you on edge. You didn't have this must stress when the Sing Wah were making asses of themselves."

"Yeah well, that might have something to do with the stuff you and Lo Si were giving me after I was poisoned. I think I slept through half of it." He laughed quietly.

"I don't think you fully recovered until we were in France." She said, then smiled up at the waitress who brought over a pot of tea and the menus. "Thank you."

"Are there any pot stickers left?" Peter asked, they were there at the end of the day after all.

"For you, there are pot stickers." She told him.

"Can we start with that and we'll let you know what we want then?" Peter's one weakness, the bit of meat that he just couldn't resist was pot stickers. He didn't order them often but every now and again he couldn't tell himself no. It was comfort food for him the way mac and cheese was for others.

She smiled and nodded. "Of course."

There was a flash of lightning, followed by thunder almost immediately and Peter flinched. "That's right on top of us," He said.

"Yes." The waitress said. "The weatherman says that there is a typhoon coming our direction."

"You really have been stressed," Leanne said, resting her hand over his.

"As I said, it's been a long day."

"Because of your mother?" She asked. He had told her about running into her at his father's place that morning.

He shrugged. "More the reminders about Pine Ridge." He said. "I don't care that they were arguing. I think it was probably the healthiest thing I have seen my parents do since she turned up." You couldn't bury that kind of anger and not have it eat at you. Peter knew that from experience.

Another clap of thunder boomed closer than the last.

"Everything seems to be throwing Pine Ridge in your face lately," Leanne said.

He nodded. "Yeah, and I hate it. But I think maybe the universe is telling me to deal with that place. I want to find the private investigator my mother hired back then. If he still has his notes and photos it could go a long way toward dealing with it." It had been 15 years since he had been there. But he was pretty sure that the statute of limitations hadn't expired for some of the things that had happened.

"Do you think she'll tell you?"

"Probably not. I told her I didn't have anything else to say to her. I may have to just start talking to the Private investigators in town. She probably hired them from here. I doubt she would have wanted to pay for a French investigator to come here."

"You're probably right. Although I doubt she would hire from Chinatown."

Peter nodded "Too much of a chance that they'd be unwilling to spy on a Shaolin temple. Or that they'd say something to my father even if they did take the case."

The pot stickers arrived and they placed their order even though both of them were too tired to eat. Physically and emotionally.

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"The scrolls are… are behind the back panel of the coat closet." Lo Si said.

"We can discuss it later," Caine said as he prepared another cup of tea. "When you are stronger." He frowned a little listening to the thunder. It seemed to echo the mood he had carried with him throughout the day.

"I may not ever be stronger." Lo Si said, then noticed the expression that briefly crossed his friend's features. "It is all right Kwai Chang Caine. I have lived a very long life."

"It is not all right." Caine said "This isn't an illness. You are eternal, you should not be feeling the effects of your age."

"Are you angry that I am growing older? Or that it reminds you of your father's passing."

"Both." He answered honestly, angry with himself, angry with the situation, angry about so many things. He had spent most of his life chasing anger away and now, after one argument with Laura, it was constantly bubbling under the surface. Was this how Peter lived his life? How did he stand it?

"It changes nothing to be angry. You know this." Lo Si said pushing himself up into a seated position. "The universe has decided that my time has come. I will reincarnate and we will find each other again, just as you will find your father again."

"I have not been able to turn the anger away since arguing with Laura this morning." He admitted. "I have always felt anger like any other man, but I have been able to push it from my mind. Today I cannot." He joined Lo Si on the sofa. "And this is not the time to discuss my anger. You need to rest."

"I cannot." Lo Si said. "There is much that must be done and I must find someone to turn the prophesies of the line of Kwai Chang over to and I believe that should be you."

"I am not immortal and I would not be objective," Caine said quietly. "So you must remain and continue your work."

"If it were possible, I would do so." Lo Si said. "It has been my greatest honor to watch over your family. And my greatest heartache to push you along your paths." He truly did hate the manipulations that had been necessary not merely with Caine and Peter but with their ancestors as well.

Sparrow and Wukong stood in the kitchen leaving the two Priests to talk. Wukong began to pace.

"It is not right that this should happen," Sparrow said. "One should not be punished for fighting evil."

Wukong said nothing but continued to pace, becoming more agitated as he did so. He would occasionally pause to listen to the priests talk. He stopped abruptly. "Keep them safe. I will return when I can." He said.

"Where are you going?" Sparrow asked.

"Home. There is something I must do." He said.

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Peter gathered their leftover boxes and walked over to the cash register to pay for their meal.

"Ah, Master Caine, it is good to see you." Another customer said. "Did the Ancient find you?"

"I didn't know he was looking," Peter said, handing the money over to the cashier.

"A man spoke with me this afternoon and said that the Ancient was looking for Caine and needed to see him urgently. I directed him toward the Kwoon and the brownstone."

"They probably found my father," Peter said. "But I'll check in with Lo Si just in case. Thank you for telling me."

"Shall we drop by there before we go home?" Leanne asked.

"We probably should. Although I'm pretty sure my father is the one he's looking for. He would have asked for me by my full name, not Master Caine."

They put the leftovers in the car and thought about walking to Lo Si. Then thought better of it as he looked up at the sky. "Those storm clouds are coming in fast," Peter said, as they got in the car.

"I hope the weather report was wrong. I don't think Bayview is ready for a typhoon."

"At least we're not right on the coast." Not that thirty miles inland would make much difference. The winds from a tropical storm could be felt at nearly full force for 150 miles inland and the river they were on would rise as the storm hammered the coastline.

"We're less likely to have to evacuate. That's something at least. " Leanne said as they drove the 5 blocks to the Ancient's apartment. It seemed like a ridiculously short distance to drive but neither of them wanted to make the trip back in a downpour.

They parked and made their way up the steps to Ancient's department. Peter rapped lightly as he opened the door. "Lo Si? Are you home?"

"In here, Peter," Caine said as he helped Lo Si ease back onto the sofa.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked the ancient.

"I am merely tired." Lo Si said, ignoring the sharp look he received from Caine. "It is good to see you. The Sing Wah… are they gone?"

"They haven't made another move," Leanne said, going to kneel by the sofa. "It's the best either of us can say." She took the ancient's hand. "And you are not merely tired." She said gently.

"That is not important." He said squeezing her hand.

"Of course it is." She said. She was learning to hate that phrase, it's not important.

Peter sat in the chair near the sofa. "Lo Si, what's wrong?" He knew that look on his father's face. He'd seen it every day as his grandfather grew weaker. Had he been wrong about Lo Si's immortality? He didn't think so, but if he was immortal why did he look as though he was nearing the end of his life?

"As I said I am just tired."

Sparrow entered from the kitchen "He has lost his immortality." She said. "Exposure to the cure for The Evil One's potions has stolen it from him."

"The Evil One?" Leanne asked. "You mean my grandfather don't you."

"Yulong Yeoh… yes." Sparrow said. "I am sorry."

"Don't be…" Leanne said. "The truth can't be changed."

"Peter." Lo Si said. "I need you to get something for me."

"It can wait." Caine said, "You need your rest."

"If you wish me to rest, you will have to do as I ask."

"What do you need, Lo Si?" Peter asked.

"In the coat closet, move the back panel aside and bring me the scrolls you find there."

Peter got up and went to the closet. He pushed aside the coats and the shoes to access the back panel. He pulled it out and retrieved three scrolls. He took them back to the living room. "What am I looking for?" He asked. "Which one?"

"We will look at them when Lo Si is in his bed sleeping," Caine said in a firm but gentle tone.

"I've learned not to argue with Pop about these things," Peter said.

"He has a regrettable stubborn streak." Lo Si said as he allowed Caine to help him to his feet.

"It runs in the family," Leanne said with a smile.

"Keep that in mind," Peter said. "One of these days we're going to have children that are just as stubborn as I am."

"Peter's regrettable stubborn streak came after we were separated." Caine said, "He was a pleasant child." He walked Lo Si to his room much as he had his father not so long ago. It broke his heart. Nevertheless, he would do this for his old friend.

Peter walked to the dining room table and set the scrolls down. "Not pleasant enough for my mother." He muttered. He looked at the labels on the scrolls. "I think this is the first one… I'm not familiar with Hanzi this old."

Sparrow and Leanne came to the table as well. Leanne put her hand on the small of Peter's back. "That's before my time as well."

Sparrow looked them over. "Shamballa Prophesy. Line of Kwai Chang." She said. She looked at Peter. "He speaks of you and your father often. He loves you both very much."

Peter smiled a little sadly. "I love him too." Even though the man's secrets frustrated him to the point of distrust, he still loved that old man. Lo Si might have sent him to Pine Ridge and that sent his head into a spiral, but he didn't believe for a moment that Lo Si would have left him there if he had known what they would put him through. It was amazing how much anger toward the Ancient had faded after seeing him looking half a step away from death.

"He says you are the one who taught him Kung Fu."

Peter laughed at that. "I knew that was him! I bet that's why he didn't travel back with Me and my father."

"It would have been awkward that's for sure," Leanne said. She had thought that her own story had been extraordinary and a little on the fantastical side, but the more she learned about Peter's family, the more she realized that they were the extraordinary ones.

"He says it is one of his favorite memories," Sparrow said. She did not think the Holy Priest would tell Peter or his father this, and she thought he should know. There was sadness in the man's eyes that spoke of the great affection between them.

Peter choked up. He cleared his throat. "If there is a way to reverse what's happened to him, my father will find it." He hoped. He really did.

Caine rejoined them in the dining room. " I do not know that I will be able to do so, my son. He has brought with him the flowers he was using to release the stolen souls. I believe that they are what has taken his immortality. They are at my brownstone now. I think you should stay away, Leanne."

She nodded. "I will. Let me know what I can do to help Lo Si while you are working on the cure for his cure. He's your patient."

"I will gratefully take any help that you can give. For now, we must keep his qi strong and treat the symptoms of his advanced years." He looked over the scrolls and then glanced at Sparrow. " In the meantime, can you tell us what these say?"

She nodded and looked over the scrolls. She read it as it was written. It was a dialect of Chinese that neither of the Caines nor Leanne understood. "It speaks of Shamballa…Xiāngbālā, Of a great evil that has infiltrated that holy realm. If left to its course the evil will embed itself into the soul of Kalki."

"Kalki?" Peter asked.

"The next incarnation of Vishnu, some say he is instead a future Buddha," Caine said. "It is said that this will usher in a new age of truth and humanity reaches its purest ideals."

"So this evil that is going to spread throughout Shamballa, despite the masters there, it will infect a sacred child and through that prevent a new mythic age?" Peter asked.

"Yes," Sparrow said. "It will through this plunge humanity into an age of darkness."

"And let me guess… the last of the line of Kwai Chang is supposed to stop this." He really hated these prophecies.

"And his father," Sparrow said.

"That could be me and my father, Me and my future son, or it could be some generation long into the future," Peter said.

"Prophecies are vague as a matter of course," Leanne said. "Is my grandfather the great evil?"

"Perhaps," Caine said. "There is another that I believe is probable."

Peter shook his head. "It's probably both, the kind of evil I think it's describing… It spreads like… anger. Each person infects the next and the next until you have a mob. That's where the danger is."

"That is what we must stop." Caine wasn't certain it was he and Peter who were destined to beat back the darkness. But Lo Si was and when it come to the Kwai Chang prophesies the Ancient was usually spot on in his interpretations.