Re: The Alternative Truth (extreme violence and graphic sexual scenes included)

[questor]

I refrained from laughing and told her, "Well after all I am a cousin to him, on his mother's side. We are here to see the old boy, right? I am a cousin of his. So what I told them was the truth and sometimes the truth works." I gave her a grin. The truth, yes, but streaching it a bit.

Just inside the door was Eland. He was standing there his hands behind his back. When the hunters entered and us behind, he dismissed the two "Ah Anthony. It is good to see you. I have been expecting you." he said and watched the two leave. He then looked at Mac. "I thought you were coming on a commercial flight?" his tone was a bit annoyed.

"A change of plans at the last moment. Got us in and we have taken care of some business. I'll let Mac fill you in on what has been happening just outside the Vatican's boundry." I said.

"Not here." he said, "Come we will go to my office and there you can brief me on what has been going on since I last talked to you." He lead us all to a large office with a fireplace and comfortable furniture. To Mac I assumed it was a place she well knew. To me it spoke of wealth and station. I thought all clergy of the church was suppose to live a modest life, but here in Rome perhaps that rule was a bit lax. "Now." he looked at Mac, "What has happened."

[LadyRaven]

I followed Elland down the lavish halls of the Vatican and into the more private area of the cathedral itself. Once inside the office, of which I knew very well, I took a seat near the fireplace and carefully put the bag between my feet. I waited until Elland was sat also and everyone was inside and the door closed and locked. Gabe made sure of that. I took my time in compiling everything in my mind into one coherent timeline and I looked at the Cardinal very carefully.

First, I decided to give him the good news. I slid the bag to him carefully. "First and foremost." I began, "Akasha's head."
"How marvellous!" Elland said, eagerly opening it up to check and he nodded with pride, "Very well done, Mackenzie. I'm proud of you. What of Cain?"
I bit my lip before answering and offered him a small smile to make the lie go down easier. "Also dead." I told him.
"His head?"
I shook mine at him, "There's no body left to bring back." I said quietly, "Anubis betrayed him and left him for dog food. All I found were a few bone shards and lots of blood."
Elland lifted his brow, "Oh my!" He said, "Are you sure it was Cain?"
I nodded, "Anubis told me himself."
"Anubis is still alive?" Elland asked with care.
Again, I nodded, "The bastard evaded us. I don't know where he is yet, but I'll find him and bring his head back."
Elland nodded as he closed the bag again and carefully put it under his chair. "I have no doubt of it." He said, then smiled, "Now, what else do you have to tell me?" I realised now I'd have to be very careful indeed what I said.

Taking a deep breath, I began my tale. Almost from the moment I opened my mouth, Elland's smile began to fade. Of course, I kept my promise about Elana and never mentioned her once and he didn't have reason to doubt my telling him that Cain was dead already. It was everything else. I gave every detail I could without the obvious bits and by the time I reached the part about Anubis and his plans, I could see the fury in Elland as plain as the red in his cassock. And his face was getting redder the more I spoke. "So you see, Cardinal." I said finally, "He's been under our noses the whole time, running the show from within. I knew the connection when I heard his boots and he literally spilled everything." I shook my head, "I don't know exactly how much of it all is true, but I know what I remember for myself and it all fits."
"I must inform His Holiness immediately." Elland said as he sat back and covered his mouth with his fingers. "Such treachery has never been heard of before."
I leaned forward in my chair and looked at him squarely. "Cardinal." I said, "There's one more thing I need to tell you and I need to know the truth from you."
"Anything." Elland said.
I took a deep breath before I opened my mouth again and I looked up at Quinn as I spoke. "Anubis told me he was my father, if only in part. He said it was his DNA that had been used to enhance the human genes. Cardinal, Bernard, is that true?"
Elland took his time in answering me, so I knew right then Anubis had told me the truth. After some time in silence, Elland slowly began to nod. "Yes." He admitted, "Though, at the time, we didn't know it was him. I remember the leading commander of the Order was chosen because he was the strongest we had ever seen." He leaned forward again with regret in his eyes, "I didn't know what he was, Mackenzie, I swear to you I didn't. Nobody did. The vampiric gene wasn't testable back then and he was a day walker with all the human attributes of our very best."
I let my head drop into my hands and I took several deep breaths. Such was the upset, that I even shed a tear over it. Sniffing it back sharply, I lifted my head again and nodded, "So what happens now?" I asked, "Am I to be hunted like Quinn was, or imprisoned here for the rest of my life?"
Elland shook his head and looked at Quinn, "I honestly don't know yet." he said, "It would be up to His Holiness what happens now."....

[questor]

Now it was my turn. I had been told that it had been Eland that had gotten the pope to sign the paper taking me off the list. Well slipped it in to be signed with other papers. So more then likely he didn't know that I was related. I wondered how the cardinal would take knowing my last name, as my mother never changed hers, so it was mine.

"I hear that the Pope is a big one on family. How they should stick together no matter what." I grinned.

"Of course I know that my boy. He strongly recommends that they love each other and help each other. It is one of his bigest sermons."

I looked at Mac with that grin, then back at the Cardinal. "Well then I think you should take me to him then. The name I chose was not just to get me in here. It is my real last name. It was my mother's maiden name. Perhaps with the information we have brought and that I am family, he will be able to help remove us from being wanted for murder."

[LadyRaven]

Elland didn't seem to look surprised at this and that unnerved me a little. "I know." He said quietly, "I knew it the moment I was informed a Santaroi was here."
"How?" I asked carefully, "There are dozens of Santaroi family members out there."
Elland laughed quietly, "But no nephews in this particular generation." He said. "It was a very clever idea and played out very well, but I've followed the Santaroi family for many years. His Holiness has two other siblings, a brother and a sister and both of them have only a daughter each and those daughters have yet to produce children, so there is no nephew of your supposed age, Quinn. If anything, you are his uncle, if not, his great uncle." He smiled and got to his feet. "He will of course, be eager to meet you."....

[questor]

Well that was one for the books. The old boy knew already. I shook my head and said. "Well I guess we had best go see him. I know he is a busy man and probably has a lot on his scehdule today, but I think this is important enough to have it changed a bit." Again I looked around and just knowing I was at the center of the Order that had hunted me for so long and in a room with one of their superiors, made me nervous. Going to see the man in charge of it all, now that made me even more nervous, but I wanted Mac cleared of the charges and have the Pope sign what ever paperwork it was that would release her from the Order.

I got up from where I was sitting and looked at the Cardinal. "He is going to have to make alot of decisions today as well, not only about what to do about Anubis but with Mac as well. Remember what we talked about?" I looked at him, "That has not changed."

[LadyRaven]

Elland nodded in agreement and carefully went towards the locked door. But before he could open it, Gabe put a careful hand on the Cardinal's shoulder. "There's one more thing." He said as he looked from Marla, to me, to Quinn and then back at Elland. "I'm sure Marla agrees with me on this, we want out too."
Elland lifted his brow and straightened his back as he looked up at the tree of a man before him. "Pardon me?" He asked.
"I want out." Marla spoke up. "Cardinal, it's nothing against you, or the order, or anyone, at least not with me, but I've served my time here and I'm done. After what I've seen and heard these last couple of weeks, I..." She shook her head, "I can't do this anymore. I want a life, Cardinal, I want to get married and settle down some day, have a hoard of kids, grow old and watch daytime TV. And Gabe wants the same. We all do."

I stared at my friends in shock as they too practically handed in their resignations. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't have even considered leaving this place. I had a lot to answer for, I knew that.
"This team is the best the Order has ever known." Elland said.
"And half of them are now dead." Gabe said quietly, "They betrayed us all to Russo and Seth back in Mycrodorma." He shook his head, "So we're done. We walk out with Kenzie, one way or another."
Elland looked at Gabe carefully, then Marla and then me. "This is what you all want?" He asked. We all nodded. After a moment, he nodded also, "I will inform His Holiness." He said and then pulled the door open.

Overlooking the grand rear gardens of the Vatican, the Pope's personal apartment was every inch as lavish and well kept as the rest of the world's smallest city. That day, he was sat in his office with some of his leading Cardinals going over various reports from churches and communities around the world. He was planning a tour of many countries for early next year, but the planning was proving to be difficult. Many of the countries he was wishing to visit were in the midst of war and his security official was being difficult. He knew that people had arrived in the city to visit him and had given his family name to the guards. He knew also that Cardinal Elland had received them. It had been so long since he had seen any of his family, he didn't really know how to take the visit. After some time, Elland had sent word that he was bringing the relatives to him under escort of two Hawks for security that also had business with him, so he wrapped up the meeting as quickly as he could. After everyone had gone and he was alone with only his companion priest, he sat back to consider what all this was about.

Elland arrived and explained to the guards at he door we had an appointment and we were allowed through into the apartment. He led them to the Pope's office and then stopped at the door. As for me, I made sure to straighten myself out a little before entering. Gabe and Marla quickly followed suit and all our weapons were placed carefully in secure boxes. The only weapon I kept was my silver flicker blade around my jeans loops. Marla also kept hers. We were then allowed entry into the office. The old man looked up at us all and I bowed my head to him in respect. Gabe and Marla did also, as was our habit and teachings. "Pappa." I said with reverence.

In that instant, the Pope was on his feet and looking very happy indeed. He staggered towards me and carefully put his arms around my shoulders. "Oh, my beloved child!" He said, "I am so happy to know you are safe and home again!" No, he wasn't my father, nor I his child, but that had been the relationship we had shared since my graduation. "You look well."
"Thank you Pappa." I said as I hugged him back and smiled, "But as much as I'd love to sit with you and chew the fat, I'm here on business."
"Of course!" He said and looked at the others with me. "So where is this nephew?" He asked.
I nodded my head to Quinn, "Pope Dimmitri, I'd like to introduce Quinn Santaroi."
"Quinn Santaroi?" He asked, "I have no nephew by that name."
I bit my lip and looked to Elland, but he nodded and backstepped to let me explain. "Pappa, there's much you don't know about your family. Quinn is only one small part of it. I'll let him explain it all to you, but there are things that need dealing with first. Pappa, you need to take us all of your list. We're being hunted for murder. Bishop Russo. I can explain everything with a little time, but you need to call off the police and hunters in order for me to do that. Pappa, please?"
The Pope looked at us all again before looking to Elland. Elland nodded, showing I was telling the truth and he quickly nodded, "Of course!" He said, "Please, come. Sit while I make up the pardons. Companion!" he turned his head and his companion priest immediately went to the desk to draw up the necessary paperwork ready for the old man to sign.
"Oh, Pappa, thankee!" I said and hugged him again.
"And your other friends here?" He asked, "They are the Hawks escorting you?"
I looked to Gabe and Marla and smiled, "They are what remains of my team." I said, "Marla Davidson and this eclipse is Gabriel Harris."
"I recognise you." He said to Gabe, "You are the American."
"Yessir!" Gabe said and actually saluted the man, "Former Marine, Sir. Kenzie here brought me on board from Iraq."
The Pope nodded as the penny dropped, "Oh yes, I remember now. The changeling. Yes, a very good introduction into our world, Mr Harris." he looked at us all again and pointed to his desk, "Come, we shall sit and sort this mess out." His eyes then fell on Quinn, "And I would love to hear your story as we go." He said.....

[questor]

I listened to what was said and seen the look on the Pope's face when I was introduced. Oh this was going to be good for him. As he looked at me again after the priest was told what to write and we sat down, "Well I am not your nephew, more like your Uncle or great Uncle." He could see in the Popes eyes a surprise and he looked at Eland who nodded. "My mother was born here in Rome and was kidnapped back in the late 1800s to be experimented on by those commisioned by the church to find a way to make the Order's Hunters more capable of dealing with non humans. Unknown to the scientist, my mother was pregnant with me. The blood of the original vampire that had been captured was used on her in the experiments. Though it failed to change her, it did me. I was born with all the original's better traits but not the craving for blood or the fangs. He succeeded in his experiments but never knew it. My mother managed to escape and went to America where I was born. She told me the story and she always used her maiden name which I have taken as my own. I am by all rights a Hunter myself, though I do contract work, and it seems by the powers that be, I have fallen in with Mac and the others to accomplish the same thing. So we have come to work together quite well as a team and more." I turned and smiled lovingly at Mac.

The Pope listened with great interest as the papers were sorted and he began signing them in order. "You are the brothel bastard!" He said with excitement, "Oh my, I remember the stories my father used to tell me when I was a child. Sara, your mother, she was a fallen woman of the family. She fled after an affair and was never seen again. There were many rumours of her whereabouts and what happened to the child born of the affair. I must say, it's an honour to meet you and yes, you are my great uncle to be exact. How very fascinating!" He finished signing the papers and then handed them to the companion, so then took them all away to be circulated as ordered. His eyes then fell on Quinn's look to me. "And more?" He asked as he put his elbows carefully on the old wood desk.....

I smiled at the pope and placed a hand on one of Mac's "Oh yes, a lot more." Then I turned my attenton back to the Pope. "Now for the good stuff, and other things.

The Pope lifted an eyebrow at Quinn's move and then looked at me. "Mackenzie?" He asked and I nodded back as I gripped Quinn's hand in my own. "It's true." I said, "After everything kicked off in Central City, it just sorta happened." I looked at him, begging him not to judge me or refuse to acknowledge the pairing. He blinked a few times before looking back to Quinn again, "Good stuff and more other things?" he asked.....

"Well first." I opened the bag that was brought with Akasha's head. "One more of the Originals head, Akasha's." I let the Pope see it then zipped it up again. "Anubis escaped and he has something that the church, I beleive, tried to hide. It will make the normal vampires into those like him." I had a feeling that the old man knew exactly what I was talking about. "He is the last at the moment, but if he gets to where he is going and gathers those he has protected all these years, then the world is in trouble. I will let Mac tell you all about what he has done and been." I looked over at Mac.

As did the Pope and I began my story again. The old man's face began to distort into disbelief, then shame, then anger. Simply put, he just couldn't quite believe how somehting like this could have happened. He listened in silence as I repeated what I'd said to Elland, word for word almost. When I was done, the old man sat back in his chair and grabbed at his rosery. I licked my lips and then sucked on my teeth as I waited for him to take it all in and decide what to do. Eventually though, his silence became too much and I had to speak. "Now you know the real truth." I said, "And the real betrayal to us all. Pappa.... You know I can't remain here now. It doesna matter what I do or what I've done in the past, it won't count for anything now and when word gets out, which it invariably does, you'll be forced to put my name on the list."

"There will be no word of this." He said finally, "No-one will ever know."

"Thankee Pappa." I said with relief, "But you know I still have to leave here. I want to leave the Order, leave Rome, Italy, all of it. Let me disappear? Please? You know I'm no threat to any here, I never would be. I've already been made welcome in Central City with Quinn, Gabe and Marla too. Please Pappa, let us go?"

The old man sat back fingering the cross about his neck. He looked at Mac, then Marla and Gabe. Three of the Order's finest wanted to be out of the Order. "What will you do? All you have known is the Order, this way of life?" He could see the determination in Mac's eyes and those of Gabe and Marla. He sighed and nodded his head. "If it is truely what you want, then I will allow it. Though first I need you three, and if Quinn here is willing to finish what you have started. After that you will have your papers and my blessings."

I somehow knew there would be a catch to it all. He wanted Anubis before he would let us go. Behind me, Marla swallowed hard and stepped up a little. She took Gabe's hand in her own, "Sir." She said quietly. The old man looked up at her with a raised brow, "Yes?" He asked.

"Sir, I cannot take part in this again." She said, "I know my vow to the Order and I know my duty, but I cannot go after Anubis again."

"Why?" He asked. To be honest, I was curious too. I wuold have thought she'd go gung ho for Anubis, same as me, but clearly, I was wrong.

"Because I can't." She said, before looking at Gabe. She shook her head at him and then again at the Pope.

"Marla?" I asked as I turned in the seat to look at her.

"Kenzie, I'm sorry." She said, "You know I want to, but I just can't, not now."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Marla chewed her lip and gripped Gabe's hand tighter and I realised then what she wasn't saying. I turned back to the Pope quickly, "She needs her release papers." I said quickly, "Today. Gabe too. I'll go after Anubis, you know I will, but not them.".....

I looked at Marla and raised a brow as well. Now there was only one reason he knew why she would not really want to go. Then he looked over at Gabe and smiled. "You old dog you." I said. "Well Mac and I have worked well together as a team and if it takes getting rid of Anubis to set her free then I am in. But just in case we can't, you had best get on the ball and retrain your people, and I mean starting today."

The old man nodded, "I agree." He said quietly as he looked at us all across his desk and then turned his head to his companion. "Would you please bring the lead commander in?" He said. The companion nodded and left as the Pope got up from his chair and started pacing back and forth. At this, I started becoming more nervous and I looked around carefully. Something wasn't right, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Gabe noticed this and leaned over to my ear. "What is it?" He asked me in whisper, though loud enough for Quinn to hear too.

I shook my head, "Something doesna feel right." I whispered back, "I felt it earlier when I was explaining things to Elland."

Gabe nodded and looked to Quinn slightly, "What do you wanna do?".....

[questor]

The look on Mac's face told a whole lot, even if I couldn't hear what she was saying to Gabe. The Pope pacing back and forth also said that there was something wrong. I moved to where the Pope was pacing and stood in front of him. He looked up at me as my gaze bore into him. "There is something you are not telling us. What is it that is wrong and has you pacing?" My voice was stern and bordered on anger.

Oh how I wished I had not given up my twins. The way things seemed I was going to need them. Even the Katana was gone, but not the bowie knife that I replaced the other one with. It still rested at my back. If the Pope was going to betray us, then it was going to cost him dearly.

[LadyRaven]

I remained where I was as Quinn got to his feet and confronted the Pope. That was a bad move in my mind as I needed just a little longer to forumlate my suspicions and make sense of them. Gabe also watched Quinn carefully and shook his head slightly in agreement with me. The old man himself looked at Quinn oddly, as though he had no idea what the other man was trying to say. "I don't understand." he replied quickly, "Is there something else I should know?"......

My hand was already reaching around under my coat. "Well I don't know. You are the one acting all funny like. Like you are worried about something. Especially after you have sent for the Commander of the Order." I made a quick glance over at Eland to see what he was doing and see if I could read his face.

Elland, by this point, had slowly backed up towards the door and was getting ready to leave. I noticed this and when I looked back at the Pope again, I definitely knew something was wrong. "Pappa." I said as I slowly got to my feet. "What aren't you telling me?"
The old man turned from Quinn to me and he lifted his chin somewhat. "There is nothing I haven't told you." He said.
"Dimmitri, you're lying." I said.
The old man pursed his lips somewhat and looked again to the door in which the commander would arrive through. "I am passing on your message about Anubis and his treachery." He said, "And to change the orders of training for our soldiers."
"I don't doubt that, but there's something else." I said. "What the hell os going on? You were happy with everything right up until...." Ok, so that had me thinking deeper than I should be. "Right up until Quinn told you about us."
The old man blinked several times quickly as he looked between me and Quinn and I finally understood. "Ok, we're leaving now." I said and got out of the chair. Gabe was already making for the door, but Elland was there too and it was locked.
"Mackenzie, I'm sorry, but this has to be done." The old man said.
"What ahs to be done?" I asked.
The door opened and a very familiar face walked through. I felt my stomach catch in my throat and I staggered back away from the table. I shook my head, "Quinn, move away." I said quickly, "Get the hell away from him!"......

I didn't like it at all. Eland had moved to the door to block it, the Pope was acting even more strangely. Oh something was rotten in Demark for sure. Once the door opened and the man entered, Mac's face told me something was really wrong. She told me to get away from him, the Pope I assumed. Then it hit me. I had the blood of Elana and Mac that of Anubis. If we had a child, now that would be a problem for the church. "Not just yet I said." my hand was on the handle of the bowie knife.

I shook my head quickly and started backing up further. Even Gabe joined me and there was little in this world he couldn't take on. "Quinn, you need to back the fuck up!" He and I both yelled together. The Pope however, remained stoic and even tried to smile a little. "You needn't fear, dear Uncle." he said quite warmly, "What you have done for Mackenzie and for the church will never be forgotten, but even if you could bring me the head of Anubis, I cannot allow you both to leave here. Not now you have come together." The commander stepped into the room, but this was no ordinary commander. Covered head to toe in strong kevlar, this man outsized Gabe by at least thrice. This man was a giant! "He will not kill you, oh, by no means." The old man continued, "But it may be necessary to incapacitate you for some time. You see, I've been looking for a suitable match for our prized mare for some time, but the genomes would never match up to what we needed and of course, I couldn't allow that disgusting alteration process to continue. I needed a pure source and it would appear that my most trusted Cardinal has found it for me." Two more doors opened around the office and several hunters and guards stepped into the room. I backed up as far as Gabe would allow. "And of course, with another of her friends now able to privide the future matches, things have come together as they should have in the beginning." He then turned to me and smiled, "Mackenzie, there is no need for this. When I have Anubis' head, you will be released from your servitude, I promise. I just need a few things from you first. Sieze them." In the same second, me and Marla both snapped out our flicker blades and whipped them around at the guards......

When Marla and Mac whipped out their flicker blades that was my cue to make my move. In the blink of an eye I was behind the Pope, the blade of the bowie knife at his throat, drawing a fine red line as it bit into his neck. "I would suggest you call your dogs off." I told him and pressed the blade more agisnst his throat drawing more blood. The blood dripped onto his white clothing. I loved it when people underestimated me."I am not going to be your guinnie pig. Either they leave or you will not see another moment of life."

The Pope remained oddly calm as everything suddenly stopped and he raised his hands slightly to the mountain of a commander stood before them. "Now let's think about this carefully." He said, "If you kill me, he kills you and everyone in this room dies, including Mackenzie and Ms Davidson." He turned his head slightly, "Now I know you don't want that, do you." And as he said that, I felt the barrel of a gun touched the back of my head. I turned slowly to find Elland stood there at he other end of it. I shook my head in true anguish then. He looked at me sadly and shook his head. "All you had to do was stop asking questions." He said, "Mackenzie, all you had to do was do as you were told. Your retirement would have been legendary, both of you." He looked to Quinn as well now. "You two would have taken up residence here and your children would have been the pride of the Vatican."
"Fuck you." I said quietly.
"After everything we did to make sure you were strong." Dimmitri said with sasdness, "After everything we gave you to make you the best you could be. Did it never occur to you that you were important to us?"
"Not like this." I said, "Never like this."......

"Well we might be dead, but so will you, and soon so will your whole order. Who else do you think can take Anubis on. Those that Russo continued to experiment on? Don't think so. They are now under his control." I pressed the blade into his neck. Then I said to Eland, "Harm her in any way and I will make sure what happened to Russo looks like child play to what I will do to you. I will make sure that you continue to live, even if I have to give you blood transfusions. You know I am faster and even stronger then that piece of shit over there you call a commander. The Pope and I were suddenly right behind Eland. The blade flashed from the Popes throat for a moment and then back. The hand that held the gun fell to the floor with it still in it.

As Quinn moved, so too did I. I flicked out my blade and Marla copied my move and we both relieved a guard each of their weapons, and the hands attached to them. The chaos that ensued had every guard within shouting distance bearing down on us all. Elland was howling loudly at the loss of his hand and backing up to the wall where he knew there was an exit out and he took it. The monstrosity that was the commander barged into the fray and knocked Gabe flying from his feet. This was bad, very bad and I knew we had literally no options. All our major weapons were outside and we couldn't get to them. We only had one way out. Nudging Marla, I pointed to the main windows that overlooked the gardens and she nodded to me. She ran for the desk and snatched up a large paperweight and she threw it. The window shattered and I began backing us up to it.

Across the room, Gabe was still battling to deal with the larger man and when he saw what we were doing, he quickly ducked under the man and went through his legs. Not a mean feat for someone like him, but he made sure to land a lasting blow on the way. "Quinn!" I yelled, "Quinn, the window!" I ran for it with Marla and then remembered. We were on the third floor. "Please be a ledge, please be a ledge!" I begged as we both jumped through with Gabe hot on our backsides.......

[questor]

I could see the garden below and that was all I needed. Plus I could see into the next room. I had noticed another window there when we came in overlooking the garden. I laughed and in a second I was beyond the door with the Pope. I was not gentle with him. I smacked his head against the wall hard making him fall to the ground and then I quickly dumped everything into my large bag and held on to it and the Pope.

I was outside before those in the Pope's private chambers could react. I looked up hoping to see Mac and the others, searing that the Pope would not like what he would do to him if anything happened to Mac or the others.

[LadyRaven]

"Please be a ledge!" I cried again as me and Marla shot through the broken window. And that's when it all went so very wrong. There was a ledge there, a big one, but I overshot it massively. Marla and Gabe had managed to turn and reach out for it and I had planned to as well, only, something struck me in the shoulder and spun me the other way and I overshot it. I only caught a glimpse of why I had missed and it belonged to the monster that was the commander. In his hand, smoke rose from the barrel of a .45. He'd shot me at the worst possible moment for me, but the best for him. My body turned again and I watched the ground come up fast. Three storeys in seconds and I had no chance to adjust my position. And I felt every last second of it.

My legs hit first, smashing my hip and cracking my pelvis from left to right, my left knee and my ankle. Then it was my left arm at the wrist, elbow and finally my shoulder. My shoulder blade was snapped in half. My ribs down the left side caved in over my broken arm, puncturing my lung in no less than three places. Then I felt a crack in the vertebrae of my neck before my head impacted and cracked the orb all the way around and over the top like a patchwork quilt. If I'd landed a few feet short, I would have hit grass and the injuries might not have been so bad, but the extra thrust from the shot carried me that extra meter and slammed me right into the pathway crossing the garden. The force made me exhale, spewing dark blood right across the path for a good two yards and I watched it all in slow motion as it sprayed a fine mist through the air. My ears rang like church bells, but inside my head, it was all silent. I blinked slowly as tears of blood began to fall from the impact to the sift tissue behind my eyes. And then I saw it.

In those few short seconds on the pathway, I saw the most magnificent thing I had ever been blessed to witness. Stepping through the red mist of my blood, I watched a young dragon come towards me. He was fine and strong, handsome in a fierce way. Was this my heritage come to take me home? Was this wyrm my passage to the ancient afterlife? I felt my body slowly turn and I rolled on my back as the dragon stood over me and opened his fine leathery wings. I heard him roar and slowly, I smiled as I felt my last breath leave me.

*******

Beep. Beep. Beep.

And there you have it, I guess. That's how I ended up here, in this bed, hooked up to all this machinery. I'm not entirely sure how I actually got here and I'm not entirely sure exactly where 'here' is, but I know it's about to get even more interesting. You see, I've been listening quietly, silently, to the chattering around me from the nurses and doctors that keep checking on me and they've had some interesting things to say while I've been telling you my story. You see, I do know one thing. I'm not in Rome anymore. How do I know? They're all speaking with an American accent. Even in a military hospital in Rome, they would still speak Italian. No, I was definitely stateside. What else? This was no military hospital. I couldn't hear any Sirs, or Ma'ams, or orders being barked like you'd expect. No, this place was private and civilian. Ok, so that doesna quite narrow it all down yet, but give me some time and you'll see. Now, where was I? Oh yes!

Beep. Beep. Beep.

((this is where Quinn, Gabe and Marla take the lead. Kenzie is taking a back seat for a minute))

[questor]

I saw Gabe and Marla hanging from the ledge but not Mac. Then I saw her and oh how the rage exploded in me. "You Bastard." Again the blade was at his throat. Oh how I wanted to take his head off as we had Akasha, but the bastard was still a valuable hostage. Now I took out one of my .45s and put it to his back and put the blade away. I pushed him hard towards where Mac lay. I cursed and as i go there pistol whipped the Pope hard. he went down to the ground blood flowing from the cut on his head.

She was alive but would not be for long if she didn't get help. "Drop!" I yelled to both Marla and Gabe. "She is badly hurt. We have to get her away from here." The two let go and dropped to the ground. They knew how to fall and they were falling onto bushes that helped break their fall. The sound of a number of people running and yelling could be heard. "Crap." I said and looked around. I saw a way out but only if I could take everyone with me.

"Remember the ware house I said." I could see the look in their eyes. "Hang on to me." They each put a hand on me and I grabbed hold of the Pope. In an instant we were out of the Vatican proper and again my head was splitting and I could not keep my balance. It didn't seem like I would make it so I told Gabe to take Mac and get her help.

The big lug would not leave neither would Marla. The next thing I knew we were far away from the Vatican and in an ambulance. Through blury eyes I could see the others and saw Mac on lifesupport. A familar voice came to my ears. "You rest." It was Elana's. "I knew those bastards could not be trusted." she said and put a cool towel to my forehead. "Cain and I followed and watched from afar and saw what happened. You should not try that stunt to often, you know. It could kill you."

She saw me looking at Mac. "Don't worry my son. She will survive. I have been to some of the best medical schools over the years. She has Anubis' blood in her and therefore she will heal, not as fast as you can but even now things are slowly moving back into place. We will be at the airport in a few minutes and the jet is fueled and ready to leave. Oh and his holiness is here as well. You brought him along so I have a feeling you are not done with him."

"Not hardly." I said and drifted off to sleep. When I awoke we were in the air somewhere over the Atlantic. I could see the Pope tied up and his face covered in blood as well as his nice white robes. I felt better and got up and walked over to the strapped down gurney that Mac was on. "Hang in there babe. You hang in there. Fight for life with all that is you."

[LadyRaven]

Gabe was already dropping to the ground when Quinn called for him and Marla too.  "No!"  He yelled as he barrelled towards the path with Marla hot on his heels.  "This ain't happening!"  He tried to touch me, but couldn't bring himself to in case he did even more damage.  He could see that my eyes were badly bruising and glazed over and he couldn't hear me breathing.  Marla was also quick to me and checked me.  She nodded to say she had found a pulse, but it was weak and thread and getting weaker.  The next thing either of them knew, they were skipping through places and when they stopped, Gabe turned away slightly and wretched.  Oh yes, he remembered the last trip they took with Quinn.  He said to get me some help, but he shook his head, "I ain't leaving her!"  He yelled.  And they were off again.

A few hours later and a nasty headache for Gabe and Marla, we were all in the air.  Elana was there.  Gabe watched as he downed some painkillers for the headache, Quinn standing over me, begging me to survive.  He nodded in agreement and looked out of the window of the plane.  "You know I ain't much for this prayer thing."  He said to the window, "And you know I don't much care for the shit your guys force feed us, but I know you listen anyways."  He took a deep breath, "So here goes.  Wherever you are, whatever the hell you're playing with, put it down will ya and help my homegirl here?"  He shook his head, "She's a good kid, man, the best.  She don't deserve this.  Bring her back?  Please?"
Marla came to Gabe and put a hand tenderly on his shoulder, "It may not look like much right now, but she's gonna make it."  She said quietly, "That bitch is way too stubborn to give up on us."  She crouched down and pulled Gabe's head to her shoulder.  She then looked at Dimmitri, the Pope.  "And you just know when she does, his ass is the first she kicks."
Gabe nodded and smiled some as he looked at me and then Dimmitri.  "Damn, how I'd love to see that."  He said.  He then lifted Marla and put her into his lap.  "So tell me, when did you know?"  He asked, putting a hand to her stomach.
Marla smiled and put her hand over his, "I'm not 100% sure yet, it's only been a week, but I have that feeling.  If I'm late, I'll take a test and see what happens."
Gabe nodded and pulled her down to kiss her.  "You do that."  He said before he looked again to Quinn still stood over my silent body.  "Hey Quinn?"  He called, "How's my homegirl doin'?  You know she's gotta wake up, right?  She got baby things to buy with Marla."
Marla laughed and slapped his mammoth shoulder, "Easy there, big guy, this ain't the time just yet."  She then turned her attention to Elana.  "So where we going?"  She asked, "Will Cain be meeting us there?"

[questor]

Elana smiled.  "He is here already.  Who do you think is flying the plane.  Seems he likes the idea of flying and being a pilot."  she smiled.  She checked the monitors and made some anatations to a chart and then sat down.  "She is stable and will recover in time.  But it is going to be a long time.  As for where we are going?  The only place I think we will be safe.  Back to Central City."

I nodded and looked down and saw my bag.  I kicked it over to Gabe.  "Your babies are in there along with Mac's and Marla's.  Grabbed them on the way out.  I figured you would be needing them soon."  Now that we had the hunters and Anubis and soon his army of super vamps. "As for this asshole of a two face bastard, he is mine. I intend to enjoy making him suffer. He will pray to the devil himself to have the pain to end, because god is not going to do it." Oh that seemed to do something with the old boy. His eyes were filled with fear and uncertainty. "When I am done with him, I think I'll give him over to my friends so they can have some fun with him. In the end maybe have them make him a vamp so that his own order will hunt him down."  

With Mac out of action, and us not being able to track Anubs, he was long gone and would soon start making his army.  This was not good.  "Well I guess the world is fucked now.  Anubis has won.  He is gone with the artifact and will be making his army about now. All thanks to you! I pointed a finger at the Pope. You have screwed the world because of your insane desire for the perfect hunter."

"Not quite."  Came Cains voice.  I turned and looked to see him in the cockpit doorway.  He reached under his shirt and pulled out a metalic looking piece of rock on a gold chain.  "What he has is something I found long ago and thought quite unique as it had fallen from the sky.  This here is what fell that long ago day that changed me.  What he has is just a piece of iron."  he chuckled.  "This I have kept with me all these long years." Now the Pope was probably shitting his pants at this point. Cain, the creator of the vampires was alive and on the plane. I had to laugh at this. Oh how I was enjoying his discomfort.  

The cunning old fox.  I bet anything that he knew that people would look for it after they found out that he had become what he was after it fell.  The church sure did it seemed, and hid the meteor that was nothing but a hunk of metal.  Cain noticed my look and laughed.

[LadyRaven]

Gabe laughed and shook his head as he begrudgingly removed Marla from his lap and reached down for his kitbag. Everything was in order and he nodded in approval. "Didn't know you could get to them." He said, "Being on the other side of that door, but thanks all the same, Quinn."
"Yeah, thanks Quinn." Marla said as she inspected her own bag. Once again, everything was accounted for. She then sat down in her own seat and started rummaging in the bag for a cleaning cloth and some pipe cleaners. She would sit and clean all her weapons to pass on the flight.

When Cain came out and announced his presence, Gabe sat up straight in his seat and regarded the other man. He still wasn't quite sure if he trusted Cain entirely yet, but everything that had happened thus far, it was helping. "Hey man." He said as he got out of his seat, "Never thanked ya for helping us out back there." He stuck his hand out to Cain and shook it firmly. "Were I inclined to believe the old boy's bull, I'd say I've never shaken the hand of the devil himself." He grinned, "Good job I know better, huh." He laughed then before looking back to the medical bed containing my still lifeless body, "Though, I reckon if she actually makes it through this, I might just be a believer in him upstairs." He then looked at the rock around Cain's neck and cocked his head to one side. "So that's what all this shit has been about, huh?" He asked, "Don't look worth shit to me, but I'm just the dumb grunt, right?" He laughed again before meeting Cain's gaze on the level. "I meant what I said about helping us out. Thank you.".....

[questor]

Cain looked at the huge man that was Gabe.  He nodded his head to the big mans thanks and said, "Yes i am afraid it is.  Though it can not change a human like it did me that day, or you and all humans aboard here would have been changed, it can I guess make those of the lesser vampires like me.  It might have enough energy for that."  He put it away again and smiled at Gabe.  "I once had those as loyal as you and............Marla."  he nodded to her, "But times have changed, and I have found such loyalty to be rare indeed.  She is very lucky to have two like you at her side.

He then moved to Elana and sat down next to her.  "The captain says we will be landing in a little over an hour."  he leaned over and kissed her.  "Oh we have so much to catch up with."  he told her.  She smiled and caressed his face.

"In due time husband."  She said, "I promise we will catch up."  her smile was secductive and full of love for him.  

I still stood by the gurney holding one of her hands.  I talked to her even though I doubted she could hear me.  I told her I loved her and how she needed to fight for life and come back to me.  I also to her what I was going to do with the Pope.  The death of a thousand cuts, but more like a million.  I would keep him alive, giving him transfusions, making him suffer a thousand times more then she did.  But first he would write Rome and proclaim that all hunters now had a new commander.  He looked over at Gabe.  That Gabe was that commander and his orders were to be obeyed as if it were the Popes orders.  

The Pope heard all of this and his eyes were filled with even more fear and his body shook.  "Fail to do so and I will let my friends make you one of them so you can be hunted like the pig you are.  But of course that will be after I have my way with you."  Oh he begged and pleaded, saying all sorts of things that I knew was meant to make me belive he was sincear.  I just smiled.

Cain looked at me with a look that showed pride. "I could have not a better son then this."

"I know my love." I have seen him in action and I have had reports that told of what he has done. Like you husband, I am proud of him."

[questor]

Gabe stared in shock at Quinn, wondering just what the hell he was playing at. Him? The head of the Order? Marla was stunned too, but she couldn't help but laugh about it. "Oh, no, no!" He said quickly, "I ain't no leader. That's her job!" And he pointed to me, but in my present state and him being my second in command, it would fall to him anyway until further orders arrived.....

"Well she is in no condition for it at the moment." I told him. "Besides it is only temporary. We still have to deal with Anubis. Even without the right artifact he still has amassed a large force that could wreak havoc on mankind. I hate to say it, but we need the other hunters of the Order. So Big man You are the only one She would trust and I would trust with the job."

Gabe shook his head again and laughed, "I'm a grunt, Quinn, not a bossman." He said as he began to pace, "Besides, this old bastard will call for helpt he second he gets a chance and we're all fucked." Well, technically, we were fucked either way. Without the Order hunters, Anubis would run amok. With the Order hunters, Dimmitri could run amok. After a few minutes in thought, Gabe began to nod. "Ok, ok, I'll do it." He said, "But only til the minute she wakes up, got it?".....

I smiled and left Mac's side for a bit. i told her I would be back. I drew the bowie knife from behind me and went to the Pope, letting him see the blade. "Now you are going to make a call, then follow it up with a written order, or I start cutting."

"No you can not force me........" he began and I flicked the blade and made the first cut, staining his white robes more with his blood. He screamed and I cut a second time. Again he screamed and cried out, "I'll do it, I'll do it." I tossed the phone to Gabe to have him dial the number.

Gabe held it up to the Pope ear. "Voice recgonition. This is Pope Dimitri, Official Order. All hunters are to stand down on the hunt for Mackinzie, Gabe, Marla and the one called Quinn. Effective immediately Commander Giovini is to step down as Commander and Gabe Harris is to assume that Position. All orders from him are to be followed to the letter, his orders are my orders." There was confusion in the voices on the other end.

"But your holiness they kidnapped you, threatened your life." came the voice of the Commander.

"That was all a mistake. They misunderstood what was happening. My orders are to be followed. I will follow up with a written order!" his voice was now more athoritive.

"Yes Your holiness." came the Commander's voice. On speaker we could hear him giving the orders. "When will we receive orders from the new Commander?" came the ex commander's voice.

"Right about now." Gabe said, "Have techs and cleaners sent to the underground passages under the small chapel." He tooka deep breath, "Begin a full sweep of the entire city and all exits. Anubis is in the wind and I wanna know where he went. I want reports from every air, sea and land port on the East and West coasts."

"Yes Sir!" Came the reply.

"And I want every last hunter on this from Crow up." Gabe continued, "We cannot let this bastard escape us."

"Yes Sir!" Came the reply again.

"And one more thing." Gabe said, "I want the former commander arrested for attempted murder."

"Sir?"

"He shot Kenzie." Gabe said darkly, "I want his ass."

"Yes Sir!"

Gabe then offered half a grin as the line went dead, "It ain't that bad." He chortled.....

I laughed. "See you are a natural. But that last part, he was acting on this one's orders you know. Like you said you need every hunter, even him."

Gabe shook his head, "No, not him." He said, "I want him locked in a small room with a smaller door and a tiny fucking chair to sit his fat ass on."....

I shugged my shoulders. "As you command, Commander." I grinned and went back to Mac, after I wiped my blade on the Popes robes. Until the Captain told us that we were on final approach did I take a seat and Cain return to the Cocpit. He was going to land the jet. When they touched down and pulled up to the hanger, an ambulance was waiting and a number of vehicles and one hell of alot of men and women with guns. The prince was there to personally welcome them home.

When we deplained he came to greet me. "We got the word from the Captain

Everything is ready for you." He looks at Cain and Elana, with a questioning look. I took a deep breath, My friend this is Elana and her husband Cain." Oh the shock on his face. i thought he was going to faint. But he went to one knee and bowed his head. "The First." he said. Cain moved forward and raised him to his feet.

"Not necesarry. From what I have heard you are a good friend to my son here." Cain told him.

His eyes went wide, if they could have gotten any wider. "I'll explain later. Lets get going." i told him as everyone was hearded into vehicles and we took off. At the Tower that was the Princes, Mac was taken to a room equiped already and already there was a staff of medical people to tend to her.

Gabe was quick to help offload me intot eh ambulance and then we were all off, speeding through the city to the Prince's home. Gabe kept a close check on the traffic. We all finally arrived safely and Gabe helped take me to the private wing of the medical unit there. As the door closed, seperating them from me, Gabe leaned against the wall and lookde at the prince, "Look man, whatever your name is, you look after her, ok?" He said with conviction.....

"She is in good hands." he told Gabe. Then he looked at the bloody Pope. "You are going to have to tell me what the hell happened." He told Gabe. He couldn't ask me because I was in the room with Mac. I was not going to leave her side, not for a long time.

Gabe looked at the old man and shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I did." He said, then looked at the Prince and lifted an eyebrow. Yes he would. "Ok, you got it." He took a deep breath, "Basically, since the day Kenzie was born, this old bastard has been working to create the perfect soldier without the genetic enhancements. Elland was in on it too. They paired her and Quinn on purpose so they could claim any kids they had. They were gonna use Kenzie as a fucking baby factory!" He was getting angry again and that generally wasn't good for anything breakable. "She figured it out, mostly, I think and we made a run for it. The former commander got a lucky shot out the window and she hit the deck." He looked to the Prince, "Long and short of it, man, we got fucked, royally and this this piece of shit is gonna pay for it."......

The Prince nodded understanding. "We will make sure he is made very uncomfortable while he is here. I take it Quinn has plans for him?"

Gabe nodded, "Oh yeah." He said, "And he's gonna enjoy it too.".....

Cain and Elana were escorted up and they looked in at me and Mac. The prince was falling all over himself with Cain there. He made sure that they had the best of everything. When Cain and Elana left for their quarters they were not seen for days. The blood left for them was always gone though so they were still in their rooms.

The Prince looked over at Gabe. "Cain said that Quinn was his son? What happened. Is there something I don't know about him?"

Gabe looked at the prince and laughed as he nodded, "You could say that, sure." He said, "Turns out, Quinn's human mother was infected with Elana's blood. To them, that makes him her son and Cain being the guy he is, I guess, named him also. Zero to hero, to prince in one single move. Not bad, eh?".....

The Prince shook his head. Friend to the Son of Cain. Now that was not bad either. What other Prince could have that distinction. "So I guess giving our names to the Order is out." It figured that the Church would not keep their word on anything. It was good they had not given it. "If you need anything big man, just let me know." he slapped Gabe on the back and went off to make sure every thing was secured.

Gabe nodded, "You could say that." He said, "I've got every hunter possible on the look-out for Anubis and his vamps, with the exception of one, the guy that shot Kenzie. He's on ice until I can get to him." Anything he needed? Gabe turned, rolling his shoulder along the wall, "There is something you could do for me?".....

The prince turned and looked at him, "Name it."

Gabe moved off the wall, "It's about Marla." He said quietly, "She thinks she might be pregnant. Can you get her checked out for me, make sure?".....

Oh the grin on the Princes face was priceless. "Well now." he looked Gabe up and down and then Marla. "Not a probelem. I'll have the Doc have a look at her." he then again looked at the two, "One or two rooms?" he asked.

Gabe narrowed his eyes at the prince and then lifted his eyebrow. "What do you think?" He asked.....

He laughed good naturedly and said "I will have him come to the two of you's room." he then departed still chuckling. Marla gave gave a hit to his upper arm, and gave him a look.

Gabe lifted his shoulder and shrugged it, "What?" He asked, "Just wanna have my lady looked after is all." He then grinned and grabbed her around her middle....

I saw everything from the window to the room Mac was in. He was happy for Gabe and Marla. "Looks like Gabe and Marla might be haveing a little one. Now that should be ineresting."

Around the workd Anubis was cursing as he threw the worthless piece of metal as far as he could. "That son of a bitch. He lied. He lied to me!"

Despite what was happening around the world, thigns seemed to calm again for a while in Central City. Marla's tests revealed she was indeed pregnant, making Gabe perhaps the happiest man on the planet and the most frightened at the same time. He threw himself into the work of commander and it wasn't long before he began to compile leads towards Anubis. The latest info said he was somewhere in the states again. At best, they put him around Sterling City, but when the hunters arrived, he had already gone. Thsi frustrated Gabe, but he wasn't about to give up.....

The hunters were kept busy hunting down Anubis' army. When he had failed to deliver what he promised they feared the worst and began to scatter in small groups. That was alot of their undoing. Teams of hunters picked them off. Those that wanted nothing to do with them sent anonamis tips to the hunters. That insured that they would not be hunted or even thought about. With thoses that posed the problems being eliminated their safety was assured because the hunters would be done there. Anubis was slipery and managed to stay ahead of the Hunters. The days passed and then the weeks and Mac's vitals got better and better. If only she would wake up and talk to me.

Gabe was deeper and deeper into being the comander and he was getting closer to Anubis. He sent daily reports to Quinn in the hopes he would tell me and I would hear it. Parts of it, I felt I might have heard, but generally, I was still flying away with my dragon somewhere. Everything said I was getting stronger, but I had still yet to make that final step and reconnect with my body. One day, I did hear a fmailiar voice in the room. It was Anna. "Hey Quinn." She said as she dropped off a large basket of fresh fruit, "How's she doing?".....

"Getting stronger, but she still has not come out of her coma." I move some hair from her face and bend down and kiss her forehead. "Wake up love, you are healed. Everything is back to where it should be and all is healed. You can wake up."

The dragon flew about her. "Your time here is up. But remember that I am always around. I may have given up my immortality on Earth, but there is another one that lets me protect my clan."

Anna shook her head, "How long has been like this now?" She asked.

Deep inside my head, I regarded the dragon, "I don't want to leave." I said, "You've taught me so much. I want to stay with you.".....

"No you don't. There is someone waiting for you. One that means alot to you. He has been waiting patiently. Time for you to return to him."

Anna shook her head and carefully put her arm on Quinn's. "Honey." She said quietly, "Quinn."

I shook my head again at the dragon, "But if I go, it means I have to fight again. I'm done fighting a battle that was never mine. I'm staying!" Even if it did mean I left Quinn behind for a while longer.....

"You don't really mean that. You want to leave Quin, Gabe and Marla to do it on their own. They need you and you need them. Trust me on this, you will not be what you were again. Now off you go." and he breathed on her.

I shut my eyes tightly and just like that, I could feel my body again. And oh boy, it ached! The machinery around me started to beep as various alarms went off, showing that my heartrate, bloodpressure and brain function had risen dramatically.....

My eyes went wide as the monitors went wild and I could see that she was breathing on her own and coming out of it. "Get the Doc in here now." I yelled out and two nurses went running. The Doc came running in and began checking her out. He shut the alarms off and smiled. She is coming out of it. She will probably be a bit groggy but she will be fine now." he put a hand on my shoulder.


"Go get Gabe and Marla." I told Anaa.

[questor]

Anna rushed off and minutes later, Gabe and Marla came running into the room with the vampire. "What?!" Gabe almost shouted, "What's wrong?! What's going on?!" He looked at al the machinery going haywire. The doctor arrived shortly after that and started checking everything. He was pleased, but a little confused. "According to this, she should be awake." He said, "Her pulse is up, blood pressure, brain function, it's all looking good. She just needs to open her eyes. She just needs that last push."......
Quinn bent down and pressed his lips to hers and kissed her. "Wake up baby, wake up and come back to me." I whispered. I still held her one hand and moved back a little. "Open your eyes for me." again I whispered.

I could hear him, I could smell him and now I could feel him. So the dragon was right! Around me, I could hear Gabe and Marla too and they were really excited. "Come on, homegirl!" Gabe ordered, "Get yer ass in gear!" Oh yes, that was definitely Gabe shouting orders at me and wow, did it suit him too! Marla was a little more subtle, "Hey Kenzie, come on home honey. Time to wake up now." But most of all, it was Quinn's touch and kiss and his voice that brought me back. I could feel him so close, so very close. At my side, my fingers began to move....

"Thats it love." I told her as I felt her fingers move. Again I kissed her and whispered. "Come on, come back to me." I was pleading with her to come back, to wake up. Even Cain and Elana had been informed and arrived. It was like one big family there giving her support.

Feeling Quinn clutch my hand and suddenly Gabe clutching one of my feet, it was too much. I think Gabe realised his mistake when I took a very sudden deep breath. My eyes snapped open and I sat bolt upright with my mouth wide open. Gabe, Marla and Anna all shot back from the bed in pure shock.....

Now that was an awakiening. I smiled and put an arm about her to support her if she needed it. "You are alright. You are back now." I told her. Cain and Elana and Anna stood back smiling. "Welcome back." Anna said and moved forward to her.

I took several deep breaths in quick succession as I realised that yes, I was definitely awake again. I felt Quinn's arm around me and I saw the blurred form of Anna move towards the bed, but something was wrong. It was far too bright and I quickly shut my eyes tight again. I tried to tell them, but my voice wouldn't work....

The doctor spoke again. "It is alright Miss. Mackinsie. You have been alseep a long time, and the light will bother your eyes for only a little bit." He turned to a nurse. "Turn the lights down some." the lights dimmed. "That should be a bit better for you." he said.

I blinked a few more times and then slowly opened my eyes again as I took a few more deep breaths. I'd been asleep for a long time? How long? To me, it just felt like a few hours, didn't it? I took another deep breath and then looked at the doctor before looking at Quinn and then Gabe and Marla. What the hell was going on? "What? How...? What is going on?" Something wasn't quite right to me....

I slowly told her what had happened back in Rome. How the Pope and Eland betrayed us, and in their escape she had missed the ledge outside the window because of the Commander's shot. How she landed hard and had extensive injuries and how Elana and Cain helped wisk them away, and Elana sablilized her. Then I told her what we had done and how Gabe was now the Order Commander and they were actively searching for Anubis."

"You should know Quinn has barely left your side since we arrived here. He only leaves for a short time to punish that piece of shit who calls himself Pope. A little each day."

I looked around as things were explained to me and the pieces slowly started making sense. I remembered jumping from the window and begging there to be a ledge, but I didn't remember much after that, just the dragon that looked after me. And then I was told Quinn hadn't left my side and I looked at him again. I cocked my head to one side....
"What?" I asked her. "Think I am going to leave your side, when you needed me most." I shook my head, "Not happening."
I shook my head slightly, no, I didn't believe he would leave me. "How long have I been out?".....
Three weeks." i told her. "Your healing process is not as good as mine. The extent of your injuries should have taken months to heal but, you healed quite quickly. Bet they didn't know that."
Three weeks? That didn't make sense. Three whole weeks? And I didn't ache? Now that sure;y wasn't normal. I shook my head again, "How am I still alive?" I asked, remembering the fall now. "Did you see him? Did you see the wrym?"...
I looked at her strangely. "What Wrym? What are you talking about." Elana chuckled and moved forward. "No child, no one saw him. Only your clan can see him when they are in need." she laid a hand on one of Mac's arms. "He will always be there to look after those of the clan."

I looked at Elana odly. Only clan members could see the wyrm? So I had been right after all, my researched had said partof me had come from that clan. Slowly, I nodded, but I still felt a little detached there and it gave me a headache. "Ow." I said quietly....

"Relax Miss. MaKensie. Lay back down and rest for a while longer. I would say in a few hours you should be up and around.'

[LadyRaven]

I looked at the doctor and lifted an eyebrow at him before I looked to Quinn and then Gabe. Gabe nodded in agreeement with the doctor. "He's right, girl, you need to relax just a little longer." I stared at Quinn again.....

"I am not going anywhere." I told her. Now that Gabe is YOUR Commander, guess you will have to obey his orders." I chuckled.

I laid back, but lifted my brow and then looked at Gabe. Gabe quickly started shaking his head, "Oh no!" He said quickly, "No, no, no, no, no!" He put his thick finger up at both of us, "I only took this gig while she was all sleeping beauty and shit. I told you, the minute she wakes up, she's boss again." I cocked my head to one side and furrowed my brow then, "Did I miss somethign else?".....

I laughed. Oh how good that was to laugh again. "Well she isn't up and about yet and you still are the Commander to the other hunters. That can't change just yet. Not till we deal with Anubis. So guess you are stuck with the job." I look back at Mac. "Hmmmmm thought I explained that. Had the pope give the order making him the new Commander. He has the former one, that shot you on ice."

My eyes narrowed then and I growled in my already sore throat. "Giovani." I said darkly, "Oh, how I'd love to get my hands on him." At the bottom of the bed, both Marla and Anna began to laugh, "Oh, she's definitely back.".....

"Oh when you are up and about you might. I have him locked up here in the Prince's home. Oh and he has been paying for his betrayal. A very slow and painful torture. I call it the slow death of a thousand cuts. But we have had to keep him in good health to make videos for the Order and the Cardinals. Make it look as if he is here for his health."

I raised my eyebrow at Quinn, "Wow!" I said, "Ok, so I'm impressed."....

"When you are up and about I'll take you to him." I told her. The doctor mentioned maybe some light food, to get her strength back. Anna was on that and left to see what she could come up with. The news spread and soon even Seliena came to visit.

I nodded in agreement. I definitely wanted to see the old boy and watch him piss himself all over again. "I like that idea." I said quietly. Then Anna came to me with a tray of fruit and some fresh juice. I stared at it and lifted an eyebrow. I'd just woken up from three weeks of sleep. There was only one thing I wanted right then and it wasn't juice. It was tea.....

"She is not much of a juice drinker. I told Anna. " She likes tea." she left again and brought some back. Then the Doc said, "Everyone out. Let her lrest. All but Quinn" he began ushering people out. I reach over and caress her face. "Damn it is good to have you back." I said lovingly.

I smiled as a pot was brought in and a decent sized mug. And that was the best cuppa I'd ever had. I grabbed the pot from Anna as she made to leave and poured myself another mug full. Finally, we were alone again and I looked at Quinn. "So what else have I missed?" I asked....

"Well it seems Cain has had the last laugh on Anubis. What he thought he had gotten in Bagdad, was not what he wanted. It was just a chuck of metal from space. Cain has what he was looking for about his neck and has since the day it changed him. Anubis failed to make his army of originals. They scattered and the order has been picking them off. Anubis is on the run and seems to be one step ahead of us all the time." Then I furrowed my brow. "Eland has gone to ground and no one has seen or heard from him."

I drank my tea and listened carefully. Yes, he had explained much already, but this was easier for me to take in at the moment, just me and him. "How's Gabe taking to leadership?" I asked.....

I chuckled. "Like he was born for it. He has been corrdianting the hunts, and the search for Anubis. Taking in reports and managing everything quite well. He keeps saying he is not meant for leadership, but keeps proving he is."

I nodded in approval, "He always was." I said quietly, "Whether he knew it or not.".....

"He still wants to turnit all over to you. But that is not going to happen." I sighed, "We have to figure out what to do with the Pope once this is all done. We really can't let him return to his place in Rome. he will have everyone hunting us once Anubis is delt with."

I nodded in agreement, "I know." I said and then shook my head, "He's not gonna like it, is he. After all this, I'm gone, love, I'm done." I finished my tea and put my mug down again.....

"A new pope is going to have to be chosen." I sat on the edge of the bed, smiling down at her, "Where will we go, and what would you like to do?" I asked her.

I nodded, "I have no doubt of it." I said, "So let's just hope the next guy isna such a wanker." I then smiled and shrugged my shoulders, though it ached to do so. "I don't care where we go and I don't much care what we do when we get there. Just so long as it has nothing to do with the church, the pope, the Order, any of it."....

Now that was what I wanted to hear. No mor order, no more church. Gabe and Marla wanted out as well so they would probably want to come with us. I had an idea of what we would be doing and they were well suited for it. Just alot differnt from the Order. "Then we have alot to talk about when this is all over and done with." I leaned in and kissed her deely.

I nodded and I smiled softly, knowing that I'd just told him everything he needed to hear. "Aye, we do." I said, then looked to the door. "What about Gabe and Marla?" I asked, "Has he broke her heart yet?".....

I laughed. "What big daddy to be break her heart. Hell now." I told her.

I lifted an eyebrow, "Oh aye?" I asked. Then I remembered something from back in Rome. Marla couldn't hunt with us. I blinked a few times as I remembered the reason. "Oh aye!" I said. "She thought she was pregnant." I looked at Quinn, wondering if I was right.....

"It has been confirmed." I chuckled. "The big man is happier then anyone can be. "Marla is happy to." Then I looked at her and thought, "Tell me of theis great wyrm. I heard Elana tell you something of that when we went to Rome."

I smiled and nodded, happy for them. Then Quinn asked me about the wyrm and I smiled again, "He's the guardian of the clans." I said quietly, "He came for me when I died, or I think I died. He took me from the pain. He kept me safe, taught me about my old family.".....

I raised a brow. "Your old family?" I remembered Elana saying something about a clan in the highlands. "Your ancestors in the highlands. What did he tell you?"

I smiled and nodded, "My blood mother." I told him, "She came from the old clans. One of the original bloodlines from the dragons. I saw my real mother, Quinn." My eyes glazed for a moment, "Her name was Morgana Campbell, a direct daughter of Duncan. The old legends said he came from the dragon's blood. I guess they were true.".....

Dragon blood. A dgragon, the last of his kind, taking human form for good because of love. That was what Elana said. Well what I had seen in my life, I would not doubt the tale as being fact. "Dragon blood and vampire blood. Interesting combination." Yes indeed, it was no wonder the old fart wanted her to have children under church control. They would be powerful and unlike any mortal.

[LadyRaven]

I looked at Quinn and nodded, "Aye, it is an interesting mix." I said, "It's no wonder then the old fart was so desperate to keep me in line. I learned everything that happened to her." My eyes saddened then. "She didn't survive long enough for me to be implanted back into her, so they had to pick another with a similar blood type. I saw her Quinn and I look just like her. The red hair, the green eyes. From what the wyrm showed me, I'm her image. He showed me how she died too." I looked at Quinn carefully. "She was a hunter for the Order, a conscript like Gabe was. She was sent after Cain. He sent her body back with her heart ripped out. I watched him do it."

After pouring myself another cuppa and emptying the pot this time, I propped myself up in the bed a little more and started moving my feet and toes. They felt stiff and sore. "The strange thing is, Quinn, that she knew she was gonna die. She smiled at him the whole time, telling him that he was too late. I asked the wyrm about it, but he wouldn't tell me. What do you suppose she meant by Cain being too late?"

[LadyRaven]

Outside the room when Mac was telling me about the wyrm and her mother. There came the voice of Elana, and it was not the calm and sweet voice they were use to. She was not yelling at any of my friends or those that were helping Mac, She was yelling at Cain her husband. My eyes went wide, for what would she be angry at Cain for.

I also turned my head towards the noise and lifted an eyebrow, "Wonder what all that is about." I said with curiosity....

The door opened and Elana litterly shoved Cain into the room. Oh her eyes were blazing with anger and her face showed it to. Cain's face showed showed uncertainty , which was very strange for him. He was the first, the creator of the vampire race, he was powerful and was a ruler. But it seemed when it came to Elana, all of that fell away and he was just a man, one that would do anything for the woman he loved. "Explain!" she commanded.

I lifted my brow right up as I watched Cain literally being shoved through the door into the medical room. I put the empty mug down and stared at them both, "By all means." I said with some surprise, "Explain why you're in here and she's in such a foul mood." I gave Elana half a grin....

"Go on!" she said to Cain. Cain looked over at me and said, "You should really learn to put up a mental block." then to Elana's insistance. "I will." he took a few steps into the room. "Elana could not help but ease drop on your thought as you talked to your woman." he looked back at Elana, "It seems I have some explaining to do to you." he looked at Max.

I looked back at Cain, wondering what the hell was going on. Something told me it had to do with what we'd just been talking about. "This is about Morgana, isn't it." I said, then shook my head, "Look, I already know that you killed her, Cain, so you can drop the pretense. You and me can go toe to toe when i'm mobile again.".....

"So Elana has told me." He began and pulled up a chair sitting down on it, his arms on the back of it. "But you don't know the whole story do you?" he asked her. "Goes way back. A few years after the Flood. After searching all over the area that had been my kingdom for Elana I began searching in the direction that we had agreed on traveling to find a new home for ourselves. I traveled for years searching and finally came to what was the Scandanavian countries then. There I met a great dragon. A powerful beast that I did not know existed. The remains of a long lost race of creatures that ruled the world before mankind emerged. He wanted to change me back into what I had been, human. But I had no wish for that. Elana was out there and I would die trying to find her rather then become human again.

Fast forward a number of centuries or miliniums. Scotland. Again I meet up with this dragon, only it is in human form, living among the people of the higlands. The Clan Campbell. It seemed the creature had taken a fancy to one of the noble's daughters. The dragon gave up its immortality for her and married her, but forever mixing his blood with the blood of the Campbells. I thought nothing of it then, but when your mother came hunting me I could smell his blood in her. As we fought she told me of how a few in the Order knew of her bloodline, and that was why she was sent after me. Hoping that if she did not kill me, I would drink her blood and become human. That I could not allow. Even a small amount of blood would change me back. If she somehow managed to have me swollow some or even inject me with it, I would become human. Oh she tried. she was like you, so much like you. A worthy opponent. If it had not been for her blood line I would have let her live, but I could not take the chance of her bearing any offspring that the Order would surely use to hunt me with. She told me I was to late, I see that she was right. The blood line continues in you and I the Order sent you after me a few years ago, and now again." He looked at her and wondered what she was going to do then.

I pursed my lips as he began his tale and I slowly nodded in understanding. "I watched you kill her." I said, "You ripped her heart out and sent her body back to Rome, but you kept the heart." I took a deep breath and folded my arms across my chest, "That's why she laughed at you before she died. She said you were too late. The wyrm never told me why she said that, he stopped showing me things after that and told me that my time was done and I had to come back to Quinn." I looked him square in the eyes and levelled my gaze, "At least now I know why I'm immune to your venom. I thought it was just the changes they made in me, but now I know the truth, it makes sense." I grunted as I sat forward in the bed and I kept my gaze with Cain, not wanting him to see how much pain my body was still in. "You do realise though, dear dad in law, I'm not about to let you get away with this. You and me are gonna have a chat anout this, up close and personal, like." Well, not so much the chat, but a good fistfight certainly....

Cain smiled. "If you are anything like your mother, it should be an interesting one." he said. "She died a good and honorable death as the clans would say. She died in battle and for what she thought was a just casuse. He rose and went to Elana who seemed to be placated some. He turned, and looked at Mac, "I look forward to our fight."

I nodded and then looked to Elana, "I'll try not to hurt you too much." I said with mirth and then looked back at Quinn. "You know." I said to him, "At some point in our lives, all this is gonna make some sense."....

I smiled at her and hugged her. "One day perhaps." I said. As the two left I laid her back on the bed and said, "Doc says rest." I kissed her again and just held her.

I put my arms around him lightly and hugged him back. Yes, the doctor had said I had to rest and rest I would. At least for a little while, but I wanted to be up and about by the end of the day, tomorrow at the latest. However, it seemed fate would be cruel to me that day. No sooner had I settled to rest, I slipped into a deep sleep. The doctor arrived to update my charts and he smiled at Quinn. "Sire." He said quietly so as not to disturb me, "I need a word."....

I looked at him, and then gently untangled myself. "What is it?" I asked.

The doctor nodded towards the door, "Not here." He said quietly and led Quinn from the room. Once the door was shut, he looked through the window carefully. "I think I might have made a mistake somewhere." He began....

I looked at him hard. "What do you mean a mistake?"

The doctor handed over my updated chart, "I was checking her last blood results when I noticed something." He said, "I thought I had them mixed up with Marla as they're both A positive. Mackenzie's protein levels are higher than they should be. Like i said, I thought I had them mixed up, but when I tested her latest bloods, I realised it was me that was mistaken. Marla isn't the only one pregnant."....

My knees buckled, and I sat down hard on a straight chair. My mind whirled and my jaw dropped. Then I began laughing and jumped up and hugged the doctor. "That is great news I told him. I felt like I was walking on air. Then I calmed down some and looked at him. The little spat between her and Cain was going to have to wait a while. But then I thought also, Anubis. They still had to deal with him. "I will let the others know, and Mac when she wakes up." I wondered how she was going to take the news.

The doctor stared at Quinn with some confusion as the man hugged him. "I thought you'd be more angry than that." He said with honesty. "And I promise you, I'm never that careless." He shook his head, "When I got the result back the first time, I just assumed it was Marla's. After the injuries Miss Trydant has suffered, she shouldn't even be alive, let alone still pregnant."....

"You don't know the family line. They are a lot tougher then you think." I told him. "The news is wonderful Doc." I left him to go find Marla and Gabe after making sure that Mac was alseep. There was a broad grin on my face when I found them.

Gabe and Marla were enjoying some alone time when Quinn arrived. They were curled up on the sofa in their suite living room under a blanket. Gabe sat up and grinned as Marla pulled her shirt back down. "Hey man, you're kinda disturbing something." She said with some frustration, but furrowed her brow at the grin all over Quinn's face. "Ok, what's up?"....

I chuckled. "Well hate to interup your alone time, but I didn't think that what I found out should wait." I paused for a bit. "Seems that the Doc made a mistake on some bloodwork." I chuckled. "It seems that Gabe Jr. there will be havein Quinn Jur as a playmate."

Both of them stopped dead and let their jaws hang open. "No way!" Marla squeaked, "But.. that's not possible, is it? She took a swan dive from the third floor. How could a baby survive that?" She then shrugged, "But then, how Kenzie survived, I guess anything is possible." Gabe got to his feet and shed the blanket. He still had his boxers on, so he was covered. He moved to Quinn quickly and hugged the guy tight, "That's great news!" He said happily, "Great news! I bet Kenzie is pleased too.".....

She doen't know yet. She is asleep. When she wakes up I am going to break the news. I don't know how she is going to take it though. With all that is going on."

Gabe nodded as he moved back and began searching for his jeans. He wanted to be there when Quinn told me, "I can imagine." He said, "And I guess this thing with Anubis is gonna have to wait. I know she's gonna want his blood personal like, but now she's gonna have to leave it with me." He then groaned and shook his head, "Oh man! I guess I'm in charge permenant now, huh.".....

I laughed. "Yep that is what it looks like, well till we get this mess done with Anubis. Then I think everyone will be done with the Order." I turned to go. "Though we will have to think of something on what to do with our Guest so that the new one will not be sending the Order after us."

Gabe groaned again and nodded, "Well, at least I still get to walk away." He said and then grinned again, "Actually, I've been thinking about that." He nodded, "Me and Marla were giving it a going over earlier. I'll talk to you about it after you've dropped the bombshell on Kenzie."...

I headed back to Mac's medical room and sat back down on the bed so when she woke up I would be there. The news was going to rock her world, that was sure. Bet the old dragon didn't inform her about her condition either. He was going to have to find out how that had happened, when the dragon was suppose to be dead, since he gave up his immortality. That would be getting into something totally differnt.

I slept for maybe an hour or so and then felt something change in the bed. Someone was sitting on it. I yawned and slowly opened my eyes to find Quinn sat there. I smiled, still a little dozy and yawned again. "You look very pleased with yourself." I told him, and he really did....

Oh I was still walking on air it seemed. I had told her before how much having a child meant to me. I chuckled, and said, "You could say that." He waited for Gabe and Marla to show up before he told her.

I yawned again and shook my head slowly before burying my face in the mass of hair briefly. "So what has you so chuffed?" I asked. Seconds later, Gabe and Marla arrived and they looked just as pleased with themselves. I looked at them oddly before looking back at Quinn, "Ok, what's going on?" I asked, "I havena been asleep that long again have I?" Gabe laughed and put his arm around Marla as she laughed also.....

"Alright. Since we all all her now, except Grandma and Grandpa." I lead off, "Doc gave me some news a little while ago."

I furrowed my brow in utter confusion, "Wait, what?" I asked, "Grandma and Grandpa? Quinn, what the hell is going on? What news?" Just then, the door opened and I watched Cain and Elana enter. Elana looked overjoyed and Cain looked relieved for some reason. "Ok, what the hell did I miss?"......

Elana looked overjoyed and Cain had that look on his face, pride and joy. "Well the doc said he had messed up on your bloodwork, well thought he had. I think we had best be choosing name, got to be ready for what ever the baby will be." I put a hand on her stomach."

I sat up sharply, then wished I hadn't. I stilla ched all over, but the whock outweighed that by miles. "You what?!" I yelped.....

"Not me love, you." I smiled bradly. "You and Marla will be mommies in a few months."

Clearly, Quinn had misheard me, or my way of putting things anyway. I stared at Gabe, who grinned back at me and nodded. "Wha.... How?" I asked, as if I actually needed to of course, but I just didn't think it would be possible, not after what had happened to me. I looked at Quinn, "Did you jump me while I was in this coma or something?" I yelped, then looked at Marla, who was laughing quite hysterically......

"Seems that old dragon of yours held more of a secret then you thought. "Cain said. "Even though he gave up his immortality, his blood I think was stronger then any human. It is what helped you survive your swan dive from that window and kept you from losing the child." It seemed no one really knew the extent of a dragon's powers or anything about them.

I looked at all the smiling faces staring back at me and shook my head, "You're having a laugh!" I said to them all, then started laughing, "Great joke and all, but i'm no up the creek. Not for a long while yet." It was clear to them all that the news really hadn't sunk in just yet. After a minute though, I stopped laughing and my face turned back to the shock, "You're not joking, are you."....

"No love we are not." i told her. "Like I told you and Gabe before. When it happens it happens. We have no control over it." I hugged her tightly.

I seemed to freeze to the bed as Quinn told me they weren't joking. I really was pregnant. I gripped the sheets tightly as he hugged me. "Ow!" I yelped, I was still very stiff and sore. So he was right after all, when it happens, it happens. It took me a moment to find my breath again and I stared into Quinn's eyes with shock, but also a glimmer of hope and love. "I'm having your bairn!" I gasped, "Oh God, I'm actually having a bairn!".....

"Looks like we are going to have to do alot of shopping." Marla said as she came up to the bed with a big smile. "What are you hoping for?" she asked Mac.

My eyes darted between Qiunn and Marla. What was I hoping for? As usual in my present state it seemed, my mouth opened before my brain engaged, "Ten fingers, ten toes and comes out screaming?" I said. Marla laughed hysterically again and shook her head at me before going back to Gabe. It was only then that I started laughing with them and I turned my head to Quinn, "I guess you're really stuck with me now, aren't you." I leaned over and put my head on his shoulder as I continued to laugh.....

Now this was going to be one hell of a time for us. i could already tell. "Oh yes and you are stuck with me." I grinned. Cain and Elana laughed and stood there. "A grand child." Elana said.

I continued to laugh and then slowly, I put my arms around Quinn's middle. We were having a baby! When I heard Elana say grandchild, I let Quinn go again long enough to look at her and I smiled, though it was a little nervous. My eyes then fell on Cain, "I guess that kicking may have to wait." I said quietly....

"We have plenty of time for all that." he told her. "Though you might have to travel to Iraq for it. As soon as we can we will be leaving to find ourselves a home. My lycans are already there searching and laying the ground work for it."

"Iraq?" I asked, "Why would you want to live there? It's right in the middle of a war." I was truly confused about that.....

"To us it is home. That is were we came from. That is where it all began for us. Even though it is a war torn country, we will survive. Especially in a Mountain retret where any that try to disturb us will not like what they find."

Each to their own, I thought and then smiled in happiness for them both, "Not for us, I hope." I said to them, "I'm sure Quinn will want to visit as soon as possible and no doubt he'll drag us along with him." I laughed....

[questor]

Oh indeed I intended to visit them. He had a feeling that the war torn country would be a fitting place for him and Elana. They could feed on those killing inocents. There would be no short supply of them. He knew Elana would keep Cain in line on that and help those that needed protection. "Like I told you before, you will be most welcome in our home." Elana said. "Also I will be here when the time comes." she was beaming with pride and happiness. "I would not miss the birth of my grandchild for anything."

Cain took Elana by the arm and lead her out. "We have much to talk about and alot of planning to do. There is Anubis of course, his dwindling army, then there is the Pope and the search for Eland." I looked from one to the other. "I hate to bring a dark cloud over such a happy day as this, but I am afraid I must."

[LadyRaven]

I nodded and lookde down at my hands on my knees, "Let's just deal with one thing at a time." I said, "Gabe is Lead Commander now, so Anubis should still be his priority. Elland can be ours." I looked to Quinn, "The Pope can be yours, though I'd still like a visit when I'm allowed out of bed." I looked back then to Cain and Elana leaving, "And I still want a conversation with my dearest dad in law." I continued, "Me and him have unfinished business.".....

[questor]

Gabe took Marla out and left me and Mac alone. He could see that she was probably well ahead of what the doctor had thought about her getting out of bed. "Well no time like the present." I said and opened a closet. Inside was some of her clothing, well new clothing, and her things. He took them out and laid them on the bed. "Probably more comfortable then that medical gown. Never liked them, to airy."

I waited untill she was ready and then with me to lean on if necessary, I took her down to see Dimitri. His pure white robes had been replaced by other clothing and there had been new robes made for the videos that they made. When he saw me he began pleading. "Please no more, I beg of you."

I looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I have some one here to see you." I said and let him see Mac. Oh he grew even more frightened, covering his face with his hands.

[LadyRaven]

I sighed in happiness as Quinn laid out some clothes for me on the bed. I quickly stripped off the gown and pulled on the leggings and the long shirt. It was a little baggy for me, but it was probably more comfortable than my regular jeans and tight tees. When I felt ready, I reached out for Quinn and leaned my weight on him. My feet ached from the second I put them on the floor, but I was determined to get up.

I needed a moment or two to steady myself before I began to walk slowly towards the door. I kept my grip on Quinn and leaned on him for both balance and strength. I felt uncoordinated and the floor felt like it was on a tilt. I guessed it would take some time for me to be back to my usual self, but the more I walked, the better I seemed to be. Sure, my feet were screaming at me after a short while, but I ignored it and carried on.

The steps down to the prince's dungeon were murder on my legs, but I made it and I managed to walk into Dimitri's cell on my own. I stood as tall and as firm as I dared and smiled at him as he cowered away from me. He looked a hellish mess and the smell told me he'd been there for weeks, but I didn't care. "I guess you thought I was a veggie, didn't you." I said to him, "But then, people would if they saw what happened and I assume you did." I moved towards him slightly and watched as his baggy pants darkened. I couldn't help but laugh, "Oh dear, the little holyman has wet himself. How sad. Would you like a nappy?".....