The Companion Picture - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Dandelion
Last updated: 12/03/2009 06:26:08 PM

Chapter 33

"Jackson Meske, David Bignardi, Frank Collison, Gavin Forbes," Brett ticked each name off on her fingers. "Joel Hawkson, Marcus Tilligkeit, and Wayne Kriegler." She looked at Remy. "Sound familiar, sugah?"

He nodded. "Oui."

"Well, they should. They're all you."

Remy grinned enigmatically. "How you figure dat?"

Brett only looked at him impassively. She propped her cheek on her fist and raised her eyebrows. "You don't think Ah'm gonna fall for your smoke and mirrors this time, do you Remy? Ah may barrel into things head-on but Ah ain't stupid."

Remy shook his head. "No, chere, you sure ain't."

"Let me put it to you straight," Brett sat up and looked into the fire. "Ah been in your head. Your tricks and games don't work so well on someone in the know." She tapped her temple with her index finger.

"No games, Brett," Remy said quietly. "I learned a few things, too."

"Well, Ah'd hope so." She slowly uncrumpled Lorna's note. "And Ah noticed something in this here letter that Ah hadn't noticed before. Ah figure no one else noticed, either, 'cept for you."

"What'd you notice, chere?"

"Well, for one thing," Brett tilted the paper slightly so the firelight illuminated the page. "The signature's a little off. Ah can't say for certain, after all, Ah don't have anything to compare it to, it's just a hunch. But the name and the sign off if you put them together read 'Signed withynn' and if you say it then it's 'Signed within.' You follow me, so far, sugah?" She looked up at Remy.

"I follow."

"Well, then you look at the message. Short and sweet, right? Well, if you take the first letter of each sentence is spells 'Essex'." Brett looked up again. "And that's Sinister, isn't it?"

Remy nodded.

"Is this what you saw in the letter that spooked you?"

Remy nodded again.

"Okay," Brett looked at the paper. "This is progress. We've got something here. This whole mess with the Department of Defense and all seems to involve Sinister. It's a start." She looked up at Remy again. "Now what?"

The night sky was a moon-touched indigo. The stars were dim in the light of the moon and night shadows deepened when the clouds passed by.

Ororo sighed. She felt uncertain and agitated. Her body would not relax. She sat up in bed and looked to her plants then frowned. She garnered little satisfaction from their presence. She sighed again and got out of bed, wrapping a robe around her and deciding to look into the warm milk remedy. She smiled remembering Kitty swearing by warm milk for a sleepless night. Kitty is often right about such things, she thought fondly.

The upstairs clock chimed three times as she came down from her loft and Ororo felt the silence of the house in her bones. Everyone was asleep. As I wish I were, she thought to herself. She paused briefly at the door to Rogue's old room and touched it lightly with her fingertips. Goddess, watch over her. I pray she finds her way. Watch over Remy as well, though he says he doesn't need such things. I know better.

Arriving at the main floor, Ororo was surprised to see a light on in the den. A soft masculine humming sound drifted softly from the closed door as well as a tapping sound Ororo didn't recognize immediately. Curious, she opened the door a crack and peeked in.

Bobby was sitting at the table, tape calculator whirring under his fingers, papers spread out around him. Ororo pressed her fingers to her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Bobby was wearing a tank top and boxer shorts but the outfit was given a bizarre touch with the addition of Tazmanian Devil slippers and a tattered Santa hat. Music was playing softly nearby and Bobby dipped his head to the beat, humming a few bars when the spirit moved him.

"Robert?"

Bobby started dramatically, knocking a stack of papers off the table. "Storm!" He reddened visibly and hurriedly grabbed the papers from the floor. "What are you doing here?"

Ororo swept into the room. "I might ask you the same thing. Isn't it late to be up doing..." her voice trailed off. "What are you doing?"

"Um," Bobby looked at his papers again, sorting them out. "Taxes."

Ororo's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"Taxes," Bobby repeated. "It's tax season and the Professor is, well, don't get me wrong, I love him and all but, he's kind of a dunce when it comes to the IRS."

Ororo's expression demonstrated her surprise.

"Yeah, who'd have thunk, right?" Bobby grinned. "World's Most Powerful Mind is inept when faced with a 1040. If only Magneto knew that at the beginning, world would be a different place."

Ororo smiled at the thought of Magneto flinging a stack of tax forms at the Professor in battle. "All of this is for the Professor then?"

"Ah no," Bobby admitted. "I do Hank's stuff, too. Warren has his own million dollar an hour accountants. And Scott and Jean don't even have an income to speak of so..." he shrugged. "I may not get paid for doing this but at least I'm doing something."

"But what about the hat and the slippers?" Ororo asked pointedly.

"My Taz slippers?" Bobby held one up. "I like them. The hat is sort of an unofficial uniform. It's tradition."

"I see."

"Well, I didn't think a mohawk was my style," Bobby remarked with a grin.

Ororo laughed lightly. "Point taken. I see you have an array of food spread out." She looked over the selection. "Granola bars? Carrots sticks? That's rather... healthy, isn't it?"

Bobby wore a resigned look. "I'm not all junk food, Storm. Let me put it this way, if I was up at three in the morning buzzing off of caffeine and sugar I wouldn't be getting much work done. The snacks are healthy, yes, but they're crunchy, which I like, and I drink Coke to get enough caffeine to keep me alert."

"This is a side of you I was previously unaware of."

"Yeah, well," Bobby's brow furrowed. "A bit of seriousness during tax season is a small price to pay. I make up for it the rest of the year."

Ororo sensed she had touched a nerve. "Do you prefer to work alone or may I sit with you for a while?"

"Help yourself," Bobby shrugged. "Just don't be offended if I ignore you. I've got to finish this stuff up."

"Of course," Ororo picked up a carrot stick and gnawed on it as she went to the table where the mail was traditionally left. Sifting through it she came across a padded envelope addressed to her. She opened it to reveal two pieces of frayed copper wire and a note.

Beware of bugs in your basement and things that go bump in the night.

A friend.

She flipped the envelope over again looking for a return address but found none. "Robert?"

"You know, you can call me Bobby," was the slightly irritated reply.

She turned around. "Robert," she whispered.

Bobby looked up sensing the urgency in Ororo's voice.

She held up the paper and the wires. "Look at this."

Bobby took the note and read it. "Bugs in the basement?" He looked up at Storm. "Where did this come from?"

"There is no return address."

A silence fell upon them as they looked to each other for answers. The most obvious one played on both their minds. Logan's wounded body had been discovered in the tunnels that connected the mansion's basement to the network system the Morlocks had claimed as their own. "We'd better check this out," Bobby said quietly.

Remy blinked at Brett. "Now what what?"

She laughed merrily. "Havin' a stupid moment, sugah?" She sat next to him. "You were thinkin' I's going to come here and knock your fool head off for having a few more secrets? Do Ah have hypocrite written on my forehead?"

"No," Remy admitted.

"Why'd you shoot that man in Munich?"

Remy stared at Brett in surprise, speechless. "What?!"

"You heard me," Brett replied meeting his gaze unwaveringly. "Ah found myself at the kitchen window the other day staring down at Lorna on the beach with a broom in my hand. But everything changed. Suddenly Ah was looking down on the fountain in the Marienplatz and Ah had a rifle trained on that man who stole those papers from you. Ah shot him," she sighed. "It was a great shot. He didn't even see it coming."

Remy stared. "Dat was years ago!"

Brett shook her head slightly. "Not to me, Remy."

He regarded her for several moments, trying to gauge her reaction to the memory. She didn't seem to be anything other than curious. "I shot him because he took what I had rightfully stolen," Remy narrowed his eyes. "He was an amateur trying to break into a professional's game. He had to be taught a lesson."

"A permanent one?"

"The best kind," Remy said darkly, his eyes reflecting the light eerily. "He had upped the stakes already. He thought the crowds would protect him. He was wrong."

"How'd you get the papers back?"

Remy looked at Brett. "You tell me, chere. You know, don't you?"

Brett seemed to withdraw into herself and her eyes flashed golden in the firelight. Remy felt a chill overtake him. It was disquieting to look into his own eyes, even for an instant, and an even more unsettling thought darted through his mind. Did my eyes look like that before... but the thought vanished, leaving a ghostly echo that dissipated before he could grasp it again.

"Kritz," Brett spoke up.

Remy looked at her again and, seeing her emerald eyes sparkling at him again, breathed a sigh of relief. "Right. Kritz was on the take."

"So you were a spy? Is that why you're wanted by Interpol?"

Remy shook his head. "Non, Interpol's another lifetime, chere. And part of the reason why Yukio wants to rip my face off whenever we run into each other."

Brett relaxed. Remy's thieving days didn't really bother her all that much. It was part of his charm, really, and of the dangerous allure that had initially attracted her. Spying's something else, she thought. Ah don't mind that he did it, hell, Momma was a latter day Mata Hari and Ah wonder sometimes if she wasn't grooming me to take her place until my power ruined it all. Something doesn't sit right, though. There's a connection somewhere. "Did Sinister get you the job?"

Remy's eyebrows shot upward.

"Makes sense don't you think?" Brett held up the note again. "If he's involved with the Department of Defense and this virus-l mess isn't it possible he's infiltrated other parts of the government? Maybe he set you up for the job?"

"It ain't possible," Remy said urgently. "It's likely." He felt as though he could sprout wings and fly as he looked at Brett. This was exactly what he was hoping for. Remy just loved seeing Brett work out a plan. And he'd been counting on her sorting things out and putting her perspective on things.

"How'd you get out of the business, sugah?"

Remy shrugged lightly. "I retired. I let a few of my aliases die. Then I disappeared."

"They just let you go?"

"There's no place for a spy whose head ain't in the game. You just follow the rules after you leave. 'Keep your mouth shut and keep your nose out of our business.' Dey make it worth your while."

Brett nodded. "Ah imagine so. Ah know how valuable secrets are." She smirked again, covering her concern. There's more to this and Remy either can't or won't see it. If Ah'm right, and my gut tells me Ah am, Sinister's had more to do with Remy's life than Ah thought. "Ah can't wait for Forge to get here. We've got a lot to build on now. Ah have no intention of sitting on the sidelines while the Legacy Virus is turned into a weapon. Not after Illyana. Sinister's goin' down."

Something deep inside Remy quivered at Brett's statement. For a moment it seemed as though everything had a red tint to it. He shook his head violently and his eyesight returned to normal. Mus' be tired.

Brett was looking at him curiously. "You okay, sugah?"

Remy grinned as he looked into the sky. The pale gray of early dawn had set in and he had scarcely noticed. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned loudly. "Been a long night, chere, it's wearin' on me. What say we go home and get some sleep?"

Brett just smiled.

Kurt rubbed his eyes wearily as he looked over the files he had on the Mutant Underground. He been going over his options ever since Mystique had arrived with her information on the U.S. Department of Defense and their plans for the Legacy Virus, or virus-l as they called it. It had made him ill, but the worst of it was that he saw the reasoning behind it.

A weapon against mutant threats could be a very handy thing to have. Kurt cursed his pragmatic side as he made notes and sent out a contact call to Edinburgh. There are times, he thought angrily, when seeing the other side to every argument is fatiguing.

The most important thing we can do is find a cure for this verdammt virus, Kurt tapped his finger on the table. Then we'd have a weapon on our side, too. I'll see if happen if I have to drag Herr Doktor McCoy here myself.

"Hey Wagner," Pete Wisdom dropped strolled into the room and dropped into a chair across the table from Kurt. "What have you got for me, then?"

Kurt looked over his paperwork with plans written out to hide every member of Excalibur as well as the mutants they had been able to make contact with in Europe. It grated on him. It had been years since Kurt felt he had to hide. He hated the idea that he would be forced to again. He looked at Wisdom and slowly pushed the folder over to him. "Take a look at that and tell me what you think. Your experience is more suited to this sort of operation. I'm afraid I'm out of practice when it comes to disappearing from the world. Also," he leaned back in his chair, "I would like to ask you if you're at all familiar with members of the scientific community."

"Well," Pete laced his fingers behind his head. "Not very. It's not my field, never was. I don't think yer problem is goin' to be finding geneticists, though, Wagner. The problem is finding one willing to work with MacTaggart."

In spite of himself, Kurt smiled. "Her temper is famous, ja."

Pete took a cigarette out of his pocket and rolled it between his fingers. "It's not so much that, Wagner, and you know it."

"Ja. Ich kenne."

"They're not goin' to want to work with her because she's got the bloody disease. And there are a lot of blokes that won't go that far even in the name of science. It's a risk a lot will refuse to take." Pete popped the unlit cigarette between his lips and held it there, apparently taking comfort in its presence.

Kurt noted that Wisdom hadn't lit the cigarette and smiled inwardly. "There must be some who are willing to take the risk. We've got to find those that are."

"Look," Pete offered. "I'll take a look at your work here and give you my opinion on 'em. If I happen to think of a geneticist or two, I'll let you in on it, all right?"

"Danke," Kurt stood up. "I appreciate the help."

Pete nodded but was already reading Kurt's notes.

Kurt left the room and went in search of Amanda.

Glancing up, Pete confirmed Kurt was gone and lit up his cigarette to smoke in peaceful solitude. "Hmm," he mumbled slightly, reading over the paperwork. "Wagner's a bit naive with his execution, but the main ideas aren't bad. I can make it work."

Kitty stood with her arms wrapped tightly around her watching Amanda with a frown.

Amanda had been standing on the north cliffs for over an hour in some sort of meditative trance.

Kitty shifted her weight from one foot to the other and contemplated the strawberry-blonde. She'd known Amanda almost as long as she'd known Kurt, but Amanda remained something of a mystery to this very day. She was a sorceress and an airline stewardess? Kitty shook her head. It was a career combination that never jelled right in her mind.

Ever since Kitty had pulled Illyana out of the gateway to Limbo she'd developed something of an interest in the arcane arts. Illyana had never been very open about her own abilities but Kitty had desperately wanted some knowledge that she could use to help her best friend. Despite the fact that Amanda was a sorceress, Kitty had never been able to sit down with her and really talk to her about what the magic arts entailed.

That was about to change.

"You must want to talk to me bad," Amanda said, still looking over the cliff.

Kitty blinked. "You knew I was here?"

"You've been there for an hour," Amanda turned. "It's very unhealthy to be that unaware of your surroundings. Thanks for not interrupting me, though."

"What were you doing?" Kitty asked.

"Listening," Amanda began to walk towards the Excalibur quarters.

Kitty jumped in front of her. "Not so fast."

Amanda sighed. "Can't we go inside?"

"No," Kitty folded her arms across her chest. "This is between us and I don't want anyone else involved."

"All right, then," Amanda sat down on the ground. "Talk if that's what you want to do."

"What are you doing?"

"I told you. Listening."

"To what?"

Amanda ran her fingers through her hair. How do I explain this? "To the wind, I guess."

"Not good enough!"

"Are you trying to pick a fight, Kitty?" Amanda demanded. "If you are then get on with it. If not then quit with the damn attitude. I don't need it."

Kitty dropped to the ground in front of Amanda. "I'm not trying to pick a fight. You've got me on edge with all of this magic stuff and Shrill hanging around doesn't help." She sighed. "This has something to do with the Soul Sword, doesn't it?"

Amanda looked at the ground and tried to come up with an answer.

"Oh God," Kitty said quietly. "You can't even look at me, can you?" She pressed her hand against her stomach, feeling slightly nauseous. "Dammit! Why can't you people just let 'Yana rest?" Kitty felt tears brimming in her eyes. "She struggled every day of her life! Why can't she just finally have her peace?"

Amanda placed a hand on Kitty's shoulder. "I promise you, Kitty. That's what I'm trying to do." She looked into the sky briefly, gathering her thoughts, before meeting Kitty's gaze again. "Look, it's my fault. I royally fucked up. I gave that thing to my mother thinking she'd keep it safe. Ha. Your friend had a gift and she used it to make that sword. I was wrong. It is connected to her, somehow. So I'm going to get it back and make sure it's protected, not only from my mother and other mages, but from me as well."

Kitty looked at Amanda for several minutes. "How do I know?" Kitty's voice was hushed. "How do I know it won't be too tempting for you, too?"

"I'm taking Shrill with me," Amanda replied. "And Meggan will keep us both honest."

The thought of Shrill going along didn't really make Kitty feel any better, but Meggan's inclusion changed things. Meggan would know instantly if the sword were corrupting someone. "What about the rest of us?" Kitty asked. "We could help."

"No, Kitty," Amanda replied. "You can't. You'll just be in the way. Or worse, you'll be targets. This is best left to professionals." She smiled lightly. "And when it comes to magic you guys are hopeless amateurs."

There was a sad tone to Amanda's voice that alarmed Kitty. "You... you're going for broke, aren't you?"

Amanda looked at Kitty for a moment then smiled. "There's no other way. I hope I answered your questions Kitty. I don't really have the time for any more. I need to be with Kurt before I go." Without waiting for a response, Amanda got up and headed towards the Excalibur compound.

Kitty watched her go then looked into the sky. "'Yana, things are such a mess. If you were here you'd be able to cut through all the crap in no time. Probably tell us what idiots we're all being, too." She picked up a rock and hurled it over the cliff then walked away with a smile, certain that she could hear Illyana's laughter as the waves crashed against the cliffs.

Lee walked along the beach searching for Lorna. Large puffy clouds shaded her from the mid-morning sun as they floated lazily by in the sky. Breakfast had been quiet. Lorna had been absent and Brett hadn't stirred from her room. Magnus had fixed himself a toasted bagel and a cup of tea before excusing himself. Lee frowned. That man is too good at diversion. I ask him how the rest of his night went and he talks about what a beautiful morning it is. 'Why dwell on the night before?' he says and poof, gone with the wind. That rat. She paused and dug one foot into the sand. The sun hadn't made the sand too hot yet, but below the surface the packed sand was damp and cold. Lee wiggled her toes and sighed. Lorna was up this morning so she's got to be lurking around this island somewhere. Please just don't let her be pulling a Remy and deciding to live in the woods, I might just take it personally.

Lee's playful fears were put to rest when she came upon Lorna near the delta on the other side of the island, hurling rocks into the sea.

Lorna paused when Lee greeted her. "Lee, is walking on the sand the best thing to be doing with a cut foot?"

Lee rolled her eyes. "What do you suggest I walk on the water?" She grinned at Lorna's mock scowl. "I've got it well bandaged. Nothing to worry about."

Lorna seemed satisfied by this and turned back to the water.

Lee put her hands on her hips. "You and Magnus have been acting kind of... odd, today."

"Have we?"

"Yes." Lee frowned at Lorna's attempt to put her off. Magnus had been equally distant when Lee attempted to talk to him. "Actually you're behaving exactly alike. My guess is it has to do with what happened last night."

Lorna heaved a deep sigh. "Well, that's my excuse." She cast a sheepish glance at Lee. "I'm not sure how to react."

"To..." Lee prodded.

"What happened. It seems obvious to me that more happened than we were aware of when we let our powers meld together. We seem to be sharing memories or something..." Lorna broke off, uncertain. "I'm not positive about the exact situation. We both got torn apart by Zaladane and we lived through each other's ordeal. A part of me is dancing for joy at the fact that there is someone else out there that understands. Another part is looking desperately for a place to hide."

Lee sat down on the sand. "Magnus was never one to talk about things he had gone through. His suffering was his alone. Granted, the Magnus I knew doesn't quite fit the image the one living with us here is putting forth. He talks about things with Remy but I don't know about the rest of us."

"It's not exactly an easy subject to broach, either," Lorna admitted. "He seemed to be somewhat accepting of the situation last night after the initial blowup. He kept looking at me, though."

"What did you expect?" Lee queried. "You kept looking at him, too. I was bleeding and the two of you could only cast clandestine looks at each other. I was about ready to take the stuff and bandage my foot up myself."

"Which you ended up doing, anyway," Lorna pointed out.

"That's because you did it wrong."

"Dammit, Lee, I'm an archaeologist not a doctor!"

Lee burst out laughing at Lorna's joke. "Anyway, do you have a course of action? I tried talking to Magnus but he seems to excel at diverting conversations these days. And Remy can't help since he's still playing that stupid hide and seek game of his," she snorted derisively.

"Yeah, it's getting a little tired."

"I mean," Lee looked thoughtful. "What could be so bad that he'd hide from all of us?"

Lorna shrugged and sat down next to Lee. "I don't know. Sometimes things seem pretty bad when you look at them. You never know how people are going to react."

"What's to question?" Lee said. "Magnus is in no position to cast aspersions, but he loves Remy anyway. Brett loves him. I've grown rather fond of him myself, and after getting involved with Magnus I'm pretty sure I can handle what's he's got to deal with. What about you?"

"Well, I've certainly got plenty of skeletons in my closet," Lorna replied softly. "I like Remy, anyway."

Lee nodded slowly then shook her head. "But back to you and Magnus," she leaned back on her elbows.

"Oh Lee, what do you suggest?" Lorna sighed. "He's not really a talker and he's so private. The last thing he'd want is to have me pestering him about his feelings. And I'm so uncertain about my own it hardly seems to be the best course of action."

Lee was silent. Lorna had summed up Magnus' personality and the current situation succinctly. "How well do you know him, Lorna?"

"I know just about every fact about the man that governments have been able to discern," Lorna replied, her voice dull. "My knowledge is purely forensic. The man himself I've only gotten to know since we met here on the island. It feels longer," her brow furrowed slightly. "Maybe it's because of the way our powers kind of melted together. It's not what I expected."

"What were you expecting?"

Lorna paused thoughtfully. "I have no idea."

"Well," Lee prodded. "Aside from the swapping traumatic memories thing, has anything else happened?"

"Yes," was the confident reply. "I know where he is."

Lee lifted an eyebrow.

"I mean all the time. No effort required. I'd guess it's the same with him."

"How?"

Lorna thought for a moment. "Here, let me see if I can show you." She raised one hand, palm upwards. "Do you see that?"

"Your hand?" Lee looked dubious.

An indulgent smile graced Lorna's features. "I'm sorry. It's something of a natural state with me. Maybe if I turn the wattage up a little..." she narrowed her eyes.

Lee leaned forward with interest, as tiny greenish-blue threads seemed to rise out of Lorna's hand. The threads enveloped her hand and rose out of her fingertips like tiny lightning bolts. As Lee looked closer she could see the threads in Lorna's hand snaking under her skin much like blood vessels. "What is it?"

"For lack of a better term we'll call it Electro-Magnetic energy. I can get all technical but I really hate to speak jargon," Lorna smiled as she observed the threads pulsing around her and in her. "These used to be green. Like my hair. Now, it's this blue green color and if you look," she concentrated some more, "you can see there seems to be a link."

Lee squinted and was able to faintly identify a loose trail of the tiny threads heading through the woods in the direction of the house. She lost sight of the threads quite easily, though. "You can obviously see them better than I."

Lorna nodded.

"The trail leads back to Magnus, doesn't it?"

Lorna nodded again. "He's like a beacon he's so bright with these threads."

"Can you turn it off or anything?"

Lorna shook her head. "Maybe if Magnus and I put our heads together we could figure out a way to separate the powers. Or, at the very least, to turn off the link." She shrugged. "I'm more curious about how the link works, though. I can't read his mind. I get his dreams but not his thoughts. I can feel him, though. It's strange."

"Yeah," Lee snorted. "So what else is new?"

Kurt found Amanda sitting in the living room of his suite looking up at the Errol Flynn poster he had over his television. "I'm glad I didn't bring anyone for dinner," he remarked.

Amanda was wearing little but a dusty rose-colored negligee with antique white lace trim. It barely covered the essentials but Kurt was certainly not one to complain. Amanda stood up and pressed herself against him, kissing him deeply. "Hi you," she whispered, touching the end of her nose to his. "I've been waiting for you."

"Whyever for?" Kurt played along.

"I was just hoping some gorgeous guy like yourself would come home and swash and buckle me," she grazed one finger down his cheek.

A cross between a chuckle and groan escaped Kurt as he scooped Amanda into his arms and carried her swiftly into their bedroom.

I never want to leave. I never want to leave. I never want to leave. Amanda repeated the mantra in her mind as she lay stretched out against Kurt after an extremely athletic round of lovemaking. I have to leave. She stirred slightly and closed her eyes as she felt Kurt shift against her. Everything about him was long and lean and she sighed as she felt his muscles ripple under his velvet fur.

If I lived a few hundred years ago I'd be burned at the stake for bedding a demon, she thought with ironic humor. In a way I'm a stereotypical witch. She lifted her head, resting her chin on Kurt's chest and looked at him. How can anyone look at him and not see how beautiful he is?

He grinned at her. "You put my back out, I think."

Amanda gasped a surprised laugh. "You? Never!" She pushed herself up to give him several quick kisses then sat up and straddled him. "I'm leaving in the morning."

Her rubbed her arms softly with his hands silently. His eyes rested on hers waiting for her to continue.

"I have to confront mother."

"Do you?"

She nodded mutely, feeling all the words catch in her throat. How do I tell him? How do I tell him everything I feel for him in my heart and soul? How do I tell him I may never come back? She heaved a shaky sigh. "Oh Kurt, you have eyes that shine like the sun."

Kurt caught Amanda's hands in his sensing her distress. "Jemaine," he said softly. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of dying," Amanda took Kurt's hands and pressed them against her. "Of being weak. Of not succeeding. I don't want to think of it. There's so much at stake."

"Can I help?"

Oh, Kurt you help, she thought, looking at him tenderly. You help just by being here, by being a part of my life. By loving me. "You can't come with me. But you can help."

"Name it."

Amanda leaned forward pressing her forehead against his. "Believe in me," she whispered.

Kurt cupped her face in his hands and forced her to look into his eyes. "Jemaine," he said gently. "I always have."

How can anyone look at him and not see how beautiful he is? Amanda leaned forward again, pressing her lips against his, slipping her tongue between his lips, feeling his hands slide up her back. I love him. Kurt grasped her body and turned her onto her back. He's always been a part of me. Her amber colored hair glinted in the moonlight as it fell through the window. I can be strong for him. His breath ignited her skin. He's strong for me. Her fingers left trails of fire across his flesh. I love him. He rose above her and she came to meet him. I'm still afraid. They moved together bathed in the night. It doesn't matter. Limbs entwined with limbs as they reached their peak. I love him. And entwined again as they lay together, spent and drifting in a hushed intimacy.

"I'd die for you."

"Don't. Live, instead. Live and come home to me, my Jemaine."

Lorna walked up the stairs to the kitchen doorway. She glanced over her shoulder at Lee, who had left to work on her boat, and grinned. Everyday she's on that thing, scrubbing away. I wonder if she'll manage to lure Remy back to the house with a promise of a deep-sea fishing excursion?

Laughter from the kitchen interrupted her thoughts. She peeked in curiously. "Remy!!"

Magnus, Brett and Remy looked up from their conversation. Remy waved to her, while trying to get a colossal sandwich under control.

"Remy's decided to indulge himself a bit," Brett said, her voice full of humor.

"Does this mean you're back? No more Grizzly Adams?" Lorna asked.

"Dr. Livingston," Magnus corrected.

"Moron," Brett finished.

Lorna sat at the table as Remy took a bite of his sandwich and moaned with pleasure. "I don't know, Remy. You should have held out a little longer. Lee's preparing the Arcadia for a deep-sea fishing excursion hoping that'll lure you back home."

Remy's eyebrows shot up in interest.

"Forget it!" Brett said loudly. "You are not going back out there just to get a fishing trip out of it! You're going to have to make nice with Lee all on your own to do that." She propped her chin on her hands.

"So, Remy," Lorna leaned on her elbows. "Why'd you leave anyway? If I didn't already know I was a swell person I'd take it personally."

Remy swallowed his bite. "It's the note."

"Well," Lorna glanced at Magnus and Brett. "We'd figured that out already."

"There's more to it," Brett supplied, "than we thought. Ah'll go get it and show you." She excused herself.

Remy busied himself with his sandwich again while Lorna racked her brain for something to say to Magnus that wouldn't sound completely awkward.

"How are you this morning, Lorna?"

Lorna looked over at Magnus' question to see him smiling kindly at her. She felt her cheeks grow hot. "Oh," she returned the smile. "This morning? Fine." Her smile grew wider, thinking of their uncertainty in the middle of the night. "How are you?"

"Fine as well." He leaned one arm on the table as he looked at her.

His eyes should come with a warning label, she thought. "Good. I'm glad." Lorna sighed inwardly at her feeble attempt at small talk and was grateful when Brett returned.

Remy had been eyeing the interaction between Lorna and Magnus with interest, wondering just how much he had missed sleeping in the woods. Brett tweaked his cheek affectionately as she sat down again and spread the note on the table.

"Here Lorna," she pushed the note over to her. "Take a look."

Lorna did so, trying to ignore Magnus as he leaned over to look also. "What should I be seeing?"

"Put the name together," Brett prompted. "Take out the punctuation and just put those letters together."

"Within," Magnus murmured, as he put the words together.

"Signed within?" Lorna looked up.

"Now look at the first letter of each sentence," Brett continued.

Lorna looked back at the note. "Essex." Silently she put the paper back onto the table and clasped her hands in her lap.

Magnus looked at Brett and Remy for an explanation. Noting that their eyes were trained solely on Lorna he looked back to her. The color had drained from her face and her breath seemed to be coming faster.

Lorna leaned forward and covered her face with her hands. She sat there for several moments in silence before bringing her fists down on the table with a sudden crash. "Dammit!" If there were such a thing as hate personified, Sinister would be it. "You're guessing right?" Small chance of that, this 'Signed within' crap is right up his alley. "I mean," Lorna flicked her eyes between Remy and Brett, "how would you know to look for this? How would you recognize it?"

A pregnant pause fell across the table. Magnus glanced at Remy briefly, but kept his gaze set firmly upon Lorna's pale face. Brett turned her head to look at Remy, silently prodding him with her eyes to explain.

Remy cleared his throat. "I used to work for him."

Lorna stared agape for a moment. "Excuse me?"

"I used to work for Sinister."

Something inside Lorna began to scream. Not in terror or surprise, but in relief. You are not alone, a tiny voice inside of her cried. "You used to work for Sinister."

Remy nodded.

"You did."

Remy nodded again, uncertain of how to respond to Lorna's reaction. He had expected anger, at the very least. But this... he was completely taken aback.

"You and me," Lorna said quietly. "We're going to talk."

"Okay," Remy looked at Brett hoping to see an answer in her eyes, hoping she'd make sense of this scene for him. Brett patted his hand and nodded to him encouragingly.

Lorna clasped her hands together tightly to keep them from shaking. All this time, she thought. All this time I thought I was the only one. Remy worked for Sinister, too! I'm not the only one! There's someone else! "You have to understand," she explained in a shaky voice. "I'm not mad, Remy. I'm not. It's just that for so long I thought I was the only one. The things that happened to me: Sinister, Zaladane and everything," she shook her head. "No one wanted to talk about it. I didn't want to talk about it. Not for a while. I'd strut around thinking how strong I was that I survived all of these horrid events but suddenly I realized how wrong I felt. When I tried to talk about it I'd get sympathy but no one ever understood, or really tried to.

"I had a lover and I had friends," Lorna continued. "But I felt so alone and isolated. I hid from myself. I wanted to be around people all the time so their noise would drown me out. There had been enough hurting. There had been months and months and months of hurting and I just didn't want to hurt anyone else with my mess." She heaved a shaky sigh before continuing. "I let everyone else and their noise cover me up. Then I come here," she looked at Remy and Magnus. "And I've discovered I'm not alone anymore and I want to scream out loud," her voice broke. "For all that time when the real me never made a sound." Lorna clenched one fist on the table and covered her mouth with the other, trying to regain control of her emotions, but knowing she wouldn't be able to. The dam has burst; I can't bury this anymore.

Brett felt tears wet her cheeks at Lorna's quiet explanation and breakdown. She tightened her grasp on Remy's hand, wondering if the feelings Lorna had confessed were similar to those that he had dealt with.

Magnus watched Lorna struggle with herself for a few moments. This is what she meant when she told me how glad she was to know me last night, he thought. It's the same way I felt when I realized that Remy had a past to deal with the same as I did. Up to now we've been strangers. He remembered Lorna touching his arm, making a connection to him the night before when he was still so uncertain with his memories and the emotions they stirred within him. He reached forward and placed his hand on her arm.

Lorna's head jerked up as he did so. Her eyes betrayed her surprise at his gesture. Magnus had meant to merely offer her the same reassuring touch she had provided him the night before. But there was an expression in her eyes, beyond the surprise, that seemed to call to him. Even as he meant to let her go, he felt his hand close about her arm and he smiled at her.

"You rat!!"

All four sitting at the table jumped at the shout. Lee was standing in the doorway waving an accusatory finger towards Remy. "You're back! You're back and you didn't even say anything!" She shook her head in exasperation. "I was going to take you fishing!" Lee pounced on one of the cabinet doors and grabbed a rubber band off the handle, aiming it at Remy's head. Her lips turned up into a wicked smile and her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Take that!"

The rubber band shot across the room, whizzed past Magnus' nose and smacked Remy right between the eyes.

Remy clapped his hand over his face with a cry. "My eye!" He fell off the chair with a dramatic thud that sent Lee into fits of laughter.

Brett jumped onto her chair with a grin. "Ah'll show you to mess with my man!" She flew towards Lee, who raised her hands up in a feeble effort to ward Brett off. Brett caught Lee gently around the waist and they disappeared out the door.

Only laughter could be heard from the two women outside. Lee's voice drifted through the doorway. "I can see my house from here! You had better not drop me, woman!"

Brett replied in a jovial tone. "Drop you?! Hell no! Why would Ah drop you when Ah've got you ripe for a dunking?"

Lee let out a shriek of laughter that faded as they flew away.

Lorna bent over to look under the table at Remy, who was lying on his back looking up with a devilish grin. "We're still talking, you and I."

He winked at her as she straightened and looked at Magnus. She beamed at him as she brushed away her tears with her free hand, then impulsively leaned forward. She pressed her cheek against his and looped one arm loosely about his neck. "Thank you," she whispered. Then she pulled away and bounded out of the room in chase of Lee and Brett.

Magnus looked after her for a moment, still feeling the touch of her cheek against his. He turned and bent to look under the table at Remy, who looked remarkably comfortable on the floor. "How are you doing down there?"

Remy sighed but a chuckle managed to find its way out. "Oh, you know me. I'm fine. I missed this. It's good to be home." He grinned and looked at his friend. "How are you doing up there?"

One side of Magnus' mouth crooked into a smile. "I think I'm in love."

At dawn, Amanda met Shrill and Meggan on the east bluff of the island. "Is everyone ready?"

Meggan smiled and nodded. "Did you want me to fly us or did you have a different idea?"

"We'll shift each other," Amanda replied. "That way we won't be completely drained by the time we find mother." She looked at Shrill. "Are you ready?"

Shrill nodded, looking at Amanda with interest. Her power right now is extraordinary, she thought. It looks like sex magic; there is little that is more potent than that.

"Once we get into the area where Mother is," Amanda told them. "The less magic we use the better. We don't want to tip her off to our presence any more than we want to deplete our own stores. All right?" She held up her hands and channeled her energy, clearing her mind of everything save for herself and her two companions appearing near Avebury, England. She envisioned the scenery around them melting away, changing and shifting into the place she wanted to be. She envisioned rocky cliffs and stormy seas shift into quiet rows of standing stones. When she opened her eyes they stood among the stones of Avebury.

"Quietly impressive," Shrill commented. "And little strain on your reserves, I notice."

"That's why I chose this place," Amanda replied. "Magic is strong here. I rode in on its power more than my own."

"There are ripples," Meggan said suddenly, touching a stone near her. "Our arrival has sent out ripples of energy."

Shrill and Amanda nodded. "Which is why we can't count on this when we close in on Mother's location. She'll be alerted to us immediately."

"I would suggest we not use teleportation again after we arrive on the continent," Shrill said. "We can make our way to Margali on foot if need be."

"Then Shrill should teleport us next," Meggan suggested. "That way, the ripples that reach her will have a different taste to them."

Shrill and Amanda looked at her. "Taste?" Amanda asked. "There shouldn't be anything, I pulled on Avebury's power not mine."

Meggan shrugged. "It's there. I recognize it because I know you. It makes sense that your mother would recognize it too. She might ignore one ripple from you, but not two. I'd think the location of the power would be recognizable as well."

"That makes sense," Amanda replied thoughtfully. "Teleporting to Avebury is one thing, she'd certainly become suspicious if I suddenly appeared in France or somewhere else on the continent right afterwards." She looked at Shrill. "I guess you're up to bat, then. But wait for a while. Two teleportations one after the other are going to appear suspicious no matter whose signature is on them. But with mine involved I'd rather not set off an alarm."

"Your mother is a fair distance away," Shrill reminded her. "Is it likely she'll notice?"

"Normally, I wouldn't worry," Amanda admitted. "But the Soulsword may have heightened her perceptions, to what degree I won't hazard a guess. I'd rather err on the side of caution." She smiled at Meggan. "Thanks for alerting us."

Meggan shrugged, looking pleased. "Whatever I can do."

"While we wait, we should probably decide where we want to port to next," Shrill advised. "The ripples are likely to lessen the more powerful the place. I understand that the energy will be there, but, well, take Stonehenge, for example."

"Oh yeah," Amanda rolled her eyes. "There's so much ambient energy around that place you get a headache if you concentrate on what's going on there. But that's not a fair example. Stonehenge has got such good press there's not really a parallel to it except for things like the Pyramids and Easter Island."

"There are plenty of sources to tap into on the mainland," Shrill insisted.

"Not quite on par with Salisbury Plain," Amanda retorted.

"What about that church?" Meggan asked.

"That church," Shrill repeated dully. "Care to narrow it down a little?"

"I saw a special about it on A&E," Meggan smiled. "It's in France."

"Notre Dame?" Amanda asked.

Meggan shook her head. "No no, not that one. It's supposed to be one of the great cathedrals. The pictures of it poking up out of the countryside were quite astounding."

"The countryside?" Amanda looked thoughtful. "Chartres?"

"That's the one!" Meggan snapped her fingers. "The special talked about all of its enigmas. Certain rooms were designed certain ways. The tiling on the floor has meaning. There's a great deal about that church."

"Chartres is perfect," Shrill nodded. "Magic flows around that place like a river. I'll work on that." She found a place to sit down, closed her eyes and began to center herself.

"Since when do you watch A&E?" Amanda asked Meggan, pulling the elfin woman aside so that Shrill could meditate in peace.

"Since Kurt pestered Brian to hook up a satellite feed," Meggan laughed. "Kurt wanted American Movie Classics or Turner Classic Movies or some other old movie channel, so Brian set it up. I think we get every single channel in the world now. A&E has lots of wonderful specials and I found that one on Chartres a few weeks ago. I rather liked it."

"And they say television never teaches you anything," Amanda smiled. "Remind me to thank Kurt when we get home."