*This is the Eleventh Part of Maggie’s Point of View of the latest scheme from Luna and Maggie.

If you’re trying to keep track, the first part was Newfound Depths by Luna,

The Second was Unusual Depths by Maggie.

The Third was Newfound Desires by Luna.

The Fourth was Unusual Desires by Maggie.

The fifth was Newfound Strength by Luna.

The sixth was Unusual Strength by Maggie.

The seventh was Newfound Determination by Luna.

The eighth was Unusual Determination by Maggie.

The ninth was Newfound Dangers by Luna

The tenth was Unusual Dangers by Maggie

The eleventh was Newfound Realities by Luna

The twelfth was Unusual Realities by Maggie

The thirteenth was Newfound Existence by Luna

The fourteenth was Unusual Existence by Maggie

The Fifteenth was Newfound Enemies by Luna.

The Sixteenth was Unusual Enemies by Maggie

The Seventeenth was Newfound Adversaries by Luna.

The Eighteenth was Unusual Adversaries by Maggie.

The Nineteenth was Newfound Longings by Luna.

The Twentieth was Unusual Longings by Maggie.

The Twenty-first was Newfound Hope by Luna.

Now comes Unusual Hope from this corner…notice a trend?

For anyone that is trying to catch up late in the game, all of the chapters can be found in the files section in the folder “Newfound and Unusual Series.”

My chapters can also be found on my website under “fiction” then “Unusual Series.” There is a bunch of background role-play stories that explain a lot of the past posted there too though I am still constantly updating it. The site is at: www.oocities.org/margaret_mary69 Oh there is a link to Luna’s sections from the Unusual Series as well as a link to her homepage from my Fiction page.

Disclaimer: Laurell K. Hamilton and the Berkley Publishing Group do not authorize this author. All characters that you recognize belong to Laurell K. Hamilton except for the ones created by the people in this group. This is solely for entertainment purposes.

Rating: PG-13 to be safe for some language

Thanks: To Luna for being an awesome beta, and great friend! *hugs* Also thanks to anyone out there that takes the time to read my humble efforts. I appreciate it!

I hope you’re all enjoying reading this as much as we are writing it.

Hugs!
Maggie

Unusual Hope

Yawning, I rubbed my eyes then opened them as I tried to figure out where I was. Looking around I realized I was back in the forest behind our house but it was dark out. I was curled up under a tree with no one else in sight. Had Noah made us do a pre-dawn hike this time? If so, it was no wonder I had fallen behind to nap. He was a crazy wereleopard, guard, toy soldier, whatever you wanted to call him. Getting up to brush the leaves off my jeans and sweatshirt, I could think of a few other choice things to call him. I started to yell out for him but then remembered his previous tongue-lashings about being quiet, how it would help me develop my senses. So sniffing the air for water, I started in the direction I thought it might be and listened for the creek. If all else failed, I could find my own way home and wait for the rest to catch up.

Yet something at the back of my mind was nagging me. What had I been doing last night? I remember being warm but why? I gasped as it came flooding back. I had fallen asleep with Noah, Aries and Tara. Raven had given me the dream-walking potion. This must be my dream. I was supposed to be looking for Luna. So, why the hell was I in the forest? Let me guess. Noah being connected to my journey had something to do with it. Can’t even give me a break from the damned hikes in my sleep, huh Superman? Shaking my head, I changed course and started listening for Luna, willing her to find her way into the forest too.

Listening for any noise, I heard movement not far away though the foliage was too dense to see anything. Pushing my way through the underbrush I heard a voice that almost made me cry. "Jean-Claude, this isn't funny!”

I had found my sister, assuming she didn’t run away before I got a chance to talk to her. Following her voice through the trees, I came crashing into a clearing to find her standing there looking less than amused. I stopped abruptly. What if they did something to her where she was and she didn't remember me? I gave her a tentative smile. "Well I've been accused of being a lot of things lately but I must admit, the French Fop wasn't one of them."

Hopefully that would jog her memory or at the least convince her I wasn’t a threat. She reached out a hand toward me but drew back. Was she afraid of me?

“Maggie?” She asked, her voice sounding breathless. I could see tears running down her face.

I moved closer to my sister. I could feel the tears pooling in my own eyes and sensed her fear was of shattering the dream. Raven had told me to trust my instincts on this journey and every fiber of my being told me to make contact before it was too late. I reached out to cup her face in my hands, gently wiping her tears away with my thumbs. "Yeah it's me Looney Tunes. You'd think you missed your kitten or something." I knew the hitch in my voice betrayed just how much I needed her back.

Luna reached back to wrap her arms around me, holding me so tight I could barely breath. I didn’t mind. I had missed her hugs so much that I just stood there relishing the moment. Breathing in her scent it took me a minute to hear what she was saying. She whispered, “I’m so sorry,” over and over like some sort of mantra. Her voice was so broken, so unlike the tough leopard guard that my sister usually showed the world.

I wasn’t sure what to say at first. I was afraid if I said the wrong thing she would fall apart on me, just shatter beyond any hope of pulling her back together. We didn’t have time for me to even try. So, I simply held her as she cried. A part of me knew she was afraid of my anger at her actions. To be truthful so was I. Anger wasn’t an emotion I allowed myself very often and I wasn’t sure until this moment how I was going to react to seeing her. I should have known though. My love for my sister was stronger than any grievance.

“Sh… It’s okay. We’ll sort all that out later.” I kissed her cheek before pulling back to look into her confused eyes. "Am I happy about what you did? No, and we will be having a talk about doing things that involve me without my permission eventually." A smile softened the harshness of my words as I continued. "Right now I am just so happy to see you. I know your actions whatever I think of them were motivated by love. I don’t know how much time we have, and there is a lot to cover but NEVER doubt I love you." I couldn’t resist giving her another hug then giggled, amazed I had managed to make the dream walk work this far.

She sighed as she laced her fingers in mine. "I've missed you so much Maggie. I thought… I thought I was never going to see you again. Never get to tell you how much I love you. I want to come home!"

Her plea was so strong it made my own heart ache in response. I could feel waves of despair coming off my sister and wasn’t quite sure how to react. She was usually so strong, my calm in the storm. It was odd for me to be acting as her anchor but I had vowed to rescue her so I would be whatever she needed me to be. The important thing was just to get her home.

I took her hand and brought her through a stand of trees to another clearing that had a bench we could sit on. I led her over to it and sat down. Pulling her down beside me, I wrapped my arms around her. As I brushed her hair away from her face, I noticed how long it had gotten. I shook my head at the strangeness of dreams. "Luna I want you home too. That's why I'm here. I don't know how much time I have but I want to get you home soon. I have Jean Claude at bay for the moment." I raised a hand at her alarm. "Long story. Suffice to say he's very interested in my new abilities and I am not taking any shit from him. Noah and the kids are helping me. So is Raven, which brings me back to getting you home. I tried one spell to bring you home but that apparently just made you dimension hop. Raven is helping me set up a Portal spell to make a doorway between worlds. So, first off, I need to know where the hell you are."

Of all the responses I had expected, laughter was not one of them but laughter was what I got. In fact, Luna was laughing so hard that the tears were back in her eyes though hopefully for a different reason. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Laughter when I wasn’t in on the joke always made me nervous and a bit self-conscious. Was it so implausible that I could do a portal spell or was it that I said I had JC at bay? Did she think I was having delusions or something? I frowned waiting for her to explain herself.

Luna finally turned to look at me and took the laughter down a notch. "First off, I don't think you're crazy. I think I've finally gone 'round the bend.” She still sounded a bit like she was joking or something. She took a deep breath before continuing a bit more subdued. "Maggie, you're not going to believe me. Hell, I'm here and *I* don't believe it."

I cocked my head trying to figure out her sudden change in mood. "With what I've been through lately, I wouldn’t be so sure I won’t believe you." She didn't look convinced. Squinting my eyes at her, I sighed. "What exactly am I not going to believe Luna?"

She just stared at me for a long time before answering. "You have to PROMISE not to laugh. I mean it too or I'm not saying another word." I promised. What else was I going to do? I needed the information. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm in Los Angeles. At Wolfram and Hart."

I watched her, waiting for more. I was confused. Wolfram and Hart sounded familiar but from where? I gasped as it hit me. "You mean like Angel's Wolfram and Hart? The vampire show you make me watch...not that that guy isn't cute but that place?" I couldn't keep the incredulity out of my voice.

“Yeah Maggie, that place," Luna answered tiredly. "And let me tell you it's not all it's cracked up to be." She crossed her arms over her chest.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the pout forming on Luna's face. It was so at odds with her usual tough girl image. I laid my head on her shoulder and grinned. "Well, I'll just have to bring you home if you don't want to play with the cute vampires anymore." A thought occurred to me and my mood turned more serious as I raised my head. "Luna, Jean Claude has been trying to piggyback on my astral journeys so I can't stay much longer. It's too dangerous. What is the safest place at Wolfram and Hart to put the portal for you? Do you have help to anchor it on your end or are we going to have to just try putting a protection spell on it from our end and hope for the best?" At her confused look, I waved her question away, "I've been spending a lot of time studying with Raven. Now what about the rest?"

Luna stood abruptly and began pacing. She raked her fingers through her hair. Man it was long. How long had she been gone? "Maggie, is there any way, now that you know where I'm at, that you could do a locator spell that would tell you exactly where I am at the time before you open the portal?" She turned to stare at me. "I was sleeping in a suite of rooms I had commandeered. You could always try there."

I could sense Luna's unease and wasn't sure what to do to help. Her last comment confused me. "You were sleeping there? Aren't you asleep there now? You do know this is a dream I used to contact you don't you Luna?" She bit her lip, refusing to answer. I thought about her request. "I could talk to Raven about it but if we thought a locator spell would work, I would have tried it rather than the dream. Maybe now that we know what dimension to look in, it might be easier. I'm trying to limit the magic I use so I don’t attract too much unwanted attention. If I do try it though, I will start in suites of that damned place and work my way out so try to be close."

She turned away from me, shaking her head. "Maggie, there's something in that place, something evil. It… It did something to me. I don't know what but I don't feel like myself and yet I'm not that different either." She turned back to face me. "I'm doing things that I know aren't right but it's like I have no will of my own. It scares me.” Her voice was so low it was barely a whisper.

I stood up and walked over to run my fingers along her cheek. "Evil touches us all at one point or another. It doesn't leave any of us unchanged." I reached up to kiss her forehead then smiled at her. "But you are still good at heart. You're too connected to me not to have that core essence. Whatever has crossed your path just tried to block that connection. Now that I know where you are, I wont let anyone separate us again. You do have the strength to fight it. It's just deceiving you, trying to make you forget your sources of strength, love of family, belief in your destiny, the will to see it through. You have all these things. Lean on them until I can bring you home. I WILL bring you home Luna."

I squeezed her hands as tears pooled in my eyes, "But for now, I fear I’ve stayed too long. I can sense other presences trying to intrude." I could feel Noah pulling on our link and through him sensed Tara trying to break us apart. Aries was hovering as well though he wasn’t as clear. Noah must be focusing on Tara. I hugged Luna tight and kissed her cheek willing the others to stay away just a moment longer.

She slid her cheek against mine and buried her nose behind my ear. I knew she was breathing in my scent to hold on and tried to do the same. She smelled like roses and wilderness. There was a slight tang of sulfur and when I latched onto that, I sensed others near. There were two males and another stranger I couldn’t identify. As I tried to latch onto the third presence it drew away, blocking any further contact with the others on Luna’s side. "I love you Maggie," She told me. "Never forget!"

I relished the feel of her skin against mine, her warmth seeping into my soul to chase the coldness of the stranger away. Feeling Noah pulling at me again, I cried, "I love you too Luna. I'll find a way to bring you home, SOON!"

I wasn't sure if she heard my last comment as I felt the fabric of the dream being ripped away. My vision went dark as I fell down a dark tunnel and lost the trail of my dream.

I awoke to a twilight scene of utter chaos. Noah was growling at Tara who was screaming at him to let go of me. Aries had pushed his way over Tara to hover over me, sniffing my skin.

“Everyone OFF the human!” I screamed as the bedroom door came crashing open.

The rest of Luna’s children along with Raven came rushing in, looking at me expectantly. I could feel Noah release his death grip on my arm but he was still close. Tara, sensing her job was done apparently, sat back on the bed. Aries still hovered near my neck sniffing. I turned to look at him.

He looked embarrassed as he backed up a fraction of an inch. I noticed he still kept as close he could without being obvious to others as he whispered, “You smell like Luna. Did you find her? Are you bringing her home?”

I looked from him to the others. Moving from one face to the next, they appeared to be looking at me through new eyes, as if they thought I could pull Luna from the very air in front of them. Moving my gaze from those gathered at the door back to the bed, Tara smiled shyly at me and I smiled back. Turning to Noah, he alone didn’t appear as surprised or as hopeful as the rest. Just how much of Luna and my conversation had he overheard? He winked encouragingly at me then nodded toward Aries.

I turned back to face Aries and bit my lip. Yes, I had contacted Luna but there were still a lot of unknowns. Looking into Aries eyes I knew I couldn’t share my doubts though. He certainly didn’t need to hear the fears that Luna had shared with me. He needed some hope to cling to, hell, we all did. So I smiled at him and nodded. “Yes I contacted Luna. I know what dimension she’s in now so Raven should be able to help me create a portal to bring her home. It’s just a matter of time before things are settled.”

I didn’t add that I didn’t know for sure if they would be settled in a manner that had Luna back home or one that had my soul sister trapped in Angel’s world forever. I wasn’t sure what that dark presence I sensed near her was when opened our link but I was pretty damned sure it wasn’t going to want to let her go. Time really was running out.

I looked up from my musings to find Raven trying to shoo everyone out of the room. I sighed. “It’s okay. I need to go down to my office for a bit anyway.”

I got up and Noah moved as if he was going to follow me. I shook my head. “Sorry Superman. I need to write down everything I remember while it’s still fresh. It will go better if I’m alone.”

He looked unsure but finally nodded. “Okay Doll. We’ll be around when you need us.”

As I headed out the door I turned back and noticed Raven pull Noah aside. Maybe she was finally going to tell him to ease off on the commando training, I mused. Smiling at that thought, I headed down the stairs to the back hallway and my private office.

Entering my office, I closed the door behind me. Only then did I feel safe to drop the mask of a smile I had been wearing. I was happy that I was able to make contact but what I had learned had left me with more concerns that the ones I had started with. What the hell was happening to Luna in the land of the Vamps that turn to dust when you staked them?

Pulling out my journal, I began to write down everything I could remember from the dream, all Luna had said, how she looked, what she hadn’t said. Maybe if I replayed it all something would jump out at me and make the puzzle pieces fit because right now they weren’t adding up to anything that made sense.

I could understand how Luna’s spell might have transported her to another dimension. I could even see how my spell could have bumped her into the Angel universe. She certainly daydreamed about it enough if her DVD collection was any indication. What didn’t make sense was that malevolent presence I had felt. What was up with that? I know neither Luna nor I conjured anything with that kind of energy. It begged the question. Who did?

I looked up from my musings as I heard footsteps approaching the door. They were quiet but sure. I wasn’t too surprised when the door cracked open to reveal Raven’s questioning gaze.

I smiled at her. “Come on in.”

She came in, quietly closing the door behind her. She sat down on the edge of the desk, looking pointedly from my journal to me.

I sighed. “Raven, I made contact but there is more to it. She’s jumped into the world depicted in the Angel TV Series. So she’s dealing with new vampires and new rules.” I shook my head as I thought about it. “That’s not what is really scaring me though. She knows that world, at least the fictional version pretty well. She should be able to cope. There was something else something I couldn’t… didn’t want to touch. It felt malevolent. I’m worried about what it’s going to do before I get her home.”

She nodded. “Noah said he had a hard time sorting out what was going on between you two when you connected, that he felt like something was trying to pull you away. It’s why he was holding on to you so desperately when you woke up. He said you two were so tightly bound that he couldn’t break into the connection to eavesdrop. He was worried, though I think your reassurance to the others mollified him somewhat. May I?” She looked expectantly at my journal.

I shrugged and handed it over. I sat moving paperwork around my desk, nervously biting my lip as she read. Would she see something I had missed. Did she know what that evil creature in the dream was?

A short time later, Raven sighed and handed the book back to me. “So, there was more than you were telling. I understand why you didn’t want to share this with the others, but don’t let it become a stumbling block to your own focus. We need to get to work on that portal spell.” She sat my journal down on the desk as she stood.

“But Raven, what about that evil… whatever it was I sensed. It can’t be good. What if it tries to block Luna from the other side, keep her away from the portal?” I shook my head, more uncertain than ever.

“Which is why it is even more important to pull Luna out of there before whatever you touched has time to figure out your identity.” She crouched down to stare in my eyes, “Maggie, it’s important you stay focused on your goal, strong of purpose, confident. You need to trust that Luna will take care of whatever obstacles she faces from the other side. You can’t solve every problem that tries to distract you. STAY ON TARGET.”

I nodded as she stood. She was right. I didn’t have time to be trying to guess what might be lurking on the other side. Considering where the other side was, the possibilities were endless.

We headed into the kitchen to find the rest of the crew. Josh and Tara were fixing a buffet style breakfast. I supposed everyone had decided to give up on getting any more sleep for the night. It was close to sunrise after all. Wait, sunrise, I groaned.

Noah came up behind me and hugged me as he chuckled. “Don’t worry Doll. The rest of these numbskulls took a vote and decided a celebration was in order for contacting Luna. Morning hike is cancelled.” I barely withheld the scream of joy at those four beautiful words. He kissed the top of my head as he moved away. “Just don’t get used to it.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. Childish I know, but I never expected him to come back with Luna’s favorite retort to that move. “I’ve got a better use for that tongue.”

I smiled innocent at him as I moved over to the relative safety of Aries and Lydia. “Oh, I’m very proficient at those… exercises Superman. Too bad, the only guy that inspires me to give them any practice is off on business in Ireland.”

He just shook his head and headed over to grab some eggs from Josh at the stove. “Yeah we better get Luna back fast before your hormones have you hopping a flight across the Atlantic, consequences be damned.”

I stepped away from Aries to stare at my ex. “You know damned well I would never do anything to put my sister in danger. That you would even suggest that I would put my own happiness…”

He raised a hand to stop me. “Truce. I think we’ve all had a long night. Grab some food before it gets cold.”

I sniffed and moved around him to grab a plate. I almost dropped it when Noah opened the link between us to speak to me telepathically. ‘I’m really sorry Maggie. I was just stressed and took the teasing too far. Forgive me?’

I smiled as I sent him the message back, ‘Yes Superman. Just let me get Luna home before we all go crazy.’ He nodded and moved off.

The others seemed to sense the tension ease and settled in to eat as well. Our predawn breakfast was followed by a late morning nap. It seemed we all had some sleep to catch up on. Knowing where Luna was seemed to let us all relax enough to really rest for the first time in days.

The next several days went by in a blur. We were back to the routine of daily hikes unfortunately but at least Noah wasn’t as rabid about ‘training’ as he had been before I found out where Luna was. To be truthful, I was coming to enjoy the chance to get away from the house and all the worries I had there for a bit and focus on something I knew I could do.

Raven and I spent most afternoons working on honing my talents and the evenings were dedicated to fine tuning the details of the portal spell I was going to try. We were afraid we would only get one shot at this so we wanted to make sure it worked.

A few days after I made contact, Aries Noah and I were on a morning hike. Aries and I had gotten closer in the past week. I think he sensed Luna’s connection to me, so it probably made him feel closer to her to be near me. For my part, I enjoyed having someone around that could be as quiet as I often was. Plus, I knew Luna cared a great deal about this man. I wanted to do my part to keep him safe until I could bring her home.

So, Aries and I were tramping through the trees. I was giggling because a tall branch had caught the big guy by surprise. He looked back at me and winked. “Laugh it up shorty.”

Noah, as usual of late, was trailing right behind us. I turned to ask him if he was going to let Aries get away with insulting my height to find he wasn’t right behind us at all. He had stopped a ways back, near a tree with an odd expression on his face. I started to make a flip comment about his lack of discipline but something stopped me. He looked seriously shaken. I reached out mentally. ‘You okay Superman.’

‘Yeah but you have some questions to answer.’ He pushed back. I could only gaze at him confused. ‘Luna just paid me a visit. Seems she needs outta there like yesterday and she said you know why.’

Fear coursed through my bones. I quickly headed off toward the house, running as fast I could. My sense of direction was getting better on these hikes. I even managed to navigate tree roots and protruding limbs without incident. I could hear Noah and Aries running behind me, calling out to me to wait up but I couldn’t stop. My increased abilities, and natural talents, boosted by adrenaline had me crashing in through the back door of the house before Noah and Aries caught up with me.

Raven was in the kitchen, having a cup of something hot. It didn’t smell like coffee, perhaps tea. “What’s happened?” She asked as she set her cup down.

I caught my breath as the boys came up behind me. “Luna’s contacted Noah. It sounds like that evil presence I sensed is causing trouble on her end. She’s running out of time Raven.”

Noah came up behind me to hug me. I could sense him trying to connect, to see what I had seen in the dream. I opened my memories to the moment I had touched that cold presence in the dream and heard Noah gasp behind me. I thought I heard him mutter ‘damn’ but maybe it was only in my head. We were both scared now.

Raven looked from us to Aries and sighed. “Enough. You knew time was short all along. Nothing had changed except your powers are getting stronger. That’s the only way Luna could have made waking contact from that dimension, especially considering it was Noah she contacted rather than you. The important thing is to stay focused.” She walked over to us and gently cupped my cheek in her hand, “You can do this Maggie Mae. For once believe in yourself.”

She pulled me out of Noah’s embrace and started leading me out toward the stairs. She called over her shoulder, “Fix us some breakfast boys. It’s going to be a long day. Maggie and I have a ritual room to start preparing.”