Author: Sam

Story: Full Circle: 3 of 4

Series: Phases

Feedback: Yes, please? Especially constructive. samwise_baggins@yahoo.co.uk

Webpage: http://www.oocities.org/samwise_baggins/index.html

The first person to step from the shower room was Eric. He was bleeding freely from his many lacerations and certainly looked as if he'd been thrown through a windshield at high speed. The fact that he was walking with only a small limp and appeared to have no truly serious injuries was a miracle in itself. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, having, like everyone else, headed in without stopping for clothing. Moving gingerly, the brunet didn't need look around to see who else might have been in the accident and had traveled with him over that long muddy road; he already knew it was the other members of The Six.

Limping into the family room, the twenty-three-year-old executive let himself sink onto an old, comfortable chair. He started opening the first aid supplies he found close at hand, working silently on his wounds. Trust Diana to be so together that the house would have enough supplies to last a summer of painful mishaps. They certainly would need them if his own injuries were comparable to those of the others.

As he worked, the sound of someone else, breathing heavily and moving to sit nearby, alerted Eric. He glanced up, recognizing Hank instantly. With a frown, the raven-haired man moved closer. "Hank?" He was concerned over the continued gasping his friend seemed to be doing.

Hank had taken the opportunity to shower and slip into a pair of sweatpants, but that was almost more than he'd felt up to. Diana had also already strapped his ribs for him, but somehow he felt he couldn't catch his breath. The officer had come to the realization that he might be suffering internal injuries, possibly to his lungs. Thus at Eric's concern, he turned his head and gave a grimace, not putting out the effort to speak.

Eric frowned and reached over to his friend. He didn't know how to help the man, but wanted to try. How many times had Hank been there for him in the past? Even when he'd been at his whiniest and most bitter, the other man had stood behind him. Eric wanted the chance to repay three years of support, feeling so very inadequate suddenly. This certainly wasn't like taking sudden control over Sheila's life.

Diana, still rubbing her neck, aware of the stiffness and pain now that the initial shock had worn off, came out of a bedroom. She was dressed in loose sweat clothes and carrying other articles of varying sizes. "Hey, Eric. Fancy running into you here." She stopped, then shrugged one shoulder, deciding that she wasn't going to dance around all mention of an accident. "Here. These should fit." She gave him a pair of sweatpants but stopped short at the amount of cuts the young man had all over his body.

"What..."

He took the pants and started painfully sliding into them, letting the towel protect his modesty until the soft material covered his hips. Folding the towel, absently, he shrugged with a wince and softly explained, "I went through the windshield." Raising brown eyes, he noted the horror in his friend's face. "Hey, relax. I feel like hell but I'm alive..." Eric cut himself short as the memory of his driver's current state came flooding back.

The pain and sudden grief in the man's eyes didn't go unnoticed by his companions. Diana touched his arm briefly, not knowing as well as Hank just what had occurred to make Eric look like that. She was aware someone's body had been left behind, though, and wondered just what relationship the deceased person had with her friend. For once, Diana didn't probe, moving instead to check on her husband.

Suddenly, Hank stopped gasping. His pale blue eyes widened as the difficulty lessened instantly. Extremely surprised, and confused as to how it was possible, he turned carefully towards his dark-haired wife and friend, who had apparently noticed and were watching him in equal surprise. As his breathing continued to come with little pain, caused by the broken ribs, the blond put a reassuring hand on Diana's. She frowned but nodded and moved off towards the shower room.

Hank determined to puzzle out his sudden increased comfort later; Eric needed him right then. "Eric... who... who was he?"

"Who? Oh." Eric shook his head, confusion giving way to the dreadful memory once more. "His name was James, but I didn't really know him. He looked familiar, though." He paused, the slowly continued. "I'd just hired him today for this one trip." Bitterness and anger filled the young man's voice, "that guy wouldn't slow down no matter how much I told him to. I think his foot was welded to the pedal or something. Man, when I get back to town I'll give that agency a piece of my mind! That man will never work..." He cut himself off, brown eyes widening and face going pale. Looking sick and guilty, Eric turned his face away, once more starting on bandaging his many wounds.

Understanding Eric's sudden withdrawal, Hank nodded and began to help in his first aid attempts.

As the two men worked in the family room, Andrew came out of the showers. He blinked in shock to find Diana there, quickly wrapping the towel around his waist as he flushed bright red. She gave him a wan smile and handed him some clothes then placed another set on a low table. "Those are for Bobby. Any other men in here?" The blushing redhead shook his head and watched as the woman left. The auburn-haired man turned and let out a small scream, hand clutching at his chest in his fright. The stocky blond behind him had moved without sound, it seemed.

Bobby quirked an eyebrow and grinned, running a hand through his longish damp hair. Passing by the thinner, older man, the teen ignored Andrew's attempts to regain his equilibrium; he grabbed the borrowed clothes and snorted. "Trust Sheila to forget I've grown up, not Diana. Hey, Presto... got anything that we can swap?" He turned to offer his old friend a pair of slacks that would never fit over his muscular thighs.

Andrew nodded and offered the sweatpants he held. "Uh... I don't usually go by Presto since college, Bobby." The thin man slid the slacks over his own hips with ease, frowning at how much larger the once smallest member of their team had grown.

"Okay, then you call me Bob, and I'll call you... what was your name, anyway?"

The assistant professor stopped, turning an incredulous look on his friend. "Uh... Andrew. My name's Andrew." He took in the amused nod from the blond, then suddenly made a decision. "Never mind, Bobby. Call me Presto. My wife does, anyway. I guess..." and he shook his head, amusement now lighting his golden eyes, "nobody really would remember my real name, huh?"

The blond laughed and tossed a sweater at the man. "Only if they knew it. I never did." And with that, he pulled on the sweatshirt and headed out the door to join the others.

With a frown, Andrew followed, noting the men all bandaging varying wounds. He slipped onto a couch, looking at the seats scattered around. There was one couch, a loveseat, and several single chairs. The wooden floor had a large fur rug, as well, though he couldn't tell what type since, contrary to popular belief about cabins, this one contained no head or paws. With a shrug, the man reached for some bandaging to tend his own cuts. "Where're the girls?" Eric mumbled something, which sounded like "Bedroom", but Andrew couldn't be certain.

Diana made her way into the largest bedroom, knowing the other females had descended there for their washing up, as it was the only other room beside the kitchen with running water. She smiled at the three redheads and the brunette, putting the rest of the clothes on her bed and moving to aid in bandaging Sheila's head wound. "Welcome to the camp house, ladies."

Unable to control herself despite the very odd reunion they were going through, the youngest redhead giggled. Her hand flew to cover her mouth, but she received an answering smile from Diana and relaxed, uncovering her mouth once more. Uni started to greet the others but unexpectedly what came out was, "I feel cold." The teen was shivering almost uncontrollably, and couldn't seem to get warm despite having wrapped in a blanket from the bed. As Terri moved to help her dress, Uni gave another involuntary shudder, which nearly sent them both to the floor. Her large maroon eyes grew wider as she looked at Terri. "I... I'm warm all of a sudden." That confused her.

Terri shook her head, just as surprised. "I don't know... I've been warm since about halfway down the road, actually. I think it was the exercise. You're a lot thinner than I am, though. Maybe it takes you longer to get warm?" The brunette checked the other teen for injuries then helped her get into a summer dress, which looked about forty years out of date. She, herself, was already dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

The comments between the younger girls made Diana frown. Something just didn't add up right. She reached for her own neck, to continue rubbing the stiffness out, but suddenly paused; the pain was gone. Chocolate eyes widened and her mind raced over what she'd learned so far: Hank's breathing had gotten instantly better, the red-haired teen was sudden warm, and her own neck seemed to recover all on its own. Those weren't typical recoveries, the physical trainer would have sworn to it. Her thoughts were interrupted, however by a sigh from Sheila.

The pretty twenty-two-year-old turned to the others and smiled. She had dressed in a very loose nightgown, the only thing that fit over her pregnancy. "Well, I'm glad we've all made it." She didn't catch Diana's shake of the head and remained unaware that there had been one fatality. Laying a hand on her distended abdomen, the woman turned to smile at Diana, saying softly, "The baby's been kicking since I got out of the car. It's not easy to walk with a shifting watermelon constantly bumping along."

Laughter, at first uncertain then slowly relaxing, broke out among the woman. The amount of first aid supplies Diana had brought into the bedroom had run out and Terri still had untreated lacerations, as did Varla, so they finished dressing in the old clothing then moved towards the larger family room. It was instinctive, but didn't go unnoticed on Diana, that four of them seemed to group protectively around their fifth, pregnant member. As the women settled they noticed that all four men were already out there.

Quickly, before he could stop her, Sheila walked into Bobby's arms with a big hug. He didn't give away for a minute that his sides and arms were cut from his escape from the car. Instead, he hugged her back, then pulled away quickly. He didn't like public displays of affection... at least if they involved touching or a lot of sappy words. His sister seemed unconcerned, merely contenting herself with pulling him to sit on the couch near a chair she chose for herself.

Diana sighed, knowing that introductions should be made, since none of them really knew Presto's wife or the woman's sister... though the woman seemed familiar. The dark-skinned woman turned to look at everyone present, then nodded and smiled, making the first attempts at group conversation. "Is everyone bandaged?" She reached for the first aid supplies, but stopped at Hank's words.

"We need to call the police." She watched him move to pick up the phone and dial. He spoke softly and quickly, then hung up within a couple of minutes. The woman's eyes, as well as everyone else's in the room, had never left their former leader as he arranged everything.

Turning, Hank frowned, then turned it into a soft smile for his friends. "What a reunion." He ran a hand through his blond hair and moved to sit by his wife on the loveseat, glancing worriedly over the group to assure himself they would be fine. "It good to be back together again..."

It was Andrew who spoke up at that. "I guess eight years is a long time, huh? Uh... a lot's happened." He reached over for Varla's hand. "You won't believe the story I've got to tell you."

"Might as well pass the time before the cops arrive." Eric's voice was uninterested, despite his inner feelings. He knew the story his friend referred to and didn't want to give the guy a chance to ask him to tell it. Instead, he wanted to sit and rest... it was supposed to be his vacation after all.

Andrew nodded. "It really doesn't start with me, though."

"Can I tell it?" The red-haired teen sat forward eagerly, her eyes not on her guardian but on her oldest friend.

In return, the blond frowned, feeling this girl was familiar from somewhere. He noticed her intent look and met it head on, not one to back away from any perceived challenge. As her smile widened, Bobby had a nagging feeling that he was missing something... or ignoring it. "Well, I don't care who tells it." His tone was defiant and he wanted to kick himself for his rudeness, but let it go.

An elbow in his side, causing him to gasp in pain and clutch the injury, brought his attention to Terri. She'd been meaning to chastise him for being rude; at his pain, however, horror filled her blue eyes and she turned to put bandaged hands on his shoulders. "Oh! Bobby, I'm sorry!"

"Bobby, you're hurt!" Sheila's worried voice echoed Terri's concern.

"Leave it, Sis. I'll be fine. You're hurt worse than me." His voice was defensive, reminiscent of the old days when she'd always fussed over him in the Realm.

A soft chuckle brought everyone's attention to the redheaded teen once more. "Just like old times." Her voice was amused, though most of the people present had no idea what she was talking about. "I remember that so clearly, Bobby." The name seemed to roll off her tongue naturally, as if she'd known him for years.

The blond frowned and tilted his head, still puzzling over where he'd seen this girl before. He took in the pale, delicate skin, the long, graceful limbs, the fiery red hair and deep maroon eyes. Suddenly, he went as pale as she was, shock written across broad, handsome features. His voice was a hesitant stutter, "U... Uni?"

"Of course it's Uni; who else would it be?" Eric's voice was derisive.

Andrew, wanting to avoid a sudden argument, jumped into the fray. "Yeah, it's Uni. Uh... the Realm went from bad to worse after Venger became a good guy." He was interrupted by an indignant glare from his ward.

"You said I could tell the story!"

"Uh..." the auburn-haired man nodded, golden eyes wary, "sure, Uni. Good ahead."

She seemed delighted once more, quick anger forgotten. Turning and noting all eyes on her, the former unicorn quickly explained about the destruction, meeting Varla, her transformation to human, and Venger sending them to Earth. When she had finished, she gave her friends a wide smile, ignoring their disbelieving looks for the moment.

Eric took up the story before Uni could even finish basking in the attention. "They wound up in my pond." The man grinned at the indignant look Uni gave him. "My dad said they couldn't stay," he rolled his eyes, not going into details about his father's distrust of Eric's or Varla's morals. "So, they went to live with Presto."

A moment of silence followed the words, accompanied by Andrew's wide smile and his gentle hug for his wife.

Sheila broke the stillness by moving to hug both Varla and Andrew then bestowing her embrace on Uni. She breathlessly added, "And for those who don't recognize her now that's she's grown up, this is Terri." She moved to hug her brother's best friend. For Varla's benefit she added, "Terri had been in the Realm for awhile, too."

With a laugh, Terri smiled at the woman whose door she had fixed. "I had no idea you were from the Realm, Varla. Or that you were married to Presto." She turned to Bobby, refraining from hitting him again but giving him a mock-frown. "And you said you had no idea if that was where Presto lived!"

"I didn't!" He barely looked at Terri, his eyes still glued to Uni. In surprise, he whirled, wincing at the injudicious movement. "Wait, these are the two girls you told me about?" He gulped, trying to get rid of the now embarrassing image Terri had given him two days before. Finally, nervously, he called out, "Hey, Uni... it's... really good to see you again." The gushy-stuff, as he referred to emotional displays, actually didn't come easy to him... especially as he'd had a nasty fantasy about Terri's new friends for all of five minutes.

Smiling, the teen jumped up and hurried to give Bobby a hug, ignoring his sudden protests. She slid to the ground to sit at his feet, happily letting him tangle a hesitant hand in her still-wet hair. It felt natural to lean back against his legs, and the girl could feel her old friend starting to relax, as well. She glanced up and met his smile with another one of her own. "It's wonderful to see all of you again."

Eric snorted but didn't say a word, letting his eyes stray to Sheila. His expression unknowingly softened as he tried to determine how seriously she might have been hurt. When her eyes drifted over to meet his, accompanied by a gentle smile, he let himself nod and look back at the others. She was fine; he could tell.

Suddenly, the entire group was talking in pairs or shouting over each other. It was as if a dam had burst. They swapped stories and reassurances, a cacophony of laughter and conversation swelling around the group. No one seemed bothered that they couldn't hear every word spoken, or that they found themselves repeating things to others who hadn't heard. It was enough to be reunited once more. The general atmosphere was that of a group who hadn't seen each other in a month rather than varying amounts of times as long as eight years. By the time two or three hours of trading stories passed, the din had calmed into one person talking at a time.

In the residual peace, Hank frowned worriedly towards the darkened windows. He stood and walked over, checking outside. Straightening, he turned to find everyone suddenly silent and watching him expectantly. With a shake of his head, he shrugged and said, "No sign of the police or an ambulance. I wonder if they couldn't get past the wreckage yet." He moved to sit on the arm of his wife's side of the loveseat, tangling fingers with Diana.

Bobby, still stroking Uni's now nearly dry hair, shrugged and winced. "Well, I'm hungry. We can at least eat while we wait, right? How much food is there, Diana?"

She smiled. "We're stocked for the summer with everything except fresh fruit, milk, and such. We have enough of that to last maybe a couple of days. If I could get some help, I'll start on something." She stood, Hank letting her hand go, and waited for any offers.

Not disappointing Diana, Varla stood and smiled. "I love to cook." At Uni's groan, the older woman turned and frowned at the girl she'd come to think of as a sister. "What?"

"I want to eat, not play guess what's on the plate, Varla!" Uni moved to stand but a hand on her shoulder stopped her as much as Bobby's hand still in her hair did. She looked up at Terri, who smiled widely in reassurance, winking.

The brunette headed towards Diana with a nonchalant wave. "Rest, Varla. I'll cook tonight. You can cook some other time." With that, the two headed into the kitchen and the redhead slid into her seat, frowning softly.

Uni flushed, suddenly realizing how her complaint must have sounded. "I... I didn't mean it like that, Varla. I meant... well... you like to try so many new recipes... and..."

The twenty-two-year-old cut her off with a nod. "It's okay, Uni. I know you don't like my cooking." Gray eyes met maroon ones. "It's why you're always ordering take-out."

Andrew laughed, trying to break the building tension. "So... uh... Sheila... are you having a boy or a girl?" He winced after he asked, remembering just how she'd gotten pregnant. Maybe the baby was a bad topic after all.

Sheila didn't seem to think so, though. She shrugged and smiled wider. "I refuse to find out. My counselor said it was better not to know, since I'm giving it up for adoption. If I knew, I'd get even more attached." She rested a hand over her distended belly as she pondered her next words for a moment. "It'll be hard enough to give it up as it is, but..." here she met Hank's eyes and confidence once more flowed through the young woman, "it's the right thing. I can't handle raising a baby on my own."

The blond officer smiled for her. "Sheila..." He thought a moment longer then asked, "Is it terribly hard to carry the baby?" At her reaction, he realized she wasn't as calm about the entire ordeal as she'd been acting and wanted to kick himself.

The woman blanched, biting her lip. How could she tell him that she still felt the guy's hands on her sometimes, woke up from nightmares that he was in her room? How could she tell him that she was terrified he'd find her again and hurt her? And, how on Earth would she tell Hank that the baby she carried scared her even more than the idea that the rapist would return? That the reason she had chosen to give it up wasn't because of the memories, but because she was terrified of being a single mother... and failing her child miserably?

Swiftly, without thinking about how it would look, Eric rose and limped over to Sheila's side, kneeling down and taking her hands. He reached up and forced her to break eye contact with Hank, to meet his own eyes instead. His voice was strong and reassuring as he spoke. "Sheila, look at me. He won't find you here. He's in jail... remember? The detective found him just before New Year's."

Nobody asked how Eric could have known that, as Sheila hadn't told even her family about the capture. They were too stunned by his odd actions and by Sheila's response to him. She was suddenly crying and trembling, just as unexpectedly flunging her arms around his neck, holding on as if to a lifeline. Eric held her close, eyes closing as he gently rocked her, murmuring soothingly in a voice too low for any but her to hear.

Bobby had frozen at his sister's pain, but was the first to recover after seeing the odd embrace. Confusion welled up, shock that Eric had the guts to do such a thing or Sheila would accept the embrace after all she'd gone through. How could he have known she wouldn't get hysterical at his touch? Realization dawned and Bobby drew in his breath in shock. Of course! That made perfect sense now. It hadn't been Diana helping her all these months; it'd been Eric... and for some reason the pair had decided to keep his involvement a secret. Just like Eric and Andrew had kept it a secret that Varla and Uni had come to Earth. Hurt welled up at the idea that he'd been left out of things with these girls he cared so much about.

As the teen felt hurt turning to anger, he forced himself to remember the counseling he had after Sheila's rape. He took a deep breath, then two, and forced his hands to relax, belatedly becoming aware that he'd gripped Uni's hair rather painfully in his emotional surge. Leaning close, he whispered, embarrassed, "Sorry, Uni." Her understanding nod made him feel like a callous jerk anyway.

For their part, Andrew and Varla were looking rather uncomfortable. The medical student looked at her husband then leaned her head on his shoulder. The auburn-haired man looked anywhere but at the pair across from him. Eric was his best friend, but even he hadn't known that the man'd gotten that close to the pretty redhead. It was... disconcerting to say the least. Especially as no one had any clue how the two had managed any sort of close friendship with Eric out of town nine days out of ten.

Finally, Sheila pulled away from Eric's embrace. He opened his eyes and smiled gently at her, cupping her face in his bandaged hands. Their eyes linked, neither seemed aware of the group as the man leaned closer to the woman. Someone's cough brought them out of their emotion-charged state, but neither looked around still watching each other intently. Another long moment passed before the brunet slipped his hands from Sheila's face and turned to rest his side against her chair, one hand falling to cover hers on her belly.

He blinked in surprised as he felt the infant kick close to where their hands rested. Eric had been preparing to confront the others if they challenged his right to comfort Sheila, but the infant's movements pushed everything else from his mind. This was the first time he'd actually gotten a chance to do anything like feel the baby kick. He turned wide brown eyes up to Sheila's hazel ones once more, emotions flitting across his face too quickly to be identified.

Diana's voice from the kitchen broke through the intense moment, drawing the attention of the uncertain onlookers and participants alike. "Dinner's ready. Hope no one minds PB and J. Neither of us had much energy." She was carrying a plate out, followed by her assistant chef, but stopped at the tableau. Eyebrows raised at the sight of Eric at Sheila's feet, his hand covering hers, but the woman didn't say a word. She let her eyes meet Hank's troubled gaze and smiled her own confidence in the situation, promising herself mentally that she'd get the full events out of her husband later... or that she'd get them from Sheila.

Rather, she continued on her way to the center of the room. Sliding the plate of food onto the game table in the family room, Diana moved out of Terri's way towards Sheila. "Hey, is the baby kicking again?" She saw Sheila's sudden smile and bulldozed on, trying to relieve the tension which still hung in the air. "Well, after Eric's had his turn, can I feel? I've wanted to for a long time." She smiled at her friend, noting how Andrew and Varla relaxed a bit at her comments.

Eric moved his hand, but didn't get fully out of the way, stubbornly staying by Sheila's side.

The dark beauty didn't seem to care, though. She merely lay her hand over Sheila's belly, patiently waiting for the infant she was going to be adopting to make itself known. At the kick, Diana's eyes lit up and she met Sheila's excitedly. "Strong." Her voice was barely a murmur.

Terri moved over, smiling, and begged a turn as well. Sheila laughed and said, "Okay, let's get this over with. Everyone form a line if you want to be kicked." The others relaxed the rest of the way and moved to crowd the expectant mother, discussing the infant but wisely avoiding any further comments which might bring back the tears she'd shed a few moments ago.

It was a contented crowd that started to eat their unusual dinner. After the sandwiches were consumed, the mother cooed over, and more stories shared, the party broke up. Still no response from the emergency service crew had some worried, but the others were determined to make the best of it. They would rest while they waited.

Hank and Diana moved towards their bedroom while Andrew and Varla claimed the smallest one. That left the last two rooms to be split between the single girls and guys. Terri and Uni headed for bed, though Sheila remained comfortably in the chair, too content to move yet.

Bobby headed for the last room, but he paused in the doorway to look back. Eric was still kneeling at Sheila's feet. They seemed to be talking quietly, unaware of being watched. The teenager frowned and walked alone into the room, unsure just how he felt about the idea that his sister seemed really close with the man; Eric had always been the one member of the group that had grated on everybody's nerves... especially Bobby's. The teen trusted the man not to deliberately hurt his sister, but that didn't give him faith that Eric was good for her, either.

In the family room, Eric lay his head against Sheila's thigh, listening to her softly spoken plans for the future. He found he was strangely content for the first time in a great while. He slid his hand up to rest over the baby, feeling a flutter rather than the strong kick of earlier. Lifting worried eyes, Eric met Sheila's gaze and her smile reassured him that everything was still fine. The executive returned her smile and watched her as she fell back into conversing about her college plans.

"Eric?" Sheila's soft voice alerted the young man to the fact that he'd been drifting off.

He lifted his head and stretched. "Sorry. Tired." Meeting her eyes again, he smiled then stood. The brunet held out a hand to assist her. "We should go to bed."

The woman froze in the motion of standing, one hand in his, the other coming to rest against his chest in instinctive protest. Her hazel eyes widened slightly, then she blushed. "Uh... bed..." The idea of going to bed with this man was... tempting... but a bit... suddenly, she realized that he hadn't meant it that way.

Her face flared up even more, freckles almost overcome by the red heat in her cheeks. Sheila felt like she wanted to sink through the floor, hoping he hadn't sensed how she'd taken the words. What had made her start thinking such things about Eric? He was her friend... but they'd never even spoken of dating let alone anything so serious.

Eric seemed unaware of the reason behind Sheila's sudden embarrassment. He frowned, wondering what had happened to change the last few seconds. Gently cupping her face, the man tilted his head and asked softly, "What?"

She shook her head, trying not to meet his eyes.

He was insistent. "Sheila, it's me, Eric. What's wrong? You can tell me; for five months, we've talked about everything."

Everything except us. She sighed and wondered if there even was an 'us' where they were involved... and was surprised to find she really wanted there to be. Suddenly afraid, Sheila needed to distance herself, needed time to think things through. "Eric... I... I'm tried. We need sleep before the police come."

"The police are already here, so tell me what's wrong. Come on, Sunshine, you're supposed to talk about these things, not clam up. Remember? We had a deal."

But Eric's attempt at a joke had distracted her from the rest of his words, including the silly nickname. Sheila looked towards the still dark windows with a frown. "The police are here? I don't see them, Eric." She turned her frown to him.

The man rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Hank's a cop. He's here. So don't worry. In the morning we'll get out of here. For now, let's talk." He stroked one finger down her cheek, watching her hazel eyes widen, and his voice softened to a coaxing purr. "We haven't talked face to face in awhile, Sheila."

She pulled away with a shake of her head, hiding the desperation she felt. "We'll talk tomorrow, Eric." Before he could protest, she turned and slipped into the room with the two teenagers. She didn't even seem to hear his regretful sigh... or his soft "Good night, Sunshine."

Eric was left alone, watching the closed door for a very long time.

Sunshine thankfully interrupted the nightmares that wracked Terri's sleeping moments. She had spent a restless night, often lying awake in the long darkness listening to the other two women breathing as they slept. With the dawn, however, the teen gave up on all attempts at sleep and quickly got out of bed. She was surprised at how little her injuries ached, but pushed the thought aside as she once more donned the T-shirt and jeans. The brunette headed into the main family room.

The sight that greeted her stopped her dead in her tracks.

A very short man stood in the center of the room, smiling gently at her. The long white hair, age-old eyes, and flowing, red robes brought back horrible memories and the girl shook her head in mute protest. She backed away from the mage, not caring why he was there, merely wanting him to leave. As her legs hit the loveseat, the girl sat abruptly, then hugged herself, letting silent tears well in her eyes.

"Go away." She didn't care how rude it sounded, Terri absolutely did not want Dungeon Master around *The Six*. She had a feeling that the nightmares that had prevented sleep last night were not mere dreams. "Haven't we had enough trouble yesterday?"

The man stayed away from the teenager, but his smile slid to a sad expression. "It is because of yesterday that I am here, Young One."

She shook her head. "I thought you couldn't come to Earth. Why..."

"The Realm is torn, as you now know. We need help. We..."

Terri jumped to her feet and strode quickly to the little man, anger sparking suddenly. "Go away!" She sliced a hand through the air as if signaling the finality of her words. "We've pulled ourselves back together; you ask us to tear ourselves apart again. We can't keep popping over there and coming back then try to live life like nothing's changed." She whirled away from the man and strode back across the room to the giant fireplace near the fur rug. Her stride settled into an anxious pacing and the girl was unaware of the emergence of the entire group as she ranted at Dungeon Master.

"I only spent a few months in that god-awful place, but I saw how it tore the others apart when they came back. They're probably still piecing things together. You can't ask any of them to go back. Not now... not when we're finally settling down with..." She whirled on him again, "For God's sake, Sheila's pregnant. She certainly shouldn't have to help in that hellhole!"

Sheila stepped forward, speaking before anyone else could. "How... how did you get here... Dungeon Master?" She caught sight of Eric's intense frown, but ignored it.

The Dungeon Master turned his sad look upon the pregnant woman. "Hello, Thief."

Again he was interrupted, this time by Bobby's growl. "No! Not Thief: Sheila. We're not your pupils anymore, Dungeon Master. You gave us a choice to leave or help, and we left." He flushed at the sudden memory of Uni telling about the downfall of much of the Realm. "And besides, Uni and Varla were sent here to keep them safe. Now you're asking them to go back, too, or just us?" He didn't realize how his questions sounded as if he were considering returning.

Hank stepped forward, letting his arm fall from his wife's waist. He looked at Dungeon Master intently. "Everyone, let him talk." The words were calm, but an order none-the-less, and despite years of relative normalcy the group once more listened to their former leader.

With a nod, the old mage turned to look at each person. "Yesterday, a great battle was fought in the Realm." He saw the frown deepen on the former Cavalier's face and looked directly at him, deliberately not using his teaching riddles at such a very drastic moment. "Great cities fell, great people died. This evil has managed to reach into your world, however, Young Ones. Yesterday, he used his great magic to attack the greatest warriors your world has ever had the privilege of sending to the Realm. Yesterday, he nearly succeeded in eradicating the Young Ones forever."

Andrew jumped in at that, his quick mind having figured things out before the others. He asked, "Does that mean this guy used magic to attack us, Dungeon Master? I thought magic doesn't work on Earth."

Dungeon Master shook his head. "It can and does, but it takes a great deal to do so. I used a great store of energy in protecting your souls yesterday, and even more to come to you this morning. I have little time, but you must know that I have come to offer you a chance to return to the Realm and live there... to fight this evil and rebuild the Realm."

"What in the world would make me want to go back there?" The words were out of Eric's mouth before anyone could blink. He glared at the man whom he still blamed for three years of hell. "Give me a very good reason or you can find yourself a taxi out of here."

"I understand, Cava... Young One." He quickly changed what he'd been about to say at the younger man's fierce glare, going on with the rest of his explanation in a reasonable tone. "I can only give you this: your rescue workers never came to you because they saw no hope." He met each person's gaze with a brief look of his own. "If you come to the Realm, it will be permanent. You will never be able to return here. If you do not come to the Realm, you will suffer the fate you were meant to suffer. A fate I prevented against all rules and orders."

The former Children of Power looked at one another, not quite understanding this final riddle. They started speaking at once, complaints and questions shooting back and forth. The sound of more than one person crying could be heard. Finally, Hank held up his arms for silence. "We'll discuss it, Dungeon Master. How long do we have?"

"You have one hour, Young Ones. After that, I and those going with me must depart." He turned and left the camp house, standing on the porch and watching the sun sparkling on the dew-drenched ground. Uni followed him without comment, much to Bobby's dismay, as well as Presto's and Varla's.

It took almost the entire allotted time. As the group inside debated, argued, and cajoled, the pair outside merely stood, silent and thoughtful. Dungeon Master reached over and touched the hand of the red-haired teen beside him, but neither spoke. Finally, the door opened and a glaring Terri quietly asked the pair to come back in. They did so, the man waiting patiently for the decisions of the Heroes of the Realm.

Hank was the first to speak, as was always his way. He looked directly at the old mage and asked two questions. "If we agree to go back, what happens here? Will our families be told something about our disappearance?"

The mage looked just as steadily back at the young police officer. "They already know, Young One. They were informed yesterday."

Several breathes drew in and Presto softly interrupted, "I told you that's what happened, Hank. That's why you can breath now, and why everyone's injuries don't hurt so much. It's because our decision was made for us," he looked at Dungeon Master, but frowned at the shake of the mage's head.

"You are incorrect, Young One. Your decision is to be made now. Your time here is over. Your bodies remain, but your souls will go if you choose so..."

"We're gonna be zombies? Eww!" Bobby couldn't help the very childish sounding comment; it seemed to just come naturally. In reality, he merely said it to break some of the tension, most of which he was certain came from himself.

With a shake of his head, his gentle smile suddenly appearing, the Dungeon Master turned to the young man. "No." He sighed and thought a moment, noting how Diana glared at Eric to keep him quiet. Finally, he softly explained, "Yesterday, you were attacked by the evil one. He destroyed all ties to this world for you. You should not be here now, except that I have held you here. If you go to the Realm, you leave the broken bodies behind and will be granted new ones. If you stay, you must face the consequences of the accident."

Finally, Sheila sighed and gave an apologetic look to Hank and Diana. "I'm going." Bobby started to protest, as did Eric, but she shook her head. "I... I actually miss the Realm. I... Oh, Eric... you understand me. I don't belong here anymore. It's why I tried to kill myself." The woman's eyes opened wide in horror and a hand flew to her mouth as everyone turned stunned looks on her.

"Sheila?" Bobby sounded hurt. "When... why didn't you say something?" He felt more helpless than when he'd found out about the rape... more distant from his beloved sibling than ever before.

She merely shook her head and stated simply, "Eric saved my life, Bobby. He's what's keeping me alive right now. But... in the Realm, I can do something... be somebody. I... I want to go back."

Turning stares from Sheila to Eric, the entire group seemed to be having difficulties processing this latest development.

The woman turned to Eric. "Please, understand?"

He stared at her a long moment. Ignoring everyone else around him, Eric finally stepped forward and took her hand. "I understand, Sunshine. I'll go with you. You're gonna need someone to talk to, after all." He didn't add that he wanted to protect her in that hellish place; he didn't need to. They both understood why he'd go back to the last place he ever wanted to be.

Sheila wrapped her arms around the dark-haired man and buried her face in his chest, sobbing in relief.

Bobby frowned but crossed his arms and nodded decisively. "I'm going too."

"Bobby, no!"

He looked at Terri and sighed, dropping the tough pose and taking her hands, his blue eyes softening. "I... you know I want to join the military; I'm a born fighter, Terr. And in the Realm I can fight... I can make a difference without these stupid politics getting in the way and dictating..." He shook his head, realizing that the explanation made no sense and trying again. "I want to help the Realm, Terr... and help protect Sheila like I never got to last Christmas. You're my best friend... but Sheila's my family."

The girl shook her head. "You've still got parents, Bobby... they're family." She sounded desperate, gripping his hands painfully in hers.

The former Barbarian shook his head. "Terr, I don't think so. I... I've always been closer to Sheila than them, you know. I love her more." The gushy stuff, but the truth. He couldn't think of anything else that he could say to make her understand his decision.

Sobbing, Terri let go his hands and covered her face.

Uni broke the silence by firmly saying, "I'm going home, too." She smiled at Bobby's brief smile.

Varla and Presto didn't look at the others, merely looking at one another, silent communication seemingly going on between the couple. They didn't react to Sheila or Eric, nor Bobby and Terri. In fact, they even seemed oblivious to Uni's wprds. Instead, as one, they agreed to join Dungeon Master, as well. The decision merely brought on more sobs from the former Dreamer.

Dungeon Master turned his wise old eyes on the remaining Young Ones. Hank stood quietly watching the tableau, pale blue eyes worried and wary. Diana, for her part, seemed determined about something. She stepped forward and slid her hand in her husband's, drawing his attention at last, trying to communicate what she wanted.

"Hank?"

He turned and looked at her a long moment. Slowly, the man turned back to Dungeon Master. "If I understand you correctly, sir, they only choice is to go to the Realm." He felt Diana's reassuring squeeze and was relieved to know that she, too, had decided on that course. "We'll go."

At that final answer, Terri pulled her face from her hands and tried to stifle her sobs. She straightened her shoulders, looking from person to person, and finally, slowly, nodded. "O... okay. I'll... go... too." Her words were punctuated by small sobs, but there was new determination in her voice. "I can't... live here... without... you guys... and..." She turned to Bobby, "I wouldn't... want to... anyway."

He wrapped his arms around her suddenly, unexpectedly. The pair held one another as the others moved to comfort the girl. None of them, however, tried to change her mind, despite how much they knew she hated the Realm. Bobby didn't let her go as he finally, for all of them, called, "Okay, Dungeon Master, beam us up."

The old mage nodded and a soft light encircled the group. He watched them disappear, knowing they'd be waiting in his citadel for his return, which would be very soon. They, also, would be stunned by Uni's conversion back into a unicorn... it was what she was meant to be, after all. Dungeon Master took another look around the camp house and sighed.

The former Ranger had been correct, as had the former Magician. The evil one had made staying here impossible. The Young Ones could never survive what had finally occurred. Truly, the only choice had been to return to the Realm.