Things That Terrify Me the Most

Part 1

"I used to sleep on planes."
"And now you'll close your eyes and try to clear your head." Long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. The private jet had just reached cruising altitude after taking off from the Venice airport. "Regrets?"
The blonde head turned from the window to look at her new lover. It had been a couple of months but the feelings the tall woman inspired still felt new. "Regrets about spending eternity with you?"
"Something like that."
"You know," a pink polished nail tapped on straight white teeth exposed by the large smile. "When I first heard about all this, I thought I'd run into a group of extremely disturbed people."
"And now?"
"I haven't slept in three months and I feel like I could beat the crap out of anyone I come across."
Kendall Mackey gave her companion the smile that had melted hundreds of hearts throughout her life. "Anyone?"
Piper Dupont returned the smile as she ran her hand up Kendall's arm. "I'm sure it'll take me a few more months to catch up to you, honey, but you have to admit you have an unfair advantage. But then again the sex has been so fabulous I might not care about any other physical activity for years to come."
For the first time in years Asra, Captain of King Ramses' elite legion, looked forward to the future with the same hope she'd had before her life had changed forever, and Piper could hear it in the genuineness of her laugh. In one night the career soldier went from loyal fighter to the immortal champion of a group of elders known to her as simply the Order. How old, or exactly who the supreme leader of the group was, had never been shared with Asra, and in the beginning it had been unimportant to ask questions. Her sole purpose had been exacting revenge for her father's murder. Then the changing world around her had captured her adventurous heart and kept her sane through the multitude of lifetimes she'd lived.
"Tell me something before we run across an awkward situation," Piper leaned closer in and draped her leg over Kendal's. "Are we going to run across many of your exes who've been carrying a torch for you for close to eternity? Because if you made them feel anything like you make me feel, I'm sure there's more than one out there pining away for you."
"In my time walking this world I've only given the gift of the elixir to two. There's you," a long finger tapped the end of Piper's nose. "And there's Charlie."
"And a field of daffodils in Venice," added the blonde.
"Yes, but I doubt they pine for me, beautiful one." Kendal leaned further in and initiated a long kiss. The time they had spent together had been some of the happiest days the older immortal had ever experienced, and she too was loving the feeling of newness Piper brought to her heart. "There's only you, love. There's no one you should fear."

"I'm sorry to bring this up again," started Piper, memories of their afternoon talks in the many cafes lining San Marco Square coming to mind. On those lazy days, Kendal had woven stories of her past so the young woman could learn more about the person she had fallen in love with. Along with all those tales though, Kendal had been thoughtful enough to mix in her hopes for the future. A future that centered on Piper and the life they would share together. "It's just that we're headed back to the real world, and…"

"And you don't want anything to change between us," Kendall finished for her.

"Something like that. Does that sound immature?"

"It sounds more like you're a woman in love and you want nothing to get in the way of your happiness. That's not immature; it's very flattering to me." With a tenderness that belied the aggressive fighter in her, Kendal ran her fingers along Piper's cheek in an act of pure devotion. "In the balance of my life, the time I've spent with you outweighs all the other days as far as my heart is concerned."

"But why?" The insecurity surprised Kendal at times, but Piper could at a moment's notice convert to the scared little six-year-old whose father had taken his own life leaving her an orphan. For as long at it took, she would show infinite patience until the blonde could come to see her own self worth.

"Because none of the others who have shared my life have ever won my heart so completely." The long fingers gently moved from Piper's cheek to weave into her hair in an act of possession. "Trust me, love, you will never want ever again as long as it's me you want. You are forever free to follow whatever path you choose, but you will never find another who will love you as completely as I do."

"I love you so much, you know that right?"

"I see it in your eyes, and it's a sight I look forward to seeing for a long time."

Piper moved closer and with a deep sigh, laid her head on Kendal's shoulder. "What happens now?"

If ever the blonde was going to regret drinking the elixir it was going to be now. Their reasons for taking the chance at eternal life had been so different. Kendal had in one night been left with no one, only her life as a soldier and her position with Ramses. Piper though had a family who loved her, a family she would soon see pass on because of their advanced age. Would the young woman beg for the elixir to be mixed again as soon as her grandparents Mac and Molly reached the conclusion of their lives? Would the love in those green eyes die away when Kendal refused?

"Piper, I think we should return to New Orleans if that's what you want. You have a company to run and a family to get back to." The tensing of the smaller woman's body was just as effective as if she'd asked Kendal the question on her mind. "I will never try to make decisions for you, but I think that you should spend time with those you love."

"Is it hard?"

Again the blonde's vagueness was not something Kendal needed elaboration on. "It can be, I'll be honest. For me, it's been the span of many lifetimes but I still miss my father. Had I known my mother I'm sure the pain would be more than I now carry, but like you I never knew the woman who gave me life. You've been lucky though, darlin', Macarthur and Molly have made you the center of their world. Not everyone is loved so fiercely."

"I can't imagine a world without them."

"Hopefully it will be years before we have to worry about that. For now we'll be happy at Oakgrove or wherever you want to live, doing whatever you want to do. I'll be happy to move my offices to the city since 'Kendal' should have a few good years left."

The blonde head lifted a little so she could see the blue eyes. "Will you always be so amenable?"

"Enjoy it while you can, pipsqueak, after a few hundred years you'll be complaining about how cranky I am." The comment made them both laugh before their lips met with serious intent.

"Think we're a mile up yet?" asked Piper when they separated.

"We will be when I'm through with you." The skirt Piper was wearing made it more than easy for Kendal to slide her hand up the smaller woman's thigh, and the moan the move created made it clear she was more than welcome. For the rest of the flight the crew stayed clear of the back cabin.

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From the windows of Dupont Shipping's offices, the people happily enjoying the dry conditions gave thanks that they weren't out in the cold drizzle that had been falling for days. They were all praying for it to end so they could enjoy the upcoming Carnival season with their children, but it was like a gray gloom had blanketed the city with dreary weather.

The wet cold conditions of the February morning didn't slow the busy construction and building going on outside though. After the expansion made possible from the infusion of capital from Mackey, Inc., the place was getting cramped with all the new staff they'd brought on and new construction contracts they'd procured. Men and women in the company issue blue hardhats moved around outside like an army of ants working oblivious to the weather. About half were working on the new Coast Guard Cutters while another, larger group was working construction on the new dry docks Dupont was adding on the new land they'd acquired.

It wasn't uncommon on most days to see one of the workers stop when they were close enough to the offices and wave at the man standing in the large window that overlooked all the activity. As much as he enjoyed watching what his grandfather had started, that morning Macarthur Dupont sat at his desk finishing up some paperwork. The old man loved the fact that he'd been able to hire so many people, not only in the office, but in the yard as well, but lately all the new business was failing to put a smile on his face. As exciting as the expansion was, those who knew Macarthur best were aware the old man was missing some of his spark.

Keying the intercom, Mac got down to business. "Gene, could you pull the files on the Navy contract please? The representatives from their design department are coming over this afternoon and I want to review them."

"Sure thing, Mr. Mac, I'll be right in. Is there anything else I can get for you?" asked the assistant who had been with the company's president for over twelve years.

My granddaughter from wherever she's run off to. The comment wasn't verbalized but it had become his mental mantra. He didn't begrudge her the time off but things never seemed as exciting as when Piper was in the building stirring things up. "Just the contracts, thank you."

"Is anything earth shattering going to happen at this meeting that would lose us business if he missed it?"

"Excuse me?" The question and the voice of the person asking it caught Gene by surprise.

"The meeting. Is it necessary for him to be there?" Piper's smile was so wide the woman sitting behind the desk hardly recognized her. "Miss me?"

"Just a little," teased Gene, "but I know someone who missed you so much he's barely smiled in months." She pressed down the intercom button and waited for the deep voice to come through.

"Having trouble finding the contracts?"

"I have someone out here that wants to see you but she doesn't have an appointment," said Gene, her smile now as big as Piper's.

"If it were any other day, I'd love to visit with whoever it is but these guys aren't going to wait all day. I don't think it's a good idea to piss them off first thing."

"Then how about if we send over their good friend Ms. Mackey to take your place and I'm sure when she's done we'll have to double the size of the operation," answered Piper.

Before either woman could turn to the door it opened, Mac's tall form filling the opening. With an agility that belied his almost eighty years of life, he lifted Piper into his arms and swung her around like he had when she'd been a little girl.

"You're a good looking sight for these old eyes, sweetheart," he whispered in her ear before kissing her on the cheek. Kendal walked in and smiled at the fact Piper's feet were still hanging a few inches off the ground as she was snuggled up in Mac's welcoming bear hug, but neither of the Duponts were making a move to pull away from each other.

"I missed you too, Granddad, and I want you to take the rest of the day off so we can catch up." She squeezed his neck again loving the familiar scent of his cologne. "I have a lot to tell you, but I want to tell you and Grand together."

"Is everything all right?"

"Everything is great," the comment came out with a bit of a sultry tone attached to it since Piper was looking at the newest person to enter the room.

"Mr. Dupont, it's nice to see you again, sir," said Kendal by way of greeting, as she held out her hand to shake his.

"Kendal, I didn't expect you." Mac put his granddaughter down but kept hold of her hand as he moved toward the taller woman. "But if you had anything to do with bringing this pretty little girl home, I owe you the meal I'm always trying to buy you."

"Not necessary, sir, and I believe the pretty little girl said something about wanting to see her grandmother, so why don't the two of you go on."

"I wish I could right this minute, but I have a meeting with…"

"Dell and Harry from the Navy," Kendal supplied for him. "If you don't think I'm overstepping my place, I'd love to meet with them for you. If it's something that needs you're stamp of approval I promise to call you before I commit you to something."

"Let me grab my coat," Mac agreed slapping his hands together.

When he stepped back into his office Piper looked first at Gene then at Kendal. "Gene, could you tell him we had to make a phone call if he's quicker than usual?"

"You could use my phone," the assistant then noticed the smoldering look Piper was giving the other woman. "Or the office down the hall has one too."

"Thank you." With a mesmerizing sway in her hips, Piper led Kendal down the hall, the taller woman following with her hands behind her back looking anything but condemned.

"Well if that's what it took to mellow her out a little, I'm all for it," commented Gene to the empty room.

When the door of the empty office with a man's name on the desk plate closed, Piper slid her hands up the lapels of Kendal's coat and pulled until the dark head bent to her level. "I wanted to thank you personally, before I take him home, for giving us this time together. I'm sure taking a meeting with these two guys, fascinating as they maybe, was the last thing you wanted to do after that long flight." The wool of Kendal's coat felt soft under her fingers but it was the lips pressed to hers that Piper enjoyed the feel of the most. "I promise to make it up to you later. Will you meet me at Riverbend when you're done? I want to introduce you to my grandmother."

"I'd love to, and I love you."

Mac was waiting when they got back and made no mention of the fact Kendal was now sporting some of his granddaughter's lipstick. If there was a story to tell there was no doubt in his mind Piper would tell it in her own time. From the look on the blonde's face it would be a long and happy telling of what she'd been up to in the time she'd been gone. She had called them plenty of times in her absence but asked for their patience while she worked though some things.

"Ready to go?" Mac asked Piper.

"I can't wait to see Grand. There's so much I want to tell you both."

"Kendal, are you sure you don't mind filling in for me?"

"The boring twins and I go way back, sir, so don't worry about me. Go on and take Piper home."

Mac's car pulled away from the front of the building and for once he was glad to have the luxury of a driver. Usually he sat in the spacious back seat with a little frown at not being able to drive himself. The driver had been a concession on his part to make Molly and Piper happy as he got older and his reflexes faded.

"You look so different." His innocent statement made her head whip around. Had he already guessed what had happened to her?

"What do you mean?"

"For the first time in your life you look happy, sweetheart, I mean really happy. Am I wrong about that?"

Relief flooded through her and her smile returned. "I wanted to wait and tell you and Grand together, but you're right, I'm really happy."

"So Miss Mackey isn't so bad after all huh?"

She slapped him lightly on the arm and laughed. "Don't be smug, and no lectures about how you're always right."

"Does she realize how lucky she is?"

Tears suddenly filled her eyes but didn't fall at the thought of him being disappointed in her choice. "She's changing her life around so we can be together so it's a safe bet she's in it for the preverbal long haul. I know you probably wanted different for me, but Kendal…she completes me and I love her."

"What I wanted was for you to be happy, Piper. I prayed for the right person to come along. Someone who would cherish you and love you like you deserved to be loved. If Kendal is that person then I'm happy for you. I just need to know if she realizes how lucky she is to have won your heart."

The answer prompted her to hug him again. "I'm blessed, and I don't mean just because of Kendal. Thanks, Granddad."

They talked about business for the remainder of the ride, Piper wanting to save the rest of her story for her grandmother. When they walked into the old plantation house, Riverbend, there was another tearful reunion when Molly saw the visitor Mac had dragged home. The small family was in the den having drinks and talking when the doorbell rang out announcing company.

Molly looked at the newcomer, who seemed to fill up the room like she owned it, and figured Piper had had about as good a chance at resisting her as a scoop of ice cream on a New Orleans sidewalk in July. Kendal Mackey oozed both confidence and sexiness and she had yet to utter a word. The older woman ran her hand through her white hair, which still held traces of its original red coloring, before standing and offering her hand.

"Welcome, Kendal, I'm Molly Dupont."

"It's a pleasure, ma'am." The tall woman bowed slightly over Molly's hand causing her to blush a little. "Piper's told me so much about you I feel as if I've known you for years."

"That's amazing to hear, since she's hardly mentioned anything about you, with perhaps the exception of a colorful description of you when the two of you first met."

Kendal shot the blonde a teasing glare making Piper's hands rise in a defensive posture. "I plead ignorance, and you have to admit you were here to steal from us at first. Leave it to me to fall in love with the pirate known better as the Great White."

"Would that make you the damsel in distress?" Kendal's answer was quick and it made her partner laugh. In their time together Piper had learned that the older immortal was as good at verbal sparring as she was with the many swords she owned.

"In your dreams, honey." She held her hand up and closed her eyes for a moment when the larger and warmer hand slipped into hers. "I missed you," she whispered since Kendal's back was momentarily to her grandparent's.

"I missed you too, but you'll be busy for months to come because of my meeting today." Kendal turned around but didn't let go of Piper's hand. "Mr. Dupont, you'll be happy to know they agreed to a few more vessels and to a broader service agreement once the new dry docks are in place."

"Are you sure you don't want a job? This is a family business and I'd like to keep it that way. From the looks of things the family's future is looking bright." He pointed to the linked hands.

"I wouldn't worry about the family business, sir. I'm going to do whatever I can to assure that you're successful for years to come." Kendal then turned to Molly and gave her a dazzling smile. "I'm not sure what Piper has told you but I want to assure you both that she's in very good hands. I love your granddaughter with all my heart and I'm going to do so for an eternity." The declaration made all of the Duponts smile, the youngest of them because in her new reality, that could very well be true.

"It's all we ask of you, dear. That and for you to start calling us Mac and Molly," instructed Molly.

For the rest of the evening the older couple sat and got to know the woman Piper seemed so content, with finding that with each passing hour they liked Kendal even more due to her quiet yet intelligent nature. They had yet to touch on a subject she wasn't knowledgeable about, but she used her brain to make the conversation flow smoothly, not to humiliate someone when they weren't as up to date on something as she was. What amazed Molly the most, was that someone who had amassed such a sizeable fortune by building a successful business, had that much time to read. The older woman had taught European history at Loyola for years before retiring and listening to this woman talk she felt as if she were hearing first hand accounts of the things she'd read about for so long.

When the antique clock in the foyer chimed twelve times, Kendal stood and moved to the sofa where Molly and Mac were sitting. "I don't want to keep you up any longer than I have to, even though I've thoroughly enjoyed this evening."

"Piper, shall we make up your room for you?" asked Molly, trying to gauge just how far this relationship had gotten.

"Thanks, Grand, but we're heading back into the city tonight. I've kept Kendal away from her business long enough and I'm sure she has things to do. We promise to come back tomorrow and have dinner again. I missed you guys and one night isn't enough to really catch up."

The older woman gave her granddaughter a wink and a knowing smile. "Good girl. Just wanted to make sure you're keeping Kendal as happy as she's obviously making you."

Immortal or no, Piper found out the hard way that she still had the ability to blush as badly at the woman's teasing as she had when she'd been ten. The couple kissed Piper and Kendal good night laughing at the remaining pink tint to Piper's cheeks. At the gate to Riverbend, Piper put her hand on Kendal's arm causing the car to slow to a complete stop.

"Do you think it would be all right for us to stay at Oakgrove tonight?"

"Sure, but you ask in a way that makes me believe you expect me to say no." Kendal took her hand off the stick shift and placed it on Piper's knee.

"I just feel like there are places you've built that are so special to you that I might not be welcomed." The admission hurt, mostly because if Kendal agreed with her sentiments it would be like a dagger through the heart.

"There are places I've built that still stand as a reminder of times that were special to me, but not because of a woman. Oakgrove is like that. I built it because the first time I saw this place it filled me with a need to tame it and make something special out of it. That was long before I met Angelina and her uncle, and it doesn't stand now as a testament to how I felt about her."

Piper looked at the handsome face illuminated only by the dashboard light and nodded her head. "The painting that still hangs in the sitting room is why I asked. I love you, but I respect the fact that there might be some things you need to keep separate from what we have."

"I want you in all aspects of my life, Piper. What I own, what I've collected and what I've experienced are now all open and available to you. The painting of Angelina was a gift that I didn't really think about when I left Oakgrove about three hundred years ago and when we met was the first time I had set foot back in the city again." She moved her hand to the back of Piper's head and pulled her forward a little. "If it makes you feel better though, Charlie made the house a little more Piper friendly in our absence. I never want you to feel out of place anywhere with me."

"My grandfather was wrong," said Piper before kissing the lips so close to hers. "I'm the lucky one. Thank you for always making my fears go away."

"That's my job, sweetheart, and I take it rather seriously."

Since there was no need for sleep, they took a walk around the grounds with Charlie and spent a few hours talking and getting reacquainted. No matter how much Kendal had asked through the years, the man still insisted on staying in the home he had shared with his family. The place had been improved through time, but it still held some traces of his wife and sons, and it was the place Charlie felt most at home. As the sun rose it found the new lovers wrapped in a blanket on the upstairs balcony. It was time to get back to as normal a life as they could, until the reality of being Kendal Mackey and Piper Dupont was no longer possible. A possibility that would perhaps come sooner than either wanted.

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Bruce Babagge sat across from his boss and loosened his tie in an effort to keep his hands busy and his mouth closed. He'd been walking on clouds ever since getting Kendal's call for him to return to New Orleans, but the bomb she had just dropped on him made him want to lash out at her in the worst way.

"You can't just walk away and do this to me." He pushed the plate of fish away from him in an act of impatience, spilling some of the cream sauce on the white linen tablecloth.

The fork full of shrimp pasta stopped on the way to Kendal's mouth and she looked at him across the table before continuing its trek. She chewed slowly as if trying to find the same bit of patience he was praying for. Before she said anything, she took a sip of the white wine she'd ordered and then sat back.

"I asked you here as a courtesy, Bruce, so let's not get a full head of steam over things you can't and will never control. That would mainly be me."

"So after all we've been through together, you walk away and leave Michelle Butler in charge, no discussion?"

"I believe we've had this discussion before, haven't we? The reason I've groomed you in the business was because of your father and his relationship with mine. It's that simple, and it's not like I'm kicking you to the curb. You will retain your position as a senior vice-president, but I think Michelle is better suited to continue on with what I started, until I'm ready to come back."

He put his hands flat on the table and leaned forward, more comfortable now in letting some of his anger show. "I'm just supposed to sit back and take this?"

A hand grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back in his seat. "A wise woman once told me the world is full of infinite possibilities, Mr. Babagge, so I'm guessing my sweetie's answer will be the same to you." Piper let him go and kept walking so she could give Kendal a kiss.

"She's right you know. If you don't like it and think you can do better somewhere else, I'd never dream of holding you back." Kendal directed her comment to Bruce but her eyes never left Piper's. The lunch and the man's company were starting to bore her, but she had felt it better to get this over with in person.

He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. "I thought we had a different relationship, but I was obviously very wrong. I can't stay if you can pass me over so easily." With a toss, his resignation letter landed in her plate. "I'll stay the required three months if you want me to, but I say we cut our ties here and now. I want to be up front about things and tell you I plan to go on and work through the accounts I have. With a small staff I can finish those up and start out on my own."

"Best of luck to you, Bruce," she held her hand out to him in a gesture of parting friendship. The look in the blue eyes though, let Piper know there was no way two thousand years had blunted Kendal's competitive edge. "But you do realize before your feet hit the sidewalk outside I'll lock you out of everything remotely having to do with my business. I like you but don't ever threaten or throw anything at me again. If you want to go out on your own, then do it like I did, one company at a time all on your own, and not at my expense."

"Listen…" started Bruce.

"I think it's time for you to go, Mr. Babagge," said Piper taking her seat on Kendal's right. "From my end, it sounds like the discussion part of this is over."

"You just got here yesterday and already you know so much. I may not be fucking her but I think.." he didn't get any further than that before a hand closed in on his throat.

"You ungrateful little piss ant." Even with her limited experience Piper could see that Kendal was barely straining herself but she was on the verge of crushing the man's windpipe. "Get out of here before I squeeze the life out of you, and if you ever talk to her like that again you won't live to regret it."

Slowly Piper put her hand inside Kendal's jacket and ran it up until it came to rest over her heart. "You have to let him go, honey." She felt the muscles tense slightly causing Bruce's face to turn a deeper shade of red. "Let's try the reverse of that, lover, before the frightened staff call the cops."

Kendal let him go by pushing him back into his chair, which continued to fall backward, spilling him in a heap. From the floor he glared up at her but kept his mouth shut. "If you're smart you'll apologize to the lady before taking her advice to leave."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Dupont, I meant no disrespect."

"Sure you did," she chided him, "but let's call it a day before Rambo here decides to finish the job." One of the assistant managers escorted Bruce to the door giving Piper the opportunity to drag Kendal into the bathroom. "You okay?"

"He threw that in my lunch and I wasn't finished," joked the miffed woman. With as little effort as she'd used to lift Bruce off the floor, Kendal lifted Piper up and sat her on the counter.

"Well if you're lucky you might find other things on the menu today to satisfy your appetite."

"Had I known you had this dangerous streak about you, Piper, I might have pushed the envelope with you a little sooner than I did."

"You push plenty enough for about twenty people, lover, so don't go getting any funny ideas. This is my Grand's favorite place to eat and I don't need for her to be hearing about the wild happenings in the bathroom." Despite her objections she took the time to kiss Kendal before sliding down the long body till her feet were on the floor. "Speaking of Grand, she asked if we'd gotten our costumes for the ball yet. They both sound so excited about it. It's the first time in like ten years they'll be going. They can't wait to introduce you to this bit of New Orleans carnival tradition."

"Should I burst their bubble and tell them that I attended the first of these things?"

"And have them think I'm marrying some lunatic? I think not, Monsieur St. Louis. Do you care who we go as?"

With a quiet chuckle, Kendal slapped her softly on the butt and escorted Piper back to their table. The mess left by Bruce had been cleared away and the table had been reset. "I told you to decide," Kendal continued as they reseated themselves.

"I think I've already had the pleasure of meeting the dashing Jacques St. Louis the first couple of times we got together. That afternoon you had me over for lunch under those oaks, made me think of the stories you'd told about him." She stopped and laughed at Kendal's wink. "God that makes me sound as crazy as you."

"If you would like to meet Jacques for real, it can easily be arranged. I believe I even have his walking stick somewhere around the house."

"Perhaps some other time. Like I said, I think I know that part of you already. The gentleman I'd like to go with is Antonio De Cristo."

"Should I be worried that Italians in tight pants and leather boots turn you on so much?"

Four new dishes were put on the table but the waiter knew better than to interrupt when the blonde leaned into her taller companion. Piper had been a regular for years but no one had ever seen her act like this. "I'm thinking the only ass you need concern yourself with me being interested in is yours. After staying in the house you had then, seeing the flowers you created back then and hearing Lenore tell me that story - I don't know, I just thought he sounded incredibly sexy."

"Awe how sweet, but he just kicked a little religious butt during the inquisition period of history. Nothing too gallant."

"That's who I want to go with. With any luck we'll run into a pack of priests on the way and you can show off for me," kidded Piper.

"You got it, but I hope you're into facial hair. It was a pain to get on back then but I had to fit in the best I could." Kendal stopped talking when Piper let her hand loose to trail over her neck and face.

"I'll take you anyway I can get you," she growled.

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The masquerade ball they had planned for had, through the years, become an event that was hosted by the city's current mayor and his or her spouse or partner. For the first time in almost a month the young couple voluntarily spilt up to get ready for the evening, Piper wanted to be surprised by Kendal's transformation into one of her alter egos from the past.

Kendal had donned the tight leather breaches and knee high boots with a white silk shirt of the time De Cristo had lived. The black velvet jacket was the last touch but she went downstairs to retrieve the correct sword for the outfit before putting it on. Charlie had helped her with the goatee and moustache and they tickled as much now as they did when it had been a necessity to wear them. As she took the ornate weapon off the wall, she unsheathed it and turned around to the door of the study. There was someone outside and it wasn't Charlie.

From the porch of his home, Charlie looked at the woman standing at the door with the sword in her hand and it brought to mind the images of characters he'd read about. Kendal would live forever, and there was something in the way that she carried herself that was timeless. It was as if she had done so well adapting to her many environments because she looked like she belonged no matter the situation.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"How long have you been standing there?" Kendal replied moving further out into the yard and looking to the trees. Her hair was down and the front of the shirt was still slightly undone giving her a dangerous look.

"I just walked out here to come and get you. Is everything all right?"

"I heard something or someone out here." At the moment all she could hear was Ruda pawing the ground as if anxious to take a run with her. One of the stable hands had brought him around, and for once, the big black horse was sporting an elaborate saddle.

"Want me to check it out?"

"Nah, if it's important they'll be back." With a quick movement the sword was back in the sheath at her side. "Besides, I wouldn't want you to get all sweaty before you pick up your date, Prince Alar."

"Do you know how many years it's been since anyone's called me that?"

"The way you look in that outfit, I'm sure your date won't be calling you that tonight either. I'm thinking more along the lines of dreamy," teased Kendal.

"Get on your horse and worry about your own date, smart ass, I'm taking the BMW."

She laughed but couldn't shake the feeling that someone was staring at her from the darkness. After the ball she would take Ruda for a longer ride than just next door to meet Piper. Whoever was out there wasn't threatening, not yet anyway, but they didn't belong there.

When Kendal came out again her hair was tied back with a black silk ribbon and the jacket was buttoned appropriately. In her hand was a fistful of daffodils she'd had delivered from town earlier in the day. Once she was in the saddle, a quick click of her heels sent Ruda trotting to the front gate. She looked back one last time but the house and surrounding land looked peaceful and the noise she'd heard earlier hadn't repeated itself.

"Piper dear, either that's your date or you're trying to make poor Kendal jealous," Molly yelled up the stairs after looking down the drive to watch the leisurely rider coming up the way. "If it isn't Kendal, and it isn't for you then I'm dumping your grandfather and going with whoever that is."

Mac laughed behind her as he came to take his own look. "Hell I might go with her she looks so good up there." Molly looked at him and laughed along with him. "What?" said Mac, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm exploring my feminine side."

"How do you know it's her?" asked Molly with more than a little curiosity.

"No matter how many times I see her, Kendal can't hide the way she carries herself. It's one of the reasons I'm thrilled she's on our side, 'cause believe me, darlin', if she weren't she would've gotten the house in the bargain too not just the company." Mac walked Molly to a chair and helped her into it, knowing Piper would want to enjoy the trouble Kendal had gone through for her for a little while. "That first day the two of them met I thought I was going to have to separate them for a moment there, but I think it was our little girl's fire that caught Kendal's heart. If it hadn't happened, we'd be riding by every day watching everything my grandfather built be dismantled and carted off. With Kendal at Piper's side though, that will never come to pass even if she has to give up every cent she's ever made before she met the Duponts."

"How can you be so sure, Mac?"

"Because she was willing to buy out Kenny to save Piper's honor, and because you can't help but see how she feels about her every time those blue eyes fall on Piper. We'll be fine and so will she, no matter what happens to us. Piper has someone now who'll pull her through the bad times and celebrate the good times with her."

Outside Kendal held Ruda back a little, waiting for the doors on the upstairs veranda to open. The house was similar to Oakgrove with a large sweeping porch on the bottom level and a large matching veranda on top. Their purpose was to allow the homeowners to enjoy the breezes coming off the river when the sun went down. From her position atop the horse Kendal could see that Piper had done an amazing job in her research of the dresses from the time period she'd chosen for their evening. The midnight blue dress was form fitting at the top showing a fair amount of enticing cleavage, while the bottom flared out leaving the shape of the woman's hips a mystery to her admirers.

"I forgot to ask one thing," said Kendal before the horse came to a stop.

"What?"

"Do you speak Italian?"

"No, but I'm sure you'll muddle through somehow and figure out how to be romantic in English."

She laughed and shook her head. Never in her life had Kendal ever met anyone like Piper. Again she was assured that no matter how many years or centuries they spent together, she was positive she wouldn't be bored. With a quick tug, the cape she had donned rippled behind her without tangling when she gracefully dismounted. Slapping Ruda on the rump, she sent him home to the groomer waiting on him.

"Bona notte, bella Piper," Kendal bowed deeply at the waist holding the flowers up and behind her. "I hope you're well this evening." The voice the blonde loved had taken on a deeper tone, and the face looked so different with the addition of the dark hair on her chin and above her lip.

"I only thought I was doing all right until I got a look at those pants while you dismounted. Tell me, can you climb in them?"

Mac was surprised from his spot at the window at how easy Kendal made climbing to the second story of the house look. "Did I forget to mention how limber she seems to be?" he asked Molly.

Before she could ask what he meant the young couple was making their way down the stairs arm in arm. The limousine Kendal had ordered pulled up as they got the women's wraps. Comfortably seated in the back of the car, they had a leisurely drink on the way into the city as they talked about the upcoming festivities. Their group turned a few heads as they entered the grand ballroom and made their way to their table.

Piper was having a good time watching the flush return to her grandmother's cheeks as Kendal twirled her around the dance floor. It was as she watched them make their second circuit that she saw her standing next to the bandstand, and from the look on Kendal's face, she'd seen her way before that. Molly may not have noticed a change but Piper could see the smile didn't reach Kendal's eyes, eyes that had gone flint hard and busy scanning the rest of the room.

"So much for being left alone like they promised," whispered Piper.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, did you say something?" asked Mac.

"Just that you should go and cut in before Grand runs off with my date." She put her hand on his arm and headed out to the dance floor to join her partner. "May we cut in?" she asked Molly when they came by.

"Notice anything?" Piper asked when Kendal wrapped her arms around her and whirled her onto the dance floor. They had been enjoying the party for over two hours, but now she felt like something was about to rob them of their fun.

"I notice a great many things, love, and none of them make any sense to me." She looked to the woman at the bandstand again and then to the four others she'd brought with her. Minions were the best term Kendal's mind could conjure up, but the fifth person was the anomaly.

"No clue?"

"It's a summons, Piper, but I don't understand the group they've assembled to come and get me. Perhaps you should head back with your grandparents and let me handle this."

As if testing the quality of the spirit gum Kendal had used, Piper tugged on the goatee to center the tall woman's attention on her face. "I will not now, nor will I ever be a piece of fluff on your arm. Do you understand that?"

"I don't believe I've treated you in a way that would lead you to believe that."

Another tug was more annoying than painful. "What you just said would lead me to believe you'd try if you thought something might be too hard or dangerous for me. Other people put on a white dress and walk down an aisle to declare their love for someone and bind their lives together. I exposed my body and my heart to you and drank from a cup to tie my life with yours forever. That makes me your wife in a way more binding than any ring you could ever give me so please don't shut me out when you think something bad is about to happen."

They had stopped moving and a few of the other dancing couples had bumped into them but couldn't budge Kendal out of the way. "I love you, Piper, and it's my job to protect you from the evils I've seen in this world. With time, you'll come to know them as well as I do, but you can't blame me for trying to keep you innocent of that for as long as I can."

"Promise me that you'll never ask me to leave your side."

"You don't know what you're asking me to promise." Kendal sounded almost pained to make the admission.

"All I need is to know is that you want me in your life, all aspects of your life. That's good enough for me. You've walked alone long enough, Asra. You don't have to anymore. It's the reason you big silent types take wives. I should correct that assumption now in case you thought it was because you were expecting me to do dishes or something," she teased trying to get Kendal to smile again.

"I love you, Piper, and I'll promise you whatever you want." She bent and kissed the petite woman before taking her hand. Together they made their way to the back of the room through a series of doors that led to an outside patio.

"Antonio De Cristo, that was an interesting choice," said a voice Kendal and Piper both recognized before the woman appeared behind them.

"Are you here for a reason, or are you here to play guessing games with me?" asked Kendal.

"I'm not your enemy, Asra, try and remember that. In the coming days you will need as many of us who care about you on your side as you can get. It's why I've assembled the group I did to deliver the Elders' message." Indigo was dressed as Cleopatra, not bothering to try and hide her blonde hair.

"I did their bidding and I'm done. My brother and that unnatural bitch that made him are both dead so what else do they want?"

"Remember, your position is not to question, it is to follow and do the will of the Elders. It is the price of your gift, the same gift they know you've now shared with another," added Lenore. "I came to verify that Indigo has done her job and given you the invitation. At the next full moon you are expected, Asra, and I beg you to comply."

"And if she doesn't?" asked Piper.

"I'm sure she's told you what happens if the sun is taken away from us, Piper. It is the fate of those who disobey." Indigo moved closer and took the small woman's hands in hers and looked into her eyes. They shared something in common, and it was up to both of them to keep Asra whole. "I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am to intrude on you at this moment in your life but I have no choice. It looks as if you are doing well though, am I right?"

"We're doing fine, and I hope these Elder guys don't mind if she brings guests. She's not going alone."

It was then that Indigo saw it, and the sight almost made her drop Piper's hands. "Lenore, come and see."

Piper barely recognized Lenore in the gypsy costume she was wearing but she managed a warm smile when she moved closer. Had it been for Indigo alone the blonde probably wouldn't have been convinced of Kendal's epic survival. This was the woman who had with such conviction not only written Asra's story but also retold it with such fervor you couldn't help but believe.

She was about to ask why the chronicler's face had paled considerably but when Lenore took her hands, Piper's world went instantly black and silent. Almost like a balloon that someone had stuck with a pin she started to go down, only Kendal's quick reflexes kept her from hitting the ground.

"What did you do to her?" Kendal demanded as she cradled the blonde head gently. She had been dazed in battle but never, unless by choice, lost complete consciousness. Seeing Piper do so shocked and scared her nearly senseless.

"You know I'd never harm her, Asra, and you also know the legend as well as I do." Lenore dropped to her knees next to them and ran her hand over Piper's head.

"Do you seriously think the prophecies were waiting for a sarcastic boat builder from New Orleans?" Kendal regretted the flip question as soon as it left her mouth when she felt the hard pinch to her thigh.

"And what the hell is wrong with being a boat builder from New Orleans?" The pinch kicked up a notch. "You think I'm sarcastic?"

"It's the reason I fell in love with you, so I never want to change that about you." Relief flooded Kendal so quickly she came close to collapsing next to Piper. "Are you all right?"

"You have a little explaining to do, but I'm fine." Piper hadn't had enough time to learn all of Kendal's expressions, but the look on her face was bordering on fear. To try and erase it, she brought her hands up and cupped the sides of the strong face. "Are you all right?"

"I'm just worried about you, my love."

Piper pulled her closer wanting a little privacy. "That wasn't supposed to happen was it?"

"No, honey, it wasn't. Did it feel like you fainted?"

"It was more like a current ran up my arms when Lenore touched me."

Indigo and Lenore moved closer, interrupting the whispered conversation. "Then what happened?" Indigo prodded.

"It was weird," Piper replied, her answer loud enough for all of them but her eyes never leaving the woman holding her.

"Elaboration would be good," Indigo countered with a little impatience.

"I love you, but back off," warned Kendal, her tone full of heat.

"It's all right, Kendal," Piper said softly, smiling at her in gentle affection. "I promise I'm fine." She turned to face the other two, knowing they held the answers she needed and wouldn't be afraid to tell her. "I had the most vivid dream ever. It seemed so real but it couldn't have been."

"Why do you think so?" asked Lenore. Her smile had not dimmed and she spoke softly.

"It was about Kendal but from the way she was dressed I shouldn't have a mental reference for that level of detail."

"How was I dressed?" asked Kendal.

"You looked almost like a savage, and you were getting off a large black horse covered in as much armor as you were."

Indigo fell back until her butt hit the cool surface of the patio. "Oh gods."

"Think, love, the sword at my side, what did it look like?" Kendal asked as if fascinated.

"It was a dream, baby, what does it matter?"

"Try and answer her question, Piper. Trust me, it's important." Lenore reached out her hand to touch the blonde again, but pulled back at the last moment.

"It was very different from the ones I've seen you carry, and it was the only thing out of place considering how you looked."

"What does that mean?" asked Indigo.

"While Kendal looked wild, the weapon looked almost beautiful and out of place. The handle was as blue as your eyes and…"

Kendal started talking to finish the description as if not being able to help herself. "The only other color on it was a yellow dragon coiled on the tip. If you looked closely you would see that the eyes of the beast were actually…"

Piper looked at her in disbelief but spoke anyway. "Two perfectly matched sapphires." Confirming the description, Kendal and the others nodded.

"The Sea Serpent Sword, it was and still is one of my favorites," said Kendal.

"Where is it now?" asked Indigo. "Asra, where is it now?" she asked again when the answer didn't come quickly enough.

"It's at Farthington House outside London," she answered. Her legs twitched with an overwhelming urge to pick Piper up and just bolt.

"You have another collection of swords in England?" teased Piper, again trying to defuse the tension building. "How many do you need?"

"I've walked through your closet, darlin', and gotten a look at all your accessories. Don't think about making fun of me," Kendal teased right back, finishing with a kiss to Piper's nose.

"What else did you see, Piper?" asked Lenore.

"Kendal's hair was longer and she wore it down. She was standing on a hillside as if waiting for something to happen." The tone of Piper's voice had taken on an almost trance like quality sucking her audience in even more. "There were troops behind her looking in the same direction as she was, but I couldn't make out what it was they were studying."

"And the day, what did it look like?" asked Lenore softly trying not to interrupt her thoughts.

From her position Kendal pictured the events in her mind. She remembered the nervous energy prickling her skin and the weight of the new gift strapped to her side. The rain, making her leather jerkin squeak with every movement, had been falling for days making her horse shake his massive head to clear his eyes constantly. In the life she had chosen to follow, the warrior was relatively young but already her fighting skills were becoming legendary. No one thought it wise to challenge Erik Wolver no matter how different he looked from the rest of the northern people. The dark head and skin stood out in the sea of fair red heads and blondes.

"It was stormy," continued Piper. "It felt like the thunder crackling around them matched everyone's mood, except Kendal's." In a gesture of curiosity Piper pulled on the ribbon holding her lover's hair back to compare the reality with her dream. "Erik. That was the name you picked in that life wasn't it?"

"Erik Wolver, yes it was," answered Kendal.

"But how would I know that?"

Before she answered, Kendal hugged Piper to her chest. In her heart it was an act of farewell to the innocent Piper she had met. "Your grandparents are inside waiting for us."

"I asked you a question."

Kendal moved to stand, helping Piper to her feet as soon as she did. "And I have every intention of answering it, with help I'm sure," she glanced to their company. "To give you an answer that will satisfy you though will take time." She smiled before kissing the pout that had formed on Piper's soft lips. "You have eternity to contend with, love, so it's a good idea to start practicing patience."

"You aren't always so patient," the blonde reminded her.

"With you, no man or woman would ever learn patience once they tasted," she paused searching for the right word. Kendal cocked her head to one side when a pale brow spiked in question. "A bite of the peach as it were." In a move worthy of the gallant Antonio, Kendal bowed over her hand before kissing the back of it. "You can't blame me for my impatience in that arena, dear lady. I have the longevity of a god just not the willpower of one."

"You never will if I have anything to do with it. There's a whole lot about you to love, Asra, but your hunger has to be one of my favorites." When their kiss ended Piper laughed when she noticed they were alone. "We'll be all right, won't we?"

"I won't lie and tell you the future will always be easy, but you have chosen to spend your life with a warrior. To me that means no matter what the challenge I will meet it head on to keep you safe, so yes, we'll be all right."

"Then dance with me one more time before we get my family home."

Molly and Mac looked on from their table, loving the sight before them on the dance floor. Something had happened since the night began, but if it were possible, Piper looked even more in love, and the older couple weren't the only ones in the place to notice. Mac couldn't stop the tears that filled his eyes as he looked at the woman across the room dressed like Cleopatra.

Her face was wet with tears and her eyes never left his granddaughter and her escort. It hurt him to see the pain written so plainly on the woman's face. In the second it took him to rub his eyes, the woman was gone and only Piper and Kendal's happiness was left.

"May it always be so," he whispered.

************************************************************************

The ride out of the city was quiet and Piper was content to just rest in Kendal's arms as the car sped along the interstate on their way home. Promises of lunch the next day were made as the young couple continued on to Oakgrove after dropping off Molly and Mac. Kendal escorted Piper upstairs where one of the staff helped her out of the costume while her tall partner went back down to talk to their guests.

"How much time do I have before they want to see me?"

"I told you, the next full moon you are expected back. They're angry with you, but I think in light of tonight's developments, they might change their minds about the lecture they planned to deliver," answered Indigo.

"Or they will try to destroy her." The aged brandy burned a little going down, but it tasted good after a night of champagne. "You know as well as anyone that some of them don't want to see change. The world is of their making and they will not accept a young woman like Piper coming into it trying to steer us in a different direction if that is what she sees."

"You must have faith that the life you have led up to now is good for something," added Lenore. "No matter how long some of us have lived, we have seen you consistently pick the good fight even though at times it would have been more prudent to either it sit out or fight for an enemy that would have given you power. Talent like yours hasn't always been used for the betterment of mankind."

"Tell them I'll come, but I will fight anyone who tries to harm Piper. I will pick any side to keep her whole."

"It was our promise to accompany you, but we will retire and leave you the rest of the night for the talk that awaits you. Go to her, Asra, she is waiting for answers." Lenore kissed her cheek before walking to the stairs. If there was one thing Oakgrove didn't lack, it was guestrooms, and the chronicler was anxious to get to her journal.

Now alone with Indigo, Kendal stood to pour herself another drink. For months she had put the past out of her mind, but a large part of it now sat in her house looking at her like their worlds would never be the same.

"Are you happy?"

"Let's not do this," requested Kendal.

"After all we've been through I have a right to know if you're happy."

She tensed at the hands on her shoulders, but Kendal neither shrugged them off nor turned around. "My answer will only bring you pain, and because of what we've been through, it will never be my wish to do that to you." The dark head dropped and she took a deep breath, the hands tightening their hold on her. "I love you, I have for so long now, and you will always be a part of my life."

Piper's hands went up to her mouth in an effort to keep quiet. From her spot from the stairs she could hear every word the two former lovers had exchanged. She was smart enough to know it would take time to erase Indigo from Kendal's mind and her heart, but she never expected to hear the truth so bluntly from her lover.

"But the role we will always have now is that of warrior and watcher. She owns my heart and I love her with all that I am. I see it every time she looks at me, that I've lived all these days waiting for her to come into this world and complete the person I am. If something ever happens to her I don't care to see another sunrise and I will sleep the sleep of the dead."

"You can feel like this in so short of time?"

Kendal finally turned around and stretched to her full height causing Indigo to let go of her and take a step back. "Indigo, you and I both know the most important law of the universe."

"For everything that exists, there exists something else to balance it."

"Correct. For the darkness there is light, for good to exist there must be evil, and for every person there must be another born to balance who they are. It is the only way to achieve balance. Piper is my balance. She is the other half of my soul."

It was then that Piper noticed something different about the room. The picture of Angelina over the main fireplace was gone. In its place was a large landscape she'd admired from the house in Venice, hanging here now in an effort to make her feel at home in a place Kendal had built so long ago.

"My searching is finished. She is my peace as well as my lover."

"I'm sorry to question what you've found, Asra."

"I think you've earned the right to question whatever you see fit," said Piper from the doorway. "You will always be welcomed wherever we are, Indigo. I know the relationship you and Asra share is special and I don't ever want to come between that or go against someone whose life's purpose is to keep my love whole. If in time we could also become friends, I'd like that as well."

"Thank you, Piper." Indigo then turned to Kendal and bowed her head. "You have chosen well, Captain. I'll leave you two alone for the evening."

"How long have you been standing there?" There was no hint of accusation in Kendal's voice, and to Piper she looked incredibly sexy. The white, old style shirt was slightly opened at the neck and it had been pulled out of the leather pants. With her hair still down, Kendal looked like she belonged in the pages of a romance novel.

"Long enough to learn something about myself."

"What's that?" There was nothing but skin under the robe Piper was wearing, Kendal was sure of it.

"That knowing I belong to someone, and I mean completely belong to someone, doesn't mean I lose a part of myself."

"Did you think you would?"

"All my friends who've found love seem to always be making huge sacrifices, so yes I thought I would."

"You should know I belong to you just as completely," Kendal took a step closer.

"Knowing that taught me something else," Piper also took a step forward.

"What might that be?"

"That I've never wanted someone to touch me more than I do at this very moment."

The tie of the robe loosened and Kendal stood her ground, not to make Piper come to her but because she was amazed at the aggressiveness the blonde was displaying along with her beautiful body. Passion between them hadn't been a problem, just a dance that Kendal always initiated.

"I thought you wanted to talk?"

"I do, but why always talk of eternity if you don't mean it?" The robe dropped to the floor, Piper confident that they would not be disturbed no matter where in Kendal's house they ventured. "I want to talk to you but I want you to touch me first. Will you do that for me?"

Kendal made quick work of the distance between them, scooping Piper up into her arms and carrying her to the rug in front of the fireplace. The logs that were burning made popping noises as the blonde laid back and watched Kendal strip naked. Thinking of all that skin stretched out and covering almost every inch of her made Piper wet with the anticipation of it.

It was at times embarrassing to her how much she craved this tall fighter who had lived so many lifetimes, but showing her need only seemed to fuel Kendal's. The long body was flawless in her eyes; the only scars marring the skin were a couple Kendal had gotten as a small child. To Piper it was the elixir's way of reminding her lover of her humanity, a way to keep her grounded.

"Asra," the name was becoming more familiar to Piper.

"What, love?" Kendal came to her, covering Piper but keeping most of her weight off the smaller woman by pressing her hands to the floor.

Piper spread her legs wider to accommodate Kendal, needing some contact in the place she felt getting wetter by the second. "I need you, honey, but I want…"

The words died in her throat as Kendal held her weight up by only one arm, moving her other hand between Piper's legs. Talented fingers spread her open and instantly found the hard point of need. Piper dragged her nails down Kendal's back until she reached her butt, then with her new found strength, she reversed their positions.

What amazed Piper was that even though she was now straddling Kendal, the sexual massage she was getting had never stopped. "I can't let you get too smug, Captain," she teased as she dipped her hand where Kendal most wanted her. "I love that you want to touch me so much, but I want you to crave me. Do you?" The wetness of her lover was confirmation enough but Piper wanted to hear it as well.

"Crave you?" Kendal tilted her hips up so Piper could feel more of her, but the move also drove her fingers into the blonde's slick opening. "Like a hungry man who hasn't eaten in years craves a feast."

Kendal flattened her feet on the ground so she could move with more strength. With every upward thrust her fingers drove further into Piper as the blonde returned the favor with a countering downward stroke. The urge to stop and enjoy what Kendal was doing to her was overwhelming her senses. She could feel the orgasm starting to build, like she was on a wave that was starting to crest, and when it broke it would wash through her like a storm. Piper fought it though, wanting more than anything for them to get to that proverbial shore together.

"Come on, lover, let me hear you," she whispered into Kendal's ear when she bent over her letting their bodies come into closer contact. The move slowed them down a little but Kendal wanted none of that and flipped their positions again.

She moved up a little so Piper wouldn't have to stretch to keep her hand in place, and then started their movement again. Their skin made a slapping noise as it came together and for once Kendal seemed to come back to reality looking down at the smaller woman to make sure she was all right. Sex together had been intense but never anything like this.

"Don't you dare stop," ordered Piper before she bit down on the dark nipple so close to her mouth. "I want to feel you and I want for you to finally make me yours."

It was close to a battle cry that ripped from Kendal's chest loud enough to echo through the house making the others stop whatever they were doing and cock their heads for the moment. Emotions from happiness to jealousy rose as another voice joined the deeper one cementing the fact Asra was not engaged in battle.

"Oh God," said Piper as the intense pleasure started. She couldn't help it, her hand stopped as she got lost in the feeling Kendal had created, but it didn't matter. Their hips were moving in unison bringing the taller woman to the same intense conclusion.

Kendal stopped when she felt the walls of Piper's sex clutch her fingers tight then relax along with the rest of her. She tried keeping herself from falling onto Piper but it was like the blonde had sucked the life out of her and she slumped down, falling a little to the side so she wouldn't crush the air out of her partner. After a minute she was able to reach behind her and grab a soft throw off the sofa near them and covered both of them knowing how much Piper liked to snuggle under the blankets with her whenever they had the opportunity.

"You know something else?" Piper's voice sounded raspy to her own ears.

With gentle fingers Kendal combed back sweat slicked blonde hair from Piper's face and smiled at the woman resting comfortably on her shoulder. "What?"

"I've never felt beautiful and desirable with anyone until I met you. It makes me regret that you weren't my first, so that this would forever be my definition of how it should be with someone you love."

"That is because you never met anyone with the sense the gods gave a goat if they could not see you for who you really are, Piper. But then, I should be thanking the gods that you didn't. The law really frowns on my running my competition through these days if things don't go my way." The teasing remark made Piper laugh and she made herself more comfortable on the broad shoulder she was resting on.

"Flatterer."

"With you and for you, definitely." Kendal tapped the end of Piper's nose.

"I love you and I can't tell you that enough." She sighed and hugged Kendal closer. "Now tell me a story, honey."

"Before I begin, let me ask you something. Have you ever heard of a seer?"

"Is it something like a fortune teller?"

"This isn't one of those guys in the French Quarter, love. You have to realize that some of the fairytales you've heard all your life are, in some cases, not stories at all. Perhaps some have been stretched through time and exaggerated out of proportion, but many of them they are true. You saw first hand what my brother was, and I have a feeling, living with me anyway, that you'll come to see some other things that will be hard to accept as true. I know I did at first."

Piper flattened her hand over Kendal's heart and looked up into the blue eyes. "If you tell me it's true, I'll believe you."

"Thank you for your trust. I promise to never do anything to displace that and have you question me." Kendal placed her hand over Piper's. "First a little history. The immortals that exist now are ruled by the Elders of the Order. Their exact age or the makeup of the Order is known only to those who are in its ranks. Of those I've dealt with in my lifetime, Indigo and Lenore are some of the oldest by my estimates. Lenore's library dates back almost three thousand years, a boon to mankind if the whole thing were ever to be discovered. Then again, it might be best if it weren't."

The blonde chuckled, only guessing after getting to know Kendal's sense of humor, why she would think so. "Why is that?"

"Think of how much it would cost to reprint all the history books in existence today if the truth were to be brought to light. Lenore is an extremely talented writer, but taking flights of fancy to make the story read better just aren't her style." Kendal stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "When I was given the gift, and after my training with Indigo, I was introduced to Lenore. One trained my body to fight the darkness I would spend forever facing, and the other trained my mind…"

"No warrior, no matter how talented, can win every battle, Asra, without a good amount of wit." Lenore walked around the large cavernous room lighting candles as she spoke. "You've been in the desert for years now and I'm guessing Indigo has honed you into something to fear in battle. My hope is you'll give me as much of your attention during our time together."

"I promise to do my best." Asra was still looking down at the strange clothes she'd been given to wear. The leather hid a lot of the tanned skinned she'd achieved working with Indigo in only her loincloth in the hot sun.

"Even if my hips aren't as enticing to watch when I walk, let's hope that's true," teased Lenore as she took a seat across from her new student. With a wave of her hand, one of the servants brought out tea and a tray of sweet cakes.

Despite her age, Asra blushed at the innuendo. "I'll try and keep myself in check."

For months they covered the history of the world, centering on the stories Asra had never heard as a child. The world she had lived in as a mortal had never contained any of the creatures and spirits that were found in the pages of Lenore's books, not until the day she'd come home to find her father and their entire household staff ripped to shreds. With Indigo she'd learned the defensive moves to protect herself and ultimately defeat her enemy. With Lenore she learned what to look for and what made them tick. Every weakness and every thing ever learned about any evil that would tilt the fate of mankind was found in her library.

Months after that, the wise immortal gave her a quick lesson on the Elders and the rules Asra now had to live by. At first it was easy since it didn't differ much from her life as a soldier in Ramses' army. Her job now was to fight on command and destroy any target the Elders sent her after.

It was just before Asra was to leave Lenore's company that she found the book with no title. It was full of passages signed only by Bruik.

"Who was Bruik?" asked Piper. "It sounds more like a car than a person."

"You remind me so much of a younger me." Kendal laughed and pinched the skin of Piper's bottom. "I interrupted so much in all our lessons, I thought I'd drive poor Lenore insane."

"Why doesn't this one have a name?" Asra held up the book and waved it in Lenore's direction.

"It needs no name and it needs to go back on the shelf where you found it." It was the first time a reprimand of that sort had come from the woman whose life revolved around the written word.

"Why?"

"Bruik is an Elder, one of the first is my guess, and those are his thoughts."

Asra put it back but the conversation wasn't over. "If he wanted to keep his thoughts private, he wouldn't have given you his journal."

"Indigo was right about you."

Asra chose the pillows by the roaring fire and held her hand up to help Lenore to her seat beside her. "In what respect?"

"You are relentless once something intrigues you, am I right? If I don't give you the answer you seek, you'll talk circles around me until I tell you."

"Then save yourself the trouble and tell me," joked Asra.

"Bruik is our seer. When he has a new prophecy for the future, one of his servants brings it to me for recording. So while these are his thoughts, or more precisely, his visions of the future, they are not entirely private. Only those who have some idea of what to do with them though are given the privilege of reading them. After all, you wouldn't want to know all the things that are going to happen would you?"

Ready to move on to a new topic of discussion, it was the question that caught her attention. "I've never pressed you for anything, Lenore, but tell me, are any of his visions of me?"

"I can't tell you that."

Asra reached for her hand when the woman went to stand and move away. "You can't or you won't? If our time together has shown you one thing about me, it's that you can trust me." She let the teacher go, but only to move her hand to cup the woman's cheek. "Tell me."

"You will spend years roaming the world fighting where you are sent, and in some cases where you see a need, because that is your nature. Some see the world for what they can get out of it and others see it for the good that can be achieved for all that live. Your fate is in the latter. Always the good fight is what will be written about you, Asra, of that I have every faith."

Not understanding the reaction, Asra wiped away Lenore's tears and pulled the woman to her chest. "Stop if you really can't tell me the rest. I mean to cause you no discomfort on my behalf."

"The day will come, my friend, when you will find someone who you will at first consider to be a worthy adversary, but in reality she will be your balance. Once that day comes to pass, and no matter the cost to you and your standing in the Order, you will defy the Elders and give the gift of eternal life. When you do, you will bring to us a new more powerful seer, but it will not be you who awakens her."

"Who does?"

"Love will find her, but it will take the touch of another like you to awaken her to her potential."

Asra pulled Lenore a little away from her so she could see her face. "And how will I know?"

"The gift will never change the color of her eyes. For you and I and all the others, the elixir of life resides in the eyes. From the blue of the cup to the blue that will forever chronicle time is how it has been." It was Lenore who touched Asra this time. "The elixir will not be the same for her though. It will reside in her heart and in her mind, her eyes will stay the color of clover."

"And what will she mean to me?"

"Simple, Asra, she will be your reason for living."

The green eyes the prophecy spoke of were closed and Piper ran her hand slowly over Kendal's chest. For once, no matter how her life had changed after meeting Kendal, she didn't believe what the tall woman was telling her. At first she didn't believe the whole immortality thing because her eye color hadn't changed, but the sleep or lack of it had changed her mind. This though was too much.

"Do you think it's just because the elixir didn't work on me?" That had been the first time she'd voiced the greatest of her fears. To have Kendal live on without her and not knowing if fate would ever bring them together again preyed on her mind.

"I have every confidence that you are no different from me, Piper. At first I had my doubts in Bruik's writings, but not in that you won't share your life with me for a long time to come."

"Why did you?"

The picture over the mantle was gone but there was still a trace of Angelina's ghost in the house. "Because I stopped believing after what happened to Angelina. She was given the gift of immortality and kept her green eyes, but even if she'd lived out the night, I doubt she would have been much help in the realm of prophecy. Her visions would have centered around the evil her life would've become."

"So in a way you felt as if she was the love you sought."

"Not at all," there was doubt in Piper's eyes when she opened them so Kendal went on to clarify her point. "The way I interpreted what he wrote was exactly how he put it, but not in the way you understand it. Love would find her, was the first part, and it was love I felt for her, but my brother mistook my feelings as being deeper than they were and stole her away from me. The last part was that another would awaken her and that in my mind came to pass as well. It was Henri who awakened Angelina not me. His gift would have given her an eternal life just as if I'd mixed the elixir. Once the night was over and I had to clean up the aftermath of what happened, I never thought of the prophecy again. Bruik's vision had come to pass as far as I was concerned."

"And now?"

"I have found my love, my balance and my other half just like he said. Tonight it was Lenore's touch that awoke the part of your mind that will see far into the future if that is what you choose."

"And if I don't?
Kendal kissed her forehead and wished she knew the answer to that. "Then we'll be boat builders or makers of wine if that is what we choose, but I won't have anyone force you into a life you're not happy with."

"And if I do?"

This time the question made Kendal laugh. "Then I suppose you'll always know when I'm doing something I shouldn't be doing."

"And you'll love me no matter my choice?"

"Until the day even we have no more tomorrows to look forward to, and even then I'm positive I'll love you beyond that."

They lay quietly after that waiting for the sun to come up as the fire continued to burn in the hearth. Upstairs Lenore went to Indigo's room to invite her out for a morning walk. After the previous night's happenings, it was more important than ever to pull their forces together to protect Piper and Asra from the faction of dissenting Elders that was becoming more powerful by the day.

With her hand on the knob of the blonde's room Lenore cocked her head listening for any noise from the room where the young couple still lay together. "I pray you forgive me for not telling you the rest of Bruik's vision, Asra, but it was for your own protection. Our job now is to go where Piper leads us before it is too late for all mankind."

Continued in Chapter 2

Comments to: terrali20@yahoo.com

The Athenaeum's Scroll Archive

~ Things That Terrify Me the Most ~
by Ali Vali

Disclaimers: See Part 1

Sit back and enjoy the story, any comments can be sent to me at terrali20@yahoo.com.

Things That Terrify Me the Most
by
Ali Vali

Chapter 2

The sun fought its way through a veil of fog, painting the outside of Indigo's window with pale hues of pink. Though her body would never become weary or feel fatigue, her mind felt tired from the onslaught of thoughts she'd grappled with all night. This truly was the calm before the storm that was becoming more and more inevitable.

In the hall she heard Lenore whisper something but she couldn't make out the words. "Well?" she asked when the door opened and her old friend appeared.

"From the sound of it, it might be difficult to get them to concentrate on anything other than finding a warm place to lie down."

The comment made the blonde laugh, relaxing her just a little. "From the sound of it, they might not need any flat surfaces. Then again, heat or the creation of it in other people has never been Asra's problem."

"What is?" A dark brow climbed just a tad on Lenore's face as she tried to ignore the slight tint of jealousy in Indigo's comment.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," answered the woman who knew Asra so well. "Come on, Lenore, let's leave them to the afterglow a while longer. We have a lot to talk about and we still have to recruit Charlie."

Memories of the house's past inhabitants looked down on them as they made their way down the stairs. "That won't be a problem will it? Unless there's something you're not telling me."

"It won't be a problem, I've just learned politeness in my old age," teased Indigo. "One gets better results when you ask instead of demanding."

"And the rest? We need more than Charlie to turn the odds, or at least balance them, in our favor. History dictates that most follow the side that will keep things as they are. No one wants change, especially if it affects them in any way."

"I've gone to the ones I trust first." They had reached the top of the levee across from the house and Indigo stopped to stare at the muddy churning waters of the Mississippi." It's not enough, but we can't chance someone finding out too early. If we put our trust in someone who will act as a spy we might as well bury ourselves in that deep dark hole now."

"How many?" Lenore stared out at the water as well. She sent up a silent prayer that she would be free to return to the city she now called home when their job was done. In a country so new, New Orleans had an old feel about it that she loved and wanted to experience more of.

"Five, once we talk to Charlie."

"Is it enough?"

"I honestly don't know, but once we add Asra to the mix, it might just be. If Bruik's visions were correct, she would fight Satan himself to keep Piper safe. Especially if she's on the verge of getting everything she ever wanted and never thought she'd have."

The librarian looked back to the house and in her mind's eye could see Asra holding the woman she loved. "Promise me you'll put as much effort into this as she will."

"I love her, Lenore, but I'm happy she has Piper. I promise I'll be ready when the time comes. Let's just hope she's ready to leave soon, there's a lot to be done before we return home to the Elders."

"It's not exactly a trip I'm looking forward to. You'd think that living so long would have taught them something more than just repeating old mistakes." She let out a disgusted sounding breath as her head bowed almost in defeat.

"Like you said, they don't like change, but I think it's more than that. They're afraid for what they did and what will come of it. In some cases they learned too late that immortality wasn't just given to those who use the gift to improve mankind. It was also given to the nightwalkers and their like to corrupt and spread evil. Sometimes a force like that can be found in your own house." Gently she put two fingers under Lenore's chin and lifted her head so she could see her eyes. "They should have listened to you then, and I'm hoping they learned that lesson well, and listen to you this time around."

"Hopes and prayers sometimes only bring grief as an answer."

"And sometimes they bring great big surprises like a brave young warrior named Asra. We were supposed to be her teachers, but you know something?"

Lenore took the hand Indigo was offering and they started back to the house. "What's that?" The change in the conversation was improving Indigo's mood and it showed in her step.

"I think she has taught us more in return than all the others combined. In my time with her I've come to places like this and wondered if all the days we gave her with the elixir had started to make her mad. I mean why waste all the years building something like this if there was no point to it? She couldn't stay on for years and enjoy the fruits of her labor as it were."

With a slight squeeze of her hand, Lenore smiled before asking, "And what's your opinion of that now."

"That she's wiser than I gave her credit for." A finger came up and pointed to the expanse of land Kendal still owned. Careful planning and foresight had kept Oakgrove fairly intact over the years, the ownership passing from one carefully made up identity to the next. "She built it and I see now she is enjoying the fruits of those labors. All the houses give her a sense of herself and a safe haven to come back to when she needs that place of belongingness. It's funny that this one in particular was the one I didn't visit until it came to mean something more to her."

"That's because it's the one place that didn't need the competition of too many memories of past loves."

The blonde scrunched her brows together in a look of confusion. "What about Angelina?"

"Because of what happened, Angelina will never be as an important a part of Asra's life as you are. I'm not saying the young woman wasn't important to her, but what the two of you shared goes deeper and much further back than what they would've had together." Lenore stopped them as they got to the road making Indigo look up at her. "You have to do your best to assure Piper your feelings are just that. Something that was, and now is, nothing more than one friend caring for another."

"Have you so little faith in me?"

"I'm not the one who said Asra's problem is creating heat in others." Indigo opened her mouth to respond but Lenore went on. "Please don't think I'm judging you or that I have no faith in you. I just want to give this a chance with the fewest number of obstacles in the way. I have every faith in you, Indigo, and I hope when all this is done you find the same things our pupil has found."

Indigo sighed, her shoulders slumping a little. "There is no peace for me, it's something I've come to accept."

"I may be just a woman interested in books, warrior, but I know a little about life as well. Peace will find you when you stop looking for it and just start believing in it."

************************************************************************

Still wrapped in the blanket Kendal had draped over them, Piper was happy to just be held for the moment, but her lover could see she was lost in thought. "Is something wrong?" asked Kendal.

"Where is it exactly that we're going to meet these people who want to see you?"

"The Elders' compound is found in Egypt. There are older civilizations, but that one ranks up there and it is where they feel the most comfortable, but I think it might be prudent to stop in London first."

Piper moved so that she was lying completely on top of Kendal. She wanted to see her face and feel the comfortable heat beneath her. "Why?"

In a now familiar gesture between them, Kendal brushed back some of the blonde hair affectionately before answering. "The sword you saw in your vision last night has a story of its own and it might be important. After all I own more than four thousand of the suckers and you narrowed it down to one. Don't you think that deserves some investigation on our part?"

"How long do you think this will take?"

"Honey, if you really don't want to go, you can stay here. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Quickly Piper put her hands on Kendal's face wanting to center the taller woman's attention. "I'm not asking because I want you gone from me, I'm asking because I have to come up with something to tell my grandparents. We just got back from Venice and now we have to leave again, but I want to go. I trust you but you have to admit you have a certain something other people have a hard time resisting. I'd feel better if I was within hitting distance should that happen again in the near future."

"You're planning on hitting me every time a woman talks to me?"

Piper's hands softly slapped Kendal's cheeks before the blonde squeezed them together. "I'm thinking it would be better if I was there hitting anyone who's hitting on you." The joking faded away then as if Piper thought of something else. "Do you think it'll take us away from them for a long time?"

The logical part of her mind that had made Kendal such a good soldier told her to leave it alone. Mac and Molly Dupont had distraction and complications written all over them, but her heart looked into the pain filled eyes above her and she willingly complicated her life. "Go and tell them I have business in London then Egypt and if they want they can come along. If they like, they can stay at Farthington House while we continue on the next leg of the trip."

"Really?"

"Yes, but there'll be some things that will be hard to explain. How open minded are they?"

"With long explanations they're willing to accept everything about me." There was a slight smile playing on her lips as she said it so Kendal wouldn't think she was just being difficult.

"Long explanations won't always be possible, love. These past years have been a rarity for me in that I've continued the Mackey name for more than one generation and I've stayed in one country for the most part for more than fifty years. The houses around the world aren't to show off my wealth, but to have some place to retreat to when the people in the area have forgotten about the last mistress or master of the property."

Piper kissed her one last time before moving to sit up. The blanket fell away bathing her body in the now gray light coming from the French doors all along the back of the room. Even as she talked to Kendal the memories of what her mind had shown her the night before became clearer and there was still a lot to discuss about that. Her grandparents, what they needed to know and worrying about it would have to wait.

"Will you show me the sword room?" asked Piper.

"I'll show you whatever you want."

She looked at their current state of undress and smiled at the still prone woman looking up at her. "Think we can sneak upstairs before anyone sees us?"

With cat like grace Kendal was on her feet in a second and walked toward the door. "We could but unless my guess is way off we won't have to." She opened the door a crack and looked out to make sure none of the household staff was milling about before waving Piper over. "The people who work for me, or I should say us, have an uncanny ability to meet needs without being asked." At their feet were two robes neatly folded and a tray with coffee and a basket of croissants. "Shall we? There were a couple of chairs in there last time I looked." Kendal helped Piper on with the robe and picked up the tray when she had donned her own. "Can I ask why the sudden interest in my long time interest?"

"It's like you said last night, you own thousands of these things but I zeroed in on one. One I might add that I've never laid eyes on and it's driving me a little crazy trying to figure out why that is." Piper snuck one of the pieces of bread off the tray and took a bite. "Maybe if I'm surrounded by sharp pointy things it might give me a clue."

The room was almost at the center of the first floor of the house and the door was the only one with a keypad to the right that required an access code to gain entrance. When the blonde looked closer it wasn't numbers covering the pad but hieroglyphics. "We'll start on your lessons soon I promise, but for now trust me the code is 'May the power of Isis be with me and keep me from harm.'"

"You don't trust the staff?" tweaked Piper.

"The staff I trust, but there are some who would like to see me defenseless. Nothing gives you the advantage in a fight better than an unarmed opponent."

When the lights came on it was like stepping into a museum and Piper walked to the middle before saying anything. There were, as Kendal had described, a couple of chairs with a small table between them towards the center, but aside from that there was also a fascinating collection of weapons adorning the room. They were well cared for but all of them held the nicks and scratches that came from obvious use and at once Piper's thoughts turned to the woman who had wielded them. How many creatures like Henri and Ora had died at the end of Kendal's blades?

"I know Lenore has done an admirable job of recording some of my adventures through the years, but to me - this is my history." She put the tray down and waved a hand around the room. "Each of them has a story to tell, a memory of how it came into my possession and what battles were fought with it." The wonderful aroma of coffee filled the room as Kendal poured two cups, causing Piper to come closer and take a seat. "It's funny that in this day and age the battles I fight outside the board room are fought with what today's military would consider rudimentary methods. Yet, vampires and the like do not react in the conventional ways to bullets and the modern tools of war."

"Tell me about the Sea Serpent Sword."

"How much world history are you familiar with?" Kendal was always so straightforward with her questions, Piper never felt she was questioning her intelligence.

"How much detail are we talking?"

"Blocks of specific time, which in turn affected other eras because of the actions of a few."

"Enlighten me, love."

"In the year 406 a great strategist and leader was born," started Kendal. She stretched her feet out in front of her and tore one of the croissants in half. "The world would never forget the greatest King of the Huns to ever live, and during his reign, Attila came this close to ruling the world," she held her fingers close together before taking a bite of bread.

"The vision you had last night took place on a specific afternoon during that time. The men mounted behind me were a group that had traveled with me for months. The world would eventually come to know them as the Vikings."

"Sire, shall we move on?" Erik didn't take her eyes off the field when the youngest of her men asked the question. The tall warrior with the stunning blue eyes had been on a quest to find a homeland for them to settle in. The urge to fight was in their blood, but some of the men wanted to be farmers and family men as well, so they followed the stranger who had befriended them with unwavering faith. To them Erik was a man who had lost his family and wanted to find a place to be at peace surrounded by others who cared for him.

"The stories are true then. Where are you, Julius," whispered Erik as she watched the Huns move about outside their tents relaxing before the battle to come.

"Sire?"

"Just talking to myself, Leif, nothing to worry about. Have the men find a good place to camp nearby, but stay clear of both the Huns and Romans. This isn't our fight and I want to keep it that way if we can."

The largest tent toward the back of the Hun encampment stayed silent, with the flap closed. As much as Erik wanted to see the great man himself, she moved no closer just yet. A man like Attila was born with some talent for the art of war but someone had been coaching him along and it was time to see if the rumors were true. The Elders seldom got involved in the affairs of men, but even a man with the ability to live forever at times came to crave power.

They had only met on a few occasions when the Order was called together for whatever reason, but Asra remembered the look in the man's eyes and from across the field it was a memory come to life. This Elder had an arrogance about him that was hard to forget. He stood on the slope of the hill looking out at the Romans as if he were moving chess pieces on a board in his mind. What Erik didn't know, was what he hoped to accomplish by giving such power to just one man. Would Attila become his puppet when it was all said and done?

"Leif, stay with the others and make sure they follow orders. Take my horse with you and I'll find you as soon as I'm done." The tall blond fighter was Erik's second in command and usually followed directions without problem, but she was now looking at a scowl forming on his forehead. "Is there a problem?"

"Why not take me with you? If you plan to put yourself in harms way then let me go along to watch your back."

"Don't worry, my friend, unlike you and the others, I've had my fill of fighting the unnecessary battles. I'm just going to see a man about some news." She patted his shoulder and started for the trees. Once out of sight, Asra started running to make quick work of the distance between her and the other immortal a few miles away.

Julius stood on the hill looking at the opponent and could almost smell the fear in them. With the conquests they had made already, Attila had amassed an army of close to 700,000 men, outnumbering the Roman legions by not quite two to one. Had it been the other way around he still wouldn't be concerned since in all his years Julius had never seen men fight with the cruel passion of the Huns. Once this campaign was over, they would move on to Rome and the world would then bow at Attila's feet.

"It's been a long time."

There had been nothing to announce her presence and Julius swung around to find her standing casually, much closer than anyone should have been able to come. "What are you doing here?"

"Call it curiosity, but I wanted to come and ask you the same thing. What do you have to gain by all of this," answered Asra pointing to the camp behind them, then to the Romans.

"You will find that it's best to just do as you're told and keep your nose out of business that doesn't concern you," he warned, taking a step closer to her. "I'm an Elder, Asra, don't forget that."

"I'm here on behalf of the other Elders who would also like to know what you're stake in all this is." It was a gamble, but she was willing to take the chance. If he was there at the Elder's request there was no way for her to interfere without being severely punished.

"The others have turned into old men, forever trapped in the bodies of their youth. This is my chance to shape the world into what it should be and I'm not about to let one of their minions stop me."

"How, by letting this savage rule from a throne of fear?"

He laughed as he walked a circle around her, smirking when she didn't follow his movements. With a quickness that would have surprised any mere mortal, Julius drew his sword and brought it down in the direction of her head. "You should never let your enemy…"

"Catch you with your guard down," she finished for him as her sword came up to meet his. The clank of metal drew the attention of some of the Huns nearby but none of them interfered in the altercation. "I'm a minion as you say, Julius, but never mistake that for weakness."

He put more pressure on his sword and tried to move her. "You may play a man really well, but you shall never best one of my caliber."

With a flick of her wrist his sword landed a few feet behind him. "Go home to your books and your pets, Elder, and leave the ruling of the world to fate. It might not be perfect, but it's the best we can hope for. Our job is to fight when we are needed, not for personal gain."

"Are you good enough to take all of us on?" He motioned for the men looking on to come forward.

"No need, if the rules allow for interference, then so be it." Erik lowered the sword and smiled, further irritating the man before her.

The coffee in Piper's cup was now cold from having been forgotten during Kendal's story. "You met Attila the Hun?"

"Not really. I was more the thorn in his side that eventually led to his downfall." Kendal stood to accept the new tray of goodies from the man at the door. She bowed and thanked him in Japanese before turning her attention back to Piper. "I would've ridden on and left the battle to fate had Attila achieved all he did by his own merit, but in this case I had no choice."

"Not to change the subject, but will I ever read about you in any history book not written by Lenore?"

"I was made to fight things people don't believe in except in ghost stories. My job ends there, sweetheart, so I'm sorry to disappoint you. There haven't been many times I've had to get involved like I did in this case, so I left the glory to those who deserved it." She poured two fresh cups of the dark strong brew she preferred and retook her seat. "The thing most people don't realize, but the world is learning again in our time, is that the fighting is easy. With enough of a force you can go in and crush a weaker opponent, but it's the aftermath that's the quagmire no one expects. History belongs to those willing to fix what is broken with whatever society they enter."

"But they aren't always successful. Sometimes tyrants go in and crush the opposition and rule the defeated with a cruel hand."

"You're right, things aren't always fair and that's the beauty, or perhaps the downfall of history. It is destined to repeat itself more than I care for, especially down the path that proves to be wrong. To win peace, you must be better than what they've known, and even then it's no guarantee. But enough political talk, allow me to answer your question."

The oil lamps fluttered when the tent flap went up causing the Roman to jump toward his sword. The man who had been sitting at the small desk with a quill in his hand stood so quickly he knocked over the stool he'd been using. None of his men would dare enter without announcing themselves. "Excuse my rudeness, General, but I thought we should talk before you lead your men into slaughter."

"Who are you?"

"I'm not a Hun here to kill you, if that's what you're worried about. I come as an interested bystander trying to right a few wrongs." Erik put her hands up and smiled trying to put the man at ease. "Let's just say the world would not benefit from the downfall of Rome so I've come to offer advice."

Aspar lowered his weapon but didn't put it down. "What would you have to gain from defeating Attila?"

"Your favor perhaps if that's what I sought, but I seek nothing in return, you have my word." She bowed her head only slightly indicting the two chairs near the pallet. "It's your choice, General, but it's getting late and we have much to discuss."

"Why should I trust you?"

"I had a teacher once who told me to trust no man, even if you knew him well, because none of us can know what is in another man's heart."

The Roman dropped his sword on the pallet and took a seat next to the warrior laughing like he wasn't facing certain death in the morning. "So your advice is not to trust you? Interesting strategy."

"My advice is to listen to what I'm going to tell you. When I'm done, then only you will know what's in your heart and can guess what was in mine for telling you what I know." When Erik was finished with his assessment of Attila and his forces, the Roman general dropped his arms heavily to the sides of his chair. All the scheming he had done up to that point would not be enough to keep the Hun out of Rome.

"It's true then that he carries the sword of the god Mars as well as his favor?" He watched as Erik poured them both a cup of wine.

"No man carries that much favor with the gods, so erase that notion from your mind." She handed Aspar a cup of wine and reclaimed her seat. Before taking her leave, Asra planted a seed of her own, which with time would bear fruit. The Roman listened, liking what the visitor was proposing and seeing it as a possibility to carry out the stranger's wishes. "Good luck tomorrow, General. May the gods show you and your men favor."

"Will I see you again?"

"Perhaps. If not, take care and know that you have an ally watching your back if need be." Erik waved before disappearing back into the night.

A voice surprised Erik as she reentered the trees on her way back to her men. "You are wrong, soldier."

How an old woman with such curved bones could move with such silence surprised her. "About what, dear lady?"

"The favor of the gods. At times they do bestow such gifts on the willing. Surely one such as yourself could believe that."

Asra moved closer and tried to figure out if they had met before by getting a better look at the woman's face. "The luck the Hun King has enjoyed has nothing to do with the favor of the gods, so I must disagree with you in this instance. Trust me there is no divine intervention afoot."

The old woman reached into the folds of her cloak and removed something wrapped in old rags. "What if I told you I could gift you with a sword that is blessed by the gods?"

One of the guards from the Roman camp cocked his head in their direction when he thought he heard someone laughing. To save herself from having to deal with him Asra tried to control her humor. "If such a thing exists, why not keep it for yourself?"

"I'm no fighter, Erik the Wolf." It was a nickname her current followers had given Asra. "The one to own this sword must be pure of heart and I'm not that either."

"It's only an honest woman who admits not being pure of heart, so tell me what makes you not so?" Asra had moved close enough to see the withered tanned face saving her question of how the woman knew her name for later. Her clothes and jewelry were in keeping with one of the local tribes that had aligned themselves with the Romans.

"I don't have the time to redeem the misdeeds from my youth, while you have all the time in the world." The hand not holding the package shot out keeping Asra from bolting when it looked like she would. "I saw you in my dreams, only I thought you'd come sooner. The gods have blessed me enough to spare me what little life I have left until I set eyes upon you."

"How do you know so much about me?"

"I mean you no harm, Erik, I swear this in my heart. My purpose here is only to only give you a gift. If you accept I ask just one thing from you in return."

With a slight bow, Erik swept her hand toward the darkness of the forest wanting to continue their talk, just not so close to the sentries the Romans had posted. "Life has taught me everything comes with a price, dear lady, and I expect this will be no different." The old woman smiled as if enjoying the charm of the tall gallant looking warrior who treated her like a maiden to be wooed. "But tell me, who are you really?" Erik asked again. The old woman still hadn't volunteered that information and the grip she had on Erik's elbow was surprising for one who looked so frail.

"In good time, warrior, first I want to know if you'll accept my gift." She tapped the rag-covered item against the tall woman's leg and let out a soft cackling laugh. "You shall never come to regret it, I promise that as well."

"Tell me what you want from me and I'll give you an answer."

"I believe we desire the same things, so it benefits us both to work together, just as you told the esteemed general. The world will not benefit from someone like Attila, so I ask that you fight or do whatever is necessary to keep that from happening."

"And in return you'll give me a sword blessed by the gods?"

The old woman pulled them to a stop in the deepest part of the forest but strangely Asra could still make out her face. "That is my bargain and I need your answer."

"Keep your sword, my lady, I've made my promise to Aspar and my conscience already. If the Hun chooses to fight tomorrow, it will be the beginning of the end for him." It was hard to pinpoint, but Asra could see this woman was not all that she seemed. Up to then that phrase had been just a cliché like so many, but the blue eyes that regarded her so seriously looked as if they didn't belong to the tired old body. The orbs held a vibrancy and fire that made Asra feel as if the woman could see into her very soul.

"The Visigoths are just beyond that hill," the woman let go of Asra and pointed to a place not far from where the Romans had made camp. "Come the morn they will gain much but sacrifice more. What say you to that?"

"I'm sure that's going to be the case but it will be no different than any other battle they've ever fought. A day will come hopefully when mankind will lose the instinct to conqueror by force, but we both know that day will be long in coming." The witching hour was close and Asra needed to get back to her men. "Will you allow me to see you home?"

"What of my gift?" The wrapped bundle came into view when she held it up with both hands.

"Keep it, for the one you seek who is pure of heart."

"Of course, warrior. Go to your men, for tomorrow will be long for all of us." She smiled before moving closer to the tall woman and touching her cheek. "May the gods keep you safe for the years you must face alone but always keep your faith, warrior. There will come a day when your seeking will come to an end and you will be rewarded for your gallant deeds."

Asra closed her eyes at the feel of soft fingers on her cheek. When she opened them again the woman was gone and there was no trace of her in the trees. For a second Asra questioned her sanity, thinking her mind had conjured the old woman up. After shaking her head to clear her mind, she let out a soft birdcall into the night. When it was returned she headed in the direction of her camp. Tomorrow would be their day to sit and watch, and if needs be, turn the tides of war in favor of the lesser evil.

"The lesser evil?" asked Piper.

"The Huns were known for their savagery, but the Romans for all their civility had a taste for war and conquering all the same. It was the excesses of their leaders that led them to the fall of the Empire and the dark ages. That unforgettable time in history came just a generation after Attila and the Romans faced off."

"Did you really see that old woman, or did you slip off into la-la land there for a brief interlude?"

"What a funny girl you are," Kendal reached over and tweaked Piper's nose. "I found my way to where Leif and the others had made camp and told them what I knew, or what they needed to know. We would watch, and if the battle started to turn in favor of the Huns, we would interfere on the Roman and Visigoths' behalf."

"But what about the woman?" Piper asked almost in a whine.

"Get some rest, Leif, and tell the men to do so as well. These opponents are drawn as tight as bow strings so I doubt they will bother with us."

"As you wish, sire."

With no guards milling about, the camp fell silent for the rest of the night. Asra had doused the flame of the lamp in her tent and was sitting on her bedroll enjoying a cup of wine. She thinking about the coming day and trying to figure out what piece her mind was missing to have it all make sense. As she brought the copper cup to her mouth, the flap of the small tent opened and a woman stepped in. Just as in the forest with the old woman, Asra didn't need light to see this woman's face. Only this time she looked upon beauty that was flawless from her blonde hair to the tips of her toes encased in delicate sandals.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an hour before the woman smiled and turned to tie the flap closed. "Tell me, warrior, why do you not seem surprised to see me?"

"Tonight has been a night of surprises so forgive my rudeness," she watched the woman as she turned back around and took a step closer. "I am Erik Wolver," she was about to elaborate when the woman knelt at her side and pressed her fingers to her lips.

"I know who you are, Erik, so save your words."

"Might I inquire who you are then?" The question was muffled against the fingers still pressed to Asra's mouth.

"I need no name to give you that which you deserve."

Kendal looked up before Piper could interrupt again. "I would tell you the rest of that story but I'm sitting in a room full of swords and I just had the carpets cleaned," the joke gave the blonde a hint as to what had happened in that tent long ago.

"I'm glad to see you don't kiss and tell," Piper teased back. "But you are going to have to tell me something."

"This woman came to me as if someone had paid her handsomely to pleasure me into exhaustion. My only guess as to why was that someone wanted me out of commission for battle the next day, not knowing it would never happen."

As the dawn started to break Asra stretched out and pretended to close her eyes in peaceful slumber to see what the woman would do. If she was an assassin sent by the Huns this would be when she made her move. She was about to sit up and snap the woman's neck, when she could see through her slitted eyes that the woman was kneeling next to her not moving. Asra mistook the posture for someone getting ready to bring down a dagger into her chest, but what she felt instead was the woman's finger along her lower right abdomen right above her thigh.

The woman chanted as her finger moved methodically over Asra's skin in a language the immortal didn't understand. It felt like heaven to the warrior, the soft touch combined with the musical voice, Asra never wanted it to end. Not feeling any sense of danger in the woman's presence, she closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling. Too soon the chanting stopped and the finger stopped its drawing. Gently the woman placed her hand over Kendal's heart and spoke so the immortal would understand her.

"One day ask for the story of the Sea Serpent to find your destiny, warrior. Until that day, wear my mark as a sign so the sword will uncoil its real power. When that day comes to pass, and you choose wisely, your life will change forever. Take care and know that I will always look over you and those you love."

"When I opened my eyes she was gone and for the second time in less than six hours I questioned my sanity, since I felt like I'd just awoken from a stupor. There was just one thing I wish I would've looked at sooner."

Piper stood up and moved closer to Kendal to offer support. "What's that, my love?"

"I've never admitted this to anyone, because I really thought I had gone a little mad, but when I opened my eyes and tried to focus on my surroundings I could've sworn I saw…"

Not knowing why Kendal stopped talking Piper put her hands on the taller woman's thighs and rubbed them gently. "I know you and no matter what happened it wasn't because you were crazy. You said so yourself earlier, there are things in your world most people wouldn't understand, so tell me what you saw. I promise I'll believe you."

Kendal opened her robe and pointed to the spot where the woman had spent so much time running her finger along her skin. "There was a vivid tattoo of a dragon right here and it faded right before my eyes. All I could think of was that she was a witch from one of the nearby tribes sent to curse me somehow, but deep down it didn't feel like that. When I sat up, there next to me was the Sea Serpent Sword. The dragon coiled on the end was an exact match of the tattoo that had faded from my hip."

"Did she ever come to you again?"

The dark head shook in the negative and Kendal pulled Piper up off the floor. "I never saw her again and I wore that sword in the battle the next day. With our help, the Huns weren't exactly defeated but were turned back to fight what they thought would be a spring campaign. Attila died that winter and no one else in his ranks was strong enough to hold his empire together. It was the morning after my time with her that you saw in your vision last night."

"Lucky for you I only saw the morning after."

"Lucky how?" asked Kendal.

"It would've been hard to explain why Erik the Wolf was sporting a black eye this morning," joked Piper before pinching a conveniently placed nipple. "There's only one thing to do now."

"Take a shower?"

"After that I meant."

"Find out how comfortable the sheets are upstairs?" The question earned Kendal another pinch to her nipple.

"What a one track mind you have." Piper stood and pulled her partner up from her chair. "Keep that thought for later, but for now we need to find a certain librarian and ask her about a story."

************************************************************************

The story telling was delayed when they found Piper's grandparents in the sitting room having coffee when they came down. They were having a great time talking to Lenore and Indigo, sharing gossip from the night before. When they saw Piper and Kendal, Molly insisted on getting a tour, and by lunch their travel plans were set for the following day. What had been a quest for a story was soon forgotten in the packing and preparation for a flight to London.

It was like a dream to Piper when the car pulled off the main road late the next afternoon and drove almost ten miles before Farthington House came into view. The estate was breathtaking in its grandeur, enhanced by the formal gardens that surrounded it. There were four servants ready to welcome them and take their bags when the cars came to a stop, all of them bowing to Kendal when she stepped out first.

"Welcome back, sire, I hope your journey was a good one." The man wearing a thick black silk jacket bowed to Kendal again greeting her in his native language.

"Thank you, Ming, it's good to be back despite the rain and the damp," answered Kendal as she returned the bow. "I hope you received my message and prepared for all our guests."

"We shall see to their every comfort, sire, clear your mind of any worry along those lines. Their opinion of you won't change when they head home," he smiled up at her then looked to Piper.

"Piper, I'd like to introduce you to Ming Li the head of the household here at Farthington. Ming, this is Piper Dupont, the new lady of Farthington."

His English accent was impeccable when he took Piper's hand and bowed deeply over it. "It's my highest honor to meet you, Ms. Dupont. The staff and I look forward to serving you in any way we can."

"Thank you so much, but please, call me Piper."

The man straightened and looked at her to see if she was joking. The open smile gracing Piper's face was a sign she was not. "Please, ma'am, that wouldn't be proper." He turned to Kendal for help but the tall woman just raised her hands and shrugged. "Sire, you explain."

"You're about to find out what it took me weeks to grasp, Ming. The lady has a mind of her own and if you're not careful she'll rip you to shreds with that sharp tongue of hers."

"I'll make you a deal, Mr. Li," started Piper.

"Lady Dupont, please call me Ming," he interrupted her.

"As I was saying, Mr. Li," continued Piper as she took Kendal's arm. "You call me Piper and I'll call you Ming. If you insist on Lady Dupont, I'll insist on Mr. Li."

"Very well, ma'am, I'll keep that in mind." He bowed to her again before returning his attention back to Kendal. "Lord Wallace, will there be anything else you'll be needing for this evening?" Ming waited for an answer as he kept an eye on the two other cars coming closer.

"I know you have everything under control so relax," she turned to face the cars as well and plastered a smile to her face. "Just one thing."

"Sire?"

"Once those doors open, it's Kendal Mackey who's here for a visit."

"Sorry, sire."

"Lord Wallace?" whispered Piper. "How do you keep all this stuff straight?"

"Years of practice, love."

They truly did look like the Lord and Lady of the manor when the others pulled up. After introductions were made to the rest of the staff, Kendal took the Duponts for a walk in the gardens before the cold night air set in. In a few months, the gardeners would start putting in the seasonal flowering plants to accent the thousands of bulbs that still lay dormant, and Kendal promised Molly another visit to see them in bloom. As they headed back to the house, Molly traded places with Piper and took Kendal's arm for the return trip.

"This isn't what I expected of Kendal," commented Mac. Ahead of them Kendal was pointing to something as she answered one of Molly's questions. "I thought she was from humble beginnings?"

"Let's just say she had something to prove, but just in case, there was a little bit of family money to fall back on if things didn't work out."

The joke had its desired affect and Mac laughed. "Does she have a contingency plan for everything? In case all aspects of her life don't work out I mean."

"Granddad, everyone including me plans for as much as we can, but we are all helpless when it comes to love. I know Kendal would tell you the same thing."

He stopped them, Molly and Kendal going on not noticing they were moving further away. "Are you sure about all this, Piper?"

"Hey, what brought this on? I though you liked Kendal."

"I did…I mean I do, but it's like this isn't the Kendal Mackey I thought I knew. The same woman I gave my blessings to, to make my little girl happy." He swung his arms out and turned in a complete circle. "If we didn't know about this, what else don't we know about her?"
"First off, I knew about this and the other properties she owns, Granddad. Kendal Mackey is exactly who you think she is. She's highly successful, ambitious in an honorable way, she's wealthy and she's in love with me. Please believe that. She makes me happy and she loves my family as well as me, and that's more important to me than what she owns."

"Is everything all right?" Kendal called back to them, but came no closer.

"I'm not against this, Piper, I just want you to be okay."

The blonde took his hands in hers and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "I will be, Pops. I have faith that Kendal will keep me safe and well loved." She looked over her grandfather's shoulder at the woman she spoke of and winked.

"Then let's get this great adventure started, darlin'."

Their walk ended at the side door to the house, which led into the library. Lenore was sitting by the fire engrossed in a book when the foursome entered and stared stripping off their coats. The immortal took the opportunity to study the new people in Asra's life and how they compared to the kind of family she had imagined her student ending up with.

"Did you all enjoy the grounds?" she asked when Mac moved closer to warm his hands.

"We may need a crowbar to pry Molly out of here when it's time to go home. My love of boats is only surpassed by my wife's love of flowers." He looked at the writing on the cover of the book in her lap and couldn't even make out what language it was supposed to be. "What is it that you do, Lenore?" The woman had been quiet for most of their flight over.

"I'm a librarian by trade, Mr. Dupont, but I also work for Kendal in a research capacity."

"And your friend Indigo, what is it she does?"

"I also work for Kendal, Mr. Dupont, only my field of expertise is security. You can say Lenore is the brainy one and I'm the muscle," teased Indigo as she took her seat next to Lenore by the fire.

"Interesting," he said slowly taking the other wingback chair close to the large fireplace. "Does Kendal have any men working for her?"

"Why not ask her?" Indigo cocked her head in the tall woman's direction, watching as she helped both Molly and Piper off with their things. "I've never known Kendal to be anything but forthcoming."

Mac looked at the woman as well not being able to put his finger on exactly what was bothering him. He was genuinely happy for Piper's new found love, something he had often prayed would happen, but the more he got to know Kendal the more he felt something was a little off. One of the things he had noticed was the unusual devotion her staff had to her, and the fact a lot of them were young beautiful women, Mac didn't want any problems popping up for Piper later on if Kendal was the type to get easily distracted.

"Thank you for the advice, Indigo, I think I will."

"Sire, do you wish for us to bring the tea in here or would you like it in the sunroom?" asked Ming.

"In here is fine, and could you please have my briefcase brought into the office? I have some calls to make later but I want to settle Piper and her grandparents in before I do."

"As you wish."

They enjoyed a cup of tea as they watched the sunset over a line of trees not far from the house. In her own way, Kendal answered a lot of Mac's questions in the normal flow of her conversation. She had heard most of his talk with first Piper then with Indigo when they had come in. The last thing she needed was another complication along with everything else they were facing.

After the light snack Kendal took them on a tour of the house and showed them to their rooms. Their bags had been brought up and unpacked to make them more comfortable and all the rooms had been filled with fresh flowers. All along their walk Mac would stop occasionally and study the paintings on the wall. It was an interesting mix of different nationalities that Farthington House had hanging on its walls, but as interesting as all that was it was the smallest painting near the end of the hall that tacked his feet to the floor.

"This could be your twin," said Mac as he got his glasses out of his jacket pocket.

The young man in the painting was standing next to a large white horse dressed rather causally for the era the painting was from. Unlike most of the other paintings, this man wore no powdered wig, and no elaborate coat or suit and his hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail.

"This is the first owner of the house, Lord Henry Wallace," supplied Kendal.

"The resemblance is uncanny."

"Good strong genes my father always used to say," Kendal pointed to the other end of the hall. "Would you like to rest a little while before dinner?"

"Do you have time to talk to me later? I wanted to discuss a few things with you about Dupont Shipping," said Mac as he followed behind her. And the other million questions running through my head.

"I have a few things to take care of tonight, but if you'd like, we could meet after breakfast tomorrow."

"It's a date."

"Any dates you're making, Mackey, had better be with me," joked Piper as she walked up. "Honey, could you come with me please." She pulled on Kendal's arm and guided her to the stairs. "I'm sorry, were you finished, Pops?"

"She's all yours, darlin'."

"And I have the papers to prove it," Piper teased again. When her grandfather disappeared behind his bedroom door, the blonde looked to her lover and gave her a weak smile. "Is he still giving you the third degree?"

"I can't blame him, Piper, this has to be a bit of a shock to him but I hate staying in hotels for long periods of time and I really did think they would be more comfortable here. There is no set timeline on how long we'll be gone."

They started down the stairs holding hands, stopping when they reached the first landing. "He's just worried about me. Macarthur Dupont sees things in black and white, and I'm thinking he's seeing people like Indigo and Lenore and what they are doing here in shades of gray. He just wants to understand."

"Just as long as you understand why people like Lenore and Indigo have to be here, that's all that counts."

Piper backed her up against one of the wood paneled walls and pressed their bodies together. "I just don't understand why they all have to be so good looking. What, you people didn't make any unattractive immortals?" The question was said in jest but there was just a hint of jealousy in it.

"Looking at you, I would have to agree with that assessment. What you have to realize is, when I look at you, you are all I see and all I need." Kendal pressed her palm to Piper's cheek and bent to kiss her. "You are my definition of timeless beauty."

"I love the way you love me, baby, and I love the way you express how you feel. You make me feel like the luckiest woman alive."

"Well, lucky lady, how would you like to take a look at my sword?"

Piper laughed and hugged Kendal one more time before they started down the last flight of steps. "Coming from anyone else that would just be a cheap pickup line."

From the door of the library Indigo looked out and whispered a warning to Lenore. "They're heading to the sword room. Should I go out there and stop them?"
The dark head came out from behind the book she was reading and smiled. "The sword is fine for now so come and sit down."

"What to you mean fine for now?"

"I'm only half way through, but I'm thinking whatever secrets the Sea Serpent Sword holds, they'll stay locked up a little while longer." She pointed to the chair to make Indigo move away from the door and take a seat.

"Only half way through?" She snorted looking at how thin the book was. "I'd have thought you would've read it about ten times by now and memorized every word."

"I'm paying attention to the details this time so I'm taking it slow. Besides it's raining outside and I hate getting wet if I don't have to."

Not being able to resist teasing the woman when she had the chance, Indigo almost skipped back to her chair. "That's your problem, Lenore."

"What's my problem?" She had to look up from the book again.

"You should learn to distinguish between getting wet because you have to, and get wet because you want to." Kendal and Piper heard the laugh as they walked by, but missed the blush that was now adorning Lenore's face.

************************************************************************

"Has she returned?"

"She's at Farthington House, master." The young man bowed his head trying not to make eye contact. There was always a splinter of fear that tingled his spine when he was in the company of the man who spoke with a low timber that made you lean forward to be able to hear him.

"Why is that, William?"

It was all in his mind but William could swear that the temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees with the second question. "I don't know," he answered fighting the urge to cover his head with his hands.

"Julius, there is no possible way she could have figured out the riddle, and she is traveling with the family of her latest little pet. I'm sure the stop at Farthington had something to do with leaving them close while she tends to the Order's business." The other man in the room sat with his back to the window looking toward the television in the corner. His attention seemed more on the current news cycle on CNN than it did on the conversation in the room.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion, Travis." A cruel sneer formed on the thin lips and Julius reached up to run his fingers through his hair. It had been a habit of his for years, so much so he did it without realizing it. "I know the prophecy, and I don't have access to the archives to the degree Lenore does, and we both know how she and that other ungodly bitch feel about Asra. If it's within their power to make this come to pass, they will stop at nothing."

A scene from the Middle East flashed on the screen making Travis chuckle at the bomb's aftermath. If there was one thing mankind had gotten good at, it was destruction. "You know the prophecy, or should I say, you deciphered the prophecy quite by accident. Don't lose your head now, Julius," his joke at the other man's expense made his smile wider. "After all you just got it back."

In a flash Julius whipped his head in the other man's direction along with the sword he had been twirling as if limbering up for a match. "Careful yourself, Travis, or else you'll find out from me what the Order's punishment is like."

"Word has come, Rolla."

The man sitting at the large desk looked up from his scrolls and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well?"

"The Hun is dead."

"What of his sons?" He stood and pulled another large scroll from one of the many shelves in the large room. With a sweep of his hand he cleared a corner of the desk and unfurled the one in his hand showing the other man it was a map. "Attila was able to conquer up to here," he pointed to a spot on the map.

"The Huns' die has been cast, and we have Asra to thank for that. I think that our youngest can teach even the scheming Romans some new tricks to try in the future."
Zanga poured two cups of port from the decanter taking up space on the desk as well. His job was to travel the world at Rolla's beckoning. No matter the reason he was sent to faraway places, he always looked forward to the next adventure. "There is no one who can pull the tribes together like their father so I'm thinking Attila's family will go back to being just warlords raiding villages small enough for the taking.

"And what of our friend?" Rolla accepted the cup of port and rubbed clean a smudge of ink on his bare chest. He had spent the last month in his rooms reading and trying to organize some of his notes before dispatching them to Lenore's care. Of the Elders who ran the Order, Rolla was the eldest and their leader. It was just a title to him though and he had long since stopped craving any power he could garner with the elite immortal fighters at his disposal. All who had met him thought him a fair man with a word of wisdom always at the ready.

"Asra did as you asked in that too, old friend." He pointed to the loincloth Rolla had on and smiled. "Perhaps you would like to get dressed and take up your reigns. A decision has to be made and there are enough of us in attendance to vote."

"Did she have any trouble carrying out my wishes?" A long robe came off a chair and Rolla put it on.

"I think the only problem our young warrior has at the moment is that you made her come here to bring to you what you asked for. Her men had to be left behind."

"Let us do her a favor then and get this over with quickly."

In the great meeting room in the Order's compound Asra sat across from the man tied to the chair at the room's center. He had tried everything he could think of to persuade her to release him but she had simply tugged on the leash she'd fastened around his neck and pulled, bringing him that much closer to his fate.

"Will this define your life?" Despite his position, Julius still sounded defiant.

"I would think my life would hold more challenging tasks than capturing you, Julius."

Her laughter was starting to drive him insane and he once again fought against the bindings she had tied him with. "Not that, idiot. I meant following orders from this group of simple minded fools."

Rolla put his hand on Zanga's chest wanting to hear the young woman's answer to Julius' taunt. The man tied to the chair had taught him that loyalty couldn't be bought; it was freely given or given not at all. In the future it would be comforting to know he had someone like Asra watching his back.

"I'll give you an answer if you promise to answer something for me." Her long fingers drummed on the arms of the chair, as she steadily looked Julius in the eye.

"Ask me?"

"What did you hope to accomplish with Attila?"

"To rule the world," the answer seemed so simple to him that he wondered if the woman who asked it was simple herself.

"Then what?" The second question made a smile break out on Rolla's face and a scowl on Julius'.

"What do you mean and then what?"

"Exactly that, I don't believe it was a hard question." A cock of her head produced a soft crack as the bones realigned themselves. "I believe that with my skills with a sword I could convince an army of a million to follow me and crush everyone in my path if that's what I wanted. I would not have needed someone like Attila to do it for me," the jab was said with a small curving of Asra's lips. "Unless that is, I wasn't the kind of person people wanted to follow. Regardless, if fighting is in your blood and domination is what you're after, eventually the battles are fought and you end up with the world. What's left to challenge you?"

"You are just like them, they have no vision as to how the world should be."

"If the vision of the world is based on what you believe then I guess I am quite visionless."

Happy with what he had heard so far, Rolla made his way into the room followed by Indigo, Zanga and another Elder named Nolia. The others had disbanded after their meeting and were in the process of returning to their homes around the world. It was time to judge one of their own and it was the least favorite chore Rolla had as leader.

"Come to seek forgiveness for treating me this way, Rolla?" asked Julius.

"I've come with the decision of your brethren, Julius, and I'm sorry that forgiveness wasn't what was on their mind today. What you've done could have brought unwanted light to our kind and changed the world for generations to come." Rolla patted Asra's shoulder when she stood and gave him her seat. "Already the disruption of what you've done is being felt in all corners of the world."

"Save it for someone who wants to hear it, Rolla, I have no brethren here."

"Julius of the Highlands, the Order finds you guilty of interference." Rolla pointed his finger at the accused and shook his head in disgust. Any contribution the man could have made would never be known now. "Your sentence is sleep, and lest you think one of your followers will come to your aid they will have to search the world over to find all that will be needed to make you whole."

The muscles in Julius' arms stood out in relief as he pulled against the bindings once more. "What do you mean?"

As his answer, Rolla motioned for Asra to draw her sword. "You will be severed at the neck. Your head will lie in darkness where the sun rises and your body where the sun sets." With a flick of his hand the order was carried out by the woman standing behind the condemned.

And so it had been for almost sixteen hundred years. His only salvation had come when a newly minted immortal had been curious about the man who had befallen such a cruel punishment and followed the clues that led him to Julius. Travis first found Julius' head in the mountains of Tibet and his body in a crypt in Egypt, placed there to protect it from those inclined to steal from the dead. With his body whole again, Julius had needed the power of the sun and about a week to get back to the same state of health as the day Rolla had passed judgment.

"I want you both to keep an eye on her," he pointed to Travis then Bailey. "I have much I owe Asra and I want to repay her for all she heaped on me as soon as I can."

"You have slept for centuries and you can't wait a few months?" asked Bailey.

"It wasn't by choice," barked Julius. "That time was stolen from me and those who stole it will pay."

"Calm down and sit down," ordered Travis. "Bailey's right, we have months before the prophecy will come to pass, if it comes to pass at all so show some restraint."

"Have you forgotten who is in charge here?" asked Julius.

The tall fighter looked at the old one as he stood. On his feet he topped Julius by four inches. "I'll let that one slide this time, Julius, since maybe your brain hasn't soaked up all the sun it needs yet. But don't delude yourself into thinking I'm taking orders from you." He walked out without another word and slammed the door on the way out.

"What's his problem?" Julius asked Bailey.

"He came to me and between us we were able to decipher the clues to where you were, but my guess is that he has his own agenda." From his seat Bailey studied the man who had been his best friend for years. The only time they had disagreed was when Julius had left on his quest to find the man who would fight to make his dreams come true. The immortal had found more than a willing participant in Attila. In all the years they had been apart, Bailey often wondered if Julius had become more than infatuated with the Hun. From all the accounts he had gotten from Attila's men after their leader had died it was clear to Bailey it was a relationship the mortal had wanted just as much.

"When was he given the gift?"

"Travis is barely two hundred years old. It was Rolla himself who gave him the elixir."

Julius moved closer and sat on the arm of Bailey's chair running his fingers through the other man's hair when he was within reach. "Really," he stretched out the word as if he were thinking of something else.

"At first he displayed the same character as Asra and it caught the old man's eye. Now with all that he's done, I'm not sure what to think."

"Enough of that for now," he pulled a little on the brown hair in his fingers. "Come, Bailey, we have lots of time to make up for."

************************************************************************

Kendal keyed in the code to unlock the door and stood back to allow Piper in first when the solid steel door slid open. Though somewhat similar to the room in New Orleans, this display had a lot more in it and the pieces were arranged in some cases with the armor they were used with. The blonde looked around in awe at the history the place contained, made all that more amazing to her because it was history made by just one person.

"You used all these?"

"In some manner. My job has always been to fight those creatures that most people couldn't begin to understand much less fathom that they exist. Their destruction comes only through the blade, so some of the newer ones have never seen combat like some of the older weapons." Kendal sounded almost like a docent as she walked along the large room sometimes stopping to place her hand on a piece in one of the display cases. "It seems strange to me sometimes when I sit and watch war on television and it isn't some Hollywood production. You can't imagine what it's like to face your enemy with only this much distance between you." She pulled one of the swords off its pegs and held it straight in front of her.

Piper looked at her and shook her head. She slid her hand down Kendal's arm until she reached the sword she held. "Put your toy away, lover, it isn't what we came to see." There was something in this room that was making her come alive and Piper couldn't wait to find it. She looked around at the hundreds of blades in the room but they melted away as her eyes focused on the back corner of the windowless room.

The mannequin was wearing a layer of chain mail over its chest, and when she looked closer she could see was woven so that its pattern formed a dragon. The tail was uncoiled and the mouth of the mythical creature was opened as if it were ready to devour its opponent in a wall of flame. The theme was carried out in the stamped metal of the gauntlets and the boot greaves, but as interesting as all that was, it didn't compare to the sword in the faceless mannequin's hands. The weapon it held was the one she'd seen in her waking dream. This was the Sea Serpent Sword.

"How did it get the name Sea Serpent when it's a dragon on the end?"

"The woman who gifted it to me gave it its name. For whatever reason, and to respect her for the wonderful gift she gave, I never thought to call it anything else."

"It's a sword, honey," said Piper as she ran her finger over the carved handle, "Not exactly the world's sexiest gift."

"There are swords and then there is this sword." There was a small table near the display Piper was looking at and Kendal leaned against it enjoying the way the blonde looked bent over like that.

"Okay," Piper turned her head from the sword and looked at the relaxed but still imposing looking woman as she dragged out the word. "What exactly does that mean?"

Jumping to her feet, Kendal pulled one of the old practice weapons out of the bins they were kept in at the center of the room. As swords or antiquities went, their only value now was in their age and it was the only reason she still had them. Every so often when the museums in London asked, she would polish one up and make a donation. "Come see," she said to Piper when she had found one that would demonstrate what she wanted her partner to understand.

When the blonde was close enough Kendal turned her around and pressed their bodies together. She moved Piper's hand until it rested with hers on the sword grip. "We're going to do a basic warm up exercise then you're going to do it by yourself." The movements started slowly and Piper lost herself in the serenity of the moment and in the feel of Kendal's body, snapping out of it when Kendal moved away from her. "It doesn't have to be perfect but just try and repeat what we just did."

Piper was surprisingly good and repeated each motion down to the end with the same fluid grace Kendal had come to expect from her. "How was that?"

"Beautiful as always, but I want you to do it again."

"I did it wrong?" Piper started to go through the routine again only to have Kendal walk up and take the sword away from her.

"You did it right, I just want you to do it again…with this one," she retrieved the Sea Serpent Sword and handed it over with a small bow.

This time the routine was much less tentative and Kendal could see the smile on Piper's face. "Wow. I don't think I could use it to slice and dice anyone but I see what you mean. It's like this one is balanced or something."

"It is, perfectly. The only way for you to understand it is to actually use it." The weapon was readily handed back when Kendal held her hand out and it was Piper's turn to sit back and watch in awe. Kendal was going through the same routine she had first seen the day she and her friend Hill had snuck onto the grounds of Oakgrove. The way the tall woman moved made it seem like the sword was a part of her and the blade almost disappeared due to the quickness of the revolutions.

"I never thought something so deadly could be so sexy," whispered Piper when Kendal finished and looked back at her.

Kendal was about to say something, but kept her mouth closed as Piper moved closer to her. When the blonde was close enough she put her hand over the one Kendal was using to hold the sword. Neither one of them could have predicted what happened next. It was like a charge went through them causing every part of them to tingle.

It was all Kendal could do to not ravish Piper on the spot. When the small hand covered hers it had been like her body had come alive with the kind of passion that bordered on lust. With a little restraint she lowered her head and pressed her lips to Piper's hoping the blonde wouldn't think she'd lost her mind.

"Honey, we need to go upstairs right now," ordered Piper when their mouths came apart. "On second thought I don't think I can make it that far," she started pulling on Kendal's belt trying to get it open.

The whole situation felt as if there was something wrong with it but Kendal didn't want to stop and analyze what it could be. Her skin burned and the only thing that was going to put out the fire was pressing it to Piper's. Without thought she dropped the sword to the floor and picked the blonde up at the waist. Immediately Piper's legs wrapped around her waist and she pressed their lips back together. Kendal's hands were under the skirt Piper had on by the time she made it back to the table she'd been sitting on earlier.

"Oh God, honey, I want to touch you but I need you now," panted Piper. She wanted to be embarrassed when they pulled apart a little and she saw the wet spot on the front of Kendal's pants but the throbbing between her legs was becoming almost painful. With an impatient tug she pulled Kendal's hand between her legs and let out a moan when the fingers slipped into the side of her underwear. Kendal displayed a bit of impatience of her own when with a quick pull the expensive undergarment ripped away from Piper's body. It was like she had to possess this woman or die.

There was obviously no need for foreplay as she looked down at the blonde's sex so Kendal gave her another bruising kiss, her tongue entering Piper's mouth at the same time her fingers slid into the wet heat. When she hit the hard point of need with the pad of her thumb, Piper pulled her head back and let out another moan. To keep Kendal from moving too far away from her, the small woman anchored her feet behind Kendal's legs helping her hips come up to meet every thrust of the long fingers.

"Oh fuck, don't stop, baby," Piper's voice sounded almost foreign to her own ears it was so low and full of want. The vulgarity of her command only sped up Kendal's hand and before she really wanted, the orgasm washed through her like a storm. As good as it felt, it wasn't enough and Piper waited only seconds after the spasms stopped to rip Kendal's shirt open and take a dark nipple between her teeth. The action caused the standing woman to hiss in pleasure making Piper smile.

"I'm going to suck you until you come for me," she promised as she finished the job she'd started on the belt Kendal was wearing. Her feet were still behind Kendal's legs so she slid them down as slowly and as erotically as she could before unzipping the pants and letting them pool at her lover's feet.

Before she could move from her position on the table, Kendal raked the fingers of one hand through the blonde hair until she could get a good grip on the back. Firmly, but without a trace of pain, she pulled Piper's head back and kissed her again. The act drove Piper to want to feel those fingers inside her again, but she had made a promise she intended on keeping.

Kendal had no choice but to hang on to the edge of the table as Piper dropped to her knees and buried her face between her legs. With her other hand she kept the same hold on the blonde hair that she'd had before, letting the blonde drive her mad with her talented mouth. The warrior would have been more than content to come this way but she looked down to see Piper put a hand between her own legs again as if trying to quench another fire that pleasuring Kendal had rekindled.

As strong as Piper had become from the elixir, she was no match for Kendal when the taller woman picked her up off the floor and bent her over the table behind her. She was about to complain that her lover hadn't let her finish when Kendal pressed up behind her. In this position Piper could feel Kendal's excitement pressed up against her butt, and as good as that felt it didn't feel as good as the fingers now pressed against her nub. When Kendal started grinding against her, Piper reached back and dug her fingernails into the firm ass encouraging Kendal to ride her until they both reached the same peak.

For long minutes the room was filled with the sound of skin slapping against skin and the grunts of two people in the throes of passion. It was like nothing Piper had ever felt before and she tried to hold out as long as she could, wanting them to come together. The moment came when Kendal's movements sped up and she whispered, "I love you," in her ear.

Yes she looked forward to forever, because Piper was convinced that would be how long it would take to extinguish all the passion she had for Kendal.

Continued in Chapter 3

Comments to: terrali20@yahoo.com

The Athenaeum's Scroll Archive

~ Things That Terrify Me the Most ~
by Ali Vali

Disclaimers: See Part 1

Sit back and enjoy the story, any comments can be sent to me at terrali20@yahoo.com.

Things That Terrify Me the Most
by
Ali Vali

Chapter 3

"Well that was certainly different," commented Piper. She could feel Kendal pressed up against her back trying to bring her breathing back to normal.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" With a small grunt, Kendal lifted some of her weight off the small woman.

"Hurt me? No I was thinking more along the lines of hoping you had plenty more stuff to show me, because if this is the result, I'm going to own more swords than you do," teased Piper. When she didn't hear a laugh, she gently pushed on Kendal a little so she could turn around and lay on her back. "Honey, I'm glad that you want me as much as I want you. It would be really depressing to me if you didn't. I want to see that hunger in you when it comes to wanting to be with me. Trust me enough to know that I'd tell you if you were hurting me."

"It's just that I don't know what came over me. I don't ever want to scare you or overwhelm you in any way." Kendal straightened out making Piper smile when she got a good look at her. The expensive white shirt that Kendal seemed to own quite a few of and wore often was missing every button and her pants were now only around one ankle.

"I would have to say it was you who should be scared of me," she pointed to the state of Kendal's clothes. "I'm not sure what came over me either, but with any luck, we'll figure it out so it happens again."

This time Kendal did laugh as she kicked off the pants and shoes. She then bent and picked up the sword they had dropped on the floor and put it on top of the nearest case. For a moment she was curious to see if the same reaction would happen again and the same overwhelming sensation would rob her of thought. As it rested in her hand alone, it was no different than all the other times she had held the sword with the shiny green eyes.

"It was the sword wasn't it?" Piper sat up studying the expression on Kendal's face.

"As much as I would love to say I've had this experience, I can't." She unbuttoned the shirt at the wrist and rolled the sleeves up as she thought about what had happened to them. "Want to try an experiment?"

"Is that a line I'm going to be hearing for years to come?" Piper was still sitting on the table but she crooked her finger in Kendal's direction. "Cause God knows I've been falling for your lines since the day we met."

"Is that a complaint?"

With a coy look on her face, Piper fanned her fingers across her chest. "Who me, complain? Never, lover…I'm just making, as they say an observation. I just wonder now how I lasted as long as I did against that devastating charm of yours, but I've never been happier."

"Which brings me back to my question."

"Whatever you want, Asra, just ask me." Piper opened her arms in a request for Kendal to come and hold her. "Just ask me, baby."

"I have never in my life been one to pray to the gods, but after they sent you into my life I decided it may be time to start." She picked up the sword before moving closer and placed it next to Piper on the table. Before asking for anything she wanted to give Piper what she wanted so she held her against her chest.

The steady heartbeat beneath her ear assured Piper that Kendal wasn't worked up about anything so whatever she had in mind wasn't worrying her. "I love you and I think I know what you have in mind." She ran her hand under the open shirt liking the feel of muscle along Kendal's back. "Only this time I can't promise I won't leave any hickeys if the same thing happens."

The blonde kissed the skin over Kendal's heart before she leaned back and placed her hand over the sword next to her. "Maybe I should put my pants back on before we do this," suggested Kendal.

"Chicken," Piper teased.

They both laughed then took a deep breath. "Ready?" asked Kendal.

"I have you here with me, I'm ready for anything." With the words Piper had just said, Kendal placed her hand over Piper's. They were looking at each other with a deep open intensity making them feel the difference the second their hands came together. Kendal saw Piper's eyes become unfocused but she didn't remove her hand from the sword hilt. The first time Kendal was unprepared for this new gift but from what Piper had said before they tried this, she knew the blonde figured out this could be a possibility. Now all Kendal had to do was stand and support her partner until whatever she was seeing in her mind's eye was finished.

For the tall immortal it felt like an eternity, but she showed restraint and waited until Piper let go first. When she did, Piper sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes as if whatever she'd seen had scared her. She pressed her cheek against Kendal's chest again and held on for dear life.

"I saw a place with a lot of rooms that I sensed some of which belonged to you." She burrowed deeper into Kendal's embrace when the tall woman started running her hands along her back. "It felt old and there were people there that are waiting for you to come back."

"It is the Order's compound. As we are brought in for specific reasons, we are given a place. Mine isn't very large compared to some, but it does hold for me some important things from my mortal existence." Trying to help, Kendal tried her best to fill in some of the gaps for her.

"I sensed a lot of anger there, some of it directed at you. They want you to come back so they can punish you for something, or at least that's what they first wanted."

Kendal had her arms around the reason the Elders wanted to see her and perhaps punish her, but they would go into that later. The last thing Piper had said had riveted her attention. "What do you mean, that's what they first wanted?"

"I saw a lot of confusion and fear in that place, love. Something has happened that they didn't ever expect and they don't know how to deal with it. The main thing is I felt that they don't know how to ask you for help. The one thing I did get from all of it was that to go back would be walking into a trap for you. I take that back, it would be a trap for us because I'm not letting you go alone."

"Is it something you saw, or something you feel?" Kendal tipped the blonde head back wanting to see Piper's face.

"I only saw the place but the rest was just a feeling." Piper pressed her palm to the side of Kendal's face. "What are we going to do?"

"We have to take this one step at a time, so we begin with where we are and what we have." Kendal stopped and kissed Piper before she went on. "The other thing we have to do is collect more information."

The past week did feel like a puzzle missing pieces to Piper but she vowed silently to herself not to let fear hold her back. "Think the two with their ears probably pressed to the door know more than they're telling us?"

"Only one way to find out," answered Kendal before she kissed Piper one more time then went to find the rest of her clothing. With her pants and shoes on, she picked Piper up from the table and moved to the other side of the room.

"If you think I'm going out there like this and taking the chance of running into my grandparents, then you're insane," said Piper as she wrapped her hands around Kendal's neck.

"Trust me, darlin', your grandfather seems to have enough problems with me lately, I don't want to add to that. I was just finding my shoes," she pressed down on the corner of one of the display cases and a small door slid open. "I hate stepping on any stray bugs."

Piper looked up to the hidden staircase and laughed. "You fight things that nightmares are made of and you're afraid of stepping on a bug?"

"I didn't say fear did I?" She started up the stairs that would lead them to the master suite. "They're just kind of gross is all. Some hang-ups are a little tougher than others to overcome, no matter how many years you're given. It's one of the things I'm still working on, so leave me alone."

They took a shower together and went down to dinner. The staff served a great meal and afterward everyone retired to the library. Piper smiled as Kendal did her best to make her grandparents feel as if they were welcome and wanted in her home. When the older couple retired, Kendal sat across from Indigo and Lenore and gave them a smile that could only be described as mischievous.

"Is there something you two would like to get off your chest? Some burning piece of information that you just can't wait to tell me," she crossed her legs and made room for Piper when she joined her by sitting on the arm of her chair.

Lenore closed the book she was reading and tried her best to look innocent. "There's nothing off hand that comes to mind."

"How about you, blondie?" Piper asked Indigo.

"Excuse me?" responded Indigo with a touch of heat.

"Can it, old friend, you know what we're both talking about," Kendal tried placating before things got out of hand. "Something happened to us this afternoon and I think you may know a little about that."

"What exactly?" Lenore seemed unconcerned since she really did think they had more time.

"I think we need to make a little deal here before we begin," said Piper, getting no argument from Kendal.

There was something about this petite woman that drove Indigo mad, and charmed the hell out of Lenore, if the big smile and corresponding frown were any indication. "What do you want?" asked Indigo.

"It's not just what she wants, it's what we both want," corrected Kendal. "We've been through a lot the three of us," the sentiment was meant for Lenore and Indigo. "You've never purposely kept me out of the loop of information before and I want to know why you're doing it now?"

"Do you think that's what we're doing?" asked Lenore.

"Like Piper said, I think you know more than what you've told us, and I'm tired of fumbling around in the dark for answers. Is it because of Piper?"

Before Lenore could say anything, Indigo answered for both of them. "Asra, Lenore and I are happy for you, and the reason we're here is to keep what you've found whole. Piper's right, we have to make a pact between the four of us that we're all on the same side, and we have to trust that no matter what we face."

The first one to put her hand out to the blonde was Piper. "I know that aside from me, you are the people who care about her the most. We don't need a pact since we know we're all on the same side."

Indigo took Piper's hand and bowed her head. "Let's be honest with each other then."

"This afternoon we went into the sword room so Piper could see the Sea Serpent," started Kendal.

"Did you have any kind of reaction when you were in there together?" asked Lenore.

"That might be putting it mildly," said Piper with a good deal of humor. Having to discuss her sex life with anyone was not something that she was comfortable with, but there was no way around explaining what had happened to them when they first touched the sword.

"Actually we had two quite different reactions," continued Kendal.

"Did it stir any passions as it were?" asked Lenore trying to be as delicate as possible.

"If it had gotten any more passionate I would've lost consciousness again," joked Piper. Both of the women they were talking to nodded their heads but said nothing.

"As good as that reaction was, there was something else." Kendal went on to tell them of the vision Piper had when they tried joining their hands for the second time while holding the Sea Serpent Sword.

"Bruik, as I told you, had a vision, that at that time, was for a future that would be a long way off. I believe that the time for what he predicted is upon us. Considering the stir among the Elders and some of the communication Indigo and I have gotten, I believe they've com to the same conclusion," started Lenore. She drummed her fingers on the book in her hand and sighed. "The one thing he didn't see was the sword but I believe it definitely has something to do with whatever is going to happen."

"Let's start with the story of that sword," requested Piper. "Every time we go to ask you about that something happens to make us forget, so before the sky starts falling, tell us."
Lenore held up the book and opened the cover to show them the picture inside. It was an excellent sketch of the sword, which now resided locked in the display room. "The legend of this weapon is that it is blessed by the gods," she put her hand up and shook it, "I take that back. It is blessed by one in particular."

"Which?" asked Kendal.

"Aphrodite or Venus depending on which set of gods you're referring to. It was the only time she commissioned the making of something that could be used in war, but she had her reasons. What doesn't make any sense to me is that in the one book I found on the subject, it mentions that the true owner is somehow marked by the goddess." Carefully she flipped through the pages of the old text trying to find where she had found that passage.

Kendal's hand went to the spot close to her groin. "Marked how?"

"The weapon will someday awaken as it were, but to make it work the way it was intended, it has to be in the hands of the chosen one. What that power might be, I haven't figured out yet." Lenore noticed where Kendal's hand was but her student had never mentioned any markings on her body.

"And if it is used by someone who isn't the true owner?" asked Piper, noticing too where Kendal's hand was resting.

"When the sword was cast, Aphrodite made a pact with her brother since he felt she was meddling in things she didn't understand. So as in all things in life, the sword is balanced," explained Indigo.

"Balanced how?" asked Piper.

"The one thing that has been drummed into my head is that life is a balance," Kendal tried to explain in the quickest way for Piper to understand. "Have you ever heard that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction? Like for every bit of good in the world there is something equally bad. We can not have one without the other, so my guess is if the sword was meant for something good, there is a chance it can be used for something just as bad if we allow it to fall into the wrong hands." When Piper nodded as a way of saying she didn't need any other explanation, Kendal turned to Lenore and Indigo. "When?"

"To understand that, you have to know the legend behind the sword." Lenore opened the book to the part where the story was found. "In ancient Greece, according to the written history, lived a couple that fell in love. At first it didn't sound very different from a million similar tales, then it touched on the fact their families were sworn enemies for generations, so any future they might have had together was forfeit."

"Sounds like Romeo and Juliet," interrupted Piper.

"Sometimes the best place for someone to find an idea for a classic is to read history. In this case, the legend was based on two very real people. They knew that they would never receive their families' blessing for marriage so they ran off together one night in search of a place, or perhaps a time where what they shared would be accepted. After a few weeks of traveling they reached the sea along the mountainous part of the island. Feeling there was no other, way they decided they would end that existence so their spirits could have the opportunity to be together in another life. After consummating their love, they sacrificed their lives to Aphrodite."

A tear rolled down Piper's cheek and she smiled when Kendal reached up and wiped it away. As sad as the story sounded, she could totally understand it after meeting her partner. "Thank God those days are over. As much as I love my family, I wouldn't kill myself if they hadn't accepted Kendal. That's so sad they saw death as their only option."

"In this case the goddess felt the same way and decided to honor their ultimate sacrifice. With the lover's consent from the afterlife, she bound both their spirits together and created, what up to then was a mythical creature. This creature supposedly lives 'til this day in the sea close to where they died. The sea dragon dwells in Poseidon's realm and comes forth when called to fight when love is in need. Eventually, because of the gods' own predictions for the future, the power of the dragon was harnessed and put into the weapon that would protect all that the goddess Aphrodite stands for. The only thing though, is that the weapon can also be harnessed for all the things Ares stands for. If at the right time it is used by someone who wants nothing more than to conquer and destroy, they will be unstoppable."

"When is the right time?" asked Kendal.

"The lovers sacrificed their lives at the witching hour on what became known as All Hallows Eve. I don't know if it was planned like that, but that's the way it worked out, so my best estimate for when, is at the same time this year."

"For someone who isn't familiar with these cryptic dates, when exactly is that?" With her hands up Piper asked the question wanting an answer before they moved on.

"Midnight on Halloween," answered Kendal.

"You've got to be kidding?" Piper looked at the group like they were mad. "Is this some elaborate joke or something? Cause that's the corniest thing I've ever heard."

"Piper, you have to understand that sometimes fables and fiction arise from the truth," Lenore tried to explain, only to be interrupted.

"Kendal already told me that, but come on, this is a bit much."

"Honey, on certain days of the year, certain barriers are easier to breach," Kendal gave it her best shot at trying to explain this phenomenon.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She laughed when Kendal tweaked her nose. "I know, I know….patience," she chuckled.

"Okay let's try it this way. Have you ever been to the ruins in Mexico?"

"Which ones?"

"Any of them. They are all unique because the Mayans found a way, unlike a lot of cultures, to almost harness time. On one day of the year there is a pyramid at Chichen Itza that casts a shadow on the largest pyramid, making it appear as if a snake is descending from the temple. It was their way of marking the changing seasons. For example on the Fall Equinox, the day is equally balanced in that it's twelve hours of dark and twelve of light."

"Okay I'm with you." Engrossed in the explanation they forgot Lenore and Indigo were in the room with them, but both women sat fascinated by the interaction.

"On the day we now call Halloween, at the stroke of midnight, the barriers between good and evil become non existent. It's why some organized religions picked the following minute to usher in All Saints Day. Sort of like picking what side you want to fight for and standing your ground. It makes perfect sense that if the sword holds any power at all, that one moment in time will decide its fate."

Piper looked at her and nodded, then without saying anything bent down and kissed her teacher. "Thanks, love," making Kendal nod in return.

"Who else would know about the legend?" Kendal asked Lenore.

"We have eight months to find out, but the second vision Piper had is our first priority. We need to decipher what it is she saw exactly and what it means to us," explained Lenore. She closed her eyes trying to concentrate on the vision she had just heard about. "To be better prepared we need to figure out how to hone Piper's gift so we can glean more information from the visions."

"It's not exactly like I took 'Seeing the Future 101' in college so how do you plan to do that?" The edgy humor made Kendal laugh.

"Don't worry, Piper, this won't be too hard," answered Lenore. "I certainly hope not, anyway. Just like anything else, it takes concentration to expand on what your mind is showing you."

"When can we begin?" The blonde snaked her arm around Kendal's shoulders and leaned further in as if seeking Kendal's body warmth.

"The most important thing is not to start worrying about it," warned Indigo.

"She's right. Don't sound so worried, it's not going to be anything hard I promise," Lenore smiled at her and reached out to touch Piper's knee.

"Will we be okay?" Piper looked down into the blue eyes she adored and searched for some glimmer of hope. "I just found you and you promised me forever."

"Honey, I may be old but I'm not daft." She pulled the blonde off the arm of the chair and onto her lap, pressing her lips to a delicate ear when Piper was close. "I promise you it will be forever. I'm confident that with the people we have at our side we'll be fine," promised Kendal.

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The next morning Piper looked out at the yard from an open patio on the second floor. On the grounds, in the center of a ring of trees, stood Kendal with Ming and two other people she had yet to meet. With the gray light of dawn outlining them, they went through the motions of morning exercises that looked more like a ballet than anything else. As interesting as the movements were, Piper couldn't take her eyes off the woman at the center of the triangle the others had formed. Kendal was dressed in the large gi pants she was fond of when working out, but unlike the first time Piper had seen her dressed like this, she had only put on a sports bra before going down that morning. Her lover seemed oblivious to the cold damp air that morning as she gracefully moved with the others. On a stand near them sat the Sea Serpent Sword and three others.

They had spent the rest of the night after their conversation with Indigo and Lenore just relaxing in their room in comfortable silence. Despite Indigo's warning, the eight months they had discussed earlier were starting to weigh on Piper's mind and she hoped that whatever was expected of her, she would be able to carry it out.

"Look at her and clear your mind, Piper," said Lenore from behind her. "Clear your mind of worry and concentrate on what you feel for her."

"It's that easy?"

"Each of us must find our center, a place where we feel nothing can harm us. For her," she pointed to Kendal, "It's in her skills." Lenore saw the disappointment in Piper's face. "Don't read into that, that she doesn't love you as much as you've come to care about her. Asra knows that she must be the best in any battle she faces because it's the only way to protect the one thing she loves above all else in her life."

"So in a round about way, I'm her center like she is mine?"

"Exactly. Look at how she moves and tell me if you think there is anything in her mind at this moment that will keep her from performing her best?"

With her head cocked to one side, Piper studied her lover further and shook her head. "Not from what I'm looking at."

"Then look at her and learn. When you let go of what troubles you, your mind will open for you and give you the answers you seek."

The blonde laughed and tore her eyes from Kendal for only a minute. "Nothing like a little pressure huh?"

"Even if the time comes and we don't have all the answers, we'll be fine. You own her heart that's true, but I have time spent with her on my side. I can promise you that Asra has an uncanny ability to pull out a victory long after everyone has written her off." Lenore pointed back to the practice field that had been used at the house for hundreds of years. "Look, and clear your mind."

She lost herself in the ripple of muscle and how the pants moved along with Kendal with every new position, making it appear as if she were gliding on a cloud. Before she thought she was ready for the exercises to end, Piper watched as Kendal moved to the weapons on the table. As soon as the large hand closed over the Sea Serpent Sword she closed her eyes and saw Kendal in another time and place. This time she had a feeling it wasn't in the past but in their future. The stones in the dragon's eyes glowed eerily green as something like an electric current ran through Kendal's body. It was a moment of truth but before the sword could show it's true power, someone came and took it away from her. When the man took hold of the sword the stones changed color and they now glowed a vibrant red.

With the power of a god now running through him, he looked to Piper to finish the ritual that had begun. As Piper turned to see why Kendal wasn't coming to her aid, another two men came into view and held Kendal back. The only way they held her down was by weakening her. With a sense of agony, Piper watched as their swords were driven into her chest with cruel viciousness. Piper put her hands to her mouth to keep the scream in as she saw Kendal's blood spill down the front of her chest, just like when Piper had witnessed her fight Ora and Henri.

When the man reached for her and ripped her shirt open, Piper's eyes opened and she took deep gulping breaths in an effort to erase the feeling the vision had given her. "That's it," said Lenore from what seemed like miles away. "Let it go but not to the point of trying to forget. Whatever you can tell me will help us."

"Are the things I see, things that are written in stone?"

"That's a hard question to answer. The things you see are the future as it would happen if nothing comes about to change them. If one little thing happens to change fate, then you will begin to see the vision change along with that. Perhaps you will be different, but that's been my experience with the seers the Order has in its ranks."

Piper told her the details of the vision and looked back to her lover who now was sparring with the three who faced off against her. The clank of metal on metal from the swords was in a way comforting to her. "Don't ask me who the others are, I didn't see their faces and I didn't get any sense of who they are. The one thing I do know for sure is that they want to destroy her. If they succeed I'm not sure if we'll ever be able to salvage what is left."

"Then we'll work to change the vision until it falls in our favor."

Her head didn't hurt, but Piper rubbed her temples like it did. "Do I tell her what I saw just now?"

"If it were her having the visions, would you want to know?"

"Silly question, I know." She laughed knowing there was no chance she'd keep this from Kendal. "Just one more thing; do you have any idea who would harbor such hate for her, to want to destroy who she is?"

"When it comes to evil there are plenty of choices, but at this moment none of them make sense. To exact that kind of revenge would mean something we thought we had defeated has found a way to regenerate itself. Since we're talking about a span of over two thousand years, it's going to take a little time to track down who or what that might be."

Piper sighed and stood. "I'm afraid time is something we don't have an abundance of."

"Trust her and trust yourself, Piper. It's the only way to win."

"My trust in us isn't the problem, it's just been my experience that sometimes, no matter how hard we try, the right side doesn't always win out."

Both women were surprised to see Charlie enter the fray down in the circle. They had been awaiting his arrival but a few things had kept him in New Orleans longer than they expected. As he engaged his mentor, he made Kendal laugh.

"Look at how willing they all are to fight for her. I'm sure that having you in her life, combined with that kind of loyalty, will make this all okay."

************************************************************************

As she promised Kendal kept her date with Mac for breakfast as soon as she was finished with her workout. As she entered the room she was sharing with Piper, the tall fighter could see something was bothering the blonde, but there would be time enough later to find out what it was.

"Can we cut through the bullshit?" asked Mac when the servants put down their food. They were sitting in the estate's sunroom and the old man felt they had a good deal of privacy when the door closed behind the maid.

"If you answer something for me first," responded Kendal. She had asked Piper to hang back and share some time with Molly so she could figure out what had changed Mac's perspective of her.

"Like I said, no bullshit between us so shoot."

"Have I done something to offend you or make you think that I won't be good to Piper?" She concentrated on buttering her bread as she asked the question, wanting Mac to let his guard down and be honest with her.

"It's nothing you've done per se, but more like you've shown a different side of yourself. Because that's happened, it's made me think that all I knew about you isn't right at all. Now I'm not sure if I trust what I do know about you."

"Things like what?"

"If I could hit just one nail on the head then this would be a short conversation, but I've been thinking on it and I can't narrow it down to a specific thing. What you have to understand is that Piper is the only family, aside from Molly, I care about. When I step aside and give her well being to someone else, I want to be sure it's the right person."

Kendal reached across the table and placed her hand over Mac's. "It doesn't matter what house I'm in or where you think I come from, sir, what matters is that you know how I feel about Piper. There will never be a day in our life together that I won't take her welfare as seriously as you have. I love her and she will be safe with me. I give you my word I'll never do anything to make you doubt that."

He put his other hand over hers again and laughed. "Why do I get the feeling you've never had to do the 'in-law' thing?"

"In the end, all we have is our families, so I'll go through this with you as many times as it takes to convince you of my devotion to Piper, so don't worry about it." She leaned back in her seat and looked across at him with the serious expression on her face. "Now I want you to make me a promise."

"If I can."

"If the day should ever come that something happens to me, in the physical sense I mean, I'd like your promise that you and Molly will do whatever you can to heal Piper's soul."

"You're a young woman, Kendal, nothing is going to happen to you. But that's a promise you don't need to ask my wife or me. Piper is the most important person in our lives, so it goes without saying we would do whatever it takes to make sure she's happy." He leaned back and slowly stirred sugar into his coffee. "So long as we're making promises, how about you make me one."

"If I can," Kendal nodded making sure to maintain eye contact with him.

"You take care of yourself and make sure nothing happens to you physically or otherwise. Like you said, in the end it won't matter what I want or what I think, you'll be a part of my family because that's what Piper wants." He put his hand out expecting her to shake it to seal their deal.

"I'll try my best, sir."

"Do you think you could do something about giving me a grandchild?"

The deep laugh his question caused made Mac join in. "I'll have to run that one by Piper but I'm only so talented."

"Well I'd love to see a little Mackey running the shipyard one day."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she answered with a smile. "Just so you know, my business here might take longer than I thought, but I want you and Molly to stay as long as we do. You are both welcome as long as you like. Piper tells me that you've left someone you trust in charge of the business so please, think of Farthington as your vacation home for as long as you wish."

Mac's attitude changed along with the look on his face. The smile was now genuine, as was his deep laugh. Their time was well spent until Kendal excused herself to make a few phone calls. It was time to go about changing the fate Lenore had mentioned the night before. What she had in mind meant she was putting faith in Piper's vision, but it was an easy decision for her. In her life Kendal had learned the most valuable lesson in order to fight another day, was to go with her gut. Her gut along with her heart told her to err on the side that would keep both Piper and herself safe.

In her office, she pulled out a fountain pen and started writing in ancient Greek, knowing it was still Rolla's favorite language. At the bottom she signed her name and rolled the parchment closed. From the top drawer she pulled a stick of wax and the signet ring she'd worn when the world knew her simply as Asra of the House of Shahin. Her father's name was one she had used in more than one lifetime, making her feel a connection to the man she still loved and missed.

The dark red wax dripped onto the parchment, sealing the message inside. To prove it was from Asra herself, she pressed her signet ring, embedded with her family crest firmly into the center of the small pool of wax before it cooled completely. Before calling in the messenger, Kendal leaned back in her chair and looked out at the gardens. She sighed as she tapped the parchment against her chin feeling a little sad for having to write this letter. Now it was just a question of waiting to see if Rolla would find her response to his request to meet with her as an act of defiance or some deeper betrayal.

"What matters most to me is that it starts to change the vision," she whispered.

"Pardon, sire?" asked Ming from the doorway. Ancient Egyptian was not a tongue he was familiar with.

"Nothing of importance now, old friend." She held the parchment out to him. "Please send Winston and tell him not to dally. I want him back in a couple of days, not because I want to ruin his fun but because I want him out of harms way. Your son is getting good with the sword but he's no match for the Elders' henchmen."

"I shall make it so."

"The message is for Rolla, and for his hands alone."

Ming bowed, the parchment pressed against his chest. "Winston will not fail you, sire."

Kendal stood and bowed back to him in respect. "I have every faith in your family, Ming. Please believe that. It's the Elders who don't hold my faith at the moment."

************************************************************************

After that morning, Mac and Molly made their decision to stay as long as the young couple would be in London, looking forward to spending time doing a little exploring and getting to know Kendal better. For the next week, Kendal continued her workouts with a variety of opponents, and Piper tried her best to sharpen her sight.

On the seventh day, from her usual seat on the second floor patio, Piper looked on as a man she had never seen entered the practice ring and handed Kendal what looked to be an old piece of parchment. He never took his eyes off the Sea Serpent Sword her lover had set on a bench as she broke the seal and read the message the paper contained. Kendal said something to the messenger, making him nod his head. Before he left he tried to reach out and touch the weapon Kendal had been using, only to be stopped by a vice like grip on his wrist. As soon as the man was out of sight, her lover looked up at her and started for the house.

"Trouble?" asked Piper when she heard the familiar footsteps behind her. She had been waiting for something to happen after she and Kendal decided their course of action in regards to Rolla's invitation. The fact it only took a week surprised her, considering that Kendal and the Elders used some very archaic means of communications in the age of cell phones and email. It was like they had decided to keep some of the things from their very ancient pasts no matter what century they were in.

"Just another invitation, only this time," Kendal sat next to her and cracked open a bottle of juice, "I've been given a warning not to turn it down."

"Was it from Rolla and the others?" Piper accepted the bottle and took a long sip finding the mango and strawberry mix quite pleasing.

"Surprisingly it was from Rolla alone, but the old man never travels alone. I'm thinking an invitation from him means a meeting with him surrounded by two to three of the best fighters he can find."

"What do you want to do?" Not realizing her movements, Piper leaned over and started to run her hand along Kendal's arm. It was something Lenore and Indigo were starting to notice more of, seeing that the love the two women had found not long before was growing deeper with each moment they spent together. For Asra, having Piper so close to her, was giving her an edge during their bouts in the morning that was making it impossible for them to keep their swords in their hands for very long.

It was a different feeling that overcame the ancient warrior. The question Piper had just asked summed up how Kendal's life had changed in so little time. In all her battles, Kendal knew one thing for certain. The winning or the possibility of losing would always be faced alone. Never had anyone questioned their part in the outcome or claimed their right to share her life. Having that now made her kneel before Piper and take her hands in her own. Slowly she kissed the back of each one and smiled.

"We're going to take him up on his offer since he's coming to us."

"Is something wrong, baby?" Piper pulled one hand free so she could touch Kendal's face. She started there then moved to her neck. With her other hand free, the blonde put her hand on the other side of her lover's neck and pulled her closer. "I love you."

"After hearing that, how could anything be wrong?" Kendal pressed closer and wrapped her arms around the slim waist. With a gentleness she never showed on the practice field below them, Kendal kissed Piper in a way that made the blonde feel as if a blanket of adoration had covered her. "I was just thinking how different my life will be now that I have a partner who will be there to stand with me in any situation."

"And I sit up here looking at you every morning thinking the same thing. How can I love you so much so soon, and how can I not?" With just her fingertips, Piper massaged Kendal's shoulders.

"Will you make a deal with me?"

"Now there's my charmer. I'll make you any deal you want, as soon as you give me what I want," Piper ran her finger along Kendal's bottom lip. The kneeling woman laughed and with straight white teeth bit down on the tip of Piper's finger. "I do believe you are the one who keeps telling me we have all the time in the world."

"That's me, darlin'."

"Then take me inside before we start talking about Rolla and his collection of misfits." The description of Rolla's helpers came out without prompting and Kendal did nothing to call Piper on it. Like the petite woman had said, they had all the time in the world. "Make love to me, baby."

No other words were needed for the moment.

************************************************************************

They lay in bed together a few hours later under the canopy of the antique bed fitted with crisp sheets, the two women just enjoyed the silence of the house. There were other people in the house and on the grounds, but here in this room, they were almost in a peaceful cocoon.

"Would you like to go on a date with me tonight?" asked Kendal. She ran her fingers through the pale blonde hair, enjoying the way the early afternoon light reflected off the shimmering soft strands.

Piper thought of some of the dates they'd shared already and took a quick mental inventory of what clothes she had brought with her. "I may have to go into the city early if you want to do something like the opera."

"Not quite what I have in mind, baby, but if you really want to go I'll be happy to take you some other night."

"Are we talking jeans and a sweater?"

Through the window in the distance, Kendal could see the staff was busy polishing the vehicle she'd requested earlier for the night, making her smile. "Still a little off the mark, but don't worry, I'll help you dress appropriately for the evening."

Later that night, when Piper stepped out of the shower, the room was empty and there was an outfit lying on the bed. "She's got to be kidding." The clothing Kendal had left behind was something out of the norm for her, and she had never imagined herself wearing.

"She isn't kidding," said the low voice from inside the large closet. "But if you don't feel comfortable with my choice I'll leave you to pick something more appropriate."

Piper was thrilled to be an immortal, certain that any normal person would have passed out if they stopped breathing for as long as she just had. There was no other option though when she saw the tall woman step out of the closet, buckling up the thick black leather belt she was wearing. Green eyes began taking inventory, starting at the motorcycle boots, working their way up the black leather pants that appeared to make Kendal look taller, and ending up at the sleeveless black tight shirt that hid nothing of the body it covered. The Kendal Mackey she had known for months was gone and in her place stood a dangerous looking woman who simply oozed sexuality.

After studying her lover, Piper figured the outfit waiting for her on the bed made perfect sense if she wanted to look like Kendal's date. "Why exactly is it that my pants have laces on the sides?" When she slipped them on a good portion of her skin was on display all the way to her hips.

"Because, short stuff, you have nicer legs than I do," teased Kendal. Along with a black leather jacket to finish off her outfit, she slid two daggers into the sides of the boots. "You know I think you're the most important thing in the world, but if tonight Rolla walks away with the impression that you're nothing but a piece of fluff, I won't be complaining."

"Excuse me?" The hands at her hips were balled into fists and Piper looked anything but happy.

"If the man who can order a hundred people, with fighting ability that rival mine, to come after us thinks you're my new play thing and not worthy of another thought, then I'll be, as they say, a happy camper." When her wallet and keys were tucked into her pockets, Kendal came closer and put her arms around Piper. "The other thing is, if he's looking at you in that light, then you'll be free to study him and see if you pick up on what he's hiding."

"This is going to cost you, Mackey." Piper slid her hands around the tall woman's hips and into the very top of Kendal's pants, then kissed the chin close to her lips.

"What's it going to cost me?"

The blonde looked to the bed, then back at Kendal. Slowly she snaked her hands down from the trim waist and squeezed the tight butt her hands had wandered down to. "Oh, I'll think of something," Piper assured her.

"Come on, vixen," Kendal kissed her one more time before moving to the closet again. She stepped out with a long black leather coat much like the one she wore when she hunted.

"Honey, you're already wearing a coat," Piper pointed to the short but thick waist length coat Kendal was wearing.

"This is for you, Lady Dupont," she said as she held the coat up with a flourish for Piper to step into it. "It still chilly out and you might want to wear this for the ride in."

They came down the stairs together holding hands looking like the poster girls for leather. At the door Lenore and Indigo stood waiting for them, dressed a little more conservatively, but smiling at the couple who looked like night and day. The argument had been long and well fought in getting Kendal to agree they should come along just in case Rolla had brought more men with him than Kendal planned for.

"Remember, you stay in the office out of sight unless I call for you," the tall warrior warned as they made their way outside. From the inside pocket of the jacket Kendal pulled out a pair of clear glasses and put them on. Piper was about to ask why when she spotted the big BMW motorcycle gleaming in the drive. Behind it was parked a sleek black sports car, but she was guessing her date was going to drive them into town on the bike.

"We remember," said Lenore with a roll of her eyes.

It took them a couple of hours to make it into the heart of London to where the meeting was supposed to take place. When Kendal finally put her feet down on the asphalt and balanced their ride, Piper was surprised to find where they were. From what she had heard of Rolla, or the old man, as Kendal and the others called him, meeting him in the exclusive club Kabaret's Prophecy wasn't what she had in mind.

"Did you have a sudden urge to dance before we meet with this guy?" asked Piper. With a quick scan of the street she noticed the Porsche the girls had driven in was already parked and vacant.

"A wise woman told me that the meeting I was to have with Rolla was a trap," she kissed the seer on the forehead and took her hand. "So I thought if there were traps to set, why shouldn't it be us setting them."

"Excuse me, hello….in terms I can understand," pleaded Piper.

"The club is one of the holdings in the Wallace portfolio. People think you put Lord in front of someone's name and it equals stuffy. I may be many things…"

"But stuffy is definitely not one of them," Piper finished for her. She watched as Kendal slid a magnetic key card through the appropriate slot on the wall making the embellished glass doors open.

The pounding beat coming from the speakers was loud enough that Piper felt each note reverberating through her body. For once, she felt like the coolest kid in the place as she made her way in on Kendal's arm. It was still early in terms of people starting their Friday evening but still there were more than plenty of people crowding the crystal lined bar and the dance floor. In an instant one of the waitresses came up and took both their coats smiling up at Kendal in a way that made Piper want to cock back her fist and hit her.

"Welcome back, Lord Wallace," she beamed at Kendal. She then turned to Piper and gave a slightly weaker courteous smile. "And, Lady Wallace, welcome as well and congratulations."

"Thank you," Piper raised her voice a little to be heard over the loud din, producing a smile of her own when the title the woman had addressed her by registered, as well as the feel of the large hand planted firmly on her backside.

"Dance with me?" offered Kendal.

The blonde head shook and Piper looked almost panicked. "I'm not really a good…" she never finished the sentence as Kendal pulled her gently into the group of dancers moving in sync with their partners.

Heated memories of the sword room came rushing back to Piper when Kendal turned her around and pressed their bodies front to back. When Piper felt the long fingers dance along the laces at the sides of her pants, and felt the body grinding into her, she almost forgot why they were there. It was the deep reassuring voice in her ear that pulled her back from her fantasies.

"See the kind of thick bodied guy sitting on the banquette toward the back of the room?" Piper nodded her head. "The great Rolla."

'The old man,' as they referred to him, was anything but. A thick shock of light brown hair hung down his forehead, almost into the familiar blue eyes, framing a strong face of a man who looked no older than perhaps thirty. His body was thick but it looked good on him, making him appear strong, not overweight, and his hands were lying flat on the table on the sides of one of the club's cobalt blue glasses. He was watching them with interest, every so often picking up the glass and taking a sip.

"I thought you said he was old?"

"At over 3000 years old, he's not young," teased Kendal. "Come on let's get this over with. Keep an eye out for the idiot sitting about twenty feet from him."

"Which idiot exactly?"

"The guy in the velvet shirt," Kendal turned them slightly on the dance floor so Piper could get a good look at the blond eyeing them with his head cocked to one side. "We haven't met yet but I'm guessing that would be Travis."

"Really, Asra, the least you can do is get rid of her," Rolla didn't raise his voice to compete with the music knowing she would hear him just fine when they were about fifteen feet from his table. "You've already made your point, I'm here aren't I?"

"The girl isn't going anywhere to share our secrets, Rolla," Kendal shot back. She pulled a chair out for Piper and put her hand on the blonde's shoulder possessively to guide her down onto it. "What's so urgent after all? I did as you asked through Indigo and cleaned up the mess Ora made."

"It was what happened after that night that the others and I are concerned with." He picked the glass up and took another sip of his drink.

The tall woman took a seat next to Piper and draped her arm around Piper's shoulders. "Happened? Do tell what you think the problem is, old wise one."

"I've punished people for less sarcasm than that, Asra, tread lightly. My time on this earth accords me some iota of respect."

The dark head bowed slightly in a gesture of respect and Kendal tried her best to look chastised. "My apologies, Rolla, you're right of course. It's just that I don't understand why you're here and why you've brought someone like that with you," she pointed to Travis.

"I never travel anywhere alone," he smiled at her and nodded back. "The world is a dangerous place. You, of all people, should know that."

"You've traveled all this way to make jokes?"

"I've traveled all this way to ask why you've defied the Order again?" He put up a finger like an angry parent stopping her from responding. "Don't bother to deny it, I have my sources."

"I've given you centuries of devotion, so unless you intend to do something about whatever it is you think I've done, don't bother. Go home to your books and your memories, Rolla, I have better things to do." Kendal went to stand up when Travis put his hands on her shoulders keeping her pinned to the chair.

"I believe the man isn't finished talking to you," he said, gauging what kind of opponent she was going to be by what kind of fight she put up.

Before he could utter another word, she had pulled out one of the daggers in her boot turned her body to loosen his grip, stood and slammed his head on the table. The edge of Kendal's blade went to Rolla's throat though, having gotten a good grip on his bodyguard. "Call him off or I'm going to mess up that really ugly shirt he has on," warned Kendal.

"Travis, go back to your seat," ordered the Elder. "Now, Travis, before she makes good on her promise."

The man stood and brushed his hands along the front of his chest, glaring at Kendal the whole time. He had volunteered to come tonight wanting to see the great Asra in action, expecting he would be disappointed with all the hype. There was no mistaking the power in the woman who had planted his head on the table. If they were hoping to bring her down, it was going to take more than just himself and Bailey.

"Leave me in peace for awhile longer, Rolla. I deserve at least that much."

He sighed and looked at the pretty blonde still sitting quietly. If Asra had created another of their kind, Rolla was surprised they didn't accompany the warrior that night. From the look of this attractive girl, she was just a bed warmer for now, if he knew Asra at all. "I can't leave you be if my suspicions about something are correct."

"What?" Kendal's temper was as short as the question.

"That's the one thing I can't tell you, but my purpose here is to ask if I can count on your help if it comes to that. Some of the others are afraid of what is coming but I've never been one to shake with fear on just rumors alone."

"You've always had my loyalty, you know that. It didn't take a personal visit to confirm what you already know," she said taking her seat again. Her demeanor calmed somewhat when she felt the small hand move into her lap.

Rolla drained his glass and waved off the server, not wanting another. "These days I have learned not to take anything for granted, my friend. As for the other matter we discussed, it will have to wait for another time. I have more to attend to in London, so I really don't have much time to worry about any digression on your part now."

The man looked emotionally weighed down by something, so Kendal reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I am just a call away, Rolla, remember that as well."

"That's comforting to know." With that said he was up and gone. From the other side of the room Julius looked on and fought the urge to make a stand that night. All those wasted years of darkness had done nothing but make his hate grow for the woman now guiding the petite blonde back to the dance floor.

"Our time is coming soon, Asra, and when I'm done, you'll be begging for sleep."

************************************************************************

"I'll be home in just a few minutes." The young woman juggled her phone as she put her briefcase in the trunk of her car. Trying to impress her boss, she had put in some overtime to finish a project a few days early. "I love you too, Anthony." As she pressed the button to end the call and looked up she was surprised to see that the woman standing in front of her had gotten so close.

"Excuse me," she tried going around her to get to the driver's side door not liking the look of the stranger staring so intently at her. Super human strength pinned her to the car and in an instant she felt something sharp puncture her neck. It wasn't long before the darkness of death enveloped her, the woman feeding at her neck disengaged just before that happened.

With a flick of her fingers, Artus wiped away the bit of blood that had dripped down her chin. The damp chill of the London night had become a bit more bearable now that the young woman's blood coursed through her veins. A young fledging came closer, stepping over the dead woman to see if his mistress was ready to go.

"Are you sure about this, mistress?"

"Call the others and position them around the building," she ordered. With impatience she pulled her long red hair together and bound it with a leather cord. "He might be able to get to a few of us, but not all. This Julius doesn't sound strong enough for that yet."

"But why go at all?" He had to quicken his pace to keep up with her.

"Because the offer sounded too intriguing to pass up. It's not often that an Elder of the famed 'Order' comes calling with such enticements." She scaled the wall surrounding the Tower of London with little effort and jumped down onto the grounds. The place, considering its history, seemed perfect for their talk.

"And no other will ever call on you again with such an offer," Julius added. He was standing on the spot where Anne Bolin had lost her head to the executioners axe. "It's true then, that you have managed to harness Ora's power?"

"Tell me what you want, because I'm sure you're not here to listen to how I came to be the Queen of the Vampires." Artus used the title seriously but her jeans and casual sweater made her look like anything but royalty.

From his hiding place, Bailey studied the woman who had a gift for magic, or so it was written. Before she had been given the dark gift by Ora herself, Artus had been a powerful witch revered by her tribe. With a few more centuries behind her, the young red head would become even more powerful than Ora.

"Actually, I am interested since it was Asra who made it possible for you to inherit the title in the first place. How do I know that won't make you weak when it comes to the Slayer if you feel indebted to her." The beauty's features changed a little when he took a step closer. These transformations had always fascinated Julius. "Calm down, I need you as much as you need me. I have no intention of harming you."

"Then how about you call your little friend out here where I can see him as well as I can smell him." She looked to where Bailey was leaning against one of the buildings and he could swear she was looking right through him.

Once Bailey was standing beside him, Julius started talking, laying out his plan as methodically as he could. Artus listened like someone who was in a hurry to be somewhere else. He finished, smiling because she was still standing in the courtyard with him and looking a little more interested.

"The problem with the Order is you all think you are the only ones who read and do research," she said. Her head cocked in the direction of the wall. The scraping sounded too methodical to be an animal or the wind. "If this is a trap…" she started as she turned toward the sound preparing herself to flee if it was necessary.

"Please, it's just another of my associates." Julius pointed to the top of the wall where Travis was getting ready to climb down. "I would like your answer to my proposal before you go."

"It's interesting, but tell me, Julius, what do I get in return?" His answer made her take a step closer to him, her features again contorting to better show the monster that lived inside. "Why would you do this?"

"The woman that stands between what we both want is a student of the great strategists in history, so wouldn't it be ironic if she were to be brought down by the one of life's greatest lessons?" In the pale moonlight he watched as her incisors elongated and her tongue came out to lick along the lips of a mouth that looked much to large.

"What lesson is that?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." A cruel laugh escaped Julius, and Bailey looked at him as if his old friend had really died all those years ago and the man they had revived was some carbon copy gone mad. "If we combine our forces then we will both get what we want when those who would stand in our way are disposed of."

"You have a deal, but be warned that I will never stop hunting you if you turn on me," the beautiful visage of the woman he had first seen was back in place, and it was she who held out her hand to seal their pact. Once he took it there was no turning back.

"I could say the same to you."

"Yes you could, but you've shown that you're weak by coming to me in the first place. Perhaps before you face off against Asra you should rethink things."

"No woman will…"

"Stand for your hollow threats," she finished the sentence a little differently than he would have. "Careful now, or I'll leave and watch as you enter the dark grave again." She squeezed his hand to the point that he tried to pry it free. "Don't threaten me again or…well…I don't need to finish that. Do I?"

"I'll send Travis for you when we're ready."

"Be still my cold heart," she said with sarcasm. In three leaps she was on the top of the surrounding wall stopping only to snap her fingers. From their own hiding places twelve of her fledglings showed themselves surprising the three immortals. "Remember, Julius, someone like Asra might worry me, but you and your little puppets will not even cross my thoughts during my sleep."

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The summer came and went with really no change in Piper's vision of All Hallows Eve. Kendal still lost the sword to her opponent, and the dragon's eyes still became a dooming shade of red. Despite all her time working on her concentration to develop her gifts as seer, the only new bit of information she was able to sense came from the night they had gone to meet Rolla.

That night Piper had done as Kendal had asked of her and just observed their meeting. The whole time he and Kendal were talking the young blonde seer had sensed a black cloud of worry hanging over the man, feeling as if it was ready to swallow him whole. Whatever or whoever it was, was growing stronger, feeding on the hate that consumed them. The only problem in isolating that was, Rolla was even older than Kendal. Another thousand years was plenty of time to make numerous enemies.

At the end of September, the blonde was frantic, trying her best to see beyond the vision of Kendal on her knees. Watching helplessly as the blood loss from her wounds made Kendal weak enough to be brought down. When Piper added to her failure of no new visions, Lenore's failure to find anymore information no matter how many books she researched - the blonde was starting to believe there would be no way to change the outcome of the vision.

Suddenly the scene in her mind changed a couple of weeks before their deadline revealing a new vision, but what she saw made no sense to her. Instead of the three men, her mind's eye shifted to the creatures she had seen at Oakgrove the night she almost lost Kendal. It confused Piper since from the beginning she believed the threat of vampires was over once the battle that ended the life of Kendal's brother's and the dark mistress he served was won.

"It has nothing to do with the sword for now," whispered Piper as she opened her eyes and looked at Lenore. She told her the new glimpse into the future and waited while the librarian consulted with Indigo.

"Then we must do our best to prepare for this new development," said Indigo.

"Are there still vampires?" asked Piper.

Kendal's watcher sighed in frustration. Working with no means of communication with the other Elders was a little like working blind in a heavy fog. The answers seemed like they were within reach but then faded just as quickly into mist. "There is no easy way of answering that since we don't really know how many exist. I think the Order was making headway in bringing the numbers down when the oldest of them Ora was killed, but only she knew how many fledglings she created. Then add to that all they in turn created."

"Why would I be seeing them in my visions? They have to know, these fledglings I mean, that Kendal is rather fatal to their kind."

"I wish, more than anything, I could answer all that for you, Piper, I really do but I'm at a loss. It's like for everything we find a clue to, there are a million more questions that spring from it." She reached out and placed her hand over Piper's. "The one thing I'm sure of is you're trying your best to see as much as you can."

Lenore smiled at her old friend and added her hand to theirs. "And I'll do my best as well. There has to be some text explaining what this is all about and I'm determined to find it."

************************************************************************

From the trees at the southern end of the estate, Julius and Bailey watched as the chronicler and watcher talked with the blonde he had seen that night at Kabaret's Prophecy. "Who is she?" he asked Bailey as he looked through his binoculars.

"Piper Dupont, she's someone Asra recently did business with. That obviously turned into something else since she's here with her grandparents as well."

"Is she important to Asra?"

"All I know is that she has spent time here and in New Orleans after they started their business relationship. From what Travis found in Rolla's scrolls, the blonde could be the twin of someone from Asra's past." Their companion had been absent for weeks, returning to his job with Rolla to keep the Order's leader from growing suspicious. The good thing was that Rolla had chosen to stay in London so Travis was close enough to come for updates whenever he could.

"What is the old couple doing here?" The sun finally broke from the bank of clouds that hid it and Julius turned his face to welcome it. He opened his eyes again and put his hand on the back of Bailey's neck. "I sense some reluctance in you lately, Bailey." Julius pulled the man's hair so hard some of it came loose in his fist. "Tell me I'm just imagining it."

"Julius, you know me. I looked for you for hundreds of years until I found you and made you whole, because I love you." The answer was sufficient enough for the larger man to release him. "To answer your question, I can only speculate."

"Speculate?"

"I've seen her walking with both of the older Duponts, so I can only speculate that they're here because Asra likes them. In all I've read about her, she seems to find people she comes to care about and admire and spends time with them accordingly. I think this is the case here."

"Then we have a starting point don't we?" He looked towards Piper and the others again and then to the sun for the time. "Come, Bailey, it's time to start taking away from Asra a thousand times what she stole from me."

The subject of his hatred stepped onto the practice field along with a tall African man holding a sword. Knowing her constant quest to be the best with the blade, Julius delayed their departure for a few minutes to see if Asra's fighting style had improved any over the years. When she drew her weapon and faced off against Charlie, the interested watcher felt the air leave his body.

"It couldn't be," whispered Julius.

"What?" asked Bailey in a voice just loud enough to be caught by the wind.

In the act of meeting one of Charlie's strikes, Kendal put her hand up in a gesture for him to stop. She turned in the direction of where the two men were standing looking for anything out of place on the property. Bailey grabbed Julius and started running just barely avoiding Kendal as she started running to where they had been standing.

"What is it?" asked Charlie. He stood with his sword posed for danger as Kendal bent down and studied the ground.

"We've had visitors, my friend. Only thing is, we haven't invited anyone over." They were faint, but there were tracks leading further into the woods. Anyone who could move that fast was long gone and not worth the effort chasing. "I believe that 'something wicked this way comes', and it's getting closer by the day."

"We'll be ready," said Charlie with conviction.

"We have to be," she stood up and slapped him on the back. "I promised Piper forever, and you know how I feel about breaking my word."

************************************************************************

"You want to do what?" asked Piper.

"Take your grandparents to a museum, sweetheart. What's wrong with that?" Kendal continued getting dressed after Piper told her the new vision of vampires she had seen earlier and Kendal had filled her in on why she'd taken a quick run into the woods.

"You did hear me right? About what I saw today while I was meditating."

Once she buttoned her shirt, Kendal moved closer and pulled Piper into her arms. "I heard you and I want you to try and do something for me."

"If you tell me to relax like Lenore keeps telling me, I'm going to pinch you," the blonde threatened.

"Nothing like that, don't worry. I want you to go somewhere with me as a change of pace. In the past I've found that it helps to look at beautiful things when it seems like the world is about to beat you down or turn ugly. I figure if it works for me, it might work for you as well."

Piper reached up and kissed Kendal's neck. "Are you a little worried at least? It would make me feel better if you were somewhat concerned over all this. If I'm right I might lose you in a few days." A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of the visions that had plagued her mind for months.

"It's going to take more than whoever you saw to take me away from you. Just believe in that." Kendal pulled her away just enough to see Piper's green eyes.

"It's just that the thought of never seeing you again, or that someone would put you somewhere that I'd never be able to find you…these are the things that terrify me the most."

Kendal bowed over the hands she held and kissed them reverently. "On my word, Piper, we will always walk together for the rest of time."

************************************************************************

On the drive into the city, Molly and Mac both smiled as they watched how peaceful Piper looked in Kendal's arms. The young couple had a way of showing those around them how they felt about each other without words. In the months they had spent together, the Duponts had witnessed the young relationship grow deeper and stronger allaying any fears for Piper's welfare and future.

The old masters hanging on the wall did brighten Piper's outlook as she sat on one of the benches in the center of the room leaning on Kendal's shoulder. Bright colors and the multitude of people dancing in the portrait made her temporarily forget her visions and anything bad that might happen to them.

"There's one more painting in this room that I wanted you to see," said Kendal. She guided Piper to the next bench and directed the blonde's attention to the picture of an old man fixing a tattered net as he sat next to a fishing boat. "I sat for more than one afternoon and watched as the artist worked on this. He had a good eye for detail didn't he?"

As she stared at the painting, Piper developed a form of tunnel vision. One of the pieces she had fought so hard to find clicked into place. "Kendal…"

"Close your eyes and take deep breaths, baby. Let it come to you, don't chase it."

"They want to harm Grand and Granddad." The fangs sinking into their necks were about to make her ill. "I'm not just going to lose you." She buried her face in Kendal's neck and started to cry. The old man in the painting reminded her of Mac but the scene in her mind had been so real as he slumped lifeless to the floor.

"Piper, look at me, sweetheart." Kendal pulled her away just far enough to look in her eyes. "The only way you will lose Mac or Molly will be years from now after they have lived a long and peaceful life. The images you see, I'm convinced we can change."

"You don't know that."

"Have you seen the Order's compound again?" She ran her fingers along Piper's cheeks to wipe away the tears.

"No, but what does that matter now?" Her mind was screaming at her to get up from there and run as far as she could with the people she loved to keep them safe.

"Because we altered the actions that were supposed to happen there because of what you saw. Because we did, the original vision altered as well didn't it?"

The painting beckoned her again and Piper just stared at it. "He loved the sea didn't he?"

"Who the painter or the old man?"

"The old man," answered Piper. As she relaxed, her mind seemed to widen its view and she saw something new. "He repaired his nets every afternoon after he finished working and selling his catch. It was like he was oblivious to the man who painted him every day when the light permitted it."

"Julio loved two things. He loved the sea and he loved that boat." Kendal's voice softened and her mind flew back to where Piper's was now concentrating.

"Three things….he loved three things, my darling, because he loved you as well, or at least who you were back then." She looked back to the strong profile and smiled. It was as if Kendal had left faint footsteps over the tapestry of time touching the lives of the sometimes forgotten. This man who loved his boat and the water it glided over had no family except for the young woman who helped him pull up his nets every day and helped him clean his catch in the afternoons.

"He lost his family to an outbreak of the plague. Three sons and his wife were all he had aside from his boat. When they lost their battle from the sickness, the sea was all he had left."

Piper could hear the sad affection in her lover's voice for a broken soul she had cared for so long ago. She looked at the painting again and her mind flew back through time, her connection with the vision strengthening. The sun was warm on her face and she could hear the seagulls fighting over the scraps they had thrown in the water after cleaning the day's catch. Julio's fingers, though old, worked the nets like a fine weaver making a tapestry.

"Tell me, Mari, do you believe in God?" Piper heard the words in the Spanish he had spoken but she could understand him nonetheless.

"I've seen the devil too many times not to," answered the voice she knew so well. Piper's head turned towards the end of the dock where a barefoot Kendal sat on a crate watching the young man put paint on the canvas in talented strokes. "Now smile pretty so you don't look like a crab when he's done," she teased.

Julio never looked up from his nets but he laughed at his young friend's joke. Once he was done they would head to his small house for a plate of fish stew then a drink at the tavern near the dock. She never complained about the hard work and always paid for their drinks no matter how much he protested. His biggest fear was she would grow tired of his sadness and move on. In time Julio came to see his fear was unfounded. On the day he was buried next to his family, there was one mourner there who cried for him and it had been Kendal.

He worked the last knot into place and brought his knife out to cut the thread so they could get home to their meal. When his head finally came up he looked right at Piper and spoke to her. "Tell her thank you and that she was right. My family, they waited for me, and heaven is an endless sea of calm water and blue skies."

"I'll tell her."

He nodded his understanding and stood to join the woman he knew as Mari. The artist was busy packing up his supplies and talking to the admirer of his work. Julio turned before he got too far away and put his finger up. "Can I ask just one more thing of you?"

"Anything."

"Tell her it's Julius. He's waiting for the right time, but he'll stop at nothing to repay her for what wrongs he thinks she committed against him."

Piper felt like she couldn't move from the spot or she would lose this connection. "Wait! How do you know all this?"

"God sent her to me, Piper, and this is my way of repaying her for what she did for an old man." He smiled and waved to her. "The dragon is about to awaken from his watery home and show its true power. Be ready and accept your part in her life."

Kendal held her and tried to decipher the mumblings as Piper looked at the painting. The blonde snapped out of her trance in a second and looked at Kendal with a glimmer of hope for finding another piece to the puzzle.

"Julius," was all she whispered.

Continued in Chapter 4

Comments to: terrali20@yahoo.com

The Athenaeum's Scroll Archive

~ Things That Terrify Me the Most ~
by Ali Vali

Disclaimers: See Part 1

Sit back and enjoy the story, any comments can be sent to me at terrali20@yahoo.com.

Things That Terrify Me the Most
by
Ali Vali

Chapter 4

"Julius?" The name sounded almost foreign to Kendall after all the years that had passed without anyone mentioning it. "That's impossible, love."

"If it's the guy you told me about, well I guess it would seem impossible, but that's not what he told me," she pointed to the old man in the painting. "I saw you back in time with him," Piper explained, going on to tell Kendal what her latest vision had been.

"I believe you, it's just that now we have two views of two very different enemies." Kendal still held Piper, but her mind was working feverishly to think how she could find the truth. "Why Julius would even register as a part of this at all is what's confusing me."

The blonde cocked her head to the side, searching for the right words. "Where did you put the…pieces as it were?" It was the best Piper could come up with considering the question.

"The body was Rolla's responsibility, the head mine. Though I did have to tell him where I put it. If he was smart, he never wrote that down anywhere." She looked up at the ceiling as if the answer to their problems was written on the white surface. "Only one way to find out."

"How's that?"

"I know this won't make you happy, but I have to go back and see Rolla. Only this time I have to go alone, Piper." She pressed a couple of fingers to the blonde's lips to keep the protest from leaking out. "I'm not doing this because of any trust issue, my love."

"What if my first vision was wrong and this is really the trap?"

Kendal pressed her palm to Piper's cheek and tried to reason with her. "We have a week and I'm not about to put myself, or more importantly, you in danger. I have a long history with Rolla and I think he'll talk to me if I go alone."

"I guess I don't have a choice do I?" The green eyes turned away and Piper sounded almost angry.

"Of course you do. You tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it." From the look on Kendal's face Piper could tell she was being serious, and meant every word of the offer.

Her chest expanded from the deep breath Piper took, letting it out slowly. "I think that you've lived long enough to know the best way to handle all the people involved in this. Letting you go alone isn't something I'm thrilled with, but I guess I don't have a choice here."

"Piper…honey, you have to learn that there are always choices. I've made quite a few over the years but you also have to know that I never have and I never will make a decision that hurts those I care about. The one thing to keep in mind here is that if Julius has somehow managed to escape his punishment, he'll come at me with all the anger and hatred, everything he has pent up inside him."

"That's what I've been trying to explain to you. Knowing someone wants to hurt you that much terrifies me." Piper put her arms around Kendal's waist as if to reassure herself. "Never in my life have I ever felt like this about another person. I love you with all that I am and all that I ever hope to be, so I can't lose you. What would an everlasting life mean to me if I didn't have you to share it?" When the thought took root ears filled the green eyes spilling over pale lashes. "For me that would define my greatest living nightmare."

While holding Piper close, Kendal fished her phone from her jacket pocket and looked at the number pad for a minute trying to think of what number she needed to dial. When she couldn't remember it, she dialed the house and asked Ming for a favor. After a few minutes the little device rang and Kendal spent time speaking in Russian to the person on the other end. It didn't matter now if someone found Julius' head where she had hidden it, she just needed confirmation it was still resting where she'd left it. An old friend Kendal trusted was off to look for the box Rolla had asked her to bury almost two thousand years before.

"It should take a couple of days for him to call back. Just depends on the weather and how fast he can make the trip." The explanation, and why Kendal had made the call, eased Piper's anxiety a little and they finished their tour of the museum. If the Duponts noticed anything bothering their granddaughter they never mentioned it as they made their way to dinner.

Once they had ordered their drinks, Kendal excused herself and went to meet the man sitting alone at almost the center of the restaurant. When Piper noticed who it was she had to smile at her lover's thoughtfulness. The meeting might have been just between Rolla and Kendal but it was taking place within her sight.

"Tell me, Rolla, I deserve that much."

He cut into the lamb chop the waiters had brought out for him, popping a piece into his mouth before he answered. "Why do you think you deserve anything?"

"Because I'm about to pay for following your orders to carry out a punishment." She never raised her voice but he could hear the menace in it.

"I rather like thinking back to those days, those days when you followed orders that is. These past few decades have brought about a change in how you view all the authority figures in your life, Asra. So I ask again, why you think you deserve anything from me?"

A long finger slowly circled the top of the drink glass she had sitting in front of her producing a clear note from the crystal. "Since you think I disregard the rules as you put it, let me explain something to you." The finger stopped suddenly and Kendal put both her hands flat on the table. "If it is true that Julius has found a way out of his punishment, I won't be his only target. Once he takes care of me, and ensures that he has destroyed everyone I hold dear, do you think he'll leave you to your puttering across the continents? Talk to me now or I'll walk out of here tonight and turn my back on you and the Order, but take your time and think carefully, Rolla. Do you honestly imagine that someone like you, combined with your little minions like Travis, have a chance against Julius' vengeance and hate?"

She started to rise from the table and the Elder knew she meant every word of her promise. Whatever Asra had done to upset the Order, it wasn't worth it to him to lose her as an ally. "Wait."

"Tell me or I'm walking."

Rolla inhaled deeply before answering as if trying to put off the inevitable. "The body is gone from where we put it, and I'm waiting on word about his head. If the body and head have been made whole once again, then rest assured…Julius is back among us."

Piper didn't care for the way Kendal slumped back into her chair as if someone had punched her on the jaw. "How long do you think before he's back to full strength?"

"I don't know." His hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist when she went to stand. "I'm not withholding information, I really don't know. The elixir has never been tested for this length of time. It could very well be that he can't be brought back after so long being separated at the head."

"How would someone have known where to look?" She pulled her hand free and finished the Glenlivet scotch she'd been drinking. The smoky flavor washed away the bitter taste the conversation had left in her mouth. "We were the only ones who knew the locations. You didn't write a scroll about it, did you?"

"It didn't give the exact location," he defended. "I thought it was important for the others to know his story so they would never meddle in the lives of mankind like that again. The scroll only gave clues as to where he could be found."

"And someone close to you followed them right to the hidden treasure." Kendal had to relax her hand from the fist it had been clenched into. "I have my own man checking to see if the box I buried is still there, but I expect to hear from you if you find out anything. Are we clear?"

"I understand, if you promise the same thing."

"Don't worry about me, Rolla. What you need to do is start thinking of who it was that betrayed us."

This time she stood without him trying to stop her. Rolla stood as well and they clasped arms like warriors of old. "You must tell me of the girl when this is all over," he said looking toward Piper.

"That's a promise I'm more than willing to make to you, old friend. Remember to be careful until then."

They finished dinner with no other interruptions; all of them enjoying the ride home in silence. Ming was waiting at the front door when they walked in informing Kendal that there had been no calls while they were out. Looking a little tired from the long day, Mac and Molly excused themselves and retired for the night. By one in the morning the house was quiet. Even the immortals were settled in with a slew of ancient texts in search of clues to the various mysteries that had come to dominate their lives.

"Do you really think this guy's walking around?" Piper was lying next to Kendal enjoying the heat of her naked chest. The immortal, dressed only in a pair of boxers, had faired much better than the old book in her hand that was actually a lot younger. It was a book of weapons and from the detailed sketches on every page, it looked like a catalog to Piper. "Why did you keep this?" She pointed to the fragile looking book.

"I picked up stuff along the way, and I guess and like everyone has a tendency to do, I just put it on a shelf and forgot about it."

"Remind me to go through all my catalogs soon. I doubt we'll be needing anything from Pottery Barn or Victoria's Secret two thousand years from now." She laughed as she slowly ran her hand down Kendal's abdomen enjoying the way the muscles contracted as she went.

"Speak for yourself, pipsqueak. I rather enjoy buying you things from the Victoria's Secret catalog."

Piper snorted as she pinched the skin above Kendal's navel. "Sure you do, but I'm talking about some more educational keepsakes. We can read stuff like…" Piper stopped talking when Kendal cocked her head to the side and held her hand up for silence. Without a word, the tall woman sprung from the bed and ran out of the room wearing just her boxers. "Where are you going?"

The blonde stopped to put on a robe before following, having to hang onto the banister to keep from falling down the stairs once she saw the sight before her. There were at least ten of them, Piper wasn't going to stop to get an accurate count, and one of them had her grandfather kneeling on the landing. Two others were holding Molly at the bottom, but looked to be taking their cues from the one standing behind Mac.

"Asra, how nice of you to join the party," said Artus as she cocked Mac's head back further exposing his jugular vein. From where she was standing Kendal could see how rapid the old man's pulse was beating.

"What do you want?" asked Kendal.

"Honey, please…" Piper's voice died away again when her lover raised her hand for silence.

"Do you really see yourself in any position to ask questions, and before you think about them, demands?" The red head made Mac whimper when she ran her tongue along his cheek. From the corner of his eye he could see the elongated incisors. The shocking sight was competing with a nearly naked Kendal now walking down a few steps like she knew what she was doing.

"You're in my house bothering my guests, Miss…" she cocked her head to the side not being able to finish the sentence.

"My name is Artus and I'm the new queen."

There was something about her speech pattern that tickled Kendal's memory. "Tell me why you're here? I thought it might be of interest before I rip your heart out and nail it to my door to greet the sun."

The vampire leaned in and nipped Mac's neck just hard enough with her fangs to draw blood, Artus then pulled back and laughed. It wasn't often she ran across someone who spoke the ancient language of the gypsies. "I was told you were a worthy adversary, but I specifically chose this time of night for a reason."

"Why's that?" Kendal moved down closer to them stopping when the woman ran her tongue over the trickles of blood that had dripped from Mac's wound. Now wasn't a good time to make her thirsty.

"From the way you're almost dressed and your lack of weapons, I can see you weren't expecting company, especially not us," she pointed to the shorts and nothing else. "And you can save the spiel of how you don't care for these people and I can do with them whatever I want. I've watched you and I know better."

Kendal inched one step closer and looked down at Molly to reassure her with a smile. Behind them all Lenore, Indigo and Charlie moved into the room undetected. "Then you should have watched me a little closer, witch." Kendal's hand shot out and pressed on one of the wood panels opening a secret compartment on the staircase wall. One dagger flew up the stairs and embedded itself in the fledgling who had moved close to Piper. All of the Duponts gasped when he dissolved to dust. Five more of the fledglings fell instantly at the end of the other immortals' swords, leaving Molly free and only five other underlings and Artus still to be dealt with.

Kendal's next move was to jump head first down the last of the steps separating her from Artus, flying past Mac and knocking the shocked woman down the bottom flight of stairs. Anything Artus' minions were thinking of doing to help her, thought again when they saw the naked blade pressed to their mistress' neck. "I'm thinking you brought them with you because they are the best of your legions," Kendal had Artus' red hair wrapped firmly around her free hand, the other hand was pressing the knife into the delicate looking flesh at her throat. "And if that's so, I'm thinking you're screwed."

"What do you want?" Kendal's earlier question echoed out of Artus' mouth.

"I want the dust of your dead body dirtying up my carpet, but we'll get to that eventually." She pulled harder on the red hair and turned the woman's body to face the fledglings she had left. "Tell them to stand down right now or I'll gut you like the minnow you are."

Artus lifted her head as much as she could and looked at the young man closest to her. "Go back to the lair and wait for me," she commanded.

"We won't leave you, mistress." His face contorted in an effort to scare Kendal into letting Artus go. In retaliation, the warrior pulled the dagger away from the woman's throat and threw it so fast, the only recourse he had was to howl in outrage before it pierced his heart.

"Care to try again?" By the time Kendal asked the question, there was already another blade in her hand.

"Leave all of you, we are not welcome here." The witch turned vampire gave the order in her own language and this time the four remaining listened and obeyed, leaving her behind to her fate.

"Good, now you and I are going to have a talk." She issued the invitation quietly, more keenly aware of Mac and Molly now than ever. "Piper, are you all right?"

The blonde nodded not sure of what to do. So far this had been the most bizarre night of her life and she had lived through a very similar night at Oakgrove. How she was going to explain it to her grandparents was a mystery at the moment.

"Take your grandparents back to their room and I'll be there in a minute." The sound of Kendal's voice made her finally move but before Piper reached the landing, her lover and her captive disappeared into the compartment in the wall.

"Grand and Pops, come on," she waved to them hoping they would save their questions until morning.

"What in the Sam Hill is going on here?" Mac was the first one to find his voice as he put his arm around his wife. "What were those things?" There was a pile of dust near them where the guy who had spoken to the woman had been standing just moments before. His mind was still trying to wrap itself around what he'd seen.

"I promise we'll sit and talk about all this, but tomorrow okay?" Piper maneuvered them up the stairs with Lenore and Charlie's help.

"What if I don't want to wait until morning?" asked Mac.

"I'm sorry, Pops, but this time you don't have a choice. My place is beside Kendal right now and she needs me at the moment. Please try and understand that." They were standing outside the door of their room and the blonde turned and walked away confident Charlie would stand guard a few feet away for the rest of the night.

If there was any doubt in Mac's mind about the commitment between the two young women after all the months he had spent in the house watching the relationship grow, they dissolved in that instant. He had witnessed Piper being strong in business and in the way she conducted her life, but he had never seen such a resolute look on her face as when she answered his question. No matter what he or Molly said now, they had lost her to the tall woman who had saved both their lives that night. Above all else, that he was completely sure of.

"Charlie," he called to the man before joining Molly inside.

"Yes, sir?"

"I don't know what's going on, but they'll be fine won't they?"

"Mr. Dupont, if there is one thing Kendal Mackey prides herself on it's the safety of those she loves." He walked forward and put his hand on the old man's shoulder in comfort. "I know what you saw tonight might make you think you're a little crazy, but if you give her time, Kendal will come back and explain everything I promise."

"Just make sure they're okay, and the rest can wait."

************************************************************************

The woman who had attacked her family looked calm as she sat strapped in a chair in the middle of a room with no windows. If Piper had to guess, they were somewhere in the bowels of the estate, and she would need as much help from Indigo getting out as she had needed getting there in the first place. Kendal sat across from the woman, only now she was wearing a robe and had the dagger in her hand lying across her lap.

"When my hunger becomes great enough these bindings won't hold me," warned Artus.

"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you." Kendal moved her eyes from the woman to the newcomers to the room. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back," she said in a sarcastic voice, rising to meet Piper before she came any closer.

The blonde flew into her arms, trying to be strong and not cry, but Kendal could see her lip was starting to tremble. Indigo nodded in understanding as to what needed to be done when the tall woman flicked her head in Artus' direction. With that, Kendal led her partner out to the stairs and walked her back to their room where she sat Piper on the bed and knelt before her.

"Please don't leave me in here alone. I don't think I could be away from you right now," begged Piper.

"My darling, your days of being left behind are over, don't you know that by now? I will never willingly leave you for anything in this world. We need to find out what happened here tonight and why, but we have a few more hours before our little friend downstairs feels motivated enough to talk and I thought we might be more comfortable getting dressed." She took Piper's hands in hers and slowly kissed the backs then the palms. "I love you."

"Thank you for saying all that. I just feel that for most of my life other people have made decisions about my welfare without consulting with me about it. It hurts when you finally look up find yourself alone never having been a part of the decision making." The memories of the night faded a little as she looked into those bright blue eyes. "But you're right. I know those days are over."

"Before we head back down, is that who you saw in your vision?"

"The thing I saw was already feeding on my grandfather, I never saw its face." It looked like a thought had crossed Piper's mind when her face took on a pinched look and she started to squeeze the life out of Kendal's hands. "Honey, do you think these visions I'm having are way off the mark?"

"Why do you think so?"

"I see things but they never turn out the way I see them. I don't want to put anyone in danger because my sight is off."

"There are seers who look into the future, and for them is written in stone. No matter what we do, the outcomes never vary. Then there are those who see the possibilities, but our actions have the power to make better outcomes. If given a choice, I want your sight, love. I think whatever power has seen fit to give you this gift has also given you the ability to see the worst-case scenario when there is danger to be faced. Knowing that makes it easier to plan for everything, so I wouldn't worry about it."

"Well there is one more thing to worry about," said Piper as she helped Kendal to her feet and pulled the belt of her robe open.

"I'm almost afraid to ask."

"I can't even begin to imagine where I'm going to come up with a good explanation as to what you were doing in here with just your boxer shorts on. My grandfather would be in here right now teasing you about your fighting outfit if some spawn from hell hadn't just tried to make a midnight snack out of him."

The deep laugh rumbling from Kendal's chest was like a balm to Piper's soul. "I don't usually make it a habit to show this much skin in combat but sometimes you have to just jump into the action no matter what." Kendal squeezed Piper to her before steering them to the closet.

"For future reference, baby, you can show as much skin as you want when it's just us. In fact I insist on it," teased Piper.

They dressed, Piper following Kendal's lead by putting on a pair of jeans, a sweater and a pair of hiking boots. The boots she attributed to the tall woman's aversion to bugs and where they had left the red headed bloodsucker. When they left the room it was well after three in the morning and the house had once again grown quiet.

"How do you get her to talk? Drive bamboo under her fingernails or something along those lines?" Piper sped up her steps to keep pace with her long legged lover as they headed down the stairs.

"Bamboo? My, Piper, I do believe there is something about you I don't know. Some hidden talent for making people squirm perhaps?" She laughed and reached out for the young woman's hand when they reached the hidden door, guiding her the rest of the way down and toward the back of the house. "They're not in there any more."

"I do not make people squirm," she defended herself, as she followed not letting go of Kendal's hand. "And where are they?"

"Ah, sweetheart, you make me squirm all the time. And to answer your question, if you want the truth out of someone like this woman who was kind enough to drop in, there's only one foolproof way." One of the swords over the fireplace in the main sitting room came off the wall on their way through the room and Kendal held it away from Piper.

As the door to the study opened once they'd reached their final destination in the house, the petite blonde could feel the night air was heavy with a cold fog that was rolling in from the north. She held onto Kendal tightly, trusting her to guide her through the woods they were headed into. After thirty minutes or so of walking they came to another clearing like the one Kendal and the others used to train.

At its center the woman sat in the same chair, but more heavily bound in chain, not looking as smug as she had in the house. Her body was in tune with the time and the way her skin was prickling, the dawn wasn't far off. If she was to die that night, Asra had picked the cruelest way to go about it.

"Why did you come into my house uninvited?" Artus pulled her head as far back from the tip of the sword pressed to her chin as her position would allow. She waited before giving an answer thinking that maybe Asra needed her alive for whatever reason. "I'm only going to ask these questions once just so we understand each other." The sword tip pressed harder against the milky white skin and this time Artus had no room left to move further back.

"I need no invitation to enter a place where I want to go," she answered, feeling the pressure let off as Kendal backed up a step.

"You were a witch as a mortal weren't you?" It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"My family was known for their talents in Romania for centuries, so yes, I was no different until I was turned by Ora." There were others behind her, Artus could feel them but couldn't see them no matter how hard she tried. "Why do you want to know?"

"What is your name?" Kendal asked as if she hadn't heard the woman's question.

"I am Artus Decebal, daughter of…."

"Inacu Decebal, or at least one of his descendants." Kendal finished for her. Her lineage explained how Artus had gotten into the house without an invitation. Combined with her immortality from Ora, she also had the gift of magic from her family. A deadly combination when you were able to practice both for as long as Artus had been able to.

"How do you know my family name?"

"Why the sudden interest in those close to me?" Again Artus' question went unanswered but Kendal expected an answer to the one she posed.

Piper had been amazed the woman had done as much talking as she had but now as the silence stretched out, she waited to see what her lover was prepared to do. Up till then she figured they were as far away from the house as they were so no one would hear the vampire screaming.

"I asked you a question." Kendal's voice cut through Piper's musings but still Artus wouldn't answer. "Fine," she started walking away motioning for the others to get going as well.

They got about thirty yards from the clearing when they heard the desperate, "Wait," Artus bellowed out into the night. She had lived close to four hundred years and she wasn't ready to die. "What do you want to know?"

"Just answer my question, because we both know you weren't ready to face a slayer with my skill just yet, even with Ora's extra boost to your powers. Why were you here?" Kendal and the others listened to the explanation, the immortals knowing it was Julius from the woman's description. However he had managed it, would be something to worry about later. Now their biggest concern was that he was back among the living.

"I told you what you wanted to know," Artus looked up at her and struggled with her bindings again. "Please release me before the sun comes up."

"Not yet, I want one more thing from you." The explanation was as short as Kendal could make it, knowing there wasn't much time left before the dawn would break and they would lose their captive in a most horrific way. "What's your answer?" she asked when she was finished.

"What's in it for me?"

"Aside from living out the night you mean?" Kendal asked with an arched brow.

The immortal didn't disappoint her with her wit making Artus laugh. "Yes aside from that?"

"I will grant you a century of peace if you leave my family alone." She put her hand up before the witch could answer. "Be forewarned though, if you enter my home again, any home, without an invitation I will kill you. If you touch someone under my protection again, I will kill you. There will be no negotiation and no signs of mercy from me ever again. Do we understand each other?"

"Perfectly and I'll take you up on your offer." As swift as her answer came was as swift as Kendal's sword came down on the bindings.

Piper watched in shock as the woman who had just tried to kill her family ran to what she assumed was the nearest dark hole. "You let her go?"

"I let her go," Kendal answered.

"Don't you think we should have talked about this first? She would have killed Grand and Pops without one bit of remorse if you hadn't been there to stop her." It was a good thing they were as far away from the house as they were or else Mac and Molly would have heard every word Piper had said she was talking so loud.

"You may not agree with me, but we need her alive for now."

"For now!" yelled Piper. "Try for the next hundred years. I know you, Kendal, your word is sacred to you."

"Piper, please," Kendal tried, seeing the feisty and passionate Piper from the first day they met. "We have exactly one week to figure out how some psycho from my past is going to get to us, so forgive me for trying to stack as many pluses on our side as possible. Like I said, you might not agree with me, but I'm trying my best to even the odds. Because the way I see it, Julius holds the element of surprise, which puts him in charge of our fate for now. I'm sure he's close, but I haven't got the first clue as to where to start looking for him."

The air directly in front of Piper's mouth condensed showing her long exhale. "I'm sorry, I'm sure you know what you're doing."

"If you start to shut me out now, we'll never make it through this," Kendal's response to the flat statement Piper had made prompted the other three to start back toward the house. The end of this talk didn't need an audience. "If you shut me out now, the reality of eternity will become a nightmare for us both."

"I'm not shutting you out, I'm just not happy with you right at this particular moment. Is it that I'm never supposed to get upset with you?"

"You're free to feel whatever you like." For once the phrase 'I'm too old for this' made perfect sense to her and Kendal started back toward the house. "Let's get back, I'm sure your grandparents will be up soon and ready to talk."

"You promised me," her words stopped Kendal's feet from going any further.

"Promised you what?" Kendal still hadn't turned around.

"You said you would never leave me behind." Her voice had gotten smaller and Piper felt as if she'd really messed up with this woman again.

"Leave you behind?" Kendal had to stop and take a deep breath to control the anger coursing through her. It had very little to do with Piper and a lot to do with the helpless feeling the night had magnified within her heart. Artus had gotten close, too close for her comfort, and now it weighed heavily on her, waiting to see what else Julius had in store for them. "You may not want to see it, but I'm doing everything I can to keep my promises to you. I want more than anything to share a future with you, and some asshole I should've cut into so many little pieces it would've taken eternity to find, is trying his best to get in the way of that."

Piper ran to close the distance between them and she wrapped her arms around Kendal's waist pressing herself against the taller woman's back. "I know you're doing your best. I'm sorry for questioning you on your motives. It's just that I keep seeing those fangs so close to Pop's neck and it's making me crazy."

"You have to know that no matter what we face, I will never do anything to endanger you or those you love." Kendal turned around drove the sword into the ground so she could pick Piper up. When they were nose to nose, she spoke from the heart. "Your family is as sacred to me as you are, so rules I have for your safety applies to them as well."

"I love you so much." With a ferocity she didn't know she possessed, Piper pressed their lips together and kissed Kendal as if it would be for the last time. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

"I love you too, and I'm sorry for not talking to you first. In this case though, Artus really was working against the clock." Kendal bent at the knees and retrieved her sword and started walking feeling Piper's legs wrap around her waist.

"I can walk you know."

"So can I, even when I'm carrying a light load." Without looking Kendal moved through the trees without hitting anything. When they reached the house, the first light of dawn was coloring the sky and she wondered if Artus had found a place to sleep.

The Duponts were sitting close to the fire in the library sipping coffee when Piper and Kendal stepped in. They all stayed quiet as Kendal handed the sword to Ming accepting a tray in exchange. When Kendal sat down, Piper chose to come and sit on the arm of the chair again showing her grandparents she stood with Kendal. There was no mistaking the young couple's devotion to each other.

"I don't know where to begin asking questions," said Mac.

"I do, and I need you to pay very close attention," Kendal looked up to Piper and smiled, "All of you."

************************************************************************

"Find out where she's going?" Julius watched through the chain link fence as Kendal boarded the private jet alone. Behind her, an Oriental man carried two urns, the kind that held cremated human remains. After he handed them up to the tall woman, the man went back to the car for one last urn. The look on Asra's face was so solemn and so sad, Julius could see the pain clearly. It made him smile, but it wasn't time to celebrate yet. He still owed her a lot more for what she had done to him.

Behind him Bailey talked softly into the phone in his hand as he too looked to the woman boarding the plane. Both men were so intent on staring at Kendal they paid no attention to the other items being placed into the back compartments. As the men with Ming finished their job, another car arrived with Lenore, Indigo and Charlie. When they were close enough both women took turns putting their arms around Kendal as if offering comfort.

"Do you know what Asra's problem has always been?" This time Julius posed his question to Travis who had been able to get away from Rolla for the next couple of weeks without raising the Elder's suspicions.

"I'm sure you're going to tell me, so there's no sense in my guessing." The night she had bested him so easily came back to him as Travis looked at the tall woman standing next to the plane talking to her friends. The links in the fence his fingers were threaded through bent under the pressure he exerted when he pressed down.

"She cares too deeply for those things in her life that are fragile. Why fall in love so easily if you will never be rewarded for those efforts." Julius looked back to Bailey and smiled, his fingers rubbing along the scarred line where Asra had separated his head from his shoulders. "To care about these idiots who die as easily as if swatting a fly has been her life's ambition. She should've instead concentrated on how best to control them to do her bidding."

"She is headed back to New Orleans," interrupted Bailey. The smallish man was still in shock that Artus had been able to destroy the Duponts so easily while they were under Asra's protection. "That's all the man in the airport tower knew after reviewing their flight plan."

"And this thing they are loading, it will take her there?" Julius had slept for so long it was at times like this he found himself at a loss as to how much the world had changed. "Is it slow enough that we can follow?"

"Julius, I explained this before." Bailey though, explained it again wondering if chartering a plane wouldn't be better for them as well in case his friend freaked out. "It flies so she and the others will be home by tonight."

"Then we must fly as well and finish this. We have a very short time before…" Julius caught himself and stopped talking before giving Travis too much information.

"Before what?" Travis asked.

"Before she aligns herself with enough good warriors that we won't be able to get near her." He paused and turned back to watch the goings on down on the tarmac. "After all, from what I hear, you didn't pose much of a threat to her," Julius couldn't help the dig.

"She caught me off guard. We've been through this," Travis sounded like he was about to turn his anger on the man standing next to him. The jet's engines roared to life, cutting off any other conversation.

Julius watched like a fascinated little boy as the plane taxied then streaked back and became airborne. Yes, there were many things he still had to learn about this new world he had awoken to, but there were enemies to defeat before the real fun began.

"We will see you soon, Asra." He whispered the promise under his breath as he followed the plane's ascent until it was completely out of sight. "And then I will finish what I started with Attila so long ago."

************************************************************************

The plane landed at a private airstrip about fifty miles away to pick up the rest of their passengers who had arrived by helicopter. Kendal figured if Julius was watching, he would concentrate on her and not the house. Especially after Artus had told him she and her followers were able to get to Piper and her family. It was an interesting conversation she had shared with the vampire, who'd called to give her an update, since she had never entered into a working relationship with a child of the night. Considering they were creatures born of evil, Kendal could only hope the witch turned immortal was keeping her word and not playing both sides of the coin.

Their talk with Mac and Molly the night before had ended in a tenuous truce of sorts and they had both agreed to Kendal's plan. If whatever it was that had attacked them had agreed to help them, and the people they worked for thought they were dead, that was all right with them for now. The one subject neither Kendal nor Piper had broached was the elixir of life and the fact the blonde had consumed a cup of it.

Over the Atlantic, Piper became quiet and her face took on a pensive look that made the others believe her mind had flown off in its own direction. She stayed that way for almost two hours closing her eyes as if trying to lock away whatever she was seeing in her mind. When she became aware of her surroundings again, Kendal looked at her in a way that questioned if she was all right, and the blonde only nodded in response. Now was not the time to go into it.

After stopping to refuel a couple of times, the first part of their journey ended in California. A car was waiting to drive them into the hills of an estate between Sonoma and Napa to another piece of Kendal's history. They turned off a scenic highway and drove through a gate that was very similar to the one found at Farthington House in England. The drive up to the house wound around vineyards now bare of the fruit that had just been harvested for pressing.

An attractive older woman who looked to be of American Indian decent was waiting for them when they came to a stop. Beautiful black hair mixed with a little gray was pulled into a ponytail and she was dressed in jeans and a native print jacket.

"Sparrow, how are you?"

"Old and cold, but I'm feeling better now after looking at such a beautiful sight," she teased never taking her eyes off Kendal. "Come give an old woman a kiss."

For a second Piper thought to hold her lover back. This woman, no matter her age, didn't look or talk to her lover like a servant or an employee. You could look into those dark eyes and see an intimate history between them. A history that was confirmed when Kendal moved forward and put her arms around the woman and briefly pressed their lips together.

"Behave," Kendal admonished in the Hopi language. Sparrow never got a chance to retaliate before two tall men joined them and took turns greeting and hugging Kendal. "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Sparrow and her sons Josh and Jeremiah Brown Bear." After the introductions Sparrow waved her hand toward the house doing her best to make everyone feel welcome.

The staff served a wonderful meal that was for the most part eaten in silence by those sitting around the table. Mac and Molly ate methodically, still looking like they were in shock from what had happened less than twenty-four hours before. Sparrow and her children brought Kendal up to date on what was going on around the vineyard as well as in town. When the dishes were cleared the older Duponts retired to the room Sparrow had shown them earlier. It was to be their new home until all this mystery was over.

When Sparrow and her boys retired to their own home, also on the property, Kendal took Piper for a walk. The moon was almost full so they took advantage of the light to walk along the rows of grapevines. Some of the fruit that had been dropped during the harvest lay dried and shriveled waiting to be tilled back into the soil.

"Now I understand the comment you made about being a winemaker," said Piper. Their conversation from the night she discovered her gifts as a seerer came back to her making Piper smile.

"So you do."

The blonde pulled them toward a tree in the distance wanting to learn something new about her lover. When they were seated, she rested with her back against Kendal's chest, Piper asked the question that had been hanging like a weight between them since they had arrived.

"Tell me about her?"

There was no need for the tall brunette to ask who Piper was talking about. "When she was about nineteen, Sparrow found herself married to a man who loved the bottle more than his two sons and his wife. In an effort to keep them off the streets she made jewelry to sell in town and tried to make the best of what the gods saw fit to give her. It was not enough to make her happy, but it was a bearable life from what she told me, until the beatings started."

Piper pinched the skin of Kendal's forearm without realizing it. "Wait, she was going out and making money and he thanked her by beating her?"

"It was that she wanted to use the money for food for her boys and not whiskey that accounted for the beatings, love." Kendal laughed at Piper's anger on Sparrow's behalf. No matter how much the young woman had tried to hide it, Piper was a caring soul. With no effort, Kendal picked her up and turned her a little so that Piper was now sitting in her lap. She wanted more than anything to see that beautiful face in the moonlight.

"What are you doing?" asked Piper.

"I missed not seeing you." She ran a finger along Piper's lips liking the way they turned up in a smile.

It was Piper's turn to laugh. "Some big warrior you are. It's all this mush that makes them fall in love with you and pine for you even after all these years. Finish your story, honey."

"I bought this place about a hundred years ago because I thought the area was beautiful and a good place where I could retreat every so often, not because I knew a lot about grapes and wine making. It's about eighty acres and the wine made here is mostly for the cellars of places like Farthington. I was here for a visit close to forty-four years ago and a saw a truly pathetic sight."

Kendal took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the memory of that pretty face marred by a split lip and two black eyes came back to her. "He had really gone after her the night before, so she was out in the town trying to sell her jewelry with two little kids and as many possessions as she could bring with her. I went and got my truck and just opened the door and offered my help, but it was up to her to take it."

"I take it she did." Piper pressed her palm to Kendal's cheek and turned her head enough so they could share a kiss.

"She came here with me and her boys and they never left. I couldn't stay, so I asked the man I had running the vineyard to look out for them and teach Joshua and Jeremiah the business. Eventually they moved closer to a small lake on the property where I had a house built for them, since Sparrow liked the main house but it really wasn't her style."

Piper kissed her again and turned so she was now straddling Kendal's thighs and they were facing each other. "It wasn't that she didn't like the house, my love, she didn't like that you weren't there to share it with her. She fell in love with you didn't she?"

"Two lonely people found comfort in each other, honey, I don't know about love. I won't lie and tell you I don't care for Sparrow and her sons, because I do. They have been good to me and work hard to make this place successful."

"It's all right, love, it's the fact you care so much that I fell in love with you. I know there isn't anyone alive that I have to worry about and I love you for cementing that fact in my mind." Piper pulled back a little and started to unbutton Kendal's shirt. "Did her husband ever bother her again?"

Looking down at her chest and how much more of it she could see, Kendal smiled. "He came back once and tried to force her back. I convinced him what a bad idea it would be for him to try it again." Piper nodded her head at the answer and pulled the shirt free of Kendal's pants.

"Do you have something in mind darlin'?" Kendal asked as she cocked her head in question.

The tree had surprised her when Piper saw it during their walk. There had been a new vision on the plane on the way here, and this time, she told no one about it, not wanting the outcome to change for anything in the world. All Hallows Eve or Halloween as everyone in the modern world knew it was only three days away and it was time to start to awaken a sleeping dragon.

"It seems like such a long time ago, but on an important afternoon of my life, someone very wise told me to only share myself with someone who ignited my passion and owned my heart." She took off her own shirt and pressed their bodies together enjoying the feel of Kendal's skin against hers. "I found you and now I want you to show me your passion. Show me that your heart belongs to me as much as mine belongs to you."

"I will always belong to you, my love." Kendal held her hands as Piper stood to remove her pants and shoes, standing momentarily as well to do the same.

"Then show me," said Piper when they went back to the way they were seated. When they came together again the cold night air was forgotten and it felt like every inch of their bodies had come alive in a search for a way to become one.

"Do you belong to me?" asked Piper trying to remember everything from the vision. It was the first time she had been given a sort of guide to show her what needed to be done. The woman had been so helpful, and had explained to Piper why this night had to happen in a certain way. "Answer me," demanded Piper when Kendal took too long.

"Only you, Piper." Kendal willingly let Piper take control, leaning against the bark of the tree to see what the small woman wanted.

"In a tent a long time ago you were marked." She took hold of Kendal's hand and entwined their fingers together, her voice sounded deep and commanding. "The woman who marked you did so because one day you would find someone who would claim you as their own and then the brand would come to life and the dragon would know that person as your mate." Piper hesitated before placing her hand on the spot that she knew from her vision held the hidden tattoo. If it didn't appear after what she had to do, then it would break her heart because of what that would mean.

"Piper," said Kendal softly. "Please look at me," she requested when the green eyes stayed locked on their hands. When Piper looked up, Kendal's eyes filled with tears for the uncertainty she saw facing her. "What did you see on that plane?"

"I saw this place." With her other hand she pointed to the tree they were sitting under and the rows of plants that surrounded them.

"Do you trust what we have?" The blonde head nodded. "Then trust that my heart knows who you are and what you mean to me." With that she took their hands and placed them on her chest where they could both feel the beating of her heart. "Trust yourself and claim that which belongs to you." When Piper nodded again, Kendal moved their hands until they were lying over the spot where the woman had run her finger all those years ago.

"In the name of the goddess I ask you to awaken from your watery sleep. Your time has come to stand and fight with the one true of heart." Piper repeated the chant three times in the strange language the woman had made her say over and over again until she had gotten it right. After the third time, their linked hands started to glow and Piper could feel the warmth move up her arm and across her chest.

When she finished her ritual they lifted their hands and there on Kendal's skin was the dragon ready for battle. It was coiled like on the sword and its jaws were open ready to vanquish any enemy. The relief Piper felt almost made her forget the next part. With their hands still glowing she then placed them over her heart and finished the chant. "I am ready to stand by her side and accept the responsibility of keeping her whole." Saying it three times, the third time feeling something almost slam into her chest over her heart.

This time when they lifted their hands there was another tattoo of a dragon on Piper's chest. Instead of looking as if were prepared for battle this one held what looked to be a orb in one claw, the other claw hovering over it as if to keep it safe.

"Where did you learn that language?" Kendal's voice sounded like she was in awe at what had happened. "I've only heard it once before and I didn't understand it then either."

The heated uncontrolled feeling was starting to grow, like it had the first time they had held the sword together, and Piper wasn't in the mood to answer any more questions. Whatever the power of the dragon was, because it was made by Aphrodite, it centered on the connection they had together. It was as if the dragon had taken the love they shared and magnified it to the point it became all enveloping.

Kendal pulled her forward and crushed their mouths together needing to feel as much of Piper as she could. Any control she thought to have was gone as the need for the blonde pushed her forward. She went to lay the petite woman down on the ground when Piper put her hands on Kendal's shoulders to stop her.

"Easy, baby." It was hard because she wanted to feel Kendal on top of her more than she wanted to breathe at the moment, but the picture in her mind made her take control. "I need to be close to you, but I need to see you." Piper moved her hand to Kendal's face, leaning in to place soft brief kisses over her eyes and mouth. "I need you to make love to me while you hold me."

The kisses were driving her insane but Kendal sat back and tried to give Piper what she wanted. Her hands were clenched into fists at her side in an effort not to overwhelm her smaller partner with her strength. Kendal finally opened her eyes when she felt Piper's hand reach for one of hers.

"That's it, let me see you." The blue eyes stayed glued to her as she lifted her hips and maneuvered Kendal's hand between them. Kendal let out a moan when, just before her fingers slipped inside of Piper, a bit of slick wet heat dripped down onto her hand. "Do you feel how much I need you inside me?"

The question was rhetorical since after asking it Piper lowered herself slowly, enjoying the way Kendal filled every part of her that was wanting. Just as slowly she started moving her hips feeling the overwhelming power of the orgasm that was beginning much too early for her taste. Before it robbed her of all awareness, Piper reached down and found Kendal wet, hard and throbbing. She squeezed two fingers together, confident the rocking of her hips would provide all the stimulation Kendal needed to join her.

At the same time, the walls of Piper's sex clenched down on Kendal's fingers, sending them off the abyss. It felt so good a roar was torn from Kendal's chest scattering a few birds in the tree above them. Piper stayed quiet but she could feel the tremors running through her and Kendal's arm wrapped around her back keeping her safe. It was all just like she had seen in her vision, but there was still one thing that would show her they were ready to move to the next phase of unleashing the sword's power.

With one last kiss to Kendal's chest, she sat up a little and looked first to the mark on her lover then to the new one on her chest. They were still there; not faded as the first time the dragon had been painted on Kendal's skin.

"The goddess has chosen her champion, love," Piper moved so Kendal could ease her hand out of her slowly, making the blonde shiver as she did. "The mark is now a part of you."

Like an artist painting a canvas, Kendal ran her finger along the tattoo on Piper's chest. "And what does this mark mean?"

"It means I belong to you. Every great warrior needs a mate, especially if they are fighting for love." The sentiment made Kendal laugh. "I don't think in this case it means the candies and flowers kind of love, but the for the good in the world."

"I'm sorry, love, I promise I'm not making fun." Kendal reclined back against the tree again putting both her arms around Piper. "What else did you see in your vision."

"It was nice to have a spirit guide this time, but it would've been better if she had told me everything. How the sword fits into all this is still a mystery, but she did give me one warning."

"Take your time," offered Kendal.

"Like it says in the prophecy, the sword will awaken on Halloween, but it has the ability to serve two masters."

"What exactly does that mean?"

Piper blew out an exasperated breath and rested her head on a broad shoulder. "That's what she wasn't willing to give up. Showed me a scene of great sex, gave me a warning and then left me hanging." She felt the chest below her moving as Kendal tried to keep the laugh in. "Stop it, it was hard enough not to ravish you somewhere over the Atlantic with my grandparents on the plane. So what do you think it all means?" This time she could hear the laugh and the sound warmed her soul.

"Let's just concentrate on what she gave us for now, Piper. Tomorrow will come soon enough."

************************************************************************

Indigo stood by the window, looking out and trying to find the source of the roar she had heard earlier. The moonlight painted her skin in an odd assortment of shadows from the trees outside making Lenore's view that much more interesting.

"See anything?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," answered the blonde.

"Then come back over here." Lenore lifted the blanket in invitation. "You don't regret what happened do you?"

They had been talking and going over some new passages Lenore had found in a few books from the Farthington library when something had happened to them. Whatever it was had landed them on the bed tearing off their clothes like the world would end if they hadn't made love. Centuries of friendship had never brought out those kinds of feelings in each other.

"Not regret, no," Indigo started slowly. She wanted to find the right words since whatever had brought them together was still skittering around the room ready to make her lose her mind again. "Just interesting."

"I've been alive for a long time, and I've made love on more than one occasion. Interesting usually translates into regret." She dropped the blanket and tried hiding her disappointment of the blonde's rejection. "If you want you can leave, go ahead. I'm sure you'll feel better if you go out and look around."

All those centuries of knowing the chronicler, and Indigo had never seen it. Perhaps she had been occupied with other things, other interests that had turned out to be her own collection of rejection and failures. What had Lenore told her not that long ago? Love would find her the minute she stopped looking.

Earlier that night she had stopped looking and found someone who had stripped her bare of any pretense. Lenore had wanted her, and she in return found something she had found lacking even in Asra. She had stopped looking and found something sweet, beautiful and full of wisdom. A woman who fit with her so completely it made her want to weep at the pure joy of it.

"I don't want to go outside," started Indigo as she moved closer to the bed. "The only thing I want is you." She slid into the bed and pressed up against her old friend. As slowly as Indigo could stand, she ran her hand down Lenore's middle. The blonde wanted to ignite the fire again, but this time she was interested in a slow burn. From the way Lenore touched her in return, it was clear that she wanted the same thing.

In the morning, despite whatever danger they were about to face, everyone at the table was wearing a smile including Mac and Molly. They shared breakfast together knowing it would be their last meal together with the older couple for what would hopefully only be a couple of days. Afterward, Piper and Kendal took them for a walk following the same path they had taken the night before. As Molly held Piper's hand and talked to her quietly, Kendal walked slowly at Mac's side and waited to hear what the man had on his mind.

"I know back in England we exchanged promises, but I want you to make me another one."

She looked him in the eye and held her hand out for him to take. "I'll promise you whatever you like."

"I know you're leaving me and my wife here to keep us safe, and I know you tried to talk Piper into staying on with us," he started looked to where the two were walking ahead of them. "Just like her mama that one, stubborn as the day is long. It was what got my son all fired up about marrying her and what killed his spirit when she died."

"I don't want you to think I'd put Piper in danger if I could avoid it."

"I know that, and this isn't what I wanted to talk to you about. What I want you to promise me is you'll go back to New Orleans and kick whatever ass you have to so you can come back here for us. Once you've done that, I want to take this walk with you again so you can tell me a story." He shook the hand she held out then slapped her on the shoulder. "Cause I have a feeling your story will be the most interesting I'm ever going to have the honor of hearing. You aren't what you appear to be, Kendal Mackey, but goddamn if I don't like you."

"Thank you, sir." She stepped into his embrace when he held his arms out and smiled at the affection the old man was still willing to give. Before they were ready to leave the older couple's company, Piper and Kendal found themselves in the car to the airport. There was one day left to go and all four of them were ready for the end of whatever was coming.

When they drove through the gates of Oakgrove, the house and the grounds looked quiet and peaceful. What surprised them was that Charlie was nowhere to be found, even though his bags were sitting in the front room of his house, and there was no note explaining his absence. Kendal walked through all the rooms looking for anything out of the ordinary, but aside from the luggage, it looked as if Charlie had stepped out for a little while.

"Did you find him?" asked Piper when her lover returned from her walk.

"Something's not right." She could feel it in her gut. The place was too quiet, too tidy. "He knew I was counting on him so there's no way Charlie just decided to take a drive or something."

"He'll be back, honey. I'm sure he's fine." She was looking at the bowl of Halloween candy by the front door wondering why it was there.

"We get the occasional straggler trick or treater so the staff likes to be prepared. It's the one time of year strangers can wander in from the road without the fear of being arrested for trespassing." Kendal answered the silent question for Piper.

"Ah, I missed my chance to get in here all these years huh?"

"I'm sure if you would've shown up in some sexy costume, I would've insisted on you coming in, no matter what day of the year it was."

"Flatterer."

"On my oath as a soldier of Ramses, I tell only the truth when it comes to you."

Piper blushed a little and her eyes cut back to the bowl that had started their talk. "Honey, don't you think we should close the gates tomorrow night? I'm all for cute kids in costume, but I don't want to put any of them in danger."

Pulling Piper into a hug, Kendal reached behind her and snagged a miniature Snickers bar. "I thought of that already and told Bart to take care of it. The bowl is still around because I happen to love chocolate." She placed the candy in her mouth and offered half to Piper.

After she licked the caramel that had stuck to Kendal's chin, Piper looked down the hall to where the sword room was. "Is our little friend all locked up?"

"Down tight. I'd almost rather see it sleep for another two thousand years than let it awaken something we can't fight."

"Let's hope you'll be up to fighting whatever it is we awaken," said Lenore. She had been sitting outside thinking, and finishing the books she'd brought with her, anything to get Indigo out of her mind for now. After the night they had shared in California, they couldn't get enough of each other, but now was a time for clear heads. "I had my assistant drop off a few things for me," she held up Bruik's writings. "He was really sure that this would be the year the dragon showed itself. So as they say, 'ready or not'."

"But my visions have changed when we worked to change them," argued Piper.

"With training eventually you'll hone your talent to the point Bruik has been able to. His visions are just that, what will happen. He had been able to sort through the possibilities to see the outcome, and I mean the absolute true outcome." She softened her tone before finishing. "It doesn't mean your visions haven't been important to us, Piper. Bruik may have given us the end, in the vaguest way possible I might add, but you have gotten us to this point unscathed."

"And that's how we'll cross the finish line, don't you worry," added Kendal, shooting a look at the chronicler to make her stop talking. Piper didn't need anything else to worry about.

************************************************************************

Kendal sat outside alone smoking a cigar and watching the sun go down, as well as watching the road. She wasn't expecting Julius or anyone else to drive up and announce themselves but she wanted to face the oncoming battle like any other lord protecting their domain, showing no fear. The temperature had gotten a little cooler and she could feel it through the open collar of her shirt. Along with the boots and the soft buckskin pants, she looked very much like the ghost of Jacques St. Louis come to life once more.

"There is still no sign of him," said Indigo when she joined her taking the seat next to her. She had run the circuit of the plantation looking for Charlie with no luck.

"No, but if you look in the tree to my left you'll find signs of someone else."

Indigo's face never turned from Kendal's but her eyes looked to where her friend had mentioned. The man was dressed in black, including the pommel of his sword, but she could still see the whiteness of his skin as he sat hidden in one of the high branches.

"And if you look to your right, you'll see he brought a friend." Kendal was calm and not moving. In fact she closed her eyes and acted as if she didn't have a care. When she did, she concentrated her hearing on what was going on around her. It was faint but she heard the whispering sounds of others climbing her walls and dropping into the grounds was unmistakable. "Make that friends."

"How many?"

"I'm thinking six added to the two in the tree." Leaving the Sea Serpent Sword locked in the house, Kendal had brought the katana she had used to fight Ora out with her, liking the way the weapon felt in her hand. At the moment it was lying across her lap. "Eight of them and two of us. We planned well don't you think?"

The blonde at her side took the sarcastic remark in stride. Indigo had fought along side this warrior often enough to know this was Asra's way of preparing. Other people had a tendency to pray to any god willing to listen to their pleas for victory, Asra though, turned to humor to get her through the fear of battle.

"I tried to up our numbers, but for stuff like this it's hard to know who to trust. If some power comes to light tonight that has the capability to take over the world I'd rather not tempt someone who's on the fence as far as honor is concerned."

"True, after all that's what the Republicans are for."

Indigo couldn't help but laugh. "Smart ass. You keep saying things like that and eventually you're going to get audited."

"True again. That's a scarier thought than facing off some evil force bent on trying to take over the world."

"Do you really think we need reinforcements?"

With as serious a face as she could muster, Kendal nodded her head. "Yes, next time I'm thinking you should buy Lenore the latest version of Sword Play for Dummies, just to even up the odds some," Kendal teased again.

"Hey now, leave my girl out of this. You'll have to be happy with the fact you have me."

"I am happy, not about this, but the fact you finally realized Lenore is just that. Your girl, and more than worth fighting for." With one last smile and a wink for her friend, Kendal stood up, stubbed out her cigar and walked down the steps to the front yard.

Inside the house, Piper and Lenore looked on as the warrior unsheathed the sword and dragged the tip along the drive making a loud scraping noise that cut through the night as effectively as the sword cut through flesh.

"What's she doing?" asked Piper.

"I'm not sure, but I believe it's what's referred to as calling someone out."

"Sometimes it's best when you don't get what you're asking for." The voice sent a chill up Lenore's spine and she tried to subtly place herself between Piper and their unexpected visitor. How he had gotten past both Asra and Indigo was baffling her. "Don't look so surprised to see me, Lenore. It's why I came early to take care of the yard dog," Julius said referring to Charlie. "She taught him well, but the poor man was terribly outnumbered."

"Julius, what do you want?"

"So, so many things, it's hard to list them all, but I'll start with a friendly conversation until the ruffians outside are finished with their childish games." He walked in and took a seat at the center of the sofa. "Sit, I insist."

He saw the book of Bruik's writings and he lifted it off the coffee table. "In my time, I memorized all of his writings." A strange sounding laugh came out of him as he opened the book. "One never knows when a prophecy of the future will come in handy."

"You still have time to leave, Julius. She has had all the time in the world to become someone you can't win against," warned Lenore. "I don't care who you brought with you, you can't win."

"He saw so long ago," he continued as if they were waiting to hear the rest of his story. Outside they started to hear the clang of metal hitting metal. "A sword fired by a god that would give its owner the world if that's what he wanted. Bruik wrote so eloquently about it for Rolla's library. Unfortunately it was a scroll he never saw." The book closed with a loud snap and he threw it to the ground in disgust. "I memorized every line and then I burned it. The ever faithful assistant to the head Elder who worried more about what was written on paper than what was going on around him. No one else was going to get their hands on that sword when the time came but me."

"There is no sword," said Piper, speaking for the first time since the man had come in. She had never seen his face, but his hands were those from her vision, the hands that held the sword when the eyes glowed red right before some evil thing was unleashed on the world. It was the slender fingers, almost delicate in their appearance, which made her realize who he was.

"Maybe you make a good bed warmer, my dear, but you make a horrible liar. Imagine my surprise when I saw it in Asra's hands when you were at her little country house in England. It was Bruik's vision down to the stones in the dragon's eyes." He stood up and reached behind him. "I saw it and I want it. Now!"

"Piper, run," screamed Lenore. She pushed the blonde towards the front door stumbling forward when the dagger hit its mark and split her heart. "Please, Piper, go." If not for the elixir she'd be dead already, but Lenore was able to hang on to see if her friend made it out safely. She wanted to cry when Piper stopped and headed back to help her, unknowingly walking right into Julius' trap.

When the front door opened, Kendal and Indigo were about to disarm Travis and Bailey of their weapons. It had been an easy fight, almost too easy. They both stopped cold when they saw him standing there with a knife at Piper's throat.

"Just remember he can't kill her," warned Indigo. "Remember that and keep your wits about you."

"So nice to see you again, Asra." The blade in Julius' hand pressed deeper making a line of blood appear on Piper's neck.

His timing had been as superb as his planning. Julius knew in hand to hand combat they would never win even though they were just two women, so like he had with Attila, he had a battle strategy to contend with every possibility. He pressed the knife deeper making Piper gasp in pain. When she did both Kendal and Indigo's attention was riveted to the porch. It was then that Bailey moved forward a step and sliced through Indigo's spine rendering her unable to remain standing. At the same time Travis drove his weapon through Kendal's back.

If she thought sheer will would get her back on her feet, a second later Bailey's sword joined Travis' and Kendal felt herself grow weak. Against all hope it seemed Piper's vision of doom was coming to pass.

"Where is it?" Julius yelled down, watching Asra fight an internal battle to stay upright and on her knees. "Tell me or I'll gut her right here."

"You can't kill me," taunted Piper. She realized her mistake when she saw the grimace on Kendal's face.

Instantly the knife disappeared from her throat and he whipped her around to look at her face. Really it was her eyes he was interested in. "By the gods, this is better than I thought. Bruik saw you too, lovely girl."

He looked down to Kendal and laughed at his good fortune. "I may not be able to kill her but I'll return the favor you bestowed on me when Rolla asked it of you. Only I'll have a bit of fun before I her any mercy." The clock inside the house chimed once announcing they had thirty minutes before it would strike twelve. "Where is it?"

"Let her go and I'll tell you."

"Kendal, no," Piper begged, but the man had already released her. The warrior's word had been given and she knew Kendal wouldn't back down from that.

"Inside the house," Kendal fought to get the words out feeling the strength slip slowly out of her. When she was finished telling him where he could find the sword, he grabbed Piper by the hair and pulled her into the house.

"Why does he want this sword so badly?" Travis asked Bailey.

"I don't know." They looked at each other and started toward the house to see what Julius was looking for.

They left both women bleeding on the front lawn thinking there was no way for them to do anything until the sun brought its healing power. Before that happened, their plan was to have them in some dark hole so they could sleep forever.

Indigo was about to ask if Kendal had any ideas when someone came into her line of sight. The red hair was down and loose, and the woman wore an outfit that made her look like she was trying out for a new Cat Woman movie. It was a seductively attractive shell that hid the ugliness inside.

"Trick or treat," said Artus.

"Oh fuck me," replied the blonde. "This day just keeps on giving."

"Is the fuck offer one of my choices?" The vampire ran her finger down Kendal's chest and licked it clean. "Ooh yummy. A rare vintage indeed, definitely worth coming out for."

"It's nice to see you again," it took effort, but Kendal got it out.

"Thank you, warrior, but don't show such enthusiasm yet. The night is young and I have yet to feed." She snapped her fingers and some of her followers picked up both women and started toward the house.

Inside, Julius had finally broken into the room Kendal had mentioned and was busy tearing the walls apart to find what he was after. He walked out with the sword in his hand when Piper noticed the eyes were starting to change. At the center of the green stones was the red glow that would forever change the essence of the weapon.

"What are you doing here?" Julius demanded when he saw Artus standing close to Piper, the two wounded women were lying on the floor at her feet.

"Collecting on your promises," her fangs were out and she moved closer to Piper.

"Anyone but her," he warned. How Piper fit into all this he didn't know but he couldn't afford to lose her just yet. "Or her," he pointed to Kendal next. In his hand he could feel the power of the sword coming to life. The time was upon them.

"Tsk," she admonished, "I want to have as much fun as you." At the first strike of the clock's chime, Artus had moved so she was now standing right next to Julius. In a move so fast he was powerless to stop it, she grabbed him as her face contorted to its most hideous.

With a quickness she rarely used, usually liking to enjoy her feedings, she drained him of his blood almost instantly until he was as weak as Kendal. Piper gagged when the woman then used her own fangs to open the vein at her wrist with a savagery that made no sense. But like a mother with her baby, she brought her wrist to Julius' mouth and pressed it to his lips.

"Drink," she commanded. The clock had reached its fourth chime when he had gotten his fill.

Julius had tasted the power of the elixir but it didn't compare to the ambrosia like substance this woman had given him. He rose hyperaware of everything around him, especially the heat of the sword in his hand, the warm red glow working its way up his arm. With an evil glint in his now brown eyes, he lifted the sword to the heavens ready to proclaim it his.

"Come, Ares, show yourself. Give me what is rightfully mine."

Piper looked on as the dragon at the end of the pommel came to life and started to coil itself around Julius' arm. They had lost, and she was helpless to stop what was happening. At the sixth chime, Julius was laughing at the pure power he felt becoming a part of him. He looked up and raised his other arm preparing to call to the god of war again. It was the reason he never saw his defeat coming.

From her position on the floor, Kendal used the last of her strength to lift the katana Artus had brought in with her and threw it like a javelin. The second it pierced Julius' heart he exploded into dust and the dragon went back into the sword. As soon as it did, Bailey and Travis made a run for it as the clock struck its tenth chime. With quick thinking Artus kicked it to Piper who in turn ran to Kendal.

As the clock struck twelve, she picked up Kendal's limp hand and placed it over the sword. The result made everyone in the room shield their eyes from the bright light. This time the dragon uncoiled and floated over them spreading it's wings in an act of protection. When he opened his jaws, a stream of fire came out that encircled the lovers on the floor, both sets.

The heat didn't burn though, but instead healed the wounds Kendal, Indigo and Lenore had suffered, allowing them to stand up and face the creature. When they did, the tattoo on both Kendal and Piper came to life as well. They felt the heat intensify, Piper on her chest and Kendal on her thigh, then just as quickly both flew from their places on their skin and met between the two women. The one from Kendal stopped, reared back and shot a ball of fire to the one that had come from Piper. Hers held up the orb in its claw as if accepting the gift of fire. When it started to glow, the orb split into two so the dragon was floating before her with one in each claw.

It waited until the orbs it was holding were the brightest thing in the room before throwing them both towards the ceiling where they disappeared. After that both of the dragons went back to their owners. Only this time Kendal's mark was over her heart and Piper's was now close to her groin.

Just as quickly as it began, it ended. For the longest time no one said anything, not knowing what to make of what had happened. The first one to move was Kendal who bent to pick up the now very plain Sea Serpent Sword, because the dragon decorating its handle had been released.

With one strike, Travis' head bloodied up the floor and she then turned to Bailey. "Tell me what he did with Charlie or you will beg for me to do that to you."

"Julius put him in a box and sunk him in the lake out back." When she pressed him to the wall with the tip of the sword he cracked and started crying. "I swear it. He had Travis and me throw it in."

"Indigo, would you see to his comfort while I thank our savior," requested Kendal.

Artus cocked her head to the side and smiled when Kendal moved close enough to take her hand. The smile grew bigger when the warrior bowed over her hand and kissed the back of it. "Thank you for keeping your promises. I hope you know I intend to keep mine. If you so choose, we'll see each other in a hundred years."

"I think we will see each other before that, Asra. Tonight has shown us there is a place in this world for both of us. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Why didn't you keep the sword for yourself when you saw the potential it held?" asked Piper, stepping up and taking her place at Kendal's side.

"Because, Lady Mackey, in life, even a life like mine, there must be balance. If power like we saw tonight is to be released, it's better off with you than with someone like Julius. The only thing I want from life is the same thing you do, and that's to simply live it." She snapped her fingers again so the fledglings would be on their way. "I am not your enemy, Piper. Nor yours, Asra, so may you enjoy whatever you have gained tonight and may our fragile truce hold for longer than a hundred years."

"Is it over?" asked Piper when they were alone with just Lenore in the room.

Kendal picked her up and held her close before answering. "I find that because of who we are and what we do, it's never completely over. But for tonight, and as far as Julius is concerned, it's over, love." She kissed Piper's forehead and looked down to see the cut Julius had made was cured by the dragon's fire just like the wounds on her chest. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, honey. Now would be a good time to promise me though, that you'll stop making getting stabbed in the heart on these grounds a habit. I realize it can't kill you but it's a little disconcerting to watch." Slowly she ran her hand over the place on Kendal's chest that was still stained with blood in an act of assurance that her lover was fine.

"I promise I'll do my best," answered Asra with a laugh.

"And what happened with the sword?" Piper looked to the weapon lying on the floor next to them as if she was expecting it to do something else.

"That can wait until tomorrow. Since I don't feel any differently, and you don't feel any differently, I think we diffused whatever it was supposed to do. Right now I think we need to get Charlie out of the lake." Kendal put her down and started in the direction Indigo had headed. "If you want, you two can stay here and we'll be right back." Before she got to the door she snapped her fingers and turned back toward the fireplace. "I almost forgot about you," she said to Travis.

"You bitch." His head was a good four feet from his body but it was still functioning like some incredible magician's trick. "The sun will be up before too long and I'll have my revenge."

"The sun is something you won't have to worry about ever again, no neck. If anyone bothers to look for you they'll be looking for a very long time trying to put the very small pieces together." She grabbed him by the hair to heft his head and by the front of his shirt to pick up the body. "Ladies, if you would excuse us," said Kendal with a slight bow.

"Do you agree with that assessment?" asked Piper when they were alone.

Lenore looked at Piper and shook her head. "I feel very different, but I don't know why. How do you feel?"

"I don't think different begins to cover it."

The book lying on the coffee table with the picture of the sword on its cover floated to the chair closest to it. Just as Piper was about to rub her eyes, the woman from her vision on the plane materialized. She opened the book and flipped to the end where magically more pages appeared. They filled with writing when the woman ran her finger down each one.

"I see that I have chosen my champions well." She looked at Piper and laughed at the shocked expression the blonde wore. "And because I did, I think that very nice trick your lover pulled off deserves a treat."

"Who are you?" asked Piper.

"I am many things to those in need of me, but because of you and the strength you have given me, I too will live forever."

"That sounds like a riddle," added Lenore.

"Not a riddle, Lenore. I am what you find when you look up from your books to see what is in store for you. I am what you hope to find when you close your eyes and imagine what your life could be when there is someone to share it with you." The woman laughed again as if enjoying her time with the two. "But if you need the comfort of what you know best, I leave you this as a gift." She handed over the book then kissed each woman on the cheek.

"Remember well your promise, Piper." The woman's image was starting to grow faint but she left behind a feeling of peace.

"What promise?"

"I am ready to stand by her side and accept the responsibility of keeping her whole." The language sounded strange but Piper understood every word. "You started tonight, but the job is far from over."

"I will never disappoint you, or her," vowed Piper.

"I know, little one, and it's why I have left you with a gift. One that will allow me to fulfill a promise I made so long ago."

The woman was gone, and Piper ran the conversation over again in her head trying to figure out what the woman meant. Behind her, Lenore sat on the sofa and flipped through the book the woman had handed her.

"Holy shit," the comment was so out of character, Piper turned and looked at her like Lenore had gone mad.

"What?"

"She left the answer to the mystery of the Sea Serpent Sword and what power it held."

"So?" Piper held her hands up waiting. "What's the answer?"

"You."

Cocluded in Chapter 5

Comments to: terrali20@yahoo.com

The Athenaeum's Scroll Archive

~ Things That Terrify Me the Most ~
by Ali Vali

Disclaimers: See Part 1

Sit back and enjoy the story, any comments can be sent to me at terrali20@yahoo.com.

Things That Terrify Me the Most
by
Ali Vali

Chapter 5

"Don't be ridiculous," said Piper as she started laughing. It was a reflex she'd had for as long as she could remember to deal with extreme stress or tiredness. She laughed until tears were streaming down her face. "As far as this immortal thing goes, I'm the new kid on the block. I highly doubt I'm the key to any puzzle you all have been working on for years."

"Piper it's all here in what she left us," Lenore held up the book that now held the end of the Sea Serpent's legend.

The room still held the sights and scents of the recent battle, and it was starting to make Piper a little queasy, so she motioned for Lenore to follow her into the kitchen. "Okay tell me." She put on a kettle of water and started taking down the ingredients to make tea.

It was the last thing Piper remembered doing until after Lenore stopped talking and the whistle of the kettle finally broke through the fog. The storyteller watched as the petite woman went through the motions of making tea stopping every so often to push a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear. What the woman had left behind held ramifications for both of them and Lenore was in as much shock as Piper was.

"Lenore, that can't be true." Piper shook her head causing the unruly lock to fall into her eyes again. "Things like that just don't happen. I may be blonde, but I do have some idea of how the world works"

"You mean things like, some nut who was beheaded and put to sleep for hundreds of years comes back to get you, you're saved from his attack by a friendly vampire, after which you watch a big dragon come to life in your living room? Those kinds of things?"

"Well, when you're that literal, it doesn't sound all that improbable but…" Piper looked up at her and her shoulders started shaking again, a sign the laughter was about to come back. "I really don't know how in the hell to finish that sentence."

"As the old saying goes, Piper, what's done is done."

"I can tell you that there's one thing in there that's wrong, so maybe the rest of it is wrong too."

"What's wrong?" asked Kendal when she stepped into the kitchen followed by Indigo and Charlie. They were all wet and Charlie looked a little weak, but they were fine. Their swim had washed off some of the blood from the battle earlier, and to Piper, her lover never looked better. "Well?" Kendal arched a brow as she reached for Piper's tea.

"While you were out we had another visitor." Piper immediately had to put her arms around Kendal to keep her from running to get a sharp object to protect her. "A good visitor, honey, calm down."

"Who was it?" Indigo demanded, only to have Lenore come and put her arms around her.

"Just listen to what Piper has to say," Lenore looked at both Kendal and Indigo.

"Our visitor just thought we might want to know what the end of the story was when it came to the legend of the Sea Serpent." Piper pointed to the counter where the book was sitting holding within its pages the most incredible of endings. "She left us that, but the end doesn't gel with our reality, that's what I was telling Lenore when you got back."

"What ending?"

Piper had to laugh and pinch Kendal's butt. "My darling, you bring the term strong silent type to a whole new level. You are allowed, if you want, to use more than two words to phrase your questions."

After the night they had lived through the humor was welcome and it made Kendal's heart swell for the woman who held her so close. Not caring if they had an audience or not, she lowered her head and kissed Piper for a very long and sweet moment. Kendal tried to pour all her feelings for the blonde into that one simple loving act hoping it would help heal whatever nightmares the night had caused.

"This isn't a question," started Kendal as she pressed their lips together again. "And it has more than two words," she kissed her again. "I love you, Piper, and I don't ever want you to change."

The others looked on at the bond of love that was so visible the two almost glowed and couldn't help but smile. Piper stood there with her eyes closed as if enjoying the words Kendal had uttered. "Is it any wonder she always gets the girl," she teased when she finally looked back to the onlookers.

"I believe she asked you something about an ending," Indigo encouraged.

"It says if the sword did its job so to speak, the markings of the two chosen ones would remain, which they have, but they're in the wrong spot."

"Wrong spot?" asked Kendal, receiving another pinch for her trouble.

"Well according to the book mine isn't supposed to be over my heart, yours is, but we both know where yours is." The white shirt Kendal was wearing was still damp letting the skin show even through the remnants of the bloodstains. "Yours is…" her voice faded as she looked to Kendal's chest, to the spot over her heart.

Slowly, as if the image would disappear, Piper brought her hands up and put them on her lover's shirt. In one rapid movement she ripped the garment open sending buttons flying all over the room. Standing there with her naked chest exposed made Kendal think of the last time Piper had done this out on the porch while a sheriff's deputy looked on.

"Piper, honey, we can go upstairs if you want," Kendal tried to turn a little so the other three people in the room didn't have such a good view.

"Look." The dark head turned and looked at Piper in confusion. "Look," Piper repeated, her eyes never leaving Kendal's chest.

"What the…" Kendal looked where Piper had directed and there was the dragon tattoo, but the drawing had changed. The creature still looked ready for battle, but now it held the sword in one claw and the orb from Piper's in the other. "What does this mean?"

"It means…" Piper started as she started unbuttoning her jeans.

"There is no way in hell you're taking your pants off down here." With that Kendal picked her up and headed upstairs to their room. They left most of their audience wondering what was going on, and only Lenore was left smiling.

A few minutes later they all heard Kendal's voice as it cut through the early morning. "What?" The question almost made Lenore fall over laughing wondering what one word of wisdom Indigo would come up with when confronted by the truth.

************************************************************************

Kendal stopped talking for a minute to take a sip of wine from the glass in front of her. She and Mac had been sitting outside under the tree where she and Piper had shared a very special night not too long before, talking about all the things he wanted to know. She wished that just once someone would just take the story at face value, and not demand a demonstration that she was in fact a person who would live forever. At least this time it only took nailing her hand to the table with the cheese knife with a nice noon sun overhead to get him to believe.

She had hit the highlights of a very long existence, a story that ended with what Piper now meant to her life. The reality that his granddaughter would live forever both thrilled and terrified him, but it was the very last story he was interested in, wanting to understand what had happened to them on Halloween night.

"So what is the legend of the Sea Serpent?"

Another bottle was uncorked bringing the total to four that Kendal had consumed almost alone. If Mac had tried to keep up with her, the afternoon would have ended long before. "Ah, ready for the wrap up, huh?"

"I'm thinking as fascinating as your life has been, Asra, the ending is the best part." He held his glass out and laughed when she only poured him a little.

"Once upon a time there lived two lovers." She laughed when he scowled. "Well there were according to this story. When we first read it though we thought it was something along the lines of Romeo and Juliet."

"Only it wasn't." Mac popped a grape into his mouth and relaxed further into the cushion of the chaise lounge he was using.

"Only if the play had been renamed Juliet and her really good friend Sally," teased Kendal. "As open-minded as the Greeks were, one of the girls came from an influential family and they weren't about to let her spend the rest of her days with the daughter of a farmer whose father was in a blood feud with the other girl's father. So they improvised a bit and ran off together hoping to find a better life somewhere, not in another part of Greece, but in the future."

In the distance she could see Molly and Piper slowly walking toward them making Kendal realize how much she'd missed the blonde even just being away from her for the afternoon. "They found a cave by the sea and did what lovers do in romantic settings when given the opportunity. Only after sharing such a beautiful act, they offered their lives to Aphrodite."

"The goddess is real?"

"My life is living proof that she is real, Mac."

"No wonder Piper can't spend five minutes without planting a big one on you."

A blush worked its way up Kendal's neck and she waggled a finger at him. "The goddess was touched by their sacrifice and vowed to make them whole again in a time and place where they would be free to love each other without prejudice and with a family who would support their choices. Until that time she took the crest of the rich family and created a mythical creature born of both their spirits - the Sea Serpent. It lived in the waters close to where the girls died and was given the gift of immortality by Aphrodite. To set them free she needed a key, so she had her husband, the god of the forge, make a sword. In it, she locked away the love both women felt for each other."

"It was the one I saw you with in England wasn't it?"

"Yes it was."

"How did you come to get it?"

She looked at him, her mind flying back to a night in a tent with a woman who had made her flesh sing, and she blushed again. Kendal doubted many people, immortal or no, were blessed enough to spend an intimate night with the goddess of love, and from what she had read in the book, that's exactly who her visitor had been that night.

"It was a gift, but that's not important to the story. When it was given to me it was the key but it wouldn't awaken for years to come, and then, only after I found the other half of my soul. When I did, the sword marked me as its true owner and Piper as my mate as it were. On Halloween night, at the stroke of midnight the sword and the markings were able to break free at the precise time that the world has no barriers against such things and they fulfilled the goddess' vow to the lovers."

She stood and went to help Piper walk the rest of the way, holding her hand as she took Kendal's place under the tree. "Thank you, love," said the blonde as she looked up at her warrior.

"How are feeling?" asked Kendal.

"The same way I did the last time you asked me that, which I believe was less than four hours ago," it wasn't a reprimand, just a gentle teasing those around them had come to expect from the young couple. Molly and Mac smiled as Piper reached up and pinched Kendal's cheek for the tall woman's worry. "Are you two done yet?"

"We just got to the part about some markings and Aphrodite fulfilling her vow," Mac informed her.

"This was just an excuse to sit out here and drink wine wasn't it?" Piper's question was directed at Kendal who had the decency to blush. "Did the harvest put you in the mood to be long winded?"

"Forgive me, I'm not as talented a storyteller as you or Lenore for that matter, and your grandfather asks lots of questions."

"It doesn't matter, just finish," said Mac trying to sound menacing.

"On that night, the part of the dragon that had marked me came to life looking for the other part of its spirit. It found it in the marking Piper had over her heart. One had fire and the other passion, enough of each to create life." Kendal started the end of the story as she placed her hand over Piper's lower abdomen. "The orb the one held in its claw was the container for the soul of a young woman who lived long ago and died with her lover by the sea. The love she held was strong enough to spilt the orb into two separate vessels so they could live again with the chance to love once more."

"From your fire as a warrior," added Piper.

"And your passion as a woman who believes in the power of love, came the seed that now grows within you," finished Kendal. A strong kick against her side was the baby's way of agreeing with its mothers. "It was Aphrodite who put us all together that night so the rest of Bruik's prophecy could come to light."

"I thought his prophecy was only about Piper?" asked Molly.

"It was, but there was another scroll Rolla had kept hidden not believing it would ever come to pass. The Elders' seer knew Piper was the missing part of the puzzle but to make the prophecy work we needed Indigo and Lenore as well. From one strong spirit came two souls and we needed another set of true hearts to bring the other to life."

"So you carry one…" started Mac.

"And Lenore the other. I guess they'll have the choice to love whomever they choose to, but with us they will have the freedom to become the women or men they want to because they will be raised with love and respect." Kendal received a kiss for her words from a very pregnant Piper.

The reality of having a family had never been something Kendal ever concerned herself with knowing it was something not within her reach. When Piper told her otherwise almost nine months ago, it was the closest she had ever come to passing out from the shock. Inside the woman she loved grew a seed they had both planted. True it would forever hold the essence of two people who had once loved each other centuries before, but they would also be graced with a little of both Piper and Kendal.

From there, neither of them knew what the future held for the two miracles who would soon join them. What the two expectant mothers and the Duponts did know was, there were two warriors who were about to rattle apart from worry over their mates. No two women had been so coddled during their pregnancies as Piper and Lenore.

"So, Mac, you get your wish after all," said Kendal.

"What wish is that?"

"Soon there will be a little Dupont-Mackey running around Dupont Shipping guaranteeing the business will survive for another generation."

They finished their talk and headed back to the house to join the others for dinner. Soon most of the places Kendal owned around the world would finish all the new construction she had ordered. On each property a new home, each with a sprawling library and sword room, was added so Indigo and Lenore would feel at home with their new family, allowing the children to spend time together.

The Elders had met again and decided the fate of Bailey, Travis had been taken out of their hands by Asra. She assured them his remains would never be found, nor would she record how to find them. Rolla excused her defiance since it was his lax judgement that had allowed someone like Travis to join their ranks in the first place. For Bailey, he was placed whole in the crypt where Julius' body had lain for so many years. With luck, it wouldn't be over a thousand years before Rolla ordered his release.

At the conclusion of their meeting, Asra was given the status of Elder and given more rooms in the main compound in Egypt. The others accepted Piper for who she now was in Asra's life and who she would eventually become to them. She hadn't made the trip with Kendal, but had been thrilled when the seer Bruik had come back with the tall warrior for a brief visit. Bruik had always been a bit of a recluse but had found himself enjoying the afternoon walks he had taken with Piper, and vowed to come back as soon as she was ready to continue with her training.

One thing Rolla and the others had insisted on, was leaving a healer with them. Two pregnancies that had resulted from the power released from a sword, added to the fact that they were two immortal women would be hard to explain to a doctor in a normal setting. The young woman who saw to their needs had been trained by some of the best medical minds tried not to bother them too much, and had moved into one of the guestrooms to wait for the big day.

"Coming?" asked Piper as she stood at the base of the stairs.

"In a minute, love, I just remembered I left that book about the sword and the Sea Serpent legend out by the tree. If something happens to it Lenore might have me drawn and quartered or something equally bad."

"Hurry back." Piper started up the stairs to their room. It wasn't that she needed the rest, so far the pregnancy had been great and her energy level had remained the same. She just liked to spend time with Kendal pressed skin to skin as they marveled at how her body had changed and why. The fact that the baby was a little of each of them overwhelmed her at times.

It was completely dark by the time Kendal made it to the tree. The staff had left the book she was looking for on one of the chaises; the evidence of her picnic with Mac had been cleared away. She didn't see the woman until she bent to retrieve the leather-covered volume that had come to mean the world to Lenore as well as Piper.

"Tell me, warrior, how are you handling life lately?" She stretched out and looked up at the very attractive woman standing frozen in front of her.

That the voluptuous figure hadn't changed much, and the voice still had the ability to wrap around her like a velvet glove, were the first two things that came to Kendal's mind. Aside from Piper, there had been only a handful of women who had been able to affect her like this stranger she had spent a night with. It was a night that, before Piper had come into her life, Kendal thought of often.

"It was incredible, I would have to agree," said the woman as if Kendal had spoken her thoughts out loud. "But now you have the woman who will cater to your every want just like you will to hers, do you not?"

"I do, and I wonder if I have you to thank for that as well," answered Kendal before lowering her head. "Goddess."

Aphrodite clapped her hands together and laughed. "I'm happy you're so perceptive. See, I told your partner I chose well. Smart as well as strong and incredibly sexy. A heady combination if I do say so myself."

"Thank you for the compliment, and I'm glad you came back so I could also thank you for all that you did for us."

"Actually I came back to answer all those question you have rolling around in here," the goddess tapped the side of Kendal's head with a perfectly manicured nail. "It's a shame you can't sleep. You could use some down time every so often from all this thinking. It's making me tired and all I'm doing is listening."

"It's the soldier in me."

"Then allow me to help put your mind at ease. The baby you will help Piper bring into this world will be your own. True it was my promise to the lovers who gave me so much to allow them another opportunity at a life together, but I feel they would be better off starting fresh without the burdens of their pasts. The same is true of Lenore and Indigo's child."

Kendal let out a long breath of relief. Not that she minded what the sword had given them but raising someone who had their own mindset from birth was a little much to think about. Before she could say or ask anything else, the beauty before her changed form to become the old woman who Kendal had met in the woods after her visit with the Roman general.

"Sometimes someone who comes bearing gifts is just that. There aren't always ulterior motives or strings attached; they are just someone giving you something to make you happy. Learn to listen to your heart, Asra, for it has served you well up to now." Again Aphrodite changed to another woman Kendal had known from a distant past. "I have been with you always to make sure the hope in here never fully died away with the horrors you have faced." She tapped gently over Kendal's heart.

"Thank you. I never realized."

"No, my lovely warrior, thank you. You gave me your heart, because as I told you before, you were always true and pure when it came to the things you wanted. Someone so kind hearted deserves my rewards and all the gifts I can bestow on you."

Kendal looked down as the goddess unfastened enough buttons to see the tattoo that still graced the skin over her heart. The dragon now holding the sword and the orb had become Piper's favorite place to run her fingers along when they were alone.

"You have given me, as well as my sisters the depth of your love, the virtue of your wisdom and the infinite strength of your courage," the hand that pressed over her heart felt warm. "We in turn have given you the will to continue the fight," a finger traced over the claw that held the sword. "And the reason to do so," Aphrodite moved to the claw that held the orb. "The markings changed so you would always remember it's your heart that makes you who you are, Asra. A heart that now belongs, as much to the woman who owns it and the child who will soon lay its own claim. And through it all you will have my sisters and me to look over you."

"I thank you again, goddess." Kendal covered the hand on her chest with her own, pulling it away and kissing the palm with as much tenderness as she could show.

"So, little one, are you happy as well?" Aphrodite smiled at the woman she saw come into view over Kendal's shoulder.

"Had you undone one more button I'd be thinking of ways to kill you, but I'm happy for the most part," teased Piper, her hand on the small of her back helping her to support the growing weight she was privileged to lug around all day. Unlike Kendal, Aphrodite had come to her more than once when she practiced expanding her sight for visions and they had formed a relationship of sorts.

"I just wanted to come for one more visit before the blessed event." The goddess moved away from Kendal so she could place her hands over the active child. She laughed at the healthy kicks that followed as soon as her hands had settled. "I believe this one will act much like that one," she pointed to Kendal in warning. "And that one I've watched for a long time. Are you sure you could handle two of them?"

"I can handle anything as long as she loves me." Piper sounded like a woman at peace as she felt her lover's hands cover her shoulders.
"Good," Aphrodite then placed her hands on Piper's head. "Enjoy the calm of what is coming, for the war will begin again soon enough. For those who dare to live life to the fullest are those who have the most to lose."
"But also the ones with the most to gain." The language they used was the language of the gods and one Kendal still didn't understand so she stood behind Piper and waited for the exchange to end.
"True, but know that my protection over you will be eternal. All you need do is call my name if you have need of me."
"I appreciate that, and I really do thank you for this gift." Piper put her hands over her midsection and smiled.
"Take care of her, warrior," drifted to them in the wind when the goddess had disappeared.
"I'll take care of you all right," she pulled Piper back to her chest and put her hands over Piper's where they rested on their child. "I'll take care of you both." After she kissed the side of Piper's head she guided them back to the house. "Anything I should be worried about?" Kendal asked referring to the part of the talk she was left out of.
"Eventually, but for now I'm going to enjoy you and the life we have together. The rest will just have to wait until I've had my fill." She leaned heavily into Kendal knowing her tall lover liked when she could almost carry Piper to save her the discomfort.
"I'm hoping that will be a long time from now."
"Exactly," answered Piper just before her water broke.

Far from where they were standing, an earthquake rocked the deserts of Egypt bringing closer to the surface something that had long been buried and forgotten. The wall that held the protection spells that kept the tomb sealed suffered a small crack when the ground around it shook, starting to destroy what ancient priests had worked so hard to create. When the crack reached the ground the spell would be broken along with the locks, which kept the place sealed.
Very few knew what was buried there, much less the danger it contained. One who did though held up a new baby to the heavens with tears in her eyes for the happiness she felt. But as in all the battles she would face in the future, the blonde smiling up at her through her own tears would get her through.
This fact made certain their story would continue.