Disclaimer: see Verse 1.

The Everblack Bible

Verse 13

Deus Ex Machina

By Random1377

I'm going to die…

No matter how Alice tried to fight it, the certainty of this thought was all encompassing. She struggled with all of her might, kicking and punching at the thick, muscular arm holding her aloft, but it was no use – the Shadow Knight's hold on her throat was too tight.

She WAS… going to die.

We were so close, she thought coughing in a sweet lungful of air as the Shadow Knight loosened its hold long enough to get more of its powerful fingers around her slender neck. We cleansed it – I know we did! We were so… so c-close…

Even her thoughts began to stutter as the air supply to her brain was slowly, ruthlessly closed off. From the corner of her eye, she could see Yuri – wonderful, glorious Yuri – fighting valiantly amidst a group of Shadow Knights, hopelessly outnumbered… but struggling towards her all the same.

My Yuri, she thought dizzily, too faint and weak to spare a thought for Margarete. My sweet Yuri… d-did I… even tell you how much I love you? I c-can't… remember…

She did, though… far more than she could even say. She loved the harmonixer with all of her heart – certainly more than Margarete!

How strange… Alice mused, feeling her hands slip off of the Shadow Knight's wrist and fall to her sides, refusing her mental command to keep fighting, even though I'm dying… all I can think about is how she might get him instead. I am… I must be… the… most pathetic… person alive…

Alice blinked slowly as a pleasantly soothing drone filled her ears.

Through the haze of pain and lessening oxygen, she imagined she could see the air thirty feet in front of her rippling and parting, revealing a small, ball-shaped opening. As she watched, fascinated by the fantasy her dying mind was presenting, the opening spread wide, showing a lush forest, replete with exotic flowers and plants the likes of which Alice had never seen.

From the forest, a shape emerged, appearing blurry and indistinct as Alice's vision began to darken – but there was no mistaking the roar that poured out of the hole in space… nor the identity of its owner.

"FORWARD!!"

Alice's eyes closed in another long, languid blink, and when she opened them again, a shape blurred past her, ruffling her hair as something warm and wet splattered across her face. All at once, the horrible pressure at her throat was gone, and she was tumbling, coughing, to the dry earth under her feet. In a daze, she stared straight forward as the head of the creature that had been holding her dropped to the ground less than five feet in front of her, its face forever locked in a wide-eyed expression of disbelief. All around her, grunts and cries rose up as someone knelt and pressed two fingers against her throat.

"She's alive," the woman called, making Alice blink in surprise, "rally – rally to me! Protect this one!"

Pounding feet raced all around her, encircling her in a forest of legs, but Alice ignored them, forcing her arms to comply as she issued them the command to push her into a sitting position. Shaking her head to clear it, she found herself surrounded by the obscenely misshapen bodies of a dozen large Doomhounds, their attention facing outward and leaving her in the center of a rough ring with the last person she ever would have expected to see.

"K-Koudelka??"

The woman glanced down at Alice, her newly youthful features losing some of the tension they had held as she raised her voice and shouted, "Let no one touch her! The rest of you, press forward and KILL everything that isn't human – NO QUARTER!!"

As she pumped her sword high into the air, Koudelka's order met with a resounding roar of approval from the Doomhounds, and as one, they surged forward, slamming into the ranks of the surprised Shadow Knights. Over the screams of dying beasts – enemies and allies – Alice could hear familiar sounds working their way into the battle. Here, Zhuzhen's Ogre Flame Dance rose to a sudden crescendo, followed almost immediately by the shrieks of a dozen Shadow Knights. There, Keith's aristocratic voice could be heard shouting commands to a troop of Doomhounds, ordering them to stand their ground as a group of Shadow Knights tried to lay siege to their position.

They're here, Alice thought dizzily as she heard Halley's war cry echoing through the clearing, they're all here!

Pushing herself upright, Alice fumbled for her backpack, groaning in frustration as she felt nothing but torn cloth meet her questing fingers. "Gone," she whispered to herself, casting around for her bag, "has to be here somewhere… I know I set it outside."

She shook her head, reminding herself that talking when no one was listening was one of the first signs of madness. Margarete, she thought, glancing around suddenly, where are you? I can see Yuri over there fighting… but where's Margarete…??

- - - - -

Into the whirlwind of Doomhounds and Shadow Knights, Koudelka hurled herself without hesitation. Alice was safe… but the two that had taken the Everblack were already on the far side of the clearing, surrounded by an invisible sphere of protection that cast off any attempt to harm them.

Have to reach them, she thought desperately, it's too dangerous for them to Gate from the middle of a battlefield, but if they get clear…

"HA!"

Spotting a small opening – created by her own son's wildly powerful Black Hole ability – Koudelka dashed forward, parrying a Shadow Knight's clumsy attempt to stop her and hacking its arm off before sprinting through the narrowing gap. Keith and Zhuzhen were holding their own, she could see, and she could hear Yuri's triumphant cry from somewhere in the throng, so she was not concerned for his wellbeing.

Ok, everyone's clear, she thought, countering another attack and sending a Shadow Knight reeling back into the crowd, its arms pinwheeling as its head rolled in the opposite direction. I can focus.

"It's all up to me."

Drawing closer to the two unhurried men, however, she faltered, her eyes going wide as the taller man turned to glance over his shoulder into the fight, a tight sneer lighting his too-familiar face.

It can't be, Koudelka thought, it can't be!!

"Fletcher!"

The tall man whipped around, his eyes scanning the melee until he found the source of the call, his face breaking into a broad grin as he laughed, "Ahh, Koudelka… forgive me – your makeover threw me for a moment."

Koudelka stood frozen, Sacnoth held high and ready to strike… but shaking badly as the her youthful face clearly displayed her shock and hurt. "It… it was you…?"

"Guilty!" Fletcher declared, laughing with delight as he gestured for the shorter man to go on ahead rolled his neck sharply to the side, producing a small series of pops. "Ahh, that's better. Yes, it was I that sent the Doomhounds to find you. It was I that assisted in the summoning of that great, useless dragon. It was I that felt you might have some idea of where the Everblack was after I was… unfortunately dispossessed of it. Yes, it was all my doing, my love."

"But… but the Everblack," Koudelka stammered, noticing belatedly that the shorter man was the one bearing the Bible, "I saw it consume you."

"Transport me," Fletcher corrected, his eyes gleaming, "when I opened it that day, I was thinking of how in the world I would be able to get free of your domineering righteousness – and the Everblack Bible obligingly whisked me away, taking me all the way to the other side of the world."

"No," the woman whispered, "you were like me – you wanted the same things I-"

She was cut off by Fletcher's sudden burst of laughter. "You never were able to see people for what they really were," he chortled gleefully. "Even with your vaunted ESP, you still couldn't comprehend what you were looking at when our eyes met. You really should reconsider your rule about reading others minds without their permission, my dear… it will save you worlds of trouble."

Slowly, Koudelka raised her sword high. "I've already realized that," she said flatly, "my imprisonment forced me to understand that no one is what they seem. But you… you were so close to me. There's no way I could have been mistaken."

"Mistaken and deceived are very different things," Fletcher pointed out, looking suddenly very bored. "Since it's taking you so long to figure this out, I'll make it clear for you – I traveled with you because I knew of your powers, and I wanted to use them for myself. When we found the Everblack, I knew I finally had the ability to rid myself of your unendingly boorish optimism, and I was leafing through it to find a spell to destroy you… but little did I know that the Everblack was leafing through me at the same time, reading my heart's desires and acting of its own accord."

Koudelka's bottom lip trembled. "To think I almost made love to you," she hissed, her eyes flashing dangerously. "My one saving grace in all of this is that I was still getting over the disappearance of Halley's father. I hadn't even realized that I was pregnant yet."

With a look of mild irritation, Fletcher muttered, "It was only a matter of time. You wanted so badly for someone to tell you everything was going to be alright that you would have taken any male companionship eventually. Pathetic."

The young woman's teeth flashed brightly as her lips pulled back, the knuckles on her right hand whitening dangerously as the last of her temper finally disappeared. "So be it," she whispered angrily, "you've succeeded, Anthony… you've deceived me, gotten your hands on the Everblack Bible, and transformed all of my love for you into hate." Abruptly, she smiled. "How unfortunate for you that it will be your last act."

Raising his hands, Fletcher snorted. "You tire me," he said dismissively. "Come then, if you dare – your pathetic weapon cannot penetrate my defenses no matter how you batter at them. I'm going to enjoy finally making you mine, Miss Iasant – to hear you scream my name, and beg for me to spare your friends, will – urk!"

His words were abruptly cut off as Koudelka raised her free hand, a look of utter disbelief washing over his face as the woman sadly shook her head. "Pathetic?" she murmured her eyes filled with anger and regret. "Perhaps so… but in all the time you've known me, you should have realized that the one thing I will never do is allow my friends to come to harm. And you, I'm afraid, have just taken away the very last hope I held for your redemption. You speak of your impervious defenses?" She arched an eyebrow. "I can see that your body is very well protected – and you're right, even Sacnoth wouldn't be able to penetrate your shield… but perhaps, knowing my abilities, you should have been more worried about your mind."

Fletcher's eyes widened, and he desperately fumbled in his pockets, searching no doubt for some charm or trinket that would save him.

He did not find it.

"Goodbye, dear Fletcher," Koudelka whispered.

"ACK!"

Koudelka turned away as blood exploded from the man's eyes and mouth, every capillary in his skull giving way to the sudden, unbearable pressure brought to bear by her ESP. It was the one power she had sworn never to use again, the one for which there was no defense… a skill so damning in her eyes that she never even dared name it.

"Koudelka…!"

"Alice, you're ok," Koudelka whispered dully, finding her eyes drawn almost magnetically back to Fletcher's body as the young exorcist dashed up to her. "Meet Fletcher…"

Alice shuddered, quickly looking away from the corpse on the ground. "Koudelka," she said softly, laying a hand on the woman's arm, "we're being overrun. The Doomhounds can't match the Shadow Knights for power – we have to fall back."

Shaking herself, Koudelka looked up, surveying the battlefield with a grim frown. "Find the others," she said turning her back on the man she had once loved. "I have to go after Fletcher's companion – he still has the Everblack."

Grabbing her hand, Alice replied, "I'll go with you – no, don't tell me I can't… you'll need the support, if he's as powerful as we think he is."

Hesitantly, Koudelka nodded. "Alright," she said decisively, "let's end this."

"Yes," Alice said, grateful at the very thought of seeing this nightmare draw to a close, "let's."

- - - - -

Nearing the edge of the clearing, the shorter man allowed himself a smile. Not much longer now, he thought, wincing slightly as one of his muscles gave an uncomfortable twinge.

Though he did not look it, the man was well over the age of ninety – nowhere near Roger Bacon's age, but certainly venerable, by anyone's standards.

I suppose I should be on my way, he mused, cradling the Everblack Bible close to his chest as he prepared to Gate out. No use in hanging about when-

"Freeze."

The man came up short as a commanding female voice called out from somewhere in the tree line. Probably has me covered, the man thought sagely, best not move too suddenly… she sounds rather tense.

"Show yourself," he said cautiously, "I do so hate talking to the forest… it makes people stare at me strangely."

Obligingly, a shadow detached itself, stepping closer to him and revealing a tall blonde with sparkling blue eyes. "Thought you might try to slink off," the woman said, her tone deceptively light – a direct counterpoint to the ten-gauge held loosely in her hands as she stepped out of the shadow cast by a large elm tree. "Keep your hands where I can see them."

"Mm, Miss Zelle," the man said, seeming completely un-intimidated by the shotgun leveled at his chest, "How nice to see you again."

Margarete's eyes scanned the terrain behind the man. "Likewise and all that," she muttered, nodding as she found the man alone. "Now, since we've got a minute… why don't you just tell me how you found us – and who you are. I'm assuming that you're Jones, but I don't like to assume, really… has a tendency to get people killed."

"No, no," the man said warmly, "you're quite right – Jones is my name… and my young associate is Mister Fletcher. Forgive me for putting off a formal greeting for so long."

"Forgiven," Margarete said dryly, "now answer my other question – how did you find us?"

Jones waved a hand. "Wasn't that hard, really," he said dismissively, "Fletcher and I simply scryed for you, and discerned your logical destination – one of the only locations on the planet that could even come close to cleansing this wondrous tome. From there, it was only a matter of waiting until your attempt to exorcise the book's demons, as it were, and coming in to pick up the pieces."

Margarete's lips curled back from her teeth. "Fletcher," she spat, "sick bastard. If I hadn't seen Koudelka and that horde of Doomhounds gating in, I would have been forced to charge that monster choking Alice. I would have been killed, but I might have given her a chance to get free before they got her too."

"Very noble," Jones said honestly, "but he would have hunted her down. Has a rather strong taste for blood, does young Fletcher."

Rolling her eyes, Margarete muttered, "But he has his uses, right?"

"When providence delivered him into my hands, dazed and forgetful from a blow to the head, but with full recollection of what he had so recently held in his hands, I knew it was the first sign that I was getting close," Jones explained, shrugging as if in apology. "I've searched most of my adult life for this book… and finding young Fletcher back there was the first REAL lead I'd had. I would have been a fool not to use him to his fullest. Oh, I'm sure he has some kind of delusion of killing me and stealing it in the middle of the night – he is the type – but I'll deal with that when the time comes."

"But… why do you want it?" Margarete demanded, her nostrils flaring. "You're not one of those fools out to take over or destroy the world, are you? God, I hate those!"

Jones laughed weakly, shaking his head from side to side. "Nothing so grandiose, I'm afraid," he chuckled, fixing his watery stare on the woman, "I simply do not wish to die. A pedestrian wish, I know, but a rather driving one for me – especially lately. With the Everblack in my possession… I will never age. I will drink freely from the knowledge of the world, sating my thirst for information without fear of death or loss of memory. I will say hello to your great grandchildren someday, my dear… if you will step out of my way. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee your safety."

"This will," Margarete said boldly, tapping Azrael's Tear with her thumbnail. "Now put the book down."

"Ahh yes," the small man said softly, "I have read that the little bauble I gave you has the power of an angel's tears. I do not know precisely what that power might be… but I know that I would be extremely careful of anything that has the ability to make an angel weep." He nodded at the smoldering hole in the woman's blouse, revealing fresh, pink skin underneath. "I see that you have already tasted of its abilities, but be wary of using it too much… even I don't know what might happen if it is used to its fullest extent."

"I'll keep that in mind," Margarete said dryly. "Now why don't you make it easy on yourself and just set that book down on the ground, hmm? I know it's not at full power right now… it won't save you."

The man considered the bible's snowy white cover for a moment before turning his watery eyes on the blonde. "And… you honestly believe this to be my only defense…?" he asked, his weak voice very much alive with a combination of amusement and incredulity. "I'm afraid I can't simply give it up after coming this far, my dear. I will ask you only once more. Kindly step aside – I would regret having to harm you."

"I won't let you have it, old man," Margarete whispered reluctantly, pumping the shotgun to ensure that there was a shell in the breech. "Put it down now."

There was brief moment of silence as the man considered the barrel of Margarete's shotgun. Finally, he sighed, shaking his head sadly.

"You have no idea how it pains me to do this, Miss Zelle," he man said with true reluctance, "but I'm afraid I simply cannot allow you to stand in my way."

Margarete brought her shotgun up. "Pretty big words for such a small ma—AHH!!!!"

Before she could fire, the man reached out, holding his palm open and facing towards her, then curling his fingers so they resembled a rough claw. "Again," the man said sadly, slowly clenching his fingers into a tight fist, "forgive me."

It was Yuri that saw her fall, catching her stunned expression through a gap in the fighting. The blonde looked as if she could not quite understand something the man standing in front of her had just said, and – just until she figured it out – she might just have to lie down… on the ground… and think about it.

"Margarete!!"

Jones sighed tiredly, glancing down at Margarete's limp body. "Farewell, Miss Zelle," he said softly, "I hope when we meet in the next life, you can find it in your heart to forgive an old man his petty desires."

Gesturing to one of the Shadow Knights at the perimeter of the battlefield, he stepped into the confines of the forest, casting a spell of invisibility around himself and his bodyguard. It would be best to peruse the Everblack immediately, he decided, rather than waiting until he reached a safer location. Why put it off any longer, after all – there was nothing here that could harm him… and once he had what he needed, he could recite the incantation and at last be free of this crippled shell.

Then – oh then… would he begin to utilize the Everblack to its full, dark potential, and taste all of the world's hidden secrets, denied him so long by his failing health and inept servants.

Behind him, arriving like a lashing winter storm, Yuri arrived at Margarete's side, blood and gore covering him from his ankles to his chin as he cast two Shadow Knights out of his way with violent, animalistic force. "Margarete," he breathed, crouching on the ground and pressing his head to the woman's chest. "Awww no honey, no! Stay with me… come on… stay with me."

His blood ran cold as only silence greeted his desperate search for a heartbeat.

Alice the thought barreled through his mind like a freight train. All he had to do was find Alice – she could bring Margarete back to life!

Carefully setting the woman back on the ground, Yuri shot to his feet and whirled around, scanning the crowed. "ALICE!" he screamed, raising his voice over the din, "Alice, where are you? I need you!!" He thought he caught a glimpse of the exorcist's golden hair at the far end of the clearing, but before he could call out again, she was swallowed by the tumult all around.

Too many of them, he thought, glancing down at Margarete's stunned face, damn it, there's still too many monsters on the field – I need to end this fast, or she's done for!

"Fine then," he hissed, baring his teeth and thrusting his arms out to the sides as his eyes narrowed to thin slits.

The ground around him began to tremble as he summoned up every ounce of his willpower and uttered the words Alice had secretly prayed never to hear again.

"Come to me, Seraphic Radiance!!"

- - - - -

In the mountains above Naples, Italy… a fallen god walked the Earth once more. With a rage generally reserved for biblical events, Yuri used the Seraphic Radiance to cut a swath of death through Shadow Knights and Doomhounds alike, his concern for Margarete too great to discern between enemy and ally. Only Keith, Halley, and Zhuzhen were spared the fusion monster's wrath, their eyes wide with mute wonder as it passed over them, its unholy fire burning everything near them to cinders while leaving them untouched.

At the edge of the fray, Alice stared with horror as the winged creature threw back its head and howled her name. "Oh Yuri," she whispered, taking a step towards him before Koudelka grabbed her arm.

"He's close," she hissed, trying to ignore the sight and smell of the titanic monster killing everything in sight, "we can't let him read any of the spells in the Everblack – who knows what damage he might cause!"

Reluctantly, Alice nodded, turning away from the carnage and following Koudelka as the other woman stalked their prey. Somehow, Alice was not sure how, Koudelka was tracking the man by homing in on the psychic residue left on the Everblack from Alice's own hands. She had tried to explain the idea to the exorcist, but it was so complicated that she had given up and hissed, 'trust me.'

They had been following the trail around the perimeter of the battlefield for several minutes now, keeping their movements slow and unobtrusive. Why is he circling so much? Alice thought nervously, freezing as Koudelka held up a hand. We've gone almost all the way around the clearing now – we're practically back where we started.

Without warning, an enormous fist swung out of thin air, connecting solidly with Koudelka's jaw and sending her flying backwards to slam into a nearby tree, sliding to the ground in a daze as Sacnoth tumbled from her numb fingers.

"Tsk," a voice complained, "you've broken through my barrier, you silly beast…"

A moment later, the air in front of Alice wavered… and the short man (Jones, Alice corrected herself mentally) suddenly winked into existence, shaking his head as he gave the huge Shadow Knight standing in front of him an admonishing glance.

"Now you've revealed us," Jones continued, shaking his head as he glanced back to the book in his hands. "Keep them distracted for me, won't you? I'm sure their friends won't be far behind, and I'd hate to be interrupted once I find what I'm looking for." His eyes scanned the page as he murmured, "Seems the ability to find the reader's darkest desires was linked directly to the book's darkness… the cleansing certainly has made FINDING anything rather tiresome."

Alice licked her lips, taking a step back as the Shadow Knight flexed its muscles and leered down at her. "Please," she said quietly, amazed that her voice carried over the furious battle raging behind her, "you don't know its power… don't-"

"Oh, but I do," Jones interjected, calmly flipping another page. "And I know that it is safe now that the book is clean of all hate. Don't bother speaking to me again, Miss Elliot… I simply do not have the time, or the inclination, to banter with you."

As she was about to speak, Alice found herself cut off by a huge, rearing shape. The largest Doomhound she had ever seen slunk off of the battlefield behind her, ignoring her entirely as it stalked towards the Shadow Knight guarding Jones.

"How tedious," the man said, his watery eyes rolling as he casually raised one hand.

Instantly, a translucent globe sprang into being around him, generating so much power that it made the fine hairs on Alice's arms stand up. In an instant, the Doomhound was on the Shadow Knight, pouncing without warning and slamming the creature up against Jones' shield. The man paid no mind as his bodyguard was rent limb from limb, keeping his eyes focused on the Everblack Bible as a wide grin broke out on his face.

"Found it," he announced, as if Alice was waiting for him to confirm his results. "A complicated incantation, but-"

"J…ones…" the Doomhound rasped, cutting him off.

Jones sighed. "More distractions," he groaned wearily. "Be gone, loathsome creature," he said irritably, "I am growing tired of these constant interup-"

"Kill… you…" the creature hissed, hunching down as if to spring, "blood… debt… the Earth… hears my… prayer…"

"Blood debt?" Jones echoed, eying the beast with more careful consideration. "No, impossible – I have not killed any of your relatives… you cannot-"

"Bro…ther…" the Doomhound roared, "vengeance!!"

Through the shield, Alice saw Jones' eyes widen as the Doomhound leapt.

Though she knew very little of the ancient rite of Blood Debt, she was well enough acquainted with it to understand the basics. Essentially, should an indentured servant be killed without a justified cause by his master, any living relative may claim blood debt, taking – quite literally – an eye for an eye… and the Earth itself, by the nature of the bond, would rise up to help. It was a sub-clause to the blood bond sworn by Yuri and the leader of the Doomhounds, this very creature, Alice realized with a start, and as Alice was about to witness, it was more powerful than anything in Jones's repertoire.

"No!"

The short man barely had time to gasp as the ground under the leading edge of his shield of air suddenly lurched upward, leaving the shield untouched, but forming a narrow archway underneath it… an archway through which the Doomhound passed like a bullet, slamming the man to the ground with its weight and sending the Everblack Bible spinning from his hands.

Desperately, the man threw up his hands, starting to gesture wildly in what must have been a powerful spell of destruction, but before he could complete it, a tree root next to his head shot up, hooking around his right wrist and breaking any concentration he might have had.

"NOOOOO-HLLK!!"

Alice stood transfixed with horror as the Doomhound's massive head dipped forward, closing around Jones's throat and yanking back with vicious ferocity, sending a gout of the man's blood arching through the air to splatter violently against the shield of air. Jones's arm and legs shuddered like fish out of water, his hands vibrating an inch off the ground as if trying to comply with his minds desperate, final instructions.

Then… slowly… they sank to the ground, coming to rest in a quickly growing pool of the man's vibrant red blood.

"Ven... geance…"

Finally managing to turn away, Alice fell to her knees, retching in the tall grass as the Doomhound howled its triumph to the skies above.

It was over…

- - - - -

The battlefield was eerily silent as Doomhounds and Shadow Knights alike wearily eyed the great, winged beast circling overhead. A large swath of destruction had been carved in a rough circle around one spot on the clearing, and in the center lay the motionless form of Margarete Zelle.

Margarete, Alice thought, breaking cover and praying that Yuri would recognize her through his blood rage as she sprinted towards the spy's body.

He had come very close to killing everyone on the battle field – his friends included… and of the large troop of Doomhounds and Shadow Knights, only a few dozen remained.

As quickly as she could, Alice raced to Margarete's side, spotting Yuri from the corner of her eye as he went into a steep dive, clearly heading straight for her. Praying that it was to help, rather than hinder, Alice dropped to her knees, fumbling for one of her bibles as she laid one hand on Margarete's chest.

"Oh… oh no…"

There was a collective gasp as the Seraphic Radiance dropped to the ground, charging Alice's position… but changing as it went, its wings and sharp talons receding as the man inside forced the fusion monster back down into his soul.

"Alice!" Yuri snapped as soon as he had regained his human form. "Quickly – you need to resurrect her. What are you waiting for??" he demanded as she rose to greet him, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Don't just stand there! She's-"

"It's… it's been too long," Alice whispered, averting her eyes. "Yuri… it's been too long."

Yuri's mind could not quite grasp the information his ears were relaying. "No," he said stupidly, ignoring the others as they ran up to surround them, "no it hasn't… it's only been a couple minutes – you can bring her back, I know you can. Stop messing around."

"Yuri," Alice said helplessly, "please…"

"NO!" Yuri shouted, "No, you're lying – it's that damn bible talking again! You're possessed, and-"

Koudelka's hand lighted on his shoulder. "Don't do this," the woman entreated, ignoring the blood still seeping from her mouth as she swayed unsteadily on her feet, still dazed from the Shadow Knight's massive blow. "She's gone, Yuri… there's nothing we can do for her."

"You're wrong!" the young man shouted, turning back to the blonde and kneeling down to place his hands on her ribcage. "Just need to… to get her going again – you'll see! I can bring her back – she won't die here, damn it, she WON'T!!"

The others averted their eyes as he began pumping on Margarete's chest, pausing every few seconds to breath into her mouth, her cool lips dry and unresponsive against his as the air blew pointlessly into her still lungs.

Come on, honey, he thought desperately, come on, don't do this to me… not here… not like this… I'm not ready for you to leave yet… I don't want you to go away from me yet!!

Gradually, his frantic movements slowed, his heaving chest wracked with barely repressed sobs as the woman lay unresponsive on the ground, her body lacking even a flicker of life.

"Godkiller…"

Yuri kept his head bowed, his tears dripping silently only Margarete's lovely face.

"Godkiller," the heavy voice grated, "we have… fulfilled our promise… our obligation… is complete…"

"Yeah," he whispered, "whatever…"

His companions braced themselves as the leader of the Doomhounds reared up to its full height, its hard eyes boring into Yuri's back as it spoke. "Many of our kind… gave their lives… today…" it grated, its dreadful voice raising the hackles of all gathered, "many… by your… own hand…"

A cruel grin lit Yuri's face. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Yuri, don't," Alice urged, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I know you're angry, but-"

"What are you going to do about it?" Yuri repeated. "Answer your master!"

Alice recoiled from the rage in the harmonixer's voice… but if the Doomhound was offended, it made no sign. "Our obligation… is fulfilled…" it said heavily, "you are… our master… no longer. My… brother's… needless death has been avenged… the price… of my kinsmen's lives… I pay willingly." It lowered its voice dangerously. "But know that… our ties to you are severed… Godkiller… we will not hunt you…. but we will not… hesitate to fight you… should we feel you are… in our way…"

Yuri stared down at Margarete for a long moment before replying, "Don't worry… if I never see another of your ugly faces, it'll be too soon."

The Doomhound nodded, as if it had expected this answer. "I bid you… farewell, Godkiller…"

Ignoring the creature entirely, Yuri reached out, caressing Margarete's face. "Guess this is goodbye," he said gently, sniffing loudly as the others turned to give him more privacy. "I'll see you again, though… right?"

Smiling at the thought of a Heavenly reunion, Yuri leaned forward, touching his lips to Margarete's in a final, tender kiss.

"Uhh!"

Alice whipped around. "Yuri?" she asked uncertainly, concerned by the man's sudden grunt of pain. "Yuri, what's… oh sweet Lord…!"

The others all gaped, frozen with shock as a searing blue glow sprang up around Yuri and Margarete, enveloping them in a second.

"Gahh!!"

"YURI!!"

The harmonixer hunched further forward, clutching at his chest as a brutal shock tore through his heart. He arched back suddenly, throwing Zhuzhen and Keith both to the ground as they rushed forward to help him, and in the space between his body and Margarete's, Alice could see a thin, glowing blue thread suspended in midair. Even as she watched, Margarete's body gave a sudden jerk, spasming like a marionette as something flowed down the thread from Yuri's chest into hers.

"AHH!"

Abruptly, the woman cried out, her blue eyes flashing open as her heels and fists drummed the ground, her face contorting in agony.

"Make it stop!" Alice screamed, clapping her hands over her ears as the thread became a cable – pulsing bright blue as energy poured from Yuri to Margarete.

A third cry – unlike any the collected travelers had ever heard – rose up through the air, sounding of pain and loneliness and agony beyond measure, growing until it was all-encompassing before dying out, leaving an odd, ringing silence in its wake.

Slowly, Yuri slumped to the ground, lying across Margarete's chest and panting heavily as sweat poured freely down his face.

"Get… get off me…"

Yuri gasped, his head whipping around at the sweet sound of Margarete's voice. "You're… alive…!" he managed.

"I won't be fore long if you don't GET OFF," Margarete grunted, looking disoriented as she tried to get out from under his weight. "Were you taking advantage of me?" she asked sharply, a wolfish grin spreading over her features. "Next time wait until I'm awake – you know I wouldn't want to mi-mmm…"

Alice looked away as Yuri grabbed the spy by the sides of her head and planted a deep, smacking kiss directly on her lips. Well now, she thought, blushing faintly as Margarete kissed back with much enthusiasm. Guess I know where I stand…

Epilogue

It took less than forty minutes for the Doomhounds and Shadow Knights to dispose of their dead. Neither party was willing to forgive the other, and several isolated fights broke out as the bodies were gathered from the battlefield, but the leaders of both sides recognized that there was no longer a reason to continue the bloodshed, leaving the majority of the animosity restricted to bared teeth and muttered epithets.

As the last corpse was dragged into the underbrush, Alice and her friends finally allowed themselves a sigh of relief.

"It's over."

Alice nodded at Halley's tired yawn. "Yes," she said, rolling her shoulders as Yuri and Margarete reappeared at the edge of the clearing.

For you anyway, she added mentally. What were they talking about?? They said they had something they wanted to discuss… but why so private about it? Oh! They couldn't be…!! Oh please, Lord, don't let them be… together. Please? Not after we finally won! I know it's selfish of me, but Yuri was supposed to be mine – but that kiss! That kiss… oh… please tell me I haven't lost him already!

Thoughts of romance were temporarily pushed to the side as the duo rejoined them.

"I don't get it," Halley piped up suddenly, nodding to the white book clutched tightly in Alice's hands. "I thought it was the EverBLACK Bible – when did it get changed to white??"

"It was always white," Alice said simply. "Sister Moira explained to me that it was originally a holy book, like any other bible… though it was a powerful one. Then one day, the writer found his son dead – seemingly at his daughter's hands. In a rage, he lashed out, striking her down with one blow before she could explain that she had found him that way… a victim of roving bandits, hungry only for money and power."

Margarete rubbed absently at her chest. "So… how does that relate to the Everblack?" she asked uncertainly.

Alice sighed. "It was his rage," she whispered sadly. "The Everblack was in his hand when he struck down his own flesh and blood… and like a sponge, it drew in his hate and anger and fear, its pages growing darker and darker as it absorbed more and more of those awful, negative feelings, growing in power even as it grew blacker and blacker. You see, the man who wrote it did so with the intention of having it used only in love and kindness – so its pages would shine white with God's power and banish all the evil from the world." She averted her eyes, gently stroking the cover of the Everblack as she concluded, "It was such a noble ideal…"

"Some of the greatest acts of destruction are carried out with misguidedly noble ideas to back them," Keith observed quietly, gently laying a hand on Alice's shoulder and giving her a warm smile. "We must destroy it, though, you know… it is simply too powerful."

Master Zhuzhen cleared his throat. "Which is why I do not believe we will be able to," he said heavily, "it is like an ancient tree, this book… the roots of its power are deep and far-reaching. I do not believe that it is POSSIBLE to destroy it."

"Then… perhaps it would be best to seal it here," Alice said hesitantly. "If we bury it under the ruins of the temple, IN the holy waters… it would remain pure… and hidden. Would that work?"

"It might," Koudelka said, finally letting Sacnoth's tip rest on the ground and relaxing her tense shoulders. "But I'm afraid… you'll have to handle it without me. I don't have the power I used to… I'm not even sure I can open a Gate back home – and I KNOW that if I don't do it now, I won't be able to do it later."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as everyone unabashedly studied her youthful face, the price she had paid for this victory clearly evident in her unlined features.

Finally, Alice cleared her throat and whispered, "Why did you come for us, Koudelka? It must have been strenuous for you… and I still don't even know how you found us…"

"It was Halley's doing," Koudelka admitted softly, gazing almost guiltily at her son. "He told me that if I let anything happen to you when I had the power to stop it, he would never think of me as his mother again – because no mother of his would ever leave a friend to die…" She sighed tiredly. "As for how I found you… well, you're still carrying the Channeling Stone I slipped into your backpack. After I tracked down the Doomhounds – which was NOT easy, I will say – and convinced them that I was working with 'Yuri the Godkiller' …which also was not easy, I just opened a Gate from their jungle to where you were, and led them all through. Simple, right?"

Finding that she had nothing else to say, Alice mumbled, "I see," and bowed deeply to the other woman, bidding her farewell as Halley fell in at her side.

"Master Zhuzhen," Koudelka said quietly, "I can hold the Gate open for you and Keith for thirty, maybe forty minutes, at the outside. Will that be enough time to seal the Everblack?"

"Should be," Zhuzhen said lightly, "but I think if you just take that Channeling Stone with you, I can create a Gate of my own."

Koudelka arched an eyebrow. "Can you now?" she asked softly, "Since when can you do that?"

With a chuckle, Zhuzhen said, "This will be my first attempt… but I believe I've mastered the essentials. If I'm wrong, we'll just walk. I don't think Keith will mind the exercise."

Nodding, Koudelka turned to Alice. "And… will you be returning when your task is complete?" she asked, giving Yuri a significant glance, "or do you have other matters to attend?"

Alice averted her eyes. "We," she said carefully, emphasizing the word slightly, "will come home soon."

"I understand. Halley… let's go."

"Right behind you."

Alice and Zhuzhen wasted no time in further goodbyes. Together, they brought the Everblack to the still-smoking ruins of the temple, lowering it carefully into the waters that now bubbled freely up through the shattered remains of the font.

"Stand back," Alice advised the others, standing opposite Zhuzhen, "this is going to be complicated… and dangerous."

Reluctantly, Yuri, Margarete, and Keith stood outside the temple as Alice and Zhuzhen began to work. Together, they cast, weaving holy words and Zhuzhen's Adept chants in a tight, complex patchwork of power – half protective, half concealing – until finally the task was complete.

As the duo staggered out of the temple, the others rushed to their side, helping to support them as they all but collapsed on the hard ground. "Is it done?" Keith asked softly, easing Zhuzhen's arm over his shoulder in spite of the other man's protests.

"Go… look…" Alice panted, flushed from the effort of wielding so much power.

Yuri and Margarete stepped into the temple, offering low, appreciative whistles as they beheld Alice and Zhuzhen's handiwork. The holy font – blasted to rubble when the Everblack had been lowered into the waters – stood strong and upright once more, the holy spring waters bubbling up through its mouth at a more languid pace than when they had first arrived.

"It's under there…"

Margarete turned to Yuri. "Hmm?"

"The Everblack," Yuri clarified, "they put it UNDER the font… can't you see? That's why the water isn't moving as fast – the Bible's blocking some of it. Clever. No one would think to look for a book that evil under a holy font in the middle of the mountains."

Heaving a gusty sigh, Margarete whispered, "We have to tell her…"

Yuri nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the font. "I know," he said quietly, unsurprised by the sudden change of topic, "I know we do…"

"Let's get it over with," the blonde said tiredly. "Come on."

"Yeah…"

Exiting the temple, they found Master Zhuzhen waving off Keith's attempt to support him. "I'm FINE, man!" the adept grumbled, "I may be old, but I'm not crippled! Let me be!"

Keith chuckled softly. "You can barely stand up," he pointed out, releasing the other man's arm, but standing close to him in case he should falter. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

"Positive," Zhuzhen said firmly, "but it's like Koudelka said – if I don't do it now, I won't be able to do it later… so step back, I need to concentrate."

"As you wish."

The vampire took several steps back smiling reassuringly at Alice as she shot him a nervous look. 'Don't worry,' he mouthed, patting her shoulder.

Alice nodded as Zhuzhen slowly carved a circle in the dirt, noticing for the first time how old and frail he looked. He doesn't have much time, she thought sadly, he's not as young as the rest of us – well, except Keith of course… but I guess there's no way to tell him that. He'll live on his own terms until the day he dies. She wiped discretely at her eyes, refusing to let him see her weep for him. God, may it yet be a long time from now.

"Circle's ready," Zhuzhen called, moving into the middle, "you coming, Mayor?"

Keith gave him a bland look. "You know I hate it when they call me that," he said coolly, stepping into the circle with the adept, "you're just trying to get under my skin, aren't you?"

With a grin, Zhuzhen shrugged. "Someone has to," he said mischievously, "the townspeople all worship you… so it's my job to make sure your head doesn't get too swollen with delusions of grandeur."

"You're doing your job quite well," Keith muttered sourly, drawing a chuckle from the other man.

"Well young man," Zhuzhen said lightly, turning his attention to Yuri, "take care of them for me."

Yuri nodded. "You know I will," he said softly, refusing to meet Alice's eyes. "Goodbye, old man."

"Not goodbye."

"Hmm?"

"I said, 'not goodbye,'" Zhuzhen murmured, his voice surprisingly low and serious, "it's 'until we meet again.'"

Yuri chuckled, touching his hand to his forehead in a brief salute. "Until we meet again, old man," he said warmly, reaching out and clasping the adept's hand tightly. "Take care of yourself, or I'll come kick your ass."

With a snort, Zhuzhen pumped the harmonixer's hand sharply up and down. "As if you could."

With a final nod, Zhuzhen closed his eyes and began the complicated Gate chant. Margarete, Alice, and Yuri all watched in tense silence, knowing that this was the first time the adept had attempted this powerful spell… but they breathed a collective sigh of relief as the telltale haze of space manipulation warped the air around the two men in the circle, quickly enfolding them and spiriting them away to Bistritz.

"Well," Alice said, finally releasing the breath she had been holding nearly the entire time, "now that that's done, we can-"

"Alice."

The exorcist flinched as Margarete laid a hand on her shoulder. "Y-yes?" she stammered, keeping her eyes averted as she heard Yuri shift at her side.

"We need to talk."

Her shoulder's slumping, Alice whispered, "Right."

This is it, she thought miserably, this is when they tell me 'we've fallen in love… and we think it would be best if you moved on.' Lord, this is so unfair! …but I won't cry – not when they can see me. They're my friends. I'll be happy for them… somehow.

Together, the three walked over to the remains of the temple, arranging themselves in a rough circle on the ground. Yuri, Alice noticed, sat closer to Margarete than her, solidifying in her mind the idea that this was definitely their way of telling her they were together.

I WILL be happy for them, she told herself firmly, it… it was never meant to be, right Lord? I mean, I've worked hard… I've done your bidding. If Yuri isn't the one for me, then I guess-

"I'm leaving."

Alice blinked. "I, umm… huh??"

Bowing her head, Margarete whispered, "I said I'm leaving… you win… Yuri's yours."

"I d-don't under… stand…" Alice babbled. "You two are… I thought you were… I don't understand."

Slowly, Yuri put a hand on Margarete's shoulder. "It's not what she wanted," he said calmly, squeezing the spy's shoulder sympathetically as she turned her head away. "You… know how she feels for… for me, don't you?"

Alice blushed, nodding reluctantly. "Of course I do," she said quietly, "she hasn't made it a secret – and neither have I… so why-"

"Show her," Margarete cut in tiredly, "just… you show her, ok? I can't… it's too hard…"

Yuri sighed, slowly rising to his feet as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

Though she felt knew she should, Alice found that she could not look away, her eyes locking guiltily onto the man's muscular chest as it slowly came into view, button by button. As he pulled it open, however, she frowned, her eyes spotting something unfamiliar.

"What is… that?"

Margarete was the one that replied. "It's the reason I can't stay here," she said bitterly, abruptly yanking her own blouse to the side, "it's the goddamned Tear!"

Confused, Alice looked from Margarete to Alice, her brow furrowing as she tried to understand what she was seeing. On both of her traveling companions, located exactly over the heart, sat a small, shiny black fragment of stone, shot through with veins of silver. Each was the size and shape of a large tear, and seemed to somehow move with each breath they took.

"Give me your hands," Yuri said quietly, taking Alice's fingers and leading one to his throat and one to Margarete's.

Alice's mouth went dry. "T-they're the same," she gasped, suddenly anxious to pull her hands away as she felt her companions' hearts beating in perfect synchronicity.

Brushing her hand away, Margarete straightened her blouse. "That's the price I paid for salvation," she said, sounding drained and weary, "a fate that could truly make an angel cry."

Seeing that the exorcist was still unsure of what was happening, Yuri whispered, "When the Tear brought her back to life… it did it using the power of my soul. It… SPLIT my life-force in two, putting half of it into her."

"So that means-"

"It means if he dies, I die," Margarete cut in acidly, "it means what he feels I feel. I means that every-" her throat hitched, and she swallowed with some difficulty, her eyes shining with desperation as she concluded, "It means that every time he looks at you, and his heart beats faster… I feel it. It means that as long as I'm near him, I want what he wants – and I CAN NOT endure that!"

Alice sat in stunned silence as what was being said truly sank in. "S-so what will you do?" she asked finally, at a loss for anything else to ask.

It's all so complicated, she thought as Margarete pondered her question, so… what does she see when she looks at him?? Does she see her own affection reflected back at her? Does she know he doesn't love her… or maybe, does she know that he DOES?? Lord, this is too painful! She doesn't deserve to have to feel what he feels for me… it must tear her apart!

She shook her head to clear it as Margarete slowly rose to her feet, staring down at Alice with a look so sad it nearly made her cry. "I'm going to find a way to take it out," she said simply, "when we went into the woods, we tried to pry the fragments of the Tear out of our skin… but the second we touched them, my heart started beating irregularly, so we realized that it must take magic to break free of it."

"Well, I could try to help," Alice said uncertainly, "I don't know what I can do, but-"

"I don't want your help," Margarete said calmly, "I don't want the rest of my life to be owed to the woman that loves the man I love – and besides, you don't have the power. The Tear is ancient, maybe even older than the Everblack… so there's no way you'd be able to free me of its powers."

Alice looked away. "Maybe not," she conceded, "but I could try."

Shooting Yuri a look of frustration, Margarete hissed, "I don't WANT you to try, damn it! I'll find my own way free of this stupid thing." Her shoulders slumped. "So until I can look at you without feeling MY heart beat faster," she whispered reluctantly, "I… I leave him to you – as long as you understand that I WILL come back for him, someday, and I won't lose him to you!"

Abruptly, she smiled.

"It's funny, in a way," she said, forcing levity into her voice as she shrugged and gazed down into Alice's eyes. "I've won his heart in a way you never can. He'll be with me until the day I die – literally. Better do what you can to make him love you now, little girl, because when I find a way to be rid of this thing, I'm coming back for him… and I won't go easy on you."

Hesitantly, Alice returned her smile. "Same for me," she said, rising to her feet and offering the spy her hand. "Take care of yourself… you're carrying half of my heart too."

Margarete snorted, yanking the younger woman into a tight embrace. "Don't be stupid," she whispered, "I have to take care of myself so I can get back and steal him away from you."

Smiling, Alice turned her head, moving her mouth next to Margarete's ear to breathe, "Bring it on."

Laughing, Margarete stepped back, turning to Yuri and blowing him a kiss. "Oo," she grinned, shooting Alice a triumphant look, "it beats fast for me, too… better hold him tight, little girl… I'll be back before you know it."

"I'll be waiting," Alice said honestly, giving the woman a warm smile as she started off into the night.

"Until we meet again…"

In silence, Yuri and Alice watched the spy vanish into the woods, leaving not so much as a leaf disturbed to mark her passing. After several minutes of contemplative quiet, Yuri said, "You know – it really pisses me off when you guys talk about me like I'm not here. I mean, 'I'll be back for him,' 'I won't lose him to you' – God, you guys act like I'm stone deaf or something!"

Still watching the place where Margarete disappeared, Alice smiled. "Well, you don't really listen that well," she giggled. "And what she said goes for me, too… I won't lose you. You're mine, and I won't let you go."

"Hmm," Yuri hummed, lacing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. "It almost sounds dirty when you say it like that." Abruptly, his eyes opened, a strange look passing over his face. "Oh that's right," he said nonchalantly, "I was talking to Zhuzhen about that whole… you know, no sex if you're an exorcist thing, and…"

"And…?" Alice prompted, coloring slightly at the boldness of the topic.

"And he said, 'Well, that only applies if you're not married. God's grand design includes marriage and child bearing, so as long as you are living within the boundaries of God's plan… your powers will remain intact – and maybe even grow more powerful.'"

Alice's face was now beet red. "I-is that right?" she stammered, forcing her breathing to remain even as she tilted her head back to look up at the stars, "how… interesting."

"Isn't it?" Yuri said lightly. "Just thought you should know."

"Mm."

Nothing more was said as the two stared up into the sky, their minds whirling with all the possible futures currently open to them. With Margarete gone, for the time being, it would only be the two of them, and neither really felt much like 'settling down,' per se… but as the silence stretched on, and more and more paths presented themselves to the duo's minds, they both realized that there was only one REAL direction they could move.

Forward.

Turning to Yuri, Alice gave him an appraising glance. "Do you love me?" she asked quietly, deciding that this uncertainty had gone on long enough. "Please don't say, 'I don't know,' or something like that. I think… I think we've been together long enough for me to know the truth. If the answer's no, then say it – it would be better for me to hear it now before I get my hopes set on being with you, Yuri…"

Unprepared for this straightforward approach, Yuri kept his eyes on the skies above, holding his silence for several long, uncomfortable moments.

"Yeah," he said finally, his voice barely carrying over the night wind, "I mean… yes, I do…"

"And… you love Margarete too."

It was not a question… but Yuri answered it anyway.

"Yeah…"

Alice nodded. She had been prepared for this answer, of course – especially after the emotional recovery of the blonde from just past the edge of death – but it still hurt to hear it confirmed.

"Well then," she said, trying to keep her emotions from overriding her reason, "where do you see things going – with us, I mean? I think I can live with the IDEA of you loving someone else, Yuri, but I don't know if I could take it if she came back and you ran to her with open arms… do you understand?"

Yuri shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know what to say," he blurted, swallowing hard as the exorcist's eyes bored into him. "I don't… if we were together like that, I mean… I don't think I'd… ever do anything to mess it up."

Laying a hand on his shoulder, Alice leaned forward, waiting until his nervously darting eyes met hers before whispering, "'I don't know' isn't good enough for me anymore. If I can't… Lord, I know this sounds selfish, but I don't care anymore – if I can't know you're mine, then I'm going to have to say goodbye to you, Yuri. I don't want to, but I love you too much to be content with just being your traveling companion, or friend." She met his eyes head on, finally speaking the words that had been on her mind for the last five weeks.

"I want to marry you, Yuri."

Yuri flinched, visibly shrinking back from her, but finding himself unable to look away.

"Marry me," Alice said plainly. "I didn't want to ask you like this, I really didn't. It feels like I'm taking advantage of Margarete's misfortune to sneak you away from her… but at the same time, you were mine before she ever came into the picture – you ARE mine, Yuri, and I don't want to share you."

Slowly she sat back; planting her hands on the cool earth and leaning back to close her eyes.

Several long, uncertain minutes passed before Yuri sat forward, rubbing his arms as a chill passed through him. He considered every possible answer – from rage at her selfishness, to derision at her neediness – before finally settling his mind on one simple fact.

"I don't want to lose you…"

Alice nodded, keeping her eyes closed as she replied, "I don't want to lose you, either. I want to hold you forever… but only if I know that you won't go right back to acting like an idiot the second you see Margarete again."

There was another uncomfortable silence, then Yuri rose to his feet and brushed the back of his pants off. "Then goodbye," he said flatly, ignoring the sudden, sharp intake of shock from his companion as he added, "you're asking me to stop loving someone… and I won't do that – not even for you. I'm willing to be with you, yes, even marry you, if you're actually willing to throw your life away on a loser like me, but I won't ever stop caring for someone dear to me."

"I'm not asking you to," Alice said gently, opening her eyes and staring up into his face, "all I'm asking is that if you promise me forever, you hold to it. Loving Margarete is fine, I love her too, in my own way… but if I give you my heart, I have to know that you won't throw it away when she comes back and offers you hers."

Yuri's nostrils flared. "I would never do that," he said bluntly, "I know I'm a little… ok, I'm REALLY uncivilized… but if I say 'I'm yours' I won't go back on it."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Alice's lips. "Promise?" she said tiredly, feeling suddenly that the weight of the entire world had just been lifted from her shoulders.

"Promise," Yuri said softly, offering her his hand. "I've… never been good with stuff like this, but I don't go back on my word. I DO love Margarete – but it's like you said," he met her eyes levelly. "It was always you, Alice…"

Alice blushed, taking his hand and climbing to her feet, and finding herself pulled into an awkward, but wholly satisfying embrace.

Not the smoothest beginning, she thought, still not QUITE convinced that his feelings for Margarete could be suppressed so easily, but willing to take him at his word. NOW… we can move forward…

"I'm tired," Yuri announced suddenly, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and loosing a jaw cracking yawn. "I'm gonna hit the sack…"

The lingering question hung heavy in the air, but Alice made sure that it was not there for long. "Is there room for me?" she asked lightly. "We'll just be sleeping, of course…"

"'Course," Yuri said blandly, "you're not that kind of girl, blah, blah, blah – don't get all defensive… you're the one all ready to be hitched at the drop of a hat."

Alice averted her eyes. "Hey," she said quietly, trying her best not to blush, "I'm human, too…"

Yawning broadly, Yuri said, "Too tired to talk about it anymore… come on… your chastity is definitely safe with me tonight."

Somehow, Alice doubted that he would try to fend her off if she put that theory to the test, but she felt that it would be best not to push it. I want this to be right, she thought tiredly, following him into his tent and all but collapsing on the sleeping pad at his side.

From that day forward… she never slept alone again.

The End

Author's Notes: Oh come on! It's not like anyone needed what's going to happen next spelled out… it's pretty obvious!! On another note (just to avoid confusion) a Gate spell is any spell of teleportation – either a hole in the air, like Koudelka makes, or the warping of space that marks Jones and Roger Bacon's passing. Sorry, I didn't really want to come up with different names for the two, since they basically perform the same task of moving a person from one place to another. And in case anyone missed it, the Doomhound that Fletcher incinerated waayyyy back in like, chapter ONE was the head Doomhound's brother, which is why it could claim blood debt. I couldn't think of any way to make that clear in the text without having him say 'you remember that Doomhound you killed without a reason? Well guess what?' Poor storytelling, I know. My apologies.

Pre-read on this final Verse was done by Aegis… yes, Aegis, you're off the hook – it's done. Thanks for all the help, darlin' I couldn't have done it without you.

Feedback is always welcome on any site with reviewing capabilities or by e-mailing me directly at random1377(at-sign)yahoo(dot)com.