Chapter 8

 "Are you up yet?"
 The call came from outside her door.  It had been two days since Paul saved 
 her life.  Leia unbraided her hair and let what little curls she had cascade 
 around her shoulders.  She answered the door, still dressed in her 
 nightshirt.  Paul stood in the hall, staring at his watch.
 "What's wrong with your watch?"
 Paul glanced up, shaking his head.
 "Nothing.  Come on.  Are you two ready to go?"
 Leia shook her head.
 "Sylvia's ready, but I've just got to get into my clothes.  We'll be down in 
 a minute."
 Leia closed the door over, then headed for her closet.  Leia was dressed by 
 the time Sylvia got out of the bathroom.  They took only what they needed 
 and then headed downstairs to catch up with Paul, Nick, and Eric.  It was a 
 nice day out so they ignored Nick's offer to have them driven around.  They 
 walked through the streets, stopping at various booths along the way.  After 
 a while Leia and Sylvia became so focused on their conversation that they 
 lost track of where Nick, Paul, and Eric were taking them.  Leia found their 
 final location quite familiar, and she recalled the day she got her dresses. 
   Her eyes widened as they were led into the building, but this time they 
 were taken a different route.  They ended up in a well-lit room.  Racks of 
 clothes and dressers lined the walls.  Leia and Sylvia sat where they were 
 told to, then watched on curiously as Nick, Paul, and Eric disappeared from 
 the room.  They returned moments later with an extremely tall, thin female.
 "Hi.  I'm Cait.  Wow.  When the guys said they had two gorgeous females who 
 needed costumes, I told them that i'd believe it when I see it.  Now that 
 i've seen you two, I know what they were talking about."  Leia and Sylvia 
 blushed in shock at this woman's open manner.  Cait laughed.  "I've 
 embarassed you, and made you blush.  I'm sorry.  I've always had a tendency 
 to be a little too open.  If you both will forgive me, I'll see what I have 
 that would suit you two ladies."
 Cait rifled through the dressers lining the walls, finally walking back over 
 to them with her arms full of clothing.  She stood there, staring at them.
 "What are you two waiting for?  Take an outfit and try it on."
 "Where?" asked Sylvia, looking around for a changing room.
 "Right here.  Wait...are you shy?" Cait ushered the guys out of the room.  
 "Now it's just us girls.  Pick an outfit and try it on."
 Leia grabbed hold of a bluish outfit, while Syl grabbed hold of something in 
 purple.  They tried on several outfits, and finally were exhausted.
 "Cait, I don't know which one to pic."
 "If you both wish, i'll send your outfits over to the hotel and surprise you 
 as to the one I choose.  How does that sound?"
 Leia and Sylvia nodded their agreements.  Nick, Paul, and Eric came in as 
 Cait left.  They stared on in confusion as Leia and Sylvia seemingly walked 
 out of the store empty handed. Their costumes arrived the night of the 
 party.  The packages were sent up, and upon opening Leia and Sylvia noticed 
 that each contained two costumes and a note: Choose which ever one fits your 
 mood, and remember to have a good time. -Cait.  Syl went into the bathroom 
 to change while Leia got into her costume in the main room.  Once she had 
 attached the last piece she stood back.  Leia stared at her reflection in 
 the mirror.  Her dark blond hair fell in a curtain of wild curls about her 
 shoulders.  She had put on very little make up, and wore only a small pair 
 of silver hoop earings and her mothers locket.  Sylvia giggled when she 
 entered the room.
 "You chose THAT one?"
 Leia smiled, knowing what her friend was refering to.  The bikini had been 
 the easiest part of her costume to get into.  The veils, on the other hand, 
 were another story.
 "Yeah.  I was going to take the gypsie one, but I thought this one would be 
 more fun."
 "More dangerous you mean."
 Leia rolled her eyes, playing with one of the multi-colored veils.  She 
 adjusted the shoulder strap on her silver bikini, glaring at her friend.
 "Why would I wear something dangerous?  What good would it do me?"
 "Well...you KNOW that if Greg ever found out about this costume he'd kill 
 you..."
 "If Greg saw YOU, little miss black leather and feathers anime angel, he'd 
 be out for blood."
 Sylvia rolled her eyes.
 "Okay...okay...cease fire!"
 "Sounds good to me."
 A knock at the door brought their minds back to the present.  Leia answered 
 the door.
 "Hello..." was all Paul could get out.
 He stood there staring at Leia, his jaw in danger of hitting the floor.  
 Leia smiled and tapped his chin, closing his mouth.
 "Careful.  That's how you catch flies."
 She kissed him lightly, then turned towards Sylvia.  Syl said nothing.  She 
 simply shook her head, then fastened the last attachment on her wings.
 "I'm ready, Leia.  Are you?"
 Leia took the room key and slipped it into her bikini top.
 "All set."
 Sylvia shook her head at her incouragable friend, then headed into the hall. 
   Leia was close behind, followed by Paul.  They locked up the room and 
 headed downstairs.  Leia watched Paul closely.  It was then that his costume 
 registered to her mentally.  He was dressed as a pirate, complete with a 
 sword at his waist.  Nick was the first to come into view.  His ninja 
 costume was loose fitting, leaving a lot to the imagination.  Eric, whose 
 gaze never left Sylvia, was dressed like a knight.  Nick stepped between 
 Paul and Leia.  He took her arm and led her to the car.  The trip was short, 
 and the next thing Leia and Sylvia knew they were at the party.
 "It looks like something out of a fairytale," Leia said breathlessly.
 "Soon to be a nightmare," Nick whispered to himself.
 Paul overheard his brother.  Without a word he pushed past Nick, grabbed 
 Leia's arm, and led her up the stairs.  Eric took Sylvia's arm and walked 
 with her, leaving Nick to walk up alone.  There were dozens of couples 
 dressed in costumes and masks.  Many were on the dance floor.  The others 
 were scattered around the hall in small clusters.  Sylvia soon found that 
 her costume drew more attention than Leia's.  Sylvia hated being the center 
 of attention.  She twisted her short, auburn hair around her finger 
 nervously.  Eric suddenly seemed to disappear, as did Nick.  Before Sylvia 
 knew what had happened she found herself in the arms of a tall male.  The 
 mask he wore covered his face except for his eyes.  He was dressed as a 
 mercenary.  His outfit was black and form-fitting, consisting mainly of 
 boots, jeans, and a shirt.  He wore a black cloak...and Sylvia swore she 
 could see a sword underneath.  Wait...could it be?  Sylvia tried to take a 
 closer look at his eyes, but the masked stranger was having none of it.  He 
 averted his eyes from her gaze, not letting go of his grip around her waist. 
   Sylvia resolved to worry about it later.  She glanced over and saw Leia 
 dancing with Paul.  If she had not known what Leia's costume looked like, 
 she never would have recognized her friend.  The feathered mask covered most 
 of her friend's face.
 "So Angel, why do you look so sad?"
 The weary voice behind the mask did not sound like that of her love.  
 Whatever light was still in her eyes quickly disappeared.
 "You could not possibly understand, Monsieur Mercenary."
 "Try me."
 Syl found this strangers interest and concern peculiarly comforting.
 "I miss my love."
 "You mean the gentleman that you walked in with?  He must be around here 
 somewhere."
 "No...not him.  My love is far away in body, but never far from my heart."  
 Sylvia glanced at Leia once more.  This time Leia caught her look.  She 
 motioned for Syl to join them.  "It seems I must go.  Thank you for the 
 dance, and your sympathetic ear."
 She disappeared from his sight moments later.  The mercenary walked over to 
 a pirate chatting away with a lady vampire.  She left quickly when he 
 approached.
 "Nice timing Greg."
 The mercenary lifted his mask.
 "Shawn, you're supposed to be helping me, not flirting with anything in a 
 skirt!"
 "Geez!  Calm down!" he whispered harshly.  "So, was it Sylvia?"
 "Yeah.  I don't know if she recognized me, but if she meant what she just 
 said I might still have a chance to get her back."
 "What about Leia?  Any sign of her?"
 "Syl isn't here with her from what I can tell.  She seems to have made some 
 new friends," he mentioned, motioning to the man and woman standing near 
 her.
 "Well, he seems to be having a good time," Shawn commented ludely.  "Did you 
 get a load of that costume?"
 Greg eyed the leggy blond.
 "She's quite attractive, but I only have eyes for Sylvia."
 Shawn sighed, but didn't push the conversation any further.  They watched as 
 the trio made their way over to the happy couple dressed as Titania and 
 Oberon.  They were contently watching over the proceedings.  Leia walked 
 over to the woman and hugged her.
 "Lady Shadow Falcon now, is it?"
 "Leia, you haven't changed a bit."
 Leia stepped back, gesturing towards Paul and Sylvia.
 "I'd like to introduce you to my friends.  Paul, Sylvia, this is my good 
 friend Lady Shadow Falcon, although I knew her back when she was simply 
 known as Patience."
 Patience smiled at her husband.
 "Darling, Leia and I went to school together for a year or two."
 The charming man at Patience's side simply smiled.
 "It's a pleasure to meet you."
 Leia shook hands with him.  She moved into the crook of Paul's arm, and he 
 put his arm around her shoulder.
 "Listen, I really hate to say goodbye so soon, but if we don't, you three 
 won't enjoy the party.  Maybe we'll see you again next year."
 "That'd be great."
 Leia followed Paul and Sylvia back down the stairs to rejoin the party.  It 
 was nearly midnight, and everything was just getting into full swing.
 "Leia?  I'll be right back.  I need to go find my brother.  Okay?"
 "Sure.  No problem, Paul."
 Leia and Sylvia watched as Paul seemed to be swallowed up by the crowd.  He 
 was gone for almost twenty minutes when Sylvia got a bad feeling.
 "Leia, can we go?  Please?"
 "Syl, what's the matter?"
 Sylvia looked her friend in the eyes.
 "I know you're going to think i'm being weird again, but i've got this 
 feeling that we shouldn't be here right now.  I think we should leave."
 Leia knew her friend well enough not to second guess her funny feelings.
 "No problem, Syl.  Let's get out of here."
 Leia led her friend out of the hall and into the street.  She took the back 
 alleys, an overwhelming feeling of dread coming over her.  She could hear 
 her friends faint footsteps walking behind her.  After a while Leia lost her 
 sense of direction.  She tried to back track her steps, finding that task 
 next to impossible.  Before Leia could react a strong arm encircled her 
 waist.  She fought against it but the stranger hit her with his free hand..  
 Her head snapped back, making Leia feel as if she had whiplash.  She tried 
 to focus her eyes, but found that task was not going to be easily 
 accomplished.  By the time her head had stopped spinning she found herself 
 bound to a fire escape ladder by her wrists.  Leia looked to her right and 
 saw that Sylvia was bound there in the same fashion.  She forced herself to 
 focus in on her attacker, and was shocked when she saw it was Nick.
 "Bet you didn't expect to see me here, now did you?"
 Leia shook her head, unable to speak.  She quickly found her tongue and 
 decided to play the only card she knew.
 "So...where's Eric?" Leia asked, daring him to lie his way out of this 
 situation.
 Nick simply glared at her.
 "I'm right here," he said, stepping from the shadows.  He stopped once he 
 was next to Nick, his eyes never leaving Sylvia.
 "So...what are you going to do with us?"
 Eric simply grinned.  Leia saw the look and began to shriek.  Nick removed 
 one of her veils from her outfit, tying it as a gag around her mouth.  He 
 looked to Sylvia as if to ask if she was going to need a gag as well.  
 Sylvia never uttered a sound, but her fear was evident in her eyes.  Leia 
 watched as Nick moved closer to her, but she was powerless.
 "You see," Nick began, "I have been hired by someone to kill you."  Leia 
 felt her heartbeat speed up, and try as she might she couldn't tear her eyes 
 from him.  "Problem is that every time I tried my attempts failed.  I have 
 since then decided that we're going to do things MY WAY.  Oh...don't get me 
 wrong.  I'm still going to kill you...and if it's necessary, we will kill 
 your friend to keep her quiet.  I just know that i'm sick and tired of 
 watching you parade around in front of me, flirting as if you meant it, then 
 running to my brother when i decide to take you up on your offer."
 Leia's eyes widened in horror as he spoke, playing around with the veils on 
 her costume.  Then seemingly out of nowhere Nick was hit on the head by a 
 rather large rock.  He spun around to find Paul standing there, wielding a 
 sling shot at him.
 "Leave her alone!"
 Nick smiled, staring at the sling shot.
 "Who do you think you are? David perhapse? I've got a newsflash for you 
 little one.  I'm not Goliath."
 Nick lifted his hand and smacked Leia firmly on her butt.  She cringed, but 
 could do nothing.  Paul sent another stone sailing.  It missed Nick, but 
 managed to hit Eric in the ear.
 "I told you.  Get your hands off of her!"
 Leia watched as Nick's eyes became as souless as two holes in a mask.  He 
 pulled out his dagger.
 "I warned you, Paul.  I will kill you if you get in the way."
 Nick raised the blade above his head, but it soon became clear to Leia that 
 she was to be his target.  Paul raced over, throwing himself in the blades 
 path.  Nick stabbed his brother through the heart, piercing  him through 
 with his dagger.


 Chapter 9

 "No!" Leia tried to scream, but the gag at her mouth prevented any sound.  
 She stood there choking on the piece of cloth, tears running down her 
 cheeks.
 Paul staggered towards Leia, trying to help her even as he stood there 
 dying.  He undid the gag at her mouth, unable to bear the sight of her 
 choking on it.  He touched her cheek, only able to wipe away a few tears 
 before a cramp hit his middle.  Paul fell to the floor, holding his chest..  
 Leia watched in horror as the pool of blood around him grew larger and 
 larger.  Nick wiped his dagger on his pants, cleaning the blood off of it..  
 Leia could only watch in horror.  Moments later, Paul lay dead at her feet.  
 Nick seemed uneffected by the turn of events, as did Eric.
 "I warned him."
 He turned his attentions from his dead brother to the frantic female still 
 bound to the fire escape ladder.  She tried to gather her wits, knowing that 
 if she lost them now she'd be as dead as Paul in moments.  A trickle of 
 blood hit her cheek, and she looked up.  Her wrists were quickly getting cut 
 up and beginning to bleed.  Nick walked over and licked the blood mark off 
 of her cheek.  He tried to kiss her but she moved her face away, avoiding 
 his mouth.  It was then that she saw Sylvia.  Her friend was in utter agony. 
   Eric was fondling her, and she couldn't get away from him no matter how 
 hard she tried.  Sylvia looked ready to scream, but was determined not to 
 give him a reason to kill her.  Leia couldn't avoid Nick's mouth for long..  
 He caught her mouth with his, biting her lip when she struggled to get away. 
   When his mouth lifted Leia could feel the imprint that it left, as well as 
 her own blood which was now seeping through the cut on her mouth where he 
 bit her.  Nick made fast work of the veils covering her, and Leia quickly 
 found herself clad only in the skimpy silver bathing suit.  As the dagger 
 advanced towards her, Leia prayed that it would be swift.  She was not so 
 lucky.  He dragged the blade over her skin, sending shivers of fear down her 
 spine.  He pressed a little harder the next time, leaving a red welt scratch 
 where the blade had been run.  His hand slid down to her outfit bottom and 
 she struggled the best she could, trying not to get herself cut by the 
 dagger at her throat.  He dragged his mouth down her neck to her breasts, 
 leaving bite marks as he went along.  He had just gotten his hand in her 
 bathing suit bottom when he heard Eric scream.  He tore his gaze from Leia 
 in time to see Eric's head become severed from his neck.  Greg stood there, 
 blood dripping from his sword, death in his eyes.  He turned to Nick.
 "That's my sisterbastard"
 Nick took one look at Greg's sword and ran.  Greg swung his sword, slicing 
 the ropes holding Sylvia and Leia to the ladder.
 "Shawn, take care of them!  I'm going to see if I can catch up with him!"  
 Greg raced off after Nick, taking only a moment to throw a dagger and staff 
 on the ground.  "Use those for protection!"
 Leia watched as he quickly disappeared around a corner.  Shawn cut the rope 
 still holding Sylvia's wrists together, then went to help Leia.  He 
 carefully sliced the ropes at her wrists.  Leia shivered, the cold night air 
 chilling her skin.  Shawn shed his shirt and placed it around Leia's 
 shoulders.  She slipped her arms in the sleeves, inhaling deeply.  Leia 
 rubbed her wrists, trying to get the feeling back in them.  It was then that 
 Shawn noticed the blood.  She had various cuts on her face and chest, and 
 her wrists were raw in parts, blood seeping out of small wounds.  Leia tried 
 to get one of her veils around her wrist, but couldn't tie it no matter how 
 hard she tried.  Sylvia assisted her friend, taking the veil and tying it 
 like a bandage.  She knotted it, then looked at Leia.  They both burst into 
 tears.  Leia and Sylvia hugged each other tightly.  Shawn could only watch 
 on in shock.  When they both calmed they realized what had happened.
 "He's going to try and defeat them alone!  We've got to stop him!" Leia 
 shouted.
 Leia took the dagger that her brother had left her, and Sylvia retrieved her 
 staff.  They gathered their things and headed off after him.  He was a good 
 couple of hours away, but they tried their best.  They were forced to stop 
 when they became too tired to move.  Shawn spoke with the owner of a nearby 
 farm.  Moments later he returned.
 "What did he say?" Syl asked anxiously.
 "It wasn't too hard, but I got him to agree to letting us stay in his spare 
 room"
 "How much did it cost you?"
 Shawn glared at her.
 "Not that much."
 Leia noticed that one of Shawn's daggers were missing.
 "You gave him a dagger?  Are you nuts?  He can kill us with that dagger and 
 we wouldn't be able to do anything about it.  He could simply say that we 
 broke in, and he was defending himself."
 "Would you calm down?  He won't kill us.  Now come on.  I don't know about 
 you, but i'm cold and tired.  We have to get up at first light if we're to 
 have any hope of helping Greg."
 Leia said nothing.  She simply followed Shawn into the farm house, Syliva 
 following close behind.  There was only one bed in the small room.  Leia 
 moved closer to the fireplace, absorbing its warmth.  Sylvia and Shawn eyed 
 the bed warily, looking at the other, then at Leia, and then looking back at 
 the bed.  Leia was so tired that she didn't care where she slept.  She lay 
 down on the braided rug on the floor, curled up into a little ball, and fell 
 asleep.  Shawn gestured towards the bed.
 "You can have it.  I'm going to..." he said, letting his words trail off.
 Syl saw something flicker in his eyes, then quickly disappear.
 "I think I understand."  Syl pulled one of the blankets off the bed.  
 "She'll be cold in the morning," Syl told him, handing him the blanket
 Syl crawled under the other blanket on the bed, shut out the lights, and 
 went to sleep.  Shawn stared at the blanket in his hands, then silently 
 dropped to the floor.
 "Okay...what are you doing?" asked Leia, stretching like a cat.
 "I thought you might be cold.  I should have realised that even in a bikini 
 you still have enough armor to keep you warm."
 Leia could see the anger in his eyes, as well as traces of another emotion 
 that she couldn't put her finger on.  Shawn lay down on the floor, threw the 
 blanket over himself, and tried to sleep.  Leia curled herself up and was 
 asleep again in moments.  It must have been around three in the morning when 
 Shawn woke up.  The fire had long since died down, so the room was chilly..  
 He glanced over to Leia.  She was thrashing around in her sleep, her sounds 
 of distress almost too low to hear.  Shawn crawled over and gently shook her 
 awake.
 "Leia!  Leia, wake up!"
 Leia's eyes popped open and she instantly focused on Shawn.  She felt 
 scared...and tired...and all she wanted was to be held.  She looked up at 
 Shawn, not sure if he would push her away if she tried to go near him.  
 Shawn eyed Leia warily, then sighed.  Shawn lay down next to her on the rug 
 and threw the blanket over Leia and himself.  Shawn held Leia to him, his 
 front to her back, her head pillowed on his arm.  He felt her breathing 
 calm.  Leia fell asleep, and Shawn was quick to follow.

 ******************************************************************************
 Greg was out of breath when he reached the village later that night.  He 
 searched for the nearest pub which, as luck would have it, was located on 
 the main floor of the Inn in front of him.  He finished off a bottle and a 
 half of Jack Daniel's before the bartender stopped him.
 "I think you've had enough, son."
 "I'll tell you when i've had enough," mumbled the drunken Greg.
 He tried to stifle a belch, but it still echoed through the almost empty 
 room.  Greg stood up, but quickly found that his legs weren't going to carry 
 him.  One of the waitresses caught him before he collapsed.  He thanked her 
 by pinching her on the ass.
 "Excuse you!" she yelped, dropping him on his rear.
 "I'll excuse myself to a room, but only if you'll come with me."
 Greg leered at her, trying to peek under her skirt.  As she bent down to 
 slap him, Greg grabbed her and kissed her.  She gasped.
 "Wait right here sweetie," she said, pulling back with a devious look on her 
 face.
 The waitress stood up and walked out of the room.  Moments later she 
 returned, accompanied by a burly man.  Greg stared on in horror as the giant 
 threw him over his shoulder, carrying him up the flight of stairs.  He 
 opened the nearest room and threw Greg in on the bed, closing the door 
 behind him.  Greg lay there in total shock.  He finally got himself to his 
 feet and tried to get out of the room, but found that the door was locked 
 from the outside.  He looked around for windows.  Finding none, he realised 
 that he was in BIG trouble.  Feeling the full effects of the alcohol for the 
 first time, Greg lay down on the bed, and soon passed out.  He was awoken by 
 the sound of the dead-bolt sliding back, and the door creaking open.  His 
 head hurt and he was still considerably groggy from the alcohol, but he 
 could make out the form of a woman coming into the room.  It looked to him 
 like...no...It couldn't be...Syl?  He managed to drag himself out of the bed 
 and walk towards the advancing figure.  Greg reached out and greeted the 
 woman with a passionate kiss.  The woman reached out and took off Greg's 
 cape.  She kissed him back, her hands entwining themselves in his hair.  Her 
 hands slid slowly from his hair, down to his shoulders, stopping at the 
 front of his shirt.  She unbuttoned it slowly, trailing kisses as she went.  
 Once the shirt was completely unbuttoned she pulled it free from the 
 waistband of his pants.  She reached for his sword, untying the sash from 
 around his waist.  Once she had the sword in her hands she laughed.  Her 
 laugh echoed in Greg's ears.  That laugh...
 "You're not Sylvia!" Greg shouted, jumping back in shock.
 Mistress Susan smiled.  She whistled and moments later the tall man 
 returned.  Greg recognized him immediately.
 "I've got the sword," she told the tall man.  "Take him with us."  She 
 started to walk away, then thought again and turned back.  "I never should 
 have left it up to Andrea to kill you.  I have to remember that if i want 
 something done right, i have to do it myself."
 "You!  You're the one who has been trying to kill us!"
 "Gee...you catch on quick.  Actually...in the beginning I only wanted your 
 sister dead.  Then I quickly found that it wasn't going to be that easy."
 "Before you drag me off, can you atleast tell me why you want us dead?  
 Why's the sword so important?"
 Mistress Susan's eyes glowed with anger.
 "I never would have had to if you'd left the sword behind fourteen years 
 ago!"  She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.  "Your father stole 
 that sword from my father!  My father was the one that caused the...accident 
 that your parents had with their car.  I quickly found out that he was the 
 one who threw Leia down the stairs a few months before the accident, and I 
 was initially mad at him for harming a little kid, but as I got older I 
 began to understand the way my father saw things.  My father searched for 
 that sword...but could never find it.  He tried to track you and your pesky 
 little sister down for years...but you had seemingly dropped off the 
 planet."  She smiled to herself.  "That is...until Nick met up with her at 
 the Dragon's Lair club.  He had heard me scream for years about how I wanted 
 my revenge on your family.  When Leia told him that her last name was 
 Hamilton, Nick dug a little deeper.  It was then that he found your adoption 
 papers...and the rest is history.  He was simply supposed to kill her so 
 that you'd give me the sword thinking that you'd get her back alive."
 "What!" Greg shouted in shock.  "Why didn't your father come after us?"
 "He died.  He died feeling like a failure!  I want revenge!  That is why 
 both you and your sister will die.  If your little fiancee or your sisters 
 boy toy get in the way they will suffer the same fate as Randy, Dane, and 
 your aunt and uncle.  As it stands I'll kill you...and Nick will kill your 
 sister."
 Mistress Susan snapped her fingers and her henchman stalked over to Greg and 
 picked him up.  Throwing Greg over his shoulder he followed the Mistress, 
 closing the door behind himself.


 Chapter 10

 It was at the first signs of morning light when they headed out.  Leia, 
 Sylvia, and Shawn were out of breath by the time they reached the inn.
 "Excuse me, Sir," Leia called to the man behind the counter, "We're not from 
 around here.  I'm looking for my brother.  I was wondering if you've seen 
 him."
 Leia gave him a brief description of Greg.  The man nodded his head.
 "Yes, I saw him earlier."  His expression changed quickly.  "Miss, I don't 
 think you'll find your brother."
 "What makes you say that?"
 "He was dragged out of here early this morning by a pretty rough group.  
 They're not known for leaving people alive...especially those who are 
 unarmed."
 "What are you babbling about?  My brother had his sword!  He was not 
 unarmed!"
 "He was when he left here.  This sword you say your brother had..."
 "What about it?" Leia asked, annoyed that he was still harping on the sword.
 "The people who grabbed him walked out of here with it in their possession."
 Leia groaned, rolling her eyes.  She said nothing more to the man behind the 
 counter.
 "Listen, you've got to stop this!" Shawn yelled at her retreating form.
 She whirled around to glare at him.
 "I've got to stop this?  What about YOU.  Every time I look over at you, 
 you've got your eyes on yet another female."
 "YOU were the one who suggested that we break up, not ME!" he shouted at 
 her, aggrivated that she was blaming this all on him.
 "Aren't you even worried about Greg?  Don't you care if he survives?"
 Shawn glared at her.
 "How could you even suggest that I don't?"
 "I don't think you care about anyone."
 Shawn's eyes instantly became unreadable.  Leia shivered, unbelieving of 
 their coldness.
 "Listen, I don't know why you're acting so possessive of me.  I only held 
 you last night because you never would have slept if I hadn't.  That was 
 all."
 Leia felt as if she had been punched in the stomach.  She grabbed her dagger 
 and headed for the tavern before Shawn and Sylvia knew what had happened.  
 They caught up with her moments before she downed her scotch.  Shawn trapped 
 Leia's hands behind her back, keeping her from grabbing the drink.
 "We need you sober if he's going to survive," Shawn explained.
 Leia struggled, trying to free her hands.
 "Damn you!  You turn my world upside down, you tear my heart out, and you 
 have the audacity..."
 He silenced her words with a kiss.  Leia freed one of her hands and slapped 
 him, pulling away.  He caught her again and held her tighter, his kiss 
 bruising her mouth.  Leia gathered all her strength and pulled away from 
 him.  She turned, grabbed her drink off the counter, and threw it in his 
 face.  Shawn sputtered, wiping his eyes.  Leia took the opportunity and ran 
 with it.  She grabbed her things and quickly left the Inn.  Sylvia looked at 
 Shawn, then quickly followed after Leia.  They went along, stopping in 
 various shops to ask about her brother.  It was at the Inn once again that 
 they got their best lead yet.
 "You two are from out of town, right?"
 "Yeah.  How did you know?"
 The tall man smiled.
 "You're not exactlydressed like the people around here."
 Leia stared at the bathing suit awkwardly.
 "I'm looking for my brother."
 "So I've heard.  Listenhere's a little bit of advice.  Go to the seamstress 
 across the street.  Get some clothing more suited to the area.  She can tell 
 you where to find your brother."
 Leia handed him some money.
 "Thanks for the information.  Just rememberyou didn't see us."
 "Didn't see who?"
 "Perfect."
 Leia and Sylvia left the Inn as if nothing was going on.  Greg caught up 
 with them before they entered the shop.  Leia just glared at him.
 "Listenlet's not fight.  We'll save him and go homeand then you never have 
 to set your eyes on me again, okay?"
 Leia nodded, unable to speak.  They spoke with the woman behind the counter, 
 and she took them in back.  She motioned to a couch, and they sat down.  The 
 woman disappeared back out the door, and seconds later another woman 
 entered.
 "You're looking for your brother?  If he was taken off by Mistress Susan's 
 gang then we've got a lot of work to do."
 Leia looked at her puzzled.
 "Mistress Susan?  Who's she?"
 "The leader of one of the worst theft and murder rings in this area.  I'd 
 explain more, but we have very little time.  If your brother was taken by 
 them then he has very little time."  She motioned over to the racks.  
 "You'll be going into the center of Soda Fountain's Industrial Sector."
 "I come from Allyle and have been in the Industrial Sector for most of my 
 life.  How much harder could this be?"
 "The Allyle sector is a lot nicer than the one here.  You'll need an outfit 
 that gives you freedom of movement.  If you lose your mobility you'll be 
 dead within moments."
 "May I ask what your name is?"
 "Just call me Luna."  Luna ushered each of them behind a separate curtain, 
 throwing various clothing items at them over the top.  While they dressed, 
 Luna filled them in on the basics.  "You must remember to never act like you 
 don't belong.  If you doubt yourself for one instant they will sense it, and 
 you'll be done for.  The other thing to remember is that no one down there 
 is your friend.  You kill anyone that you come in contact with.  
 Understand?"
 "Yes," they said in unison.
 Shawn was the first one dressed.  He stepped from behind the curtain warily, 
 unsure of what to do next.  Sylvia and Leia were out at the same time.  They 
 took one look at each other and laughed.
 "SylI never thought I'd see the day when you'd wear anything THAT 
 revealing."
 "Look who's talking!  If that halter top gets any tighter on you, they'll 
 have to have it surgically removed!"
 Leia looked at her reflection in the mirror and almost choked.  Sylvia was 
 right.  They were both dressed in black leather halter-tops, daisy duke 
 shorts, and thigh high stiletto heeled boots.  Leia grabbed the long black 
 coat that Luna held out to her and put it on, hoping that it would make her 
 chest less pronounced, but found it had the opposite affect.
 "Get a load of Shawn," Sylvia said, laughing.
 Leia glanced to her right and almost fainted.  Shawn was wearing black pants 
 and a black long sleeved shirt, as well as a pair of thick black boots, and 
 an ankle length black coat.
 "Rambo eat your heart out," Leia said, forcing her self to laugh to mask the 
 true nature of her comment.
 "Very funny!  I'm not the one that looks like she just stepped out of a 
 dominatrix convention!  All you're missing is the whip Mistress."
 Leia blushed, growing angry.  She looked to Luna for advice.
 "Can't you tell us anything more?"
 "I've told you all I know.  Just trust your instincts and you'll get him 
 back."
 Leia smiled at her.
 "Why do I feel like I knew you a long time ago?"
 "That's a question that only you can answer for yourself.  You'd best get 
 going.  You've got very little time.  One more thing"
 "Yes?"
 "You do have weapons, right?"  Leia pulled Greg's dagger out of her boot.  
 Sylvia wielded her staff, and Shawn pulled out his knife.  "I think you're 
 ready."
 "How can we ever thank you?"
 "Take down Mistress Susan.  That's all I ask."
 "Gladly."
 Luna let them out through the back door.
 "Just follow the back streets.  You'll know the entrance once you see it.  
 Follow the alleysand let her minions guide you to your brother.  Good 
 luck."
 Luna left as swiftly as she had come.  They did as instructed, and it wasn't 
 long before Leia noticed a sinister looking area.  There was a chain link 
 fence barring them from entering the alley.  With a slash of his blade, 
 Shawn cut a crawl space out, and they passed through it.  The alley was 
 almost pitch black, the few lights burning seeming to float in the nights 
 black cloak.   Leia and Sylvia looked at each other with a sense of awe and 
 dread.  They both could feel an evil presence and they knew it the minute 
 they started into the area.
 "Leia you can feel it too?" Syliva questioned.
 "Yeah...but I don't know what it is.  All I know is that it's coming from 
 this area..."
 "What in the world are you two going on about?  I'd liked to be clued in 
 here!"
 "You can't feel it, Shawn?" Leia questioned.
 "Feel what?"
 "There's an evil force in this area, and both Leia and I can feel it.  It's 
 quite strong... stronger than what we normally can sense, that's why we know 
 it's close."
 Leia nodded her head in earnest with Sylvia's statement.  All three were 
 silent for a moment, and then Shawn spoke up.
 "Maybe we can use this feeling that you're sensing.  Who knows?  It might 
 lead us to Greg.  I mean, if we're looking for Mistress Susan and she is 
 supposed to be infinite evil, maybe you're feeling her."
 "That's an idea... it might just work." Sylvia mused.
 "What else have we got to lose?" Leia added in, "I mean if we don't act 
 soon, Lord only knows what'll happen to Greg!"
 Leia looked at Shawn, her fear shining in her eyes for the first time since 
 she was attacked.  He put his hand on her shoulder, then dropped it suddenly 
 as if her touch had burned him.
 "Don't worry.  We'll save him.  I promise you."
 Leia wanted to tell him he couldn't be sure of that, but she knew he was 
 only trying to help.  She gave him a weak smile, then turned back to Sylvia. 
   With a communicating nod they headed down the dark alley, Shawn following 
 them closely behind.  As Leia rounded the corner she felt a powerful whack 
 hit the back of her knees, and she fought against this new found weakness..  
 Sylvia grabbed Leia's arm, balancing her while Shawn took care of their 
 attacker.  Moments later they headed down the corridor, Leia's attacker dead 
 and beheaded behind them.  Sylvia's hearing picked up on a whirring noise 
 and she tackled Shawn and Leia, taking them to the floor with her.  Moments 
 later poisoned arrows flew over their heads, embedding themselves in the 
 wall behind them.  They continued their way through the alleys and 
 corridors, careful not to set off any more of the traps.  It was when they 
 reached the dead end that Leia felt herself growing weak, the strength of 
 the feeling increasing as she got closer to the wall.  She fought against 
 it, not wanting pity or assistance.  Shawn stared at the crates, following 
 them with his eyes to see where they led.  The small window at the top of 
 them glowed a sickly yellow, casting the alley in shadows.
 "Leia, do you think you could get up there?  We need to know what's through 
 that window."
 "Of course I can," she told him, a cocky look settling on her face.
 Leia slid her coat off, handing it to Sylvia.  She climbed up slowly, 
 watching her footing.  Once she reached the top she perched herself on the 
 crates, trying to see what was going on through the window.  Her heel 
 slipped and she started to fall backwards, but Shawn caught her moments 
 before she hit the concrete.
 "Watch your footing!  Remember what Luna said!"
 He set her on her feet, giving her a chastising look before he went back to 
 his look-out post.  Leia felt as if she had been stabbed.  She ignored the 
 pain in her chest and clambered back up the crates.  She could see Greg.  He 
 was tied up, that much was obvious.  There were several visible bruises, but 
 she couldn't really tell the extent of his injuries.  She slipped once 
 again, and found herself safe in Shawn's arms before she had even begun to 
 fall.  She was shaking, her heartbeat racing out of control.  She looked 
 into Shawn's eyes, and started to stammer.
 "She's got Greg...he's...they've...it's bad...real bad..."
 "Leia, calm yourself.  If you don't, we'll never get him back."
 Leia forced her heart to calm down, knowing Shawn was right.  He put her on 
 her feet once he was sure she was okay.  Sylvia suddenly came up with an 
 idea.
 "See that fire escape?  The one just slightly above the window?  We can 
 climb that, and crawl in through that window up there."
 Shawn looked at her as if she had just grown three heads.
 "No offense, but there is NO WAY you are getting me up there."
 "Fine then.  Do it the hard way.  Why don't you just go in the front door 
 and start killing everybody?"
 "Not a bad idea," he said, and walked off to find the entrance.
 Sylvia and Leia just stood there, staring at each other and shaking their 
 heads.
 "Men," Sylvia said in disgust, "They're always doing things the hard way.  I 
 guess that why women run things."
 Leia just grinned, took her coat from her friend, and slipped it back on.  
 They clambered up the crates, staring at the ladder that was just out of 
 their reach.  It was then that Sylvia got another idea.  She grabbed hold of 
 the end of her staff, extending it as far as she could.  She just managed to 
 catch hold of the end of the ladder, and pulled it down far enough so that 
 they could climb up.  The climb was the easy part of their task, or so they 
 would soon find out.  Once they reached the landing, Sylvia tried to push 
 the window open.  A thick, fresh coat of paint sealed it shut, barring their 
 entry.  Sylvia muttered a curse under her breath, looking for another way 
 in.  It was then that Leia remembered her dagger.  Without a word she jabbed 
 the blade into the paint, slowly crumbling it away.  Once she finished, she 
 pulled lightly on the window and it opened.  She slipped out of her coat and 
 slid it through the window ahead of her.  To Leia's surprise, the ground 
 under her feet seemed unstable when she crawled through the window, and she 
 watched as her coat fell to the ground below them.
 "Oh no...Syl...we're on a catwalk."
 Sylvia looked down once she crawled through, surprised at how far off the 
 ground they were.  They made their way along the catwalk carefully, trying 
 to make as little noise as possible.  They crawled along until Leia saw 
 something.  She looked closer, gasping.  A tall, red haired woman stood next 
 to Nick, and they were surrounded by about twenty men.
 "That must be mistress Susan," she muttered to herself.
 Greg wasn't far off.  Leia flinched at the sight of him.  It was obvious 
 that he had put up quite a fight.  He had various cuts and scratches on his 
 face and neck.  One eye was bruised, and his cheek had a red welt whose size 
 was growing by the minute.  Leia soon found out why.
 "Damn it!  Tell me how to use the sword!" mistress Susan shrieked, smacking 
 Greg's cheek full force.
 Greg didn't say a word.  He simply glared at her, taunting her with his 
 silence.  That went on for what seemed like an eternity to Leia.  Finally 
 Sylvia's whisper broke the silence.
 "Soshould we help him yet?" Sylvia asked, a satisfied smirk on her face.  
 "He didn't cut us down until the very end, and he left Shawn to cut the 
 ropes."
 "Syl, enough is enough.  I'd be no better than him if I let this go on any 
 longer."
 "Wellmaybe we should help."
 "Sowhat kind of an entrance do you want to make?"
 While Leia and Syvlia whispered conspiratorily, Greg was trying to hide his 
 angony the best he could.  He tried his hardest not to flinch when they 
 brandished a pair of scissors in front of his crotch.
 "Yoo-hoo!"
 The sudden sound seemed to come from out of nowhere.  Realizing the noise 
 came from the catwalks, they focused in on the two females standing on the 
 catwalk, dressed alike and standing back to back.
 "Hey!  Wait a minute!  No one breaks my brother's balls except me!  Now I'll 
 punish you!"
 "Uh uh uh! Ain't your property!  Hands off!" Sylvia shouted, waving a 
 reprimanding finger.  "That's mine!"
 Greg tore his face from his captors to look upon his two female rescuers.
 "Oh god no," he groaned, shaking his head.  "I'm doomed!"
 It was then that they heard sounds coming from outside the door.  It burst 
 open and Shawn staggered in, a bloody sword in one hand and his dagger in 
 the other.
 "Get him!" mistress Susan shrieked.
 Leia watched in horror as the twenty men that had been surrounding Greg 
 turned their attention to Shawn.  She turned to Syl, her heartbeat racing.
 "Let's even up the odds a bit."
 Sylvia nodded, and they jumped from the catwalk to the ground below.  Leia 
 grabbed her dagger, stabbing Shawn's attacker in the back.  She yanked her 
 blade out of him, glancing up at Shawn in horror as her victim hit the 
 floor.  Shawn watched the realization of what she'd just done wash over her 
 face, and was stunned when she quickly pushed it to the back of her mind and 
 continued to fight.  Sylvia smacked her assailant in the head with her 
 staff, breaking his neck.  Leia and Sylvia seemed to take over the 
 situation, so Shawn went over to Greg, who was now alone at the other end of 
 the room.
 "Are you okay?" Shawn asked, cutting Gregs ropes.
 "Yeah...I was wondering when you would get here.  When I saw Leia and Sylvia 
 show up, all I could think is that they're going to die, and then so am I.."
 "Nyah...it's not a good night to die...not for any of us at least," Shawn 
 told him, trying to lighten the situation slightly.
 Greg suddenly bolted up.  He grabbed the sword from Shawn's hands, then 
 raced towards the fight.  Leia saw him running at her out of the corner of 
 her eye, the sword extended towards her.  She stood there, unable to move, 
 then watched him dodge around her and slice Nick in the arm.  She jumped to 
 the side and gasped, having never seen Nick coming up behind her.  She 
 glanced at Greg, unsure of what to do.  As if he read her mind, he threw her 
 a smile.
 "I've got this one!  You go help Syl!"  Leia grinned, then raced to help her 
 friend.  Nick drew his sword and blocked the next blow that Greg dealt.  
 They circled each another, their swords both gleaming red with blood.  Greg 
 moved quickly, slicing Nick's cheek.  "An eye for an eye!  That's for the 
 cut you gave my sister on her neck, you jack ass!"  Nick lunged at him, 
 barely slicing his arm.  Greg poked him with the sword, slicing through 
 Nick's shirt and grazing his chest.  "That's for assaulting my sister, you 
 damned prick!"   Nick became more irate as Greg went on.  He lunged forward 
 towards Greg and tripped over Leia's coat, losing his balance.  He tumbled 
 forward, and Greg sliced him in the butt.  "That was for your hands being 
 where they shouldn't have been!"  Greg positioned his blade over Nick's 
 heart, then thrusted swift and true, piercing him through.  "That...that was 
 for hurting her in ways that can never truly be healed, you bastard!"
 Greg kicked Nick, using his foot to scrape him off his sword.  Mistress 
 Susan shrieked, her blood curdeling scream seemingly from out of nowhere.  
 She appeared, whip in hand, Greg's sword and it's sheath slung over her 
 shoulder.  She ran to Nick's side, but she was too late.  He glanced up at 
 her one last time, then died before she could even touch him.  The scream 
 she let out was loud enough to wake the dead.  She turned, her eyes blazing 
 with fury.
 "You shall suffer for what you have done!"  She raised the whip above her 
 head and they watched as it began to shoot sparks of electricity from it.  
 Just as she was about to hit Greg with it, Sylvia smacked Mistress Susan in 
 the knuckles with her staff.  With quick reflexes Mistress Susan grabbed 
 hold of Syl's staff, jabbing her in the stomach with it.  Syl collapsed to 
 the floor instantly."You..." She said to Sylvia, seething with anger, "You 
 will pay for his death with your life."
 She lashed her whip out at Sylvia, but Leia jumped in front of her injured 
 friend, causing the whip to wrap around her arm.  Leia screamed in pain as 
 the electricity tore through her body, leaving her limp on the floor within 
 moments.
 "Leia!  No!"
 Greg ran towards Mistress Susan, managing to slice the bindings on the sword 
 as well as as deal a giving her a decent blow to her arm.  She jumped back, 
 staring at the gash on her arm.
 "Insolent toad!"  She zapped him with her whip, knocking him off his feet..  
 She then concentrated on Leia, her eyes burning like the fires of hell.  
 "You'll be a better blow to your brother than Sylvia will it seems.  He 
 won't be able to save you, just as he couldn't save your mother and 
 father..."
 Leia looked up at her in fear, fully understanding what happened when she 
 was a little child for the first time.  Mistress Susan fed off the fear in 
 Leia's eyes, seemingly driven by it.  She zapped Leia again with the whip, 
 weakening her further.  Leia watched a light spark in her eyes, one that 
 appeared to be driven by hatred, and Mistress Susan wrapped her hands around 
 Leia's neck.  She began to gasp for breath, her hands too weak to pry 
 mistress Susan's hands off her neck.  She felt herself slipping from 
 conciousness, the hands at her throat appearing to get stronger and tighter. 
   Then suddenly, hanging in the balance between life and death, she heard 
 mistress Susan scream.  The grip at her throat released, and she fell to the 
 ground like a rag doll.  She watched in horror as Shawn stood there, armed 
 only with mistress Susan's discarded whip.  Moments later he lay still on 
 the floor, her dagger lodged in his chest.  Leia summoned all her remaining 
 energy and ran to his side, cradling his head in her lap.  She held him, 
 screaming hysterically.
 "Damn you!  Damn you mistress Susan!  You might as well kill me now, because 
 if he dies and i'm still alive, I can guarantee YOU won't be for long!"
 Mistress Susan simply stood there, quite pleased with the anguish on Leia's 
 face.  Her tears splashed Shawn's face, and he glanced up at her, placing 
 his hand on her cheek.
 "At least...I got to...hold you...one last time...my love.  Sorry...I 
 lied..."
 Leia watched in horror as Shawn's eyes rolled back in his head, and his body 
 became limp in her arms.  She searched for his pulse...and found a very 
 faint  one under her fingertips, but showed no acknowledgement of this tiny 
 remaining life force.  She stared at mistress Susan, letting all her pain 
 and anger show in her eyes.
 "You should have killed me while you had the chance."
 Leia removed the dagger gently from Shawn's chest and gently slid him off 
 her lap.  She tossed the dagger at mistress Susan, and while she momentarily 
 distracted, Leia rolled herself over to the sword and unsheathed it.  She 
 felt the blade seem to vibrate in her hands, the carved dragon's eye glowing 
 white.  Mistress Susan's eyes widened, and she lunged towards the sword.  
 Leia reacted as fast as she could and ran mistress Susan through with the 
 blade.  A bright light enveloped them both, blocking them from sight.  Greg 
 could only watch in horror as he heard his sister's blood curdling screams 
 of pain.  When the light vanished both Leia and mistress Susan were lifeless 
 on the floor, mistress Susan still impaled by the sword.  Greg ran to his 
 sister's side, his eyes widening in horror and shock.  Leia's dark blond 
 hair was now almost white, her skin pale and translucent.  Greg touched her 
 cheek, then drew back quickly, the touch of her skin like ice.  He forced 
 himself to check for a pulse, ignoring the pain shooting up his arm from the 
 cold.  Her blood was crawling through her veins slower than a slug, her 
 heart barely beating.  Greg pulled the blade from mistress Susan, and in one 
 swift movement beheaded her.  He placed the sword in his sister's hands, not 
 knowing what else to do.  For what seemed like an eternity nothing happened. 
   Then the blade slowly began to glow.  Greg watched the color seep back 
 into Leia's skin, though her hair remained unaffected.  She opened her eyes, 
 as if awakening from a dream.
 "Bring Shawn to me."
 Her request was so quiet that Greg almost missed it.  He rushed to his 
 friend's side and, gently lifting him off the ground, brought him to Leia..  
 She placed his head on her chest, wrapping her arms around his almost dead 
 body.  Greg watched on, speechless and disbelieving, as his sister refused 
 the help being given to her and tried to transfer it to him.  She forfeited 
 as much as she could, fighting against the healing force now running through 
 both their bodies.  Greg watched the glow slowly begin to fade until it had 
 completely disappeared.  Leia gently ran her fingers through Shawn's hair, 
 caressing his cheek.  She watched and waited.  Nothing.
 "Leia..." Greg began, "You've got to let him go.  He's gone, and you can't 
 bring him back."
 "No he's not."
 Those few words were uttered from her lips with such confidence that it 
 shocked Greg to no end.  Leia said nothing more to them.  She kissed Shawn's 
 forehead, cradling him to her.  Sylvia and Greg left her alone for a few 
 moments, not sure what else they could do.  She glanced down at him, 
 dragging her voice to a low whisper.
 "Shawn...you've got to listen to me...you've just got to...you need to 
 fight...you just have to want to live and you will.  It's not that 
 hard...just want to live...find some reason to live..." She kissed his 
 almost lifeless lips, feeling a bit of warmth return to them, but unsure as 
 to whether or not it was she who warmed them or himself.  She rained small 
 kisses over his face, and watched in shock as the color returned to normal 
 in those spots.  Her shock turned to amazement, and then to elation as she 
 continued kissing him, watching him slowly come back to her.  She kissed his 
 chest over his heart and heard him drag a breath of air into his lungs.  The 
 sound echoed through the almost empty warehouse, sending Greg and Sylvia 
 running.  By the time they reached Shawn he was breathing all right.  He was 
 still unconcious, but the wound in his chest was almost completely healed..  
 Leia continued to cradle his head to her chest, caressing his cheek lightly 
 with her hand.
 "Am I seeing things?" Sylvia asked Greg, in awe of what she was witnessing.
 "Not unless we're both halucinating..."Greg told her, in shock as well.
 Leia finally tried to sit up, sliding Shawn down slightly so that his head 
 rested on her lap.  She leaned back on her elbows, unable to get up.
 "Can you..." Greg found himself unable to ask the question that was nagging 
 him, afraid of the answer.
 "Can I walk?  I don't know yet...I mean, it's kind of hard to think about 
 walking when you're trapped on the floor..."  Greg approached Shawn and was 
 about to pick him up when Leia glared at him.  "That wasn't a request to 
 move him.  It was simply an assurance that I might still be okay."
 Greg was about to argue when he saw the pain on his sisters face for the 
 first time.  He knew then that there was no way she'd let Shawn go...not 
 without her, and she wasn't in the mood to die today.  She began to cry out 
 of frustration, her tears quickly soaking her cheeks as well as Shawn's 
 face.  He flinched and started regaining conciousness, the bright lights 
 around him bothering his sensitive eyes.  He carefully moved his head and 
 glanced up at Leia who was still crying.
 "No tears my love...only joy...please..."
 Leia glanced down in shock, gazing deeply into Shawn's eyes, while Sylvia 
 and Greg left them alone.
 "These are tears of joy now...tears for you my darling..."
 Leia pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly.  She was surprised when 
 he hugged her back, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.  He burried 
 his face in her hair, a tear rolling down his cheek.  She held him tightly, 
 as if she were afraid he would disappear at any moment like a dream upon 
 waking.  He ran his fingers through her hair, which was now a pale blond 
 color.
 "What happened?"  Leia said nothing, hugging him tighter to her, her face 
 burried in his chest.  He looked down at her, making a survey of the damage. 
   She seemed to be alright, but the finger marks at her neck still remained 
 for the moment, as did a few cuts she had recieved.  He hooked his finger 
 under her chin, tilting it so that he could look into her tear filled eyes.  
 "I didn't need a reason to live.  I already had you.  You're all the reason 
 I could possibly ever need."
 He kissed her passionately, tasting her salty tears on her lips.  She kissed 
 him back, then ended it suddenly, needing to tell him something.
 "It killed me to walk away...that day, back home.  The next day, when I 
 cooled off, I was going to apoligize, but i thought you wouldn't listen...."
 She cut her sentence short, and Shawn knew there was something she was 
 keeping from him.
 "Please..."
 Leia swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat.
 "I thought you wouldn't listen...and then I saw you eating with that leggy 
 brunette, and I thought you had gotten over me...and that maybe you were 
 better off without me."
 Her lashes dropped, shading her eyes from his scrutinizing gaze.  He kissed 
 her eyelids gently, then kissed her lips, searching out her tongue with his. 
   She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, running her fingers through his 
 hair.  When he broke the kiss he gave her a sexy smile.
 "Does it look like i'm complaining?  Do I seem uninterested in you?  Have I 
 calmed your fears?"
 Leia hit his shoulder playfully, then winced in pain.  She glanced at the 
 bandages around her wrists, noticing that they were soaked in blood, and 
 found that the blood was slowly trickling down her wrist.  Shawn got himself 
 to his feet which was no easy task, then tried to help Leia up.  She 
 struggled, knowing he was as bad off as she was.
 "I'm fine...please...I don't want you hurting yourself any more than you 
 already are!"
 Shawn ignored her protests, lifting her into his arms.  He cradled her to 
 him, then went in search of Syl and Greg.  The sight of Leia being carried 
 by Shawn took them both by surprise.  They stood there staring for a moment, 
 unable to believe their eyes.  Greg walked over and tried to take Leia out 
 of Shawn's arms, but his grip on her was too strong for Greg to break.
 "Just go get the sword and her jacket, and hurry!"
 Greg grabbed the sword, handing Leia's jacket over to Sylvia, and the four 
 of them raced out of the warehouse and towards the hospital.

