Andie was nervous all the way back, clutching the pendant in her coat pocket, feeling its warmth despite the cold. She would only be safe when she was in her room. But even if she was nervous that Zarias would come, Andie felt better that evening. She felt hopeful. She would use her pendant again the next morning, and they could go have a look with the girls and plan from there.

"Okay, we'll be heading home," Isabelle said.

"Yeah. Thanks so much for your help today," Andie answered.

"Don't mention it," Emily smiled.

"Yeah, what are friends for?" Jessica grinned, wining.

Andie smiled and they went their separate ways.

"Call me when you get home," Andie told them.

"Will do!" they promised.

Andie waved as they drove away and headed up to her room. She then pulled the staff from under her bed and placed the pendant next to it. They glowed slightly but didn't move or interact in any other way. But they were connected, that much was obvious. Andie quickly hid them under her bed as her mother called behind the door.

"Andie"

"Yes?" Andie called quickly checking both the staff and snakes were out of sight.

Lauren peered round the door.

"Dinner is ready."

"Great. I'm coming," Andie said.

They walked down to the living room, where Andie set the table. They enjoyed a peaceful evening. Even Hannah was more her usual cheerful self. This was what soothed Andie most, she realized as she lay in bed that night. She had been worried Hannah would have trouble getting over the Halloween incident, and was relieved to see it didn't seem to be the case. But she would feel better when Bane was back to normal...

I'll get the last piece, Bane... I promise... Andie thought as she fell asleep.

Andie looked up at the sky next morning as she climbed out of her car. It was a little cloudy, but not rainy. She slid her bag onto her shoulder and locked the car before walking across the parking lot towards the school entrance. It was oddly quiet today, Andie noted as she passed other students... although, it was early, people were probably just still sleepy... yes, that was it. She looked around for Jessica, Isabelle and Emily, but couldn't see them.

Hmm... that's odd... Andie thought with a frown. They're usually easy to find... oh, well. Jessica's probably late, and Isabelle probably dragged poor Emily to the library for some early studying before class...

It was getting a little cold, so she decided to go look for the girls at the library. She swung by their lockers on the way, just in case they had already left. But they were nowhere to be seen. It was strange. She tried to call them, only to see that its battery was flat. Which meant her phone was currently useless.

Great... she grumbled as she put it away. Must have forgotten to charge it last night, and now I can't call them...

She looked around, but still couldn't see them.

It's weird... where are they?

She checked the library anyway. There were a few students studying, though given their nervous expressions, Andie had a feeling they had a test very soon, and hadn't studied much. Although she had to admit, she'd done that occasionally, herself. With all the training, she'd sometimes been too exhausted to do her homework and had had to rush it the next morning. She only just managed to keep her grades steady. And Jessica, Emily and Isabelle had often complained about how they were struggling to keep up with their homework, too. After scouting the library, where she couldn't find any of her friends either, she sighed and figured she'd just meet them at lunch. She left the library and stepped into the hallway. Looking to her right, she stopped dead in her tracks. There, standing in the hallway, searching his locker, was Bane.

Andie stood frozen in shock as she stared at the boy a few feet ago. There was no mistake. The tousled dark hair, the jacket... his bag was the same, even his worn jeans were the ones she'd last seen him in.

"... Bane...?" she asked, stupidly.

She stepped forwards, forcing herself to not break into a run.

"Bane... you're okay...!"

She reached him and put her arms around him. But after a few seconds, she sensed a coldness, a distance from Bane. Slowly, she moved back and looked at him.

"... Bane, what... what's wrong?" she asked uncertainly.

"You have some nerve, Adrianna," he said coolly.

Andie hesitated, taken aback.

"... What...?" she asked.

"You keep pushing me away because you can't decide on how you feel, and now you're all over me because I was in a coma? Which, by the way, happened because of you."

Andie felt like she'd been slapped. She had known she was partly responsible, but she'd never expected Bane to throw it at her like that...

"... But... Bane, you know I never meant for that to happen... don't you?" she asked. "You have to know that..."

"What I know, is that you messed up," Bane retorted shortly. "And now you're trying to ease your guilty conscience. Well, tough luck, Andie, because I'm not going to help you do that."

Andie couldn't move.

"I... I don't understand..." she said. "I... I didn't mean to..."

"I'm not interested in knowing what you meant or didn't mean, Adrianna." he said.

"... But..." she began. "... At the park... we... what we told each other... I..."

"Oh, you mean when you almost told me you sort of liked me, after I waited for weeks to hear it?" Bane asked. "Well, that's the past."

If the rest of Bane's words had been hurtful, this was the final blow.

"I don't believe it..." she said, her eyes stinging but her voice steady.

"Well, that's not my problem." Bane said coldly.

Just then, a clicking sound made them look up. Vicki Chase was striding towards them, looking triumphant, her designer bag hanging off her arm.

"I don't understand..."

"Well, fine. Let me clarify." Bane said. "I'm over you."

He turned to look at Vicki, who to Andie's horror, slid her arms around him and kissed him voraciously.

Andie sat bolt upright, gasping. After the first few seconds of shock, she took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart and ran a hand through her hair. That dream had definitely not been fun. She wasn't sure where it had come from, but she hoped she would never have it again. She looked outside. It was perfectly silent outside, the only movement that of the snow slowly falling outside. Aside from the street lamps, the only light was that of the moon, it bluish glow pouring into Andie's bedroom through the window. A glance at her clock told Andie it was past three in the morning. She sighed, thinking she was fortunate it was the weekend, so she could rest later, rather than spend her day in a sleepy haze at school. She breathed heavily and leaned back against her wall.

Darn it... I guess this whole situation's starting to get to me... she thought tiredly. I must be worse off than I thought if I'm dreaming of Vicki Chase of all people...

"Andie?"

It was Ardente. She had probably sensed Andie's stress and come to check on her.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Andie inhaled and exhaled slowly then said:

"Yeah... yeah, I'm okay... it was just... a bad dream."

"Was it about Zarias?"

"No... I almost wish... no, it was neither him nor Zorak..." she said. "It... I don't know what it was, exactly, to be honest."

She shuddered in disgust at the thought of Vicki and Bane kissing. But the dream was uncomfortably stuck in her mind. What if Bane really did react that way when he woke up? She didn't think she could stand it if he did...

"He won't," Ardente said confidently. It's not who he is."

Andie decided to ignore the fact that she'd read her thoughts again.

"Why wouldn't he? He'd be with his right..." Andie sighed, looking up haplessly at her. "I behaved miserably with him, and we both know that..."

She stared out the window at the snow.

"... It's not just about him being mad at me... what if... what if he realizes he doesn't feel the way he used to? I don't know if I could... take that... it was already so complicated to begin with... I think I'm reaching my limit..."

Ardente touched her shoulder.

"You weren't doing it to hurt him, Andie," she reminded. "You were just trying to do the right thing... to be honest with him..."

Andie looked at her.

"I know that." she answered. "But that doesn't make it okay."

It was Sunday, and Lauren and Hank were finally taking a little time for each other. Andie was glad when they told her. She felt they didn't do it enough. They never fought, or rarely, and they loved working together, but Andie kept telling them they should take time out of the office together for a change. It seemed they were finally taking her advice. Andie was glad to see that she could do at least one thing right.

"So where are you guys going?" Andie asked over breakfast.

A small part of her worried Zarias might hurt them to get to her, but he hadn't hurt Hannah when she was right in front of him... so they were fairly safe... right?

"Oh, we thought we'd just walk around town, and see where the wind takes us." Lauren said.

"Spontaneous, I like that," Andie smiled.

"Yes, we thought it would be fun to improvise, for once." Hank smiled, squeezing his wife's fingers.

"What are you girls going to do?"

"Oh, probably watch a movie, read, or something." Andie shrugged.

"You can always ask the girls over to keep you company," Hank said. "Just let us know if you do."

"Okay, thanks, Dad." Andie smiled. "So do you know what time you'll be back?"

"No, but not late. Probably this afternoon, before dinnertime."

"Okay." she said.

"Speaking of time, we had better get going," Lauren said with a glance at the clock.

"Yes, you're right, honey."

They kissed their daughters and went to the door.

"Be good, girls, see you later!"

"Bye, guys, have fun," Andie smiled.

And they were gone.

"Hannah, I'll be in my room, if you want anything you tell me, okay? No trying to be the big girl. Alright?"

"Yes, Andie."

Andie smiled and ruffled her hair

"That's my girl."

And she went upstairs.

Andie couldn't face getting involved with more magic just yet, so she picked up her book where she'd left it what now felt like a lifetime before. It only took the first few pages for her to be completely caught up in the story. The words echoed in the characters' voices, their feelings burned through her body like they did in theirs. That was what she loved when she read. Picturing the events as if they were really happening, as if she were living them. And it was nice to feel the intensity of a battle without running the risk of actually getting hurt or losing someone close to you.

What about Bane? You lost him, didn't you? the cynical piece of her mind pointed out nastily. He's someone close to you, isn't he?

Yes, but I didn't lose him, Andie told herself firmly. He's not dead. He's in a coma, and we'll heal him soon... and... I'll be able to tell him... how I feel... properly.

She hadn't been able to get the words out the first time, but she was pretty confident she would the next time she saw him. She glanced at the drawing he'd done of her for her birthday. She wondered how long he'd been in love with her. Maybe from the start. Come to think of it she didn't think she'd ever asked him how long he'd know about their powers. It had seemed like several years. Andie sighed, feeling sorry for the younger Bane who'd had to endure so much so soon. And to protect her, Andie, and Jessica, Isabelle and Emily, before he'd even met them... it was almost a miracle how gentle Bane had grown to be. Strong, but gentle at the same time. Thinking about Bane was a little painful but not as much as usual, thanks to the prospect of him getting better being so much closer. She wasn't sure what had made her feel the way she did about him... even thinking it felt strange. Was it only because of Ardente and Balon being in love before them? No... she didn't think so. They shared the same powers, yes, but their personalities were different. Bane had saved her life, did that have an influence, maybe?

No... Andie decided after a moment. He always got me better than the girls, even Isabelle... He never pressured me when I wasn't sure how I felt, he encouraged me to do things I might regret not doing...he always accepted me just as I am...

That was definitely different from her mother. Even her friends (well, Jessica) tried to get her to change, like getting rid of her shyness. But Bane never had. He'd always accepted her just the way she was. And now he was in a coma because of her.

Zarias sat on top of a roof, invisible to the human eye. He was furious with himself. Why had he not subdued those girls? What was it about them that made him... – he shuddered – hesitate? Was it because they were so young? No. His father had taught him never to differentiate the week enemies from the powerful, as long as you knew which was which. Maybe that was the problem. He didn't know. They had been easy prey the last time they'd met, but each of them was undeniably powerful. If they mastered their powers as well as he did, they would be strong opponents. And that was... not a good thing. If they got too powerful, he would have more trouble than ever getting their power to his father. And they now had two pieces of the Caduceus and would soon find the third if he didn't hurry. Or maybe he would just wait for them to have finished completing it and then take it. That would be quicker and easier. Then, he would subdue them and take them to his father, where he would do whatever he pleased. He was a Demon prince, he had no sense of morality, no remorse. He still didn't understand what had kept him so far. Something about them had intrigued him. But he couldn't let that interfere. His father would have his head if he came back empty handed once again... So this time, he would show no mercy.

Andie woke up to Hannah shaking her.

"Andie! Wake up! It's past noon!"

Andie opened her eyes.

"... Hannah?"

"Why are you asleep? It's the middle of the day!" Hannah commented.

Andie glance up at her clock. It was almost one in the afternoon. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep. Clearly her body had been more exhausted than she' d thought.

"Oh... sorry, Hannah. I didn't mean to fall asleep... I didn't even see it coming..."

"I'm hungry," Hannah moaned.

"Yeah... right, of course..." Andie said, sitting up. "Just give me a minute to clean up..."

She went to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face before glancing at her reflection. She didn't look much like the girl laughing on Bane's drawing, anymore. Recent events had marked her face as well as her heart. Her eyes were still the same, but they had lost some of their spark. She sighed, closed the faucet and walked out.

"Come on, Andie said. "Let's go see what we can whip up."

"About time!" Hannah growled, but she was smiling.

Soon enough, they were both enjoying their food, Hannah her usual innocent, bubbly self, and Andie doing her best to be as upbeat as her sister was. Because even if she was definitely aware that the situation was improving, she still knew she had to be careful. And she didn't think she would ever be truly happy until Bane was back to normal. Ardente had pointed out that whatever Andie and Bane did, Zarias would have sought them out and attacked them either way, because they were alone. But even if she had managed to deal with her responsibility in the incident, she hadn't come to terms with the pain of Bane's absence. But she found comfort in the idea that they were steadily getting closer to changing that. And when that happened, she had a feeling that whatever happened, they'd be alright.

Zorak was sitting in his throne, drumming the arm impatiently. The Umbras had been trying to offer some distraction, but they had all be terribly dire. But then, it as to expect from such simple minded creatures. He reached out and stroked his black panther who purred under his touch. He had created her from his shadows and was content with her. He had considered sending her after the masters, but had thought better of it. He didn't usually get attached to things, or people, least of all his shadow creations, but he had grown... what was the word? Fond for the panther. And he supposed he had some form of affection for his son. He had after all, raised him alone since he was an infant. Nocturna suddenly looked up sharply.

"What is it, my pet?"

A few Umbras slithered outside, making her growl.

"I know, Nocturna, they bore me too. But they do have their uses..."

He wondered what Zarias was up to. Clearly, he'd taken his order to not return until he'd succeeded seriously. Which was lucky for him, because he would be very displeased indeed if he dared return empty-handed once more.

"Ah... if only I were able to cross the realm's barriers..." he sighed to his panther. "How difficult can it be to subdue five children, one of which is in a coma? If he at least brought the Light Guardian to me... but he hasn't. He is probably aiming to obtain all five before he returns. Which is probably not a bad idea. But I do hope he makes haste, I am growing tired of waiting... Eighteen years is a long time, even when you're immortal... don't you agree?"

Notcurna let out another growl, her wide yellow eyes scanning the room.

"Don't worry, my dear... our patience will soon be rewarded... I am sure of it."

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

Oh, no, what's Zorak plotting now? Nothing good, that's for sure!

Any ideas what he's planning? Tell us your ideas in the comments!

What will be Zorak's next move? Will Andie and the gang be prepared for it? Let's find out in the next chapter!