Doubts and Worries
        The Dark Lord Saga - Chapter Two
                 by Rick Federle
                         
     
     
          Mina forced her way through the last of the knee high snow,
     leaning against the doorway of the cabin as she tried to catch her
     breath.  They'd decided to go through the woods on the way back
     just in case some was following them.  That had turned out to be a
     mistake.  Wading through knee high snow was difficult going at
     best and rather unpleasant in the short skirt she had decided to wear
     to the dance.  She was already soaked to the bone and was glad
     they'd finally made it back to the cabin.
          She looked over at William, who leaned against the wall
     next to her.  He gave her a weak smile and she could tell that he
     was just as tired and cold as she was.  Her eyes glanced around the
     woods to see if anyone had followed them.  She didn't see anyone,
     but a really determined person could have eluded their observation.
          She felt a sudden pain shoot through the back of her head
     and instinctively her eyes turned toward William as she heard him
     collapse to the ground.
          "Mina."  He whispered in a strained voice as she looked
     over at him.
          She felt sudden fear that something awful had happened to
     him.  She knelt next to him, her heart pounding.  "What is it?"
          "I can barely feel my arms and legs any more."  He
     whispered, his voice growing weak.  "At first it was just a dull ache
     in my hands and feet, but now I can't hardly feel them at all."
          Mina took his left hand and pulled it over her shoulders. 
     She slipped her other hand around his waist to support him, helping
     him back to his feet.  "Let's get inside."  She stated, steadying her
     voice as she fought down her rising panic.
          He gave her a weak nod and she helped him lean against the
     door.  She took her right hand from around his waist and dug the
     door key out of her pocket.  She fumbled with the key for a couple
     of seconds before getting it into the lock and unlocking the door.
          "You're going to have to walk."  She told him as she
     returned her hand to his waist.
          "I'll try."  He stated weakly, leaning heavily on her.
          She waited until she was sure he wasn't going to fall over
     before she took her hand off of his waist long enough to crack the
     door.  She shoved it open with her foot and tossed the key through
     the doorway before grasping his waist again to support him.
          She guided him through the doorway, unsteadily guiding
     him across the room, supporting him as best she could.  She nearly
     dropped him in the middle of the room when his legs gave out
     completely.
          She sat him down on the bed, slipping his arm off of her
     shoulders.  She laid him down on his back, taking her arm from
     around his waist.  She knelt down and tugged off his shoes,
     throwing them into the middle of the room, then stretched him out
     lengthwise in the middle of the bed, propping his head up on a
     pillow.
          She ran back across the room to the open doorway,
     hurriedly closing and locking the door.  She tugged off her shoes,
     then yanked off her socks, both of which were thoroughly soaked. 
     She hurried across the room to her suitcase, her wet feet cold on
     the wooden floor.  She fumbled with the latches and flung the lid
     open, digging for her communicator.
          She scooped her communicator out and turned it on. 
     "Amy."  She called urgently.
          After what seemed like an eternity, Amy replied.  "What is
     it, Mina?  I thought you were on vacation."
          "There's something wrong with William."  Her fear for him
     bled over into her voice.  "I . . . "
          "Love."  She heard William call, his voice barely above a
     whisper.
          The communicator fell forgotten from her fingers as she
     flew to his side, crawling across the bed to him.
          "I'm here."  She said reassuringly as she took his right hand
     in both her own, her face hovering over his.  She saw his eyelashes
     begin to flutter as he fought the losing battle to stay awake.
          "I can't feel anything."  He whispered, his voice barely
     audible.  She saw that his eyes had begun to glaze over. 
     "Everything's going black and I feel numb all over."
          "Nothing's going to happen to you."  She promised as she
     clung to his hand.  "You'll be fine after some sleep.  I'll be here
     when you wake up."  She saw his eyes close and saw him go limp
     as he lost consciousness.
          She put her right arm around him and lowered her head
     onto his chest, curling up into a ball as she fought back the tears. 
     Something had happened and now she didn't know if he was going
     to live or die.
          Was this all she was going to get, a brief moment of
     happiness then an eternity of pain and loneliness?  All those years of
     searching and rejection came to the forefront of her mind as she
     struggled with despair and suddenly she was unable to hold back
     the tears any longer.
            Love warred with despair as she curled up, her head
     resting on the chest of her true love, her tears soaking his shirt.  She
     clung to his inert form as she cried, clinging to him as if he were her
     only lifeline.
          Eventually, she cried herself to sleep, her head resting on
     the center of his chest, listening to the sound of his beating heart.
     
     
     
          Mina sat up abruptly as she awoke, vaguely aware of a hand
     sliding off the top of her head.
          "Good morning."  William said calmly, his eyes on her.  "I
     wondered how much longer you were going to sleep."
          She blinked once as she looked at him.  "How are you?"
          "I'm fine."  He told her as he sat up.  "No residual
     numbness or anything."
          Mina smiled as she leaned forward and kissed him warmly. 
     "I love you."  She said after pulling her lips away from his.
          "I love you, too."  He agreed, catching her eyes with his.
          She looked into his eyes for a moment, then shook her head
     slightly.  "Are you sure you're okay?"
          "Did you want to check?"  He asked with a grin.
          Mina giggled, a smile appearing on her lips to match his.  "I
     guess I'd better."  She leaned forward and kissed him, putting her
     arms around his shoulders.  She felt him encircle her waist with his
     arms and tug her down on top of him as he stretched back out. 
     Encouraged, she threw herself into the kiss, savoring the taste of his
     lips.
          The two froze at the sound of knocking on the door.
          "This is getting predictable."  William commented as Mina
     pulled her lips away from his.
          "Yeah."  Mina agreed.
          There was another set of knocks.
          "Aren't you going to get it?"  Mina asked.
          "Nope."
          "And why?"
          "Because you're on top.  You'd have to get up anyway so
     you might as well answer the door."
          "I'll get you for this."  Mina declared, poking him in the
     chest with a finger as the knocking turned into pounding.
          "I look forward to it."  He agreed with a smirk as she rolled
     out of bed and went over to the door.
          She giggled as she hurried over to the door.  "I'll remember
     that."  She called, glancing over her shoulder as she opened the
     door.
          "About time."  Lita protested as the door opened.  "I
     thought we were going to freeze out here first."
          Mina blinked in surprise, the last vestiges of her smile fading
     from her lips as she saw Amy, Lita, Raye, and Serena standing on
     the porch.  "Hi, guys.  What are you doing here?"
          "Freezing at the moment."  Serena shivered.
           Mina backed out of the doorway.  "Well, since you're here,
     come in."  She waited until the four had trooped inside and the
     door had been closed before she spoke again.  "Why are you all
     here?"
          "You called and said that something was wrong with
     William."  Amy spoke up.
          "Did I?"  Mina asked, looking at the four in turn, a puzzled
     look on her face.
          "Yes, you did."  Serena agreed.  "Now, where's the hot
     cocoa?  I'm freezing."
          "The kitchen's over that way."  Mina waved a hand in the
     general direction of the kitchen.  "I haven't looked to see what's
     there yet."
          "Cocoa, anyone?"  Serena asked as she headed for the
     kitchen area.
          "Hi, girls."  She felt William's hands on her shoulders as he
     came up behind her.  Automatically, she laid her hands over his.
          "For someone who's supposed to be dying, you look pretty
     good."  Raye commented.  "I thought we were going to drive all
     the way up here to find that you were half dead."
          Mina exchanged a confused look with her husband.  "I have
     no idea."  She answered the unspoken question.
          He sighed and hung his head.  "All right, Amy."  Mina heard
     the resignation in his voice.  "Let's get this over with."
          Mina heard the sound of footsteps receding as Amy and
     William went across the room.  Mina joined the other girls around
     the free standing counter where Serena had already broken out the
     hot cocoa packets.
          "So, what happened?"  Serena ventured, shoving a cup of
     steaming cocoa into Mina's hands.
          Mina described the events of the previous night as best she
     could, starting with the encounter with the Shadow Warrior. 
     "After he collapsed on the porch, it's all a blur."  She shook her
     head.  "I only remember bits and pieces."  She sighed.  "Somehow I
     got him inside and into bed, then I vaguely recall him calling out to
     me before passing out and then . . . "
          She squeezed her eyes closed, her hands tightening around
     the nearly empty cup.  She opened them again as she felt a hand
     over top of hers.
          "We're here for you."  Serena said, pulling her hand away,
     her eyes unreadable.
          "For both of you."  Lita added softly.
          Mina nodded and gulped the rest of her cocoa before setting
     the cup on the counter in front of her.  She walked across the room
     to where William was sitting on the bed, Amy hovering over him
     with her computer in her hand.  Mina curled up behind William,
     putting her arms around him protectively.
          "How is he?"  She asked, some of her concern sneaking into
     her voice.  She felt William lay his hands over hers.
          The other girls formed a half circle behind Amy as the blue
     haired woman looked up.  "There's some residual energy I can't
     quite identify, as if it's being suppressed by something, but other
     than that he's fine."  Amy shrugged.  "He's as healthy as always."
          Mina rested her head against William's right shoulder in
     relief.  She felt the tension leave William as the news sank in, and
     she squeezed him reassuringly.  She looked up into his eyes and
     read the relief there.
          "Umm . . . why don't we go take a look at where these
     things were.  Before they start messing with it too much."  Serena
     suggested after a short silence.  She looked around as everyone else
     stared at her.  "I'm lazy, not stupid."
          "We know, Serena."  Mina agreed, relieved.  "We know."
          "Why don't you show our guests out?"  William suggested
     to his wife, still looking into her eyes.
          "Yes, why don't I."  Mina agreed, dislodging herself from
     William and rising out of bed and leading the others to the door.
          "We'll let you know what we find out."  Amy told her as
     the four bundled back up.
          Mina nodded.  "I'll let you know when we're back in
     town."
          "Until then."  Lita exchanged a nod with her.
          Mina sighed in relief as she shut the door behind them. 
     They were good friends, but she wanted to spend time with William
     right now.  She crossed the room once again and sat down next to
     him.
          "So, you're going to live, huh?"  Mina asked.
          "Yep."  William agreed with a nod.
          "That's good."  She snatched up a pillow and swatted him
     with it.  "That's for letting that thing hit me in the back."  She
     swatted him again.  "That's for passing out on me."  She swatted
     him one more time.  "And that's for scaring me half to death."
          "I'm sorry."  He said contritely, leaning forward and kissing
     her sincerely.
          She shared a smile with him when he leaned back, then
     swatted him again.
          "And what was that for?"  He protested.
          "Because," she stated.
          He looked at her for a second.  "Because, huh?"  He
     snatched up the other pillow and clobbered her in the shoulder with
     it.
          Mina broke down into laughter as the pillow fight began,
     the sound of his laughter filling her ears.
          Finally, he threw his pillow back on the bed.  "I surrender." 
     He got out between laughs.
          "Good."  She swatted him one more time for good measure,
     then tossed her pillow over with his with a giggle.
          "Come here."  He demanded as he put his arms around her
     waist and pulled her into his lap.  She snuggled up against him
     contently, her arms around his torso.
          "What have I become?"  He asked softly after a few
     moments of silence.  "Why are creatures that I don't even know
     what they are trying to kill me?"
          Mina looked up at him, seeing the troubled look in his eyes. 
     She let go of him and sat up.  "Because of who you are and what
     you stand for."
          "I wish it was that simple."  He sighed.  "I never knew
     where my powers came from in the first place, but now that they're
     stronger, I have things trying to kill me because of a title I don't
     know where it came from or even what it stands for."  His eyes
     locked with hers.  "What am I?"
          "Mine."  Mina declared.  He blinked in surprise by the iron
     in her voice.  "You are mine, William."  She repeated.  "You are
     my soul mate, the part of me that was missing.  You are my love." 
     She reached up and rested her right hand on his left cheek.  "No
     matter what titles or responsibilities you have, you belong to me,
     just as much as I belong to you."  She took her hand from his cheek
     and rested her fingertips over his lips to keep him from speaking.
          "The day I married you, I surrendered myself to you, just as
     you did to me."  She reminded him and he nodded.  "Yes, you have
     something trying to kill you, but it's really no different from when
     the Negaverse was after you."  He nodded, his eyes distant as he
     thought it over.
          "Does it matter?"  She asked after a moment of silence,
     lowering her hand to her lap.
          "No, I suppose it really doesn't."  He agreed.
          "There's always going to be something out to kill us
     because of who we are."
          "I know."
          "This is no different, just an enemy who knows your name."
          Silence filled the room and she felt him draw her to him. 
     She hugged him tightly wanting to banish all his doubts and worries
     for him.
          "Your bow is crooked."  He told her after a moment,
     changing the subject.  "Let me get it."  He offered as she sat up.
          "I'll get it."  She stated, reaching up with both hands to
     straighten it.  "It's mine after all."
          He smiled at her as she worked on it, then a mischievous
     grin appeared on his face.  "Quit that."  She protested with a giggle
     as he tickled her sides briefly, taking her right hand off her bow
     long enough to smack one of his hands.
          He flopped over on his back, his arms spread in a
     submissive gesture.  "Now that I'm your prisoner, what are you
     going to do with me?"
          She looked down at him, taking her hands off of her bow. 
     She leaned down, letting her body rest on top of his, her palms
     pressed lightly against his chest.  "I'll think of something."  She
     stated as she kissed him.
     
                      * * *
                         
          The robed figure turned to the seven Shadow Warriors
     hovering before it as the one in the middle spoke.  "You sent for us,
     Master?"  It hissed.
          "Yes."  The robed figure replied after a moment.  "It is my
     will that you go to Earth and destroy the Warrior of Light."
          "Your will is mine."  The seven hissed in unison and
     vanished, leaving the already dark room even darker by their
     absence.
          "You have a plan."  The black energy sphere spoke after a
     moment.
          "Of course."  The robed figure said.  "If my shadows fail to
     destroy him, then it will bring him here.  Into my hands."