Zane's 20th year, continued:
-Gary Masterson, upon finding out that Ben's soul is still intact, goes through the lengthy process of placing Ben's soul into a new body, effectively bringing him back to life. Ben is vicious and hate-filled... he is jealous of Christian, because Christian has everything Ben wants but can't have: Zane.
-Christian and Zane travel to the territory of the Thrashing Elk Hive in Michigan. Christian enlists Leclere's assistance and the powerful Spiral Dancer and Christian forge a tentative alliance. Leclere takes a liking to Christian, seeing him as a potential friend.
-Zane becomes relatively complacent... he is happy and content as Christian's ghoul and Damien's husband. Aside from the occasional trouble caused by Shibo, Zane is utterly happy.
-Zane speaks with Bastian and Autymn about old hurt feelings from when Marina verbally abused Zane, and Zane's hatred and fear of Bastian is dispelled. Zane still hates and fears Autymn; he's developed an unreasoning hatred of women. Still, he's willing to hide how he feels, for the sake of keeping everyone happy.
-Christian asks Zane to swear loyalty to him, and leaves a chemical burn scar on Zane's left hand. Zane is immensly proud of the scar.
-Shibo torments Christian, and Zane offers to have Ben take Christian and Zane into the Umbra to "get back" at Shibo. In order to keep Christian safe, Ben and Leclere suggest that Christian inflict pain, in the hopes of gaining the support of Corrupted Pain Spirits. Pocket-Theif in particular takes an interest in Christian.
-Zane recieves a letter from Corbin/Tristan, and is made aware of the fact that Corbin/Tristan has died. Zane shows the letter to Christian, who burns it.
-Leclere calls Christian, and asks to meet with him. The Thrashing Elk Hive has been decimated, overcome by Gaian Garou. Christian agrees to meet with Leclere the next night.
-Christian offhandedly asks Zane if he would mind if Christian decided he was bisexual. Zane reacts negatively... he has a deep hatred of women, and he feels that he would be cast aside if Christian took women to his bed. Zane's been hurt once too often, and Jason and Mirri's marriage is still fresh in Zane's mind. Feeling threatened himself, Zane threatens Christian, who has inadvertently shaken Zane's trust and loyalty. Christian tells Zane to get away from him for at least the rest of the night. Zane obeys.
-On his way to meet Leclere, Christian catches up to Zane and his horse Merlin. Christian strikes the horse and cart with his vehicle, and then proceeds to brutally torture Zane as punishment for threatening him. Mayhem, Christian's friend and packmate, takes Zane to Ben, because without intervention, Zane would die of the injuries inflicted durring the torture.
-Ben uses Healing Gifts to repair the dammage done to Zane, and as "payment" for helping him, Ben dresses Zane in an outfit of Ben's choice [Goth Boi DD] and proceeds to rape Zane. He then leaves Zane to recover from the violation while Ben goes to meet with Christian and Leclere.
-Ben, furious at Christian for upsetting Zane so much, pulls a risky stunt: he challenges Leclere, turning most of the Thrashing Elk refugees against him. Leclere has no choice but to accept the challenge. Ben kills Leclere, then moves to attack Christian. Zane, having heard the commotion, intervenes on Christian's behalf. Ben slips into a Frenzy, and savages Zane, breaking his back and nearly tearing him in half. Edward Black Dog helps Christian retreat; the ensuing battle divides the Thrashing Elk refugees. Spring Thaw-ikthya and Ben keep Zane alive as best they can.
-Edward, not sure what else to do, calls Zane's next of kin, Damien, who arrives to try and help the stricken Zane. The Spiral Dancers have no patience left for Zane or his friends and family, and they demand that Zane be removed from their territory. Ben and Edward offer to help Damien move Zane to Damien's house, where Beth helps repair the dammage to Zane's body.
-Ben, fearing for Zane's sanity, agrees to take Zane home to Christian's when Zane asks him to. By the time Ben gets him home, Zane isn't coherent, and is nearly hysterical. Edward sedated Zane, while Ben rigged Merlin's carcass up in Zane's room, to keep Zane company.
-Zane weakens rapidly, physically, mentally, and emotionally dammaged. Shibo attempts to capitalize on Zane's weakness.
-When Mayhem finds out about Zane's condition, he removes the horse carcass and puts the nearly comatose Zane in the basement, where Zane is nursed back to relative health. Mayhem then interrogates Zane... apparently Ben had been messing with the house and the other ghouls.
-Zane becomes very despondent, since Christian hasn't returned since the trouble with Ben. He is eventually moved to Jay Whyrrick's home.
-Zane is allowed to leave Jay's home, and he heads out to wander the streets, thinking that Christian has abandoned him.
-Shibo finally succeeds, and he uses the Charm of Posession on Zane, thus transforming Zane into Fomor.
-Damien finds Zane somewhere in downtown Necropolis, sick and fairly despondent. Zane is relieved to see Damien, thinking that Damien is the only person he has left in the world. Damien is horrified by Zane's bizzare illness and the parasitic worms that have infested Zane's body. Damien is further unsettled by Zane's developing Fomor powers. At one point, he isn't even certain that Zane is Zane; however, Damien finally realises that it really is Zane, and he does all he can to help the wretched Fomor.
-Zane wanders to Ben's home out of habit. Pocket-Theif and Edward inform Christian that Zane is alive [Christian believed Zane to have been killed] and they lead him to where Zane is. Zane is obviously relieved to see his Domitor.
-Zane visits Damien to find that Damien has fallen ill. Anxious and worried about his husband's health, he takes him to Ben's, where Spring Thaw-ikthya nurses Damien back to health.
-Christian, after discovering how weak Zane is when shapechanged [Fomor power] reinforces Zane's bones with car metal via Vicissitude.