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Darillian, who had been staring dreamily at Mish, oblivious to her dreamy stare, yelped like a girl. "Kether!" He screamed.

Ton hurriedly moved so that Kat was standing between him and his formerly-dead, gun-wielding employee. "What, hoping your girlfriend will protect you?" Ran sneered.

"Uh… yeah." Ton shrugged. "Seemed like the thing to do."

Kat opened her stance and set her jaw. "Ran, what are you doing here? We hear you died when Ton's surgery burned down."

"I set that up." He wore a somewhat insane grin, quite super-villainous.

"Why?" Mish demanded, moving in front of Darillian.

"It was all part of my master plan to rid the universe of Glass Prowlers! MWAHAHA!" His laugher was properly evil.

Mish grabbed the Prowler's case and shoved it in Darillian's arms so she could protect them both. "But why? Why would you want to get rid of Glass Prowlers?"

"Because that abominable creature bit me when I was trying to feed it!" Only Ran's newfound Super-Villain status saved him from sounding whiny.

While Kether's attention was on Mish, Kat motioned for her to keep stalling him. She started moving towards him slowly so that his peripheral vision wouldn't spot her.

"Why did you hire Darillian to find Cimex then?" Mish asked.

As Kat got closer to Kether, Ton shrank towards the wall, unprotected.

"I sent him to Phanan, knowing that he'd send you two after her. And from what I knew about Cimex, I figured you'd end up beating her up. Quite brilliant, don't you think?"

As a plan to rid the galaxy of a species of insect, it wasn't half bad. But Mish needed to stall him more. "So you engineered with plague, eh?" she went on.

Ran nodded. "And I carry the only vial of the cure in the Known Galaxy." He pulled out a small glass tube filled with dark brown liquid.

"What is it?" Kat was almost in place, Mish noted.

"MWAHAHA!" Ran did the evil laughter thing again. "DECAF!!!"

Mish gasped, then paused. "What?"

"It's like caf, only without caffeine," Ran explained.

Mish gasped again at the blasphemy of it all. She tried to think of something appropriately James-Bond to say, but couldn't think of anything. She settled for, "You diabolic monster!" which is a line better suited a pathetic Bond Girl. She had run out of things to say, but luckily Kat had reached the security-guard-turned-evil-mastermind. She reached up and conked him on the head.

Kether fell, dropping the vial of decaf. Mish jumped and, just before the glass tube hit the metal deck of the ship, she caught it.

"Well, that was improbable," she said.

Darillian ran up to her. He cried, "My hero!" and kissed her on the lips.

Ran Kether hit the floor like a sack of sugar, only without the sweetness.

Mish didn't notice this, as she was busy kissing Darillian - totally without her permission - but kissing him anyway.

"Extremely improbable." Ran said, now standing up and holding a gun to Ton Phanan's head. Kat, somehow managing not to be near Ton, probably due to the very improbable improbability fields in the room, gasped.

Mish and Darillian pulled apart. Mish, deciding she would prefer to be kissed with permission, slapped him around the face.

"Ow!" Darillian cried. That was the second time she'd done that in one day, and it didn't seem as cool this time.

Kat scanned the room, looking for some way she could save Ton without anyone being blasted to bits.

Ton gulped. Was there no way his Superior Intellect could save him?

It seemed certain that NOTHING COULD SAVE TON…

The Glass Prowler, possessing the amazing super-strength that all insects of Storinal have, jumped out of its travelling case and leapt onto Ran's face.

"Ahh! Get it off!" screamed the Evil Mastermind.

"Alright!" Mish yelled.

"Aaargh!" Ran yelled.

"           !" The Glass Prowler yelled, as the Authors have yet to decide which noise they make.

Ton ducked, and as he did so swung his legs in between Ran's, making the Evil Villain drop, once more, to the floor.

This time Kat was quick to confiscate his gun and tie up his hands and feet.

Mish raised an eyebrow, Teal'c style.

Darillian looked longingly at her. He wondered why, after being slapped two times, no less, he still fancied her a bit. And she had kissed him before . . . something was certain, they were going to have to sort this thing out.

Ton ran up to Kat. "Didja see what I did there?" he asked enthusiastically, a sloppy grin on his face.

Kat leaned over and kissed him on the nose. "You were very brave, dear."

"Aw, cute." Mish melted. Darillian took this opportunity to place himself behind her, so she ended up melting into his arms.

"So what do we do with him while we're in space?" Ton asked. He gave Ran a little kick in the ribs.

Kat shrugged. "Leave him tied up and hope the Improbability Drive doesn't let him break free?" she suggested. She slung an arm over Ton's shoulder. "Come on, sweetie, let's let Mish pilot the ship."

"Wait a second there!" Mish practically shouted. "What about me and Zurel? HUH?"

"You just slapped him," Kat pointed out.

"I did?" Mish asked. "I mean, I did?!?"

Darillian began to wonder about whether he should read up on multiple personality disorders before getting involved with a woman like Mish.

"You did it on the planet, too," Ton mentioned. "Come on, we'll pilot the ship next time!"

"But . . . I really . . . Aw, man!" Mish trudged back off into the cockpit, looking rather down indeed.

Darillian let the barest of growls escape his lips, "Thanks Phanan. I had a chance."

"You still have a chance," Kat told him. "Just ask next time you kiss her."

They arrived back at Phanan's surgery after a short journey filled with all sorts of improbable things. As Mish landed the still-unnamed Millennium Falcon-type ship, Kat went into the tiny compartment where they'd locked Kether. "So, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked.

"I still believe my hair looks better as it was natural."

Kat noticed Ran's hair was now shockingly red in colour.

Mish came up behind her and peeked over her shoulder. "Nah, I prefer it this way... Hey, Darillian and I got really bored."

"That must have been when Ton and I were…" Kat trailed off. "So what do we do now?" she asked.

This is a pleasant fiction, quoted Mish to herself, not remembering where the quote was from, but knowing it was a quote from somewhere all the same, apart from the fact that I don't get the guy... She looked up at the fake blonde, Darillian, with more than a whistful look. She'd hoped he'd offer to kiss her again during the voyage, or even hint at something, but she had no such luck. Perhaps this would teach her not to use violence . . . then again, perhaps not.

"What do we do with him now?" She asked Kat.

"Which one?" Kat asked. "We should probably turn Ran over to the authorities somewhere. As for Darillian… well, that's your decision, I think."

"I never even mentioned Darillian!" Mish objected, turning slightly red.

"I do n. . ." Mish looked at Darillian, who'd unexpectedly followed her to where she was speaking to Kat and Ran. "Okay, fine."

"Fine?" Darillian looked slightly shocked.

"Not the most romantic of things to say, huh?" Mish admitted.

"Try again." Kat said.

"Darillian . . . Look . . ."

Darillian shook his head, and leaned in to Mish, "Don't." He hushed her, putting his hand to her lips. She almost did the whole 'melting' thing again, "Can I?" He whispered to her.

His reply was a nod.

He leant in more and their lips touched . . .

"CAN WE GET A MOVE ON HERE?!" Ton Phanan burst into the room and managed to push between Mish and Zurel.

Mish clicked her fingers in annoyance.

"Damnation." Muttered Darillian.

"Ton, that was very rude," Kat chastised him. "Go on, guys."

"What did I do?" Phanan asked.

Kat shook her head in exasperation. "You know, it's a good thing you're cute, because you're a little dense."

Ton was torn between looking affronted and smiling hugely. He tried to do both, which didn't work too well.

"C'mon, let's go." Mish said, pulling up Ran from the floor (he couldn't get up, 'cause his hands and legs were tied together).

Darillian seemed to have exactly the same idea, and did likewise in exactly the same time as Mish.

Kat reflected, it was as though they were made for each other . . . which was just as well, since she didn't have to compete for Ton's affection anymore. She was rather annoyed they hadn't managed to kiss properly yet, though.

Zurel and Mish had, while Kat was reflecting, dissapeared with Kether in a superbly quick time...