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*****WARNING******WARNING*************WARNING*************WARNING************** WARNING*********

bothered by this. For those who wish to skip this chapter I will provide a summery of events for you to read.

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The figure stood upon the balcony watching the interaction of the family within the courtyard. The hate boiled within him at the sight below, and the sound of malice filled him with loathing.]"Enjoy it while you can my Lord," the figure’s voice snarled, as he watched the site below him. "You just never know when something may happen." The quiet evening was shattered by the sounds of laughter.

He watched as the planet slowly rotated below the large windows, his mind instantly calling out the names of the continents as they passed beneath his feet. He was home. For the first time in two seasons, he laid his eyes upon his world. This was the moment he had dreamed of since he was assigned to the diplomatic core after his term at the Academy was over. While he was still young, only 19 seasons, his abilities had surpassed all expectations that his mentors had for him. He had completed his studies a year ahead of schedule, taking up architecture as his main course but finding that his diplomatic skills were more in need after graduation. And now he was home, and he planed to stay there for a while.

"Look’s like we’ll make it back in time for the spring festival." The captain said as he came up beside the tiger. "We should make planet fall in about three hours."

"I was hoping you would say that." Tygra smiled to himself, "I have a very dear friend competing in the trials and I want to be there to meet her at the finish line." He reached up and his fingers twined around a golden chain about his neck. "It’s been too long."

"Cheetara!"

The cheetah turned at the sound of her name and smiled as she saw the source of that shout. "Good day to you Lion-O," She bowed slightly to the cub, "Are you enjoying the festival?"

The young Prince nodded, his golden eyes lit up with the excitement of the day, "Yeah, I got to see someone eat fire, and got to watch the acrobats." He stumbled over the unfamiliar word. "Then I got to go see…"

"Lion-O," Lady Nydia came up behind her wayward cub. "Did I not tell you to remain with Snarf?" She responded to the cheetah’s bow with a nod of her head and a gentle smile. "Please except my apologies Cheetara."

"None are needed my Lady," She smiled, "Just think of this as revenge for some of the pranks I pulled as a cub."

"I see you found him my dear," Claudius said as he came over to the two ladies, "And a good day to you Young Cheetara." He smiled fatherly at the cheetah. "I trust you are ready for the trials?"

She returned the smile, "If I’m not I will never hear the end of it. " She frowned slightly as she felt a small tingle suddenly appear at the back of her mind and shrugged to herself when it disappeared just as quickly. "Tyben has been working me to death to get me ready." The feeling returned only stronger this time, her amber eyes locked onto Claudius’s face and suddenly she saw it.

A shadowy figure. The sounds of screams. A dagger covered in blood. The cry of a cub for its mother. A body, dead

on the floor. A familiar voice’s outcry of despair. The sound of laughter. The symbol of Thundera cracked in half and dripping with blood……

"Cheetara?" She blinked and turned her confused eyes to the voice. "Are you alright?" The worry for her evident on her Lord’s face.

"Yes…" she cleared her parched throat, "yes, I’m fine." She was surprised at the shaking to her voice.

Nydia regarded the young cheetah’s pale face, "Are you certain? You’ve lost the color in your cheeks?"

"Yes. My Lady, just nervous about the trials." She shuddered slightly as the vision still clung to her mind. "I best go find Tyben and Seyan, I promised to see them before the trial began." She bowed in parting and went in search of her foster family. She wandered through the crowds and decided to save time by taking the alleyway to the other side of the compound.

"Well hello Runt." A voice sneered as a tall cheetah stepped in front of her, blocking her path

She glared at the face that the voice belonged to, "I do happen to have a name, Cain Clan Che’Dar." She hissed.

"Outcasts have no names to the Clan nobles." He growled back, his eyes wandering over her body.

"And it seems the Clan nobles have no manners." Her amber eyes flashed in anger at the older cheetah’s attentions, and she couldn't help feeling slightly soiled because of them. "Now let me pass." She moved to go around him and felt his hand grab hold of her elbow.

"I don’t remember saying you could leave Outcast." He took his free hand and ran it roughly through her blond-spotted mane. "Who would have thought an outcast could grow into this." His eyes lustfully wandered her body again.

Her eyes grew wide and a slight glint of fear appeared within them, replaced quickly by anger. "You dare," She growled out as she pulled her head away from his wandering hand. "You will release me."

Cain just laughed, "You forget Outcast. You are nothing to me. I can do as I wish to you." He pulled her closer, his sinuses drinking in the smell of her. "And I do intend to enjoy myself."

She felt her anger flare at his words and kicked out with all her strength, "I said you will release me." She had the satisfaction of hearing his cry of pain as her foot connected in a very delicate spot.

"Is there a problem here?" Tyben asked as he came round the corner his eyes quickly taking in the situation. A growl escaping his throat as his eyes locked onto Cain’s pain filled face and he noted Cheetara’s dissaray.

Cheetara, knowing what the expression on her foster father’s face meant, quickly grabbed his arm and lead him from the ally. "I’m fine Tyben." She reassured the tiger. "Just a little shaken up."

"You’re certain?" She nodded. He regarded her a moment longer before allowing himself to relax. "We found an old friend of yours." He led her towards one of the eating stands.

"Oh? Who?" She heard someone shouting her name. "Panthro!" She dashed over to her friend, wrapping him in an embrace.

The panther smiled at the enthusiastic welcome his young friend gave him. "Well Swifty, you’ve grown up." He commented as she released him from her welcoming hug and he was able to get a good look at her. She had hit a growth spurt since his last visit home and now stood almost to his shoulder. Her body had gained the curves and looks of a mature young women and her active lifestyle had left her well-muscled. Her light amber eyes still held the spark that was her sense of humor and her blond-spotted mane and skintone had taken the darker hew of an adult cheetah. Her smile, however, remained as full of mischief and as beautiful as ever. "Tyben must have to beat off the suitors with a stick." He joked. "Where’s your Partner in Crime?" he asked while glancing around for the familiar face of the tiger.

"He should be landing by now." She answered, "He promised me in his last communication that he would meet me at the finish line."

"Speaking of which," Seyan spoke up, "You had better get over there. The race is due to start soon."

"You going to watch?" the cheetah asked the panther

"Wouldn’t miss it." He yelled back as she smiled and dashed out into the crowed.

The tiger drank in the familiar scents of his home as he wandered through themain fairway of the festival grounds. The sweet smell of the blooming manta bushes mixed with the smells of the baked goods gave him a warm feeling within himself. He slowly made his way down the crowded aisle towards the area where the race would be held. He stopped as a sparkling in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He wandered over to the booth and carefully picked up a set of sliver bracelets.

"You have excellent taste." The vender, a white tiger, said as he walked over to Tygra. "Those are made from the finest silver."

"How much?" He asked as he turned the bracelets over in his hand, admiring the craftsmanship.

The vendor regarded him for a moment, "For you,10 credits."

Tygra glanced up in shock, "They’re worth twice that just for the design on them."

"Nonsense, they are the work of an apprentice." The white tiger smiled, "besides from the look in your eyes, these are for someone special."

Tygra blushed slightly, "I insist to at least 20 credits." He tried to haggle the price up.

"I will accept no more the 10 credits." With a sigh Tygra accepted the offer. "Now perhaps a nice box for them." He turned as a young white tiger came out from the back of the vending stall. "Bengali, go and find a proper box for these." He handed the cub the bracelets and turned back to Tygra. "Nothing is too good for a noble of Lord Claudius. Ah, excellent Bengali." He praised the cub when he returned from his errand. "Here you are," He handed a brightly colored box to Tygra. "I hope your friend enjoys them."

"I must insist that she be removed from the trials." Tenash began again, "No Outcast has a right to run against the Nobles of the clans or be allowed to claim the honor of a Thundercat." He glared at Cheetara.

"Lord Claudius has granted her permission to run in the race Elder." Jaga answered, "If you are so offended by this then you may remove your clan’s entry. Otherwise the matter is closed."

The elder growled, "I will speak to Lord Claudius about this."

"Do as you see fit, but the race will start on time, with Cheetara Clan Duma running in it." Jaga motioned the young cheetah to follow him. "Do not worry about him or the other elders. They have little say in who runs in the trials." He walked her to the starting point. "We have faith in you young Cheetara. No matter what happens here, you are already assured a place with us." He gave the young cheetah a slight bow and left the track.

She took a moment to glance around at the faces massing near the track. She quickly caught site of her foster parents and Panthro, but Tygra’s face was still yet to be seen. She shrugged and began her stretching exercises, measuring up her competition as she did so. There were 15 others running in the trial, most of them nobles from the clans, but a few commoners were also present. She worried little about the larger males that were running; they wouldn’t last past the mile and a half marker. It was the smaller females, like herself, that would be the greatest danger. She knew her own stamina exactly, how far she could push herself, and even how far beyond that she was capable of going. This race was three miles, one mile over her limit. She would truly have to push herself to keep her speed up after that two-mile marker. She glanced around again, and decided that she really only needed to worry about two of the other racers. Both were young and built small like she was, but she had faith in her abilities.

"Racers, to the starting line." Jaga’s voice poured over the load speakers.

Cheetara took one last quick glance into the crowd but still failed to spot the tiger anywhere.

"Just watch yourself Runt." Cain growled as he got into his position. She ignored the older cheetah and moved into the starting line.

"Racers, take your mark."

She could hear the othersaround her, the shuffling of their feet in the dirt, the sound of their heavy breathing as they began to feed their large lungs, the rumble of the crowd as they prepared for the start. Her eyes locked onto the track in front of her. She pushed all other thoughts from her mind. It was only her and the track. Nothing else mattered but running. The air became still, all sound stopped, for one moment nothing moved:

BANG!!!

She broke away, quickly settling into the pace that would carry her over the three miles, being careful not to tap into her reserves yet. Half mile mark, her enlarged lungs pulled in great gasps of air, her heart doubled it’s beats-per-minute. Her body released extra cells to carry more hemoglobin through her body to oxygen-starved tissues. She moved up in the field. One-mile mark. As she figured, most of the larger male were falling back, their energies depleted. She allowed herself a small smile. Two miles to go and she hadn’t even tapped her full speed yet. One and a half mile mark: She picked up her pace, moving quickly up in the pack. She rechecked her pace and settled into third place. Two-mile mark: Most of the pack had fallen back. It was only her and two others now. Her body released its excess glucose stores as she tappedinto her full speed. Her lungs and heart increased their efforts to support her muscles. Two and a half miles: Her muscles burned, her lungs gasped for air, her heart pulsed so fast it was painful, yet she pushed herself farther. Quarter of a mile left: She reached down and found one last burst and forced her tired legs to carry her to the head of the pack. She was running alone now, the others a length behind her. She glanced ahead through sweat filled eyes. Two more lengths. She listened as the crowed burst into cheers as she passed under the banner.

She began to slow her pace, careful not to stop too soon or she'd be forced to deal with the severe cramps that would follow. She could hear the other runners coming in behind her as she finally slowed to a walk and headed back over to the finish line. She wiped her now wet mane from her sweating face and accepted a cool towel an official handed her. She grimaced slightly as a cramp began to build up in her calf muscle despite her caution. She glanced around, catching site of her foster parents standing off to the side by Lord Claudius and making her way over to them. She frowned slightly as the tingling in her mind began again.

"Well run Young Cheetara." Claudius applauded as she bowed. "Tyben, you should be quite proud of her. She did set the new track record after all."

The cheetah gave her foster father a confused look, "You did. Broke it by over 15 seconds." He reached over and ruffled her already disarrayed mane. "Well, look who finally decided to show up." He motioned behind Cheetara

She turned to see whom Tyben was referring to and with a large grin ran over to the waiting arms of the one person she had been waiting to see again.

"I told you I’d see you at the finish line." He laughed as he was rocked back by the force of her impact. "And hello to you too."

She smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "Were you able to catch the race?" She asked as they began to walk over to Tyben and Claudius.

"Yes, and you were wonderful." He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I have something for you." He pulled out the small colorful box.

She gave him an odd look as she took the box from him. "What is it?" She shook the box slightly.

"Just a little something I picked up on my way through the venders." He chuckled when she still did not open it. "Well go on, open it."

She made a show of looking the box over "Well, it’s not ticking, squeaking, and it doesn’t seem to be moving so I guess it’s safe to open it." She laughed at the expression on the tiger’s face, and slowly opened the box. She let out a small gasp at the sight of the bracelets inside, "Tygra, I don’t know what to say." She glanced up, her amber eyes brimming with tears.

He smiled gently at her and brushed a stray strand of blond-spotted mane from her face, "How about just saying you’ll wear them tonight and accompany me to the banquet?"

"I would love to." She returned his smile. "In the mean time, we better go say hello to Seyan and Tyben. They’ve been staring at us." She motioned with her head over to the adults who were in fact watching the two young people.

"Well, finally decided to come and say hello to your mother did you?" Seyan teased as she drew her son into a welcoming embrace. "I swear you have gotten taller Tygra. Either that or I am shrinking."

Tygra glanced down at his mother and took note that she did seem smaller to him. On his last visit she stood just below his shoulder; now she was nearly another half inch shorter. Her long mane was now more silver then red, but her gray/blue eyes still held the spark of her intelligence and compassion that had made her one of Thundera’s best healers. He still wished, sometimes, that he had followed his first dream of becoming a healer much like her mother, but found that he enjoyed the art of designing things much more.

His sire had changed little over the years aside from a touch of silver in his dark red mane and a slight weariness in his amber eyes from years of service to Thundera and chasing after two quite mischievous cubs. His eyes now shined with pride as he grasped his son’s hand in his and pulled him into a strong embrace. "Welcome home Tygra. You have done the Clan name proud."

Tygra felt a wave of pride wash over him at his father’s words. "Thank you," He turned to see a smiling cheetah beside him, "What are you grinning at?"

She gave him an innocent look, "Nothing," She gave herself a look and shuddered slightly at her now dust covered fur and matted mane. "I don’t know about you but I feel the need to get cleaned up."

"How about a dip in the courtyard fountain." The tiger teased as he and Cheetara headed away from his parents.

"How about a water bomb on the top of that conniving head of yours." She teased back.

He laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked through the crowded aisle ways. It felt good to be home and around his dearest friend again. He felt the tension of the last two seasons drain quickly away at the musical sound of her laugh and voice. He felt a shudder race through him when she was forced to press closer to allow a group of youngsters passed. His eyes drank in everything about her, her unique beauty, the grace of her movements, the golden tint of her mane as the setting sun’s rays set them afire, and the laughter within her honey-amber eyes. This was the face he had dreamed of for two seasons now and he didn’t plan on letting it out of his sight again. He couldn’t remember the exact moment that he had started thinking of her as something beside a dear friend, only that he had been shocked the first time he had looked at her and saw her as a woman, not as ‘Cheetara’.

"Are you listening?" He was pulled out of his thoughts by a pocking in his ribs.

"What?" He glanced down into her face and felt his hear skip a beat. "I’m sorry, I was thinking about something."

"I said that I will meet you at the hall after I clean up. You need to go spend time with Seyan and Tyben."

He smiled at her tone. It reminded him of his mother when she used to scold them as cubs. "Your wish is my command." He gave her a graceful bow. "I shall see you in say an hour?"

"One hour then." She gave him a parting smile and entered her quarters.

She checked her reflection one more time before giving herself and approving nod. She had taken her normally disarrayed mane and neatly pinned it back from her face. She had taken the time to place some make-up on her face, but just enough to complement her pale skin tones. She had decided to wearthe traditional silk spun wrap that Nobles of the cheetah clans would don for royal occasion. She finished her outfit by adding the bracelets that Tygra had given her earlier. With one last check to make sure everything was as it should be, she left her quarters and made her way to the banquet hall.

He watched her movements from the shadows as a predator would watch its prey, waiting for the proper moment to pounce upon the unsuspecting cheetah. He allowed himself a small grin when she turned down one of the side hallways and with quick footsteps, he moved closer to his quarry.

She made her way down the ivory white halls of the lair, her thoughts wandering to the face of a particular tiger waiting for her at the end of her walk. She turned when she had the strange feeling that someone was watching her. Despite the fact that she saw no one, her feeling of uneasiness remained. She felt the tingling in the back of her mind again as she turned down one of the side halls. She opened up her senses, hopingto catch a clue to what was setting her on edge. Was that a laugh? She stopped at the sound and turned. She had no warning before the hard fist struck her in the face, sending her flying back onto the stone floor. She shook her head attempting to clear itof the darkness that threatened to claim her. She felt someone grab hold of her mane and force her to look up into the face of her attacker.

He laughed, "I told you I’d get you without your friends one day." His sneering smile was the last thing she saw before the oblivion claimed her.

Tygra glanced around the hall once, a feeling of uneasiness flashing through his mind. He noticed Panthro enter the room and wandered over to the panther.

"Tygra," Panthro greeted his friend with a smile and handshake. "Good to see you."

"Have you seen Cheetara?" the tiger asked, his worry coming through in his voice. "She was supposed to meet me here 15 minutes ago."

"I haven’t seen her since the racing this afternoon. I’m sure she’s fine. Just taking a little longer to get ready, you know how women are."

"Yeah, I guess." He gave the panther a smile, but the uneasiness did not go away. "And I hope your right." He whispered, his amber eyes fixed on the entrance to the room.

The first thing she noticed as she returned to consciousness was the fact that her head was killing her. The second was that she couldn’t move. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a dark room. Both her arms and legs had been tied down. Her memories slowly came back to her. Turning. Something hitting her. Looking up at a face. That face… her mind came fully aware. She felt her heart jump when she heard his laughter off to the side.

"So, finally decided to wake up did ya." The large cheetah came out of the shadows. "I guess that means that you’ll get to enjoy this too." He slowly moved towards her

She shivered at the smile that spread over his face. "Please, don’t." Her voice cracked as he came nearer.

"Don’t?" He laughed again. "You forget your place outcast. You have no rights in the clans. You’re nothing." His amber eyes wandered lustfully over her exposed body, "But enough talk. I plan to enjoy myself." He roughly grabbed her face and forced his lips onto hers. Her eyes went wide at his advances. She fought to break his grip only to have his fist crash down onto her already bruised face. "You’d do good to hold still Outcast," He growled in her ear. She fought to remain conscious, her head screaming in pain from the last hit. She felt him move to cover her and cried out as he forced himself into her. Pain flashed through her as he roughly pierced the thin membrane.

"No," She cried weakly, "Please no."

"What’s the matter Outcast? Not enjoying it?" She was beyond hearing. Her mind swimming in the agony of pain, and shock had shut down her ability to understand what was happening. It was almost as if it was happening to someone else and she was watching through their eyes. She could feel the tears falling down her cheeks and hear the screams tearing from a raw throat. She could even hear a voice begging him to stop. She could feel herself loosing the battle with remaining conscious and slowly the room began to fade. Her mind focused on a face, and with a sudden burst of strengthshe cried out.

"TYGRA!"

He just laughed as he continued to thrust into her, "Not even your tiger can help you now." He hissed into her ear.

<TYGRA!>

Her world thankfully went black.

<TYGRA!>

His head shoot up, all of his senses alert for the source of that scream. He knew that voice and he felt himself reach out with his mind. <What’s wrong?> His head began swimming as the flashes of her memory hit.

A secluded hall. The sound of footsteps behind her. The shock of pain as she was struck by someone. A dark room,

the sound of laughter in the shadows. The feeling of total fear when she recognized the face. The agonizing pain of

tearing flesh. The desperate cry for help.

<TYGRA!>

He didn’t remember reaching the hallway, only that he had and that nothing was going to stop him. He heard the shouts of others behind him but kept on his mad dash. He didn’t know how he found the room or how he got the door open, but he would remember the sight before his eyes forever.

She was tied to a bed, her desperate screams cutting through the air and begging him to stop. He continued his taking of her, completely oblivious to the rage that was about to be unleashed behind him. Tygra felt his anger boil, and leaping forward, tore the cheetah off of her. He quickly took a defensive stance as Cain regained his senses and with anger-filled eyes he regarded the cheetah.

"This time you have gone too far Cain." Tygra growled out.

Cain just laughed, "What’s the matter tiger? Jealous that I got her first?"

The tiger’s control snapped. He charged the smaller cheetah and quickly wrestled him to the ground. His normally clear eyes filled with hate and rage. "You will pay for this Cain." He hissed, "Even if I have to kill you myself." His hands found there way onto the cheetah’s throat and he tightened his grip. His mind locked on to the sight of her on that bed and the sounds of her screams. He felt someone try to pull him off the cheetah and he pushed them away. He heard voices yelling at him, but his mind just clung to that first sight. "You’ll pay Cain." He repeated over and over like a chant.

"Get him off!" Tyben yelled at the guards as he dashed into the room. "Tygra, let go!" He tried to pry his son off the now blue cheetah only to be shoved away. "Panthro, help me!" He yelled as the panther dashed into the room. Both men latched onto the enraged tiger’s arms and force d him off the now unconscious Cain.

"No!" Tygra tried to lunge back, only to feel a forceful slap across his face. He growled and turned in the direction the slap had come from.

"Enough! Tygra!" He stopped cold at his father’s shout and was quickly restrained by Tyben. "You!" Tyben pointed to several of the guards now in the room, "Remove that." He indicatedthe prone Cain. "Then inform Lord Claudius of what has happened. Panthro, go and get Seyan and Kala. Everyone else out." He waited ‘til the room had been cleared before releasing his hold on his son.

Tygra quickly made his way over to the bed and cut the restraints on Cheetara’s wrists and feet. His eyes quickly glanced over her body, taking note of her condition. They stopped suddenly at the sight of blood on the sheets. His hand tenderly brushed her mane out of her face and he winced at the site of the bruises now forming there.

" ‘Tara?" He spoke softly, "If you can hear me open your eyes." He felt her stir under his hand. "Please ‘Tara." Her eyes flew open and she let out a heart-wrenching scream she tried to push his hands away. He held on to heras she continued to fight, softly repeating her name and hoping to break through the fear that now gripped her.

Hands, someone was touching her. He was touching her. She screamed and tried to push the hands away, but they wouldn’t let go. "No! Please!" She begged him. "Please don’t!" There was something different about this touch. It was gentle, caring. Her mind began to focus and she heard a soft voice. A voice she knew and trusted. His voice, someone that had always promised to keep her safe. He was here. Now she was safe. She slowly allowed her body to relax and she felt his strong arms gather her closer and wrap her in his warm embrace. She could hear him repeating, almost chanting, her name and telling her she was safe, that he couldn’t hurt her anymore. She clung to him, knowing that if he let her go that he would be able to hurt her again. "Tygra." She whispered and then allowed the sobs to escape from her.

He felt her begin to relax in his arms and tenderly gathered her into a more secure embrace, "It’s all right now ‘Tara. He can’t hurt you." He whispered to her as she began to sob. "Shhhh, no one can hurt you now." He looked up as his mother and Kala came dashing into the room but continued his reassurance to Cheetara.

"Oh Gods." Seyan gasped when she saw the condition of the sobbing cheetah in her son’s arms. Both her legs were covered in cuts, and the burn marks where the ropes had cut into both wrist and ankle were evident. Her pale face was covered in bruises and cuts from fist and claws. The back of her neck bore the bite marks from Cain’s aggressive behavior. But it was the blood on the sheets between the cheetah’s legs and the shallowness of her breathing that caught the healer’s attention. "Kala, get back to the med wing and get a surgery ready now." She turned the panther’s attention to the sheets. Kala’s eyes widened at the site and with a quick nod of her head dashed back down the halls. "Cheetara." The healer spoke gently to the still sobbing girl. "I need to get you to medical now. Tyben is going to carry you." She nodded to her mate.

She felt another pair of hands upon her body and with a scream clung to Tygra with all her fading strength. "No, Please no."

"It’s alright Cheetara," Tyben said in a calming voce as he tried to take her from Tygra again.

Tygra could feel her trembling as his father tried to take her from his arms, "I can carry her." he slowly stood and adjusted his grip on her body. "She feels safe with me."

"I don’t care who carries her," She placed a sheet over the cheetah’s bare body. "But get her to med wing now." Seyan pushed them out the door and quickly cleared a path through the halls for Tygra.

"What’s wrong with her?" Tyben asked his mate as they dashed down the halls.

"I think he," She couldn’t bring herself to say his name, "may have nicked an artery when he raped her. She might be bleeding internally and going into shock. Kala! Is everything ready?" She yelled as they burst into the med wing.

The panther appeared already dressed in surgical coverings, "Yes, this way Tygra." She led him into a small room. "Put her on the table and then leave." She went about preparing an injection.

He carefully lowered her onto the table the panther had indicated and tried to untangle her hands from his neck.

"No, please don’t." She begged him. "Don’t leave me."

"I have to," he softly caressed her face, "But I promise I’ll be there when you wake up." He watched as Kala injected the anesthetic into her.

"Please," Her voice grew fainter as the drug took affect.

"Shhhh, just close your eyes." He continued to caress her face as her eyes closed, "I’ll be here."

He sat there watching her sleep. He hadn’t moved since they had brought her out of surgery 10 hours earlier. His mother had managed to repair most of the physical damaged caused by the rape and the bruises on her pale face would fade in time. It was the emotional scars he worried about now. Would she ever be able to accept someone in love after what had happened? Would she ever accept him? His mind ran these thoughts over and over again until he forced them down. "He could wait," he told himself, "until she was ready to accept someone, he could wait ‘til the end of time for her." For now she was in need of a friend. Someone to listen to be there when the nightmares hit. Someone to remind her that she was loved and that she would never have to know this type of pain again. He turned away from his thoughts when he heard a soft moan from the bed.

He watched as she slowly opened her eyes and for a moment a look of terror came over her face. He quickly reached out a hand and turned her eyes to him. "You’re safe now remember?" He spoke gently, a tired smile on his face.

Her eyes locked on his face and she weakly reached out, placing her hand on his cheek, "Thank you." Her voice cracked with pain, "for not leaving."

He held her hand to his face, "I would never leave you." He said simply and watched as her eyes began to drift shut again. "I love you."

She smiled at him, "I know." She whispered as sleep reclaimed her

The shadowy figure stood, an evil smile upon his face, "Soon Claudius, soon. You and everything you know will come crashing down around you." The still night was broken by the sound of laughter.