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Chapter -12- Hearts Reunited

Cryo-Lab Alpha New Atlantis ...

"Just in case," Topaz said, keeping her face in Conner's left shoulder. She kept her hand on the back of his head, keeping his face against her own left shoulder to protect their faces from the gas. "I love you. You're a smart and handsome boy. I'm proud of you."

Conner pulled out a bottle of water from his supply kit. He opened the cap and poured it over their shirts until both were soaking wet. "Breathe through this. The water will help filter out the gas in our shirts."

Topaz felt her eyes well up with moisture. She felt so proud of her son's resourcefulness. She drew her collar up to the bridge of her nose, then pushed her face against his shoulder firmly to help create a seal.

He murmured against her shoulder in reply. "I'm sorry I judged you about Fox - about dad. I'm sorry. I love you, mom. Maybe Carmen always resented the fact you spent more time with my training than hers - I don't know, but I appreciated all the time we spent together, when I was growing up. You were always there for me. You're here for me now. I feel like I let you down."

"No, Conner, no. You didn't let me down." Topaz wrapped both of her arms around his head, keeping his face against her shoulder. They breathed through their shirts trying their best to filter the air in the room. "You came to rescue me and I brought you in here. I failed as a mother."

"No you didn't," he said. "You did your best. You did everything you knew how to do. You're amazing. I'm sorry I was upset that you guys left. Now I see what's at stake, I'm realizing how selfish I am. I'm sorry."

"Shh," she whispered. "I love you. Just try and hold your breath as long as you can while Fox works on the computer system. He knows that system, he's been breaking into it once a week for months, now."

The black gas coming through the air vents became solid. It filled in the slats in the grating. The black cloud moved over the ceiling until it covered all the air vents on all sides of the room.

Fox sat down against the computer console, interfacing directly with his ability. He closed his eyes and held his breath to conserve oxygen. The display screen changed, going through subroutines and changing lines of code in the system.

The black cloud on the ceiling opened up, creating a square hole over a register directly above the center of the room.

A loud blower roared to life. The gas lifted up to the ceiling, and vented out.

Conner looked up over his mother's shoulder. He saw evanescence from the cold being lifted away from the tubes, sucked into the vent at the center of the black ceiling.

Fox thumped his head back against the side of the computer console. "I don't understand. We should have been completely out by now. The system was pumping that stuff in at a high concentration."

Topaz looked up at the vent above her head. The black cloud was still on the ceiling. But it wasn't going into the return register. Instead, it was guiding the gas from the wall vents, and directing it to the blower in the ceiling.

Conner looked up but was abruptly pulled back into his mother's shoulder.

"Wait," she said, muffled through the wet fabric of her shirt still over her mouth.

Fox looked up. "Is ... is that Eric?"

"Vincent and Falcon both said he was dead."

"Justus," Fox concluded. "It has to be Justus."

"Was that is name?" Topaz asked, keeping her eyes on the black layer that hovered several inches from the ceiling.

After another moment, the loud humming of the blower became noticeably softer.

Fox sniffed at the air. "I think it's gone. The computer seems to think the air is safe."

The blast doors rumbled open automatically. Rufus spilled inward, with bloody fingertips. He stumbled and quickly regained his balance. "What happened?!"

Charlie came in behind Rufus, looking around the area. He sniffed at the air. "The monitor on the wall said this room was a contamination hazard. We thought the three of you died." Charlie paused, sensing Topaz's thoughts. "Oh. Falcon wants to keep your baby alive."

Rufus looked around the area. He turned to Paz and Conner sitting together on the floor. "Is you preggers, Topaz?" He approached Fox and helped Parker to his feet. Rufus hugged the man. "I'm glad you three a'ite. Good to see you after so damn long."

Topaz got to her feet. She clenched her shirt in her fist, wringing out the water. "Rufus, good to see you. For the record, I_hate_ the terms 'preggers' along with Prego and all these other cutesy terms. Not sure why, but those words irks the shit out of me."

"That's a'right. I'm more of a Ragu man, anyhow."

"Uh-huh. I'm knocked up. But I'm only first trimester. So I don't want anyone to act like I'm handicapped, is that understood?" Paz looked around the room; no one argued.

Conner stood up and wrung out his shirt. "Rufus, come here. Quick, look."

Rufus approached Topaz. They shared a hug. Rue turned to Conner. "What is it?"

"Look." Conner gestured to Collobulous inside the stasis tube.

"Holy hell. He ain't aged a day. He's alive in there?" Rufus used his padded paws to wipe more of the tube, uncovering Collobulous' form from the shoulders up.

"I don't see any injuries." Conner turned to his parents. "We'll need clothes for everyone. Towels, blankets, and something they can wear."

Topaz sighed in an attempt to relax her still-pounding heart. She turned to her brother.

Fox offered an explanation to the group. "Temperatures that cold often cause many fabrics to disintegrate. It could also freeze to the skin if they're revived, so Falcon strips them before stasis, now."

Topaz pushed her palms against her eyes and cleared her throat. "Okay. I'll find some clothing." Topaz spoke with a voice of authority. "Hunker down and hold this location."

Silence.

She licked her lips, not wanting to come off as bossy, especially after not seeing everyone in so long. In a gentler tone, she said, "Everyone stay here until I get back."

Charlie held his hand out. "Let me accompany you. I am telepathic. We can avoid the soldiers by taking empty allies."

Fox turned to face Charlie. He approached the man and offered a hand. "That's my sister. You bring her back safe." Fox paused, and then added, "Fox Parker."

"Charles Foster. I am here searching for my brother, Johann. I will ensure she returns safely."

Fox and Charlie shook hands. Fox grinned. "Johann is here. He's safe. He's still twenty-years-old, and he was very worried about you, twenty-six years ago. He thought you might have been captured and brought down here. He'll be happy to see you."

Charlie replied with a smile. "I am glad." He turned to Topaz and said, "We should hurry."

"Good idea." Topaz nodded to the group. "Everyone stay put. Don't die." She looked up at the ceiling. The black cloud was still hovering overhead. "If that's you, Justus ... thank you."

"I sense a presence nearby, but I do not know if that is a person," said Charles. "I cannot currently interface with the presence I sense. Come, Topaz." Charlie guided Topaz from the room.

Rufus looked up. "Justus? You guys think that's Justus Loupe? He was with Natalia and her group."

"He's alive?" Fox asked. "For sure?"

"Yeah. He's part of their little club - the supernatural think tank looking to figure out all this mess and make sense of it. That cain't be Justus. He's staying in Syracuse to protect Peter 'n Natalia."

The black cloud filtered to the ground and gathered together. It amassed into the shadowy figure of a person. The shade patch became solid and took on features.

Eric Loupe, husband of Karla, stood in the room. "My daughter is here, but my son is_not_."

Conner tilted his head, staring at Eric. "You're ... dead."

"Rumors of my demise were greatly ... exaggerated." Eric turned to Rufus and clenched his left hand.

Rue's shadow reached up and struck the werewolf in the jaw.

"I told you in Seattle not to touch her again. Did I fucking stutter?"

Rufus stumbled back and brought a paw to his maw. "You made yerself clear. And I got stupid. We gonna rumble here in front of all our friends 'n God?"

Eric sneered. "God doesn't exist. Haven't you figured that out by now? The heavens are made up of useless deities that cause nothing but problems."

"Eric..."

"No, Rufus. I asked you not to sleep with Karla anymore. You almost_made it. I was _just starting to trust you again, Rufus. She's a succubus, but you ... you have no excuse. You could have said no."

Rue sighed with a nod. "Look, let's not..."

"No,let's. You promised you would leave her alone. You said you were in love with this other girl. Do you even know what love is, Rufus? Why cheat on this other woman?"

Rufus' ears laid flat. "She died. I was stupid wit' grief. I couldn't process my feelings, a'ite? I know that ain't an excuse. I felt stupid as shit after waking up by yer wife. I was drunk and stupid, and Ulfey was all I could think about."

Eric approached Rufus. He took Rue's left paw and guided it towards the lighting that illuminated one of the stasis pods.

Eric looked at Rufus' broken claws. "You seriously tried to open the blast doors with your paws to save them?"

"Charlie said he sensed their panic," said Rue. "He said Topaz and Conner feared for their lives. The monitor on the wall said the room was contaminated."

Eric narrowed his eyes. "I covered the vents and guided the gas into the return register. It bought Fox the time he needed to flush the room."

"Thank you," Conner said from behind. He put himself between Rufus and Eric. "You saved my life, and you saved my mother's life. But, with all due respect, you have no right to be upset with Rufus."

"Oh?" Eric tilted his head. "Is that so? Well, young man, you have no right to be upset with your sister, yet you showered your misguided anger towards her more so than Kalen."

Conner grimaced. "You're right. I confessed that to my mother."

"Yes," Eric replied with a nod, "and that was the most grownup thing I've heard you say since I started watching over my wife and her allies."

Conner swallowed. "How ... much do you know?"

"I know I wasn't in time to stop her from taking advantage of you while you were asleep."

"That was Tamamo. Karla was possessed by Tamamo, so it wasn't her fault."

Eric remained stoic. He sighed through his nose. After a moment, he asked, "Why are you standing between Rufus and myself? I can easily go right around you if I wished to make my argument into a physical one."

"Because you have no right to be upset about whatever they did," Conner said.

"I have every right," Eric retorted.

"Wrong!" Conner quipped. "She needed someone to hold her because you abandoned her."

Eric furrowed his brows.

"She was grieving," said Conner in a stern tone. "You were alive all this time, and you just let her mourn. You've seen her argue with me right? Just imagine how nasty she's going to be to you when she finds out you've been alive all this time and you didn't show your face."

Eric narrowed his gaze. Without a word, he became a tenebrous shadow again. The black patch dripped upwards, onto the ceiling. He disappeared in the return register.

Rue shook his head and gave Conner a firm slap on the chest.

Conner grunted, feeling dazed by the slap. "Christ," he wheezed. "Firm hand you've got there, werewolf."

Rue chuckled. "Thanks, kid. I can fight my own battles, but ... that was pretty entertaining to watch. Oh, and you're right - he should've been there for Karla."

Conner coughed several times and took a deep breath. "Thanks for not hitting me on the back."

"Ayup. After you fell on Reno's Chevelle, I figured your back prolly sore."

"Yeah. And now my chest, too. Thanks, buddy." Conner coughed again with a grimace. "Shirt is still wet."

"Ah," Rue grinned. "That's prolly why it stung, then." He grinned. "Taking a whack from a werewolf is manly shit, son. It'll put hair on yer chest." Rue patted his thickly-furred pelt and said, "See? Lookit. Can you imagine how manly I gotta be to grow this much chest hair?"

Conner scoffed with a secret smile and shook his head. "Yeah, I hear you."

Rue turned away and clapped his paws together. "Okay! Fox! Let's get these people outta these goddamn things!" The wolf motioned to the cryo-tubes. "I'm sure they'll be back wit' the clothes soon. At least, let's wake up Bull first."

Fox nodded and placed his palm on the computer console. "Okay. Let's wake him up." Parker looked down at the display. "It's going to take a while to thaw. I'll bring everyone out of cryogenic stasis now, and start the thawing process."

"A'ite," Rufus said. "If the girls ain't back by the time ever'one's thawed out, we'll wake up Bull first. But yeah, it's best we start ever'body thawing."

Conner shook his head. "Girls huh? I'm going to tell Charlie you called him a girl when he gets back."

Rufus cleared his throat. "Did I say that? Heh. You know what I mean. Charlie's a good guy. Decent fighter, too. I just ain't thinking right. I want my best friend back."

"I'm just messing with you," Conner said. "It's nice to have people you trust enough you can joke around with them."

Rue grinned. "Well I guess you got me back, then."

"You deserved it for slapping me on the chest."

"Yeah. That I did." Rue abruptly sat down on the floor and leaned against the cryogenic stasis tube, looking away from Bull. "Yeah, I jus' realized I was starin' at a naked black man. Even with liquid hydrogen shrinkage, I'm kinda' feeling inferior 'bout my package. Heh heh."

"Oh geeze." Conner walked back over to his father and the two started talking amongst themselves.

Rue sighed in relief, glad his accidental slip went ignored by Conner. Rufus' thoughts turned to Tamamo, hiding within Charles' body. He hated keeping the secret from Conner, but it was no better than keeping the secret about Eric from Karla.

Now that Eric announced to the group that they'd spoken to one another before, it was only a matter of time...

Rue sighed. He could only wonder how angry Karla would be once it got back to her that she'd been sleeping with a man who knew her husband was alive.

Rue thumped his head back against the cryo-tube and sighed again. "Me and my g'damn_furry drama_," he whispered to himself.

X

X

Elsewhere in the city...

Karla charged the line of infantry. Their bullets veered away from her. She ran up a non-existent staircase, levitating her every footfall higher than the last.

The succubus kicked her leg out with the full force of her telekinetic power.

Her body flashed carnation beneath the skin. Her foot collided with the first in a group of soldiers. The energy released created a sonic boom that launched the group of attackers back.

Karla landed on all fours. She got to her feet and smoothed her skirt with one hand, adjusting strands of her hair with her other.

Seven soldiers fell from the sky and crashed down in various sections of a park across the street.

Sinopa came from behind. "Showy, Karla-san. Now move."

"Where'd Heimdallr, Sekhmet and her boy toy go?"

"He is far too old to be a 'boy toy,'" Sinopa said with a slight grin. "You are enjoying this, aren't you?"

Karla turned to Sinopa and smiled brightly. "A contraction! Look at you! Just like in the old days!"

"You're deflecting your emotions, Karla."

"What? I'm out here kicking asses!"

"You are hyper because it distracts you from worrying. We will find them, and all will be well." Sinopa smiled. "I had a dream."

Karla wrapped her arms around Sinopa and hugged her. "God that's what I needed to hear."

Sinopa stood still. She reluctantly put an arm around Karla's midsection and returned the hug. "We are in battle. Now is not the time or place."

"Any time, any place is good for hugs when you're worried about your kids. I didn't have Kuda here and I needed a dose of 'foxytocin,' Red."

Sinopa nodded and kissed the side of Karla's face. "You are quite right regarding our children. Do you think Conner found mine?"

Karla grinned, relinquished the hug and nodded. "Gut feeling. Come on. Let's go beat up these assholes. They're starting to fall back."

Sinopa and Karla came out of the alley. They turned right and walked down the center of an empty street.

Sinopa withdrew her katana and held it aloft. "What is our plan, Karla? You wanted to fight - we are fighting."

Karla nodded. "We push them until they fall back."

"To where?"

"The stupid Underground City below us. We make them fall back and protect Falcon's prized sandbox. With them focused on the dig site, we'll lock down their ability to return to New Atlantis. That will give us time to rest and prepare."

"How do you propose we lock down one city from the other?"

Karla shrugged. "We figure it out with the twins' help. We make it so they can't come back until we have evacuated this dome. Then we use this place as a staging area. We rest, we recuperate, and we do whatever it takes to finish this once and for all."

Sinopa nodded in understanding. "It is an honor to fight at your side. I wish to apologize for the way I have ... I've spoken to you at times in the past. I was worried if I did not keep you focused, we would never make our way here."

Karla replied with a thin smile. "You kept me honest and focused. But, Sinopa, you only set one rule and I broke it."

"You did not sleep with my grandson. You honored your promise."

"I did? I don't see how you can think that."

Sinopa shook her head. "Tamamo and I had words. And we will have more words when the time comes. We will remain civil for now, so that we may work together in this time of..."

"Fuck her," Karla erupted. "We're doing just fine down here without her."

"She feels horrible, Karla. I assure you she is not proud of herself."

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Karla grinned at Sinopa. "I forgive Tamamo."

Sinopa blinked, surprised by Karla's two very different back-to-back announcements. "You ... forgive her?"

"Yup. I realized we are quite capable without her. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that her knowing we are fine on our own is _totally_killing her. She wants to be apart of the group and make sure we're okay."

Sinopa tilted her head as the two walked together, hunting for soldier patrols. "She wishes to watch out for us so she feels useful."

"Exactly!" Karla said with a laugh. "She wants to be here instead of sitting around watching life happen from that hallway of portals she lives near. It's killing her to sit on the sidelines after finally having a taste of action."

Sinopa nodded. "True. She wishes to be apart of these events."

"I almost feel bad for her. Almost, but not really. It's probably killing her, heh."

"This is why you forgive her?"

"I forgive her for being an idiot. I'll forgive, but not forget. I'll never forget. I hold grudges."

"I don't understand," Sinopa said softly.

"I'd let her risk her neck but it would have to be by taking over the body of one of the bad guys. Also, she would have to apologize to me first. She would have to really, really do something _special_to prove to me that she feels bad about this."

"I do not understand your frame of mind on the matter, Karla-chan."

The succubus shrugged. "It's a lesson in taking responsibility. It's about learning how not to be emotionally stunted by what life has made her after four thousand years. Ugh, maybe I'm not wording things the right way."

"Simplify your intent, please."

Karla shrugged. "I'm trying to say ... she can't let her past be her excuse for acting like a dumbass."

"I will relay to her that you wish to..."

"No!" Karla said, hands up. "She needs to figure it out for herself. Else, she'll never learn."

"Ah. I see." Sinopa tensed and turned her sword about, carrying it by the handle upside down, so that the blade trailed out behind herself. "Come! Albert is fighting a group alone!"

Karla squinted. "Damn, you have good eyes - better than mine, and mine are good." Karla watched Sinopa float on a cushion of air, dashing up the street. "That's kind of badass the way you do that without telekinesis." Karla teleported herself and Sinopa further up the street.

Sinopa reappeared with Karla at her side, but with all of her momentum.

The kitsune darted towards the closest soldier. She brought the sword up, dicing through an energy weapon resembling an assault rifle.

Sinopa displaced the rest of her momentum by tackling the soldier to the ground. Inertia carried her off the man. She rolled back to her feet and dove forward, towards the next soldier, pouncing like a fox.

Karla levitated the downed soldier that Sinopa just knocked to the street. Karla held her hand out, steadying him. He floated in place, flailing about.

The succubus drew her foot back, amped up her body with a telekinetically protective shell, and punted the man.

He sailed into the distance, horribly disfigured from his broken spine. Karla brought her hand up over her eyes, watching until he disappeared in the distance. "And it's good! Karla Loupe sets a new field goal record well in excess of a hundred yards!"

The buttstock of a rifle struck Karla in the back of her head, but glanced off of her telekinetic shell. She turned around and glowered at the man.

He backed away two steps and aimed his weapon.

Karla clenched her forearm. The man teleported into the asphalt, only visible from the neck up. "It won't hurt for long." She drew her foot back.

The carnation-colored glyphs extended throughout her entire torso, down to her abdomen. She kicked the head from the street, launching it into the distance.

Blood puddled up rapidly, covering the street. It covered her shoe in a smear of gore. "God you people. Just fall back already and stop getting blood on my Payless shoes!" Karla exhaled and looked away. "There was a time when killing people felt good. What the hell is wrong with me, that I'm regretting a beheading?"

Jasper Cunningham came around the corner and grasped Karla from behind. He held her in his arms, burying his knee in her back.

Sinopa turned about and rushed back towards Karla and Jasper.

Cunningham shoved the barrel of his pistol into Karla's mouth from behind. "STOP!" He kept all of his weight on top of her. "You little fiery bitch - I remember you from 1999. But maybe you've noticed the succubus didn't teleport me."

Karla shouted to Sinopa, muffled over the gun, "Stay back!" she called, barely intelligible over the cold metal barrel against her tongue.

Jasper pushed his knee against the small of Karla's back. "What?" he chided, grinning up at Sinopa. "You didn't know your little blonde friend had an Achilles heel? She can't block her mouth or nose. That would be a neat trick, wouldn't it? She could walk through fire, acid, and water if she could. Oh, don't get me wrong, lady - Karla can make a bubble, but then she's limited to the oxygen in it. Either way, she can't stop the bullet if it goes down her throat."

"Teleport him!" Sinopa exclaimed.

"There's that," Jasper said. "But who is faster? She has to tense up to use her power. If she tenses, I pull the trigger."

Karla muttered in anger over the gun, "..Uck Oo, Ahs -ohe."

"What's that, kid? I couldn't quite understand you with your mouth full. You like that kind of shit, though, don't you? You like when guys put their gun in your mouth." Jasper looked back up at Sinopa. "Don't burn me or the gun - you'll make it fire. You want to risk it?"

Sinopa glowered in frustration. "What do you want?"

Jasper narrowed his gaze. His demeanor changed, becoming more business like. "Stop the attack. Karla goes into stasis because I don't trust her to give up. You get your people and pull out."

Karla spoke, annoyed and muffled over the gun barrel. "Kill him!" Her words were difficult to understand but the message was simple, and her tone made it obvious.

"Then we both die," Jasper said.

"Do it!" Karla exclaimed. "For the children!" she exclaimed. Her words came out sounding like something akin to, "Foh uh chi-win."

Sinopa lifted her sword. "She would die an honorable death as a warrior. You see, we promised one another never to back down in such an instance as this. I will honor my promise to her, to find and save her children. You cannot hold her hostage. Do you wish to surrender?"

"You don't take hostages," Jasper said. He closed the trigger hammer, then re-cocked it, as if to try and intimidate Sinopa into changing her mind. "And neither do I."

"Do it," Karla said. Her eyes glistened. She was ready. She knew Sinopa would take the man's head if he pulled the trigger. "Do it!" she screamed over the gun barrel. "Now!"

Sinopa's eyes widened. Karla furrowed her brows in confusion, watching the odd expression on Sinopa's face.

The kitsune lifted her head, serving to further confound the succubus.

Sinopa lowered her weapon and craned her neck.

Jasper looked up, following Sinopa's eyes. He murmured softly. "What the ... hell?"

Sinopa licked her lips. "Karla-san..." She lowered her voice while Jasper was distracted. "Prepare to teleport his weapon from his hand. Not yet. Be ready."

"Wha...?"

"What the fuck is that?!" Jasper shouted upward. "Whatever you are, stay the fuck back or I'll kill this bitch!" Jasper's voice changed dramatically, "No!"

"Now!" Sinopa exclaimed.

Karla tensed up. The gun teleported into Karla's hand. She felt Jasper's weight lifted from her back. Karla got to her feet and turned around.

Jasper flailed about, with shadows wrapped around all his limbs. Little by little, it began pulling him apart in four directions. His joints popped, and his clothing began to stretch and rip and the stitches. Jasper screamed at the top of his lungs in pain.

"Wait!" Karla shouted. The pulling stopped. Karla narrowed her eyes at Cunningham. "He's a super soldier. Ripping him apart won't kill him." She glared up at the man, suspended fifteen feet above her. "Jasper!"

He groaned from the pain of having his ball joints pulled from their sockets.

"Your daughter - that's Laura right? I'm starting to remember you from 1999. It was jumbled up for a while, but it's been coming back lately. Laura is your daughter, isn't she? Laura Báthory."

"She's a freak," he said, trying to bite back the pain in his tone.

"Not any more," Karla said. "She stabilized herself. She's a super soldier, just like you. Immune to radiation, fire - you name it. She's beautiful, intelligent, and she's dating Charlie Foster. She even ages normally, now."

"Wh - what?"

"I just wanted you to know," Karla held the gun up, pointing it at his suspended body. "You'll never get to apologize to her. You'll never get to see your legacy. You don't deserve it."

"Wait!" he shouted.

"Nope. Laura feels like you abandoned her. Oh, wait, that's because you did."

"I couldn't make amends because she was a creepy monster with a psycho child mind!"

Karla scoffed. "Not anymore! She grew out of it!"

"Wait, let me just talk to..."

Karla cut him off. "You don't deserve to try and make amends. I'll tell her we whooped your ass for her. Oh, and hey! You remember when you tried to rape me in South Africa on the floor in Patty's office?"

A shadowy tendril coiled around Jasper's throat, crushing his neck. Another wrapped around his waist.

"Wait!" Karla shouted. "He'll heal from that." She tensed her forearm. "But he won't come back from this." The gun disappeared.

It phased with Jasper's skull. Only a small part of the barrel appeared sticking from the bridge of Jasper's nose, between his eyes. His body went limp.

The shadow dissolved and Jasper fell fifteen feet to the ground with a thud.

Karla smiled up at the tar-like mass. "Thank you, Justus! I appreciate you saving my life!"

The shadow mass was strung to a nearby building and connected across the way to a lamppost. The patch of shade dripped to the pavement, taking the shape of a man.

Karla approached. "I wish Eric was alive, so I could tell him you're still..." her voice trailed off, seeing the man become solid.

His face formed, followed by the rest of his body and clothing.

Karla's eyes widened.

Eric placed his hands on Karla's shoulders. "Is it true? He attempted to force himself on you in 2023?"

Karla swallowed. She couldn't find words. She nodded and licked her lips. "Did ... the Parkers rescue you from stasis?"

Eric shook his head and lowered his gaze. "No."

"But..."

Eric gave her shoulders a gentle, tender squeeze. "I came from the cryostasis chambers. I had to reveal myself - I saved them from being gassed. Afterwards, I made a fool of myself by attacking Rufus about having sex with you, and Conner got between us. He defended you."

Karla stared at Eric in silence. She felt her mouth go dry and swallowed in an attempt to make the awkward sensation go away.

Eric lowered his head but kept his eyes up, making eye contact with his wife. "Say something, please."

"You knew about Rufus?"

"Yes."

"And it upset you?"

"Yes," he said.

"You should know I've been sleeping with Reno, as well."

"You both agreed it was just ... just 'friends with benefits.' There was no emotional attachment with Reno."

"That's debatable," she murmured, mostly to herself.

Eric continued. "But you caught feelings for Rufus all those years ago. Rufus just lost his mate. He still has feelings for you, and ... he's a dog. I just ... I cannot stomach it."

Karla pursed her lips, staring at her husband - the man she thought had died. "You could have stopped me from sleeping with Rufus by being my husband again. You could have showed up and staked your claim like a real man, instead of hiding in the shadows and watching."

"I complicate things," Eric confessed in a soft tone. "I do not work well with others. I am not a team player. I stayed away because I would have distracted you."

"Jesus," she whispered.

"I came to help from the shadows, where I belong. I am heartbroken that I hurt you. I am sorry you mourned my death. But I failed to protect our children, and I wanted to do my job as a father. I couldn't come crawling back until I proved myself as a father."

"Crawling back? Seriously?"

"I pushed you away. I made you want to be separated. So I began searching for our children because I wanted you to come back to me. Nothing happened the way it was supposed to, though."

Karla took a slow, deep breath so as to keep her emotions from getting the best of her. "And did you find our children?"

"Elvena is with the Parker family. They have begun the thawing process now. She is unharmed. I cannot understand why Falcon preserved her - she is a human, but I am grateful. Donovan, my uncle, is among the group, however our son is _not_among the group."

Karla took another deep breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth. She took two steps forward and gently drew Eric into a hug. "You said you would agree to marriage counseling the last time we spoke. Did you mean it?" She felt Eric's heart racing and tightened the hug.

"Yes, I meant it. I want to make this work, Karla. I have been a poor husband, and I feel as though I am not the person I wish to be. Perhaps I am emotionally broken because of my past."

"That's a mystery that needs to be left in the past, hon."

He shook his head. "Actually, I solved my past. I discovered who I am, and what I was before I met you."

Karla shook her head. "I don't care what you were like before we met, just so long as I made you happy - the marriage goes both ways."

"Actually, I had to figure it out. For two reasons - one, Falcon made me hand over my own son. I would never trust myself around our family unless I changed that."

She nodded in understanding. "And what's the second reason?"

He brought his hands up and cupped either side of her face. "I want to reprogram myself to be the man I want to be. For you, for us, for our children, but mostly for myself. I want to be a better person for me."

Karla felt ... pity. She couldn't understand why, but she pitied him. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Eric, the world has changed..."

"Karla, please. Please, I need you in my life. I learned that Sire gave the order. He paired us as a distraction, knowing I am emotionally broken. But after twenty-six years, and two children, I want this relationship."

"Shh, Eric..." She kissed the side of his face and whispered against his ear. "Do you remember what I wanted from you in March?"

"For me to be a partner in this, and to fight at your side."

Karla cupped either side of his head and nodded. "Yes, baby. I built a foundation and a family with you. I invested a quarter century of my life with you. It doesn't have to end."

"You still want me in your life?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"As I was saying, the world has changed. What I meant by that is ... there's no reason to hide what we are, now. I'm giving the house in Paris to Sinopa and her family. That way they can start over."

"And what of us?"

She replied with a gentle smile. "We can start over on the District Coast, away from people. We can be ourselves. You came back and you're fighting at my side. That's all I wanted - to be a team; a husband and wife."

"I betrayed you by staying away. I didn't see it until now, Karla. I was focused on trying to solve my problems and find our children."

"Shh. You're here now. We have our problems and we'll work through them if you're willing. Are you?"

"Yes."

She drew her head back, kissed his lips and trailed her thumbs over his high cheekbones. "I should smack the living shit out of you for letting me think you died."

"I wouldn't hold it against you, Karla."

She shrugged with a weak smile. "As Sinopa would say, it's not the time or place, babe." Her tone changed, along with the subject matter. "How did you survive it?" She bit her lower lip. "Falcon's suicide command, I mean."

"Same as before, the gun jammed. Justus stopped it. He wanted me to stop my search for my children and become the new Justiciar. I started to try the training, but I was too obsessed with you. He showed me you with Rufus, hoping I would break emotional ties. I nearly flew into a rage while it happened but Justus held me back."

"Jesus," Karla said with a sigh. "You were forced to watch because he thought it would make you fall out of love?"

"Yes. It was torture to watch."

Karla grimaced. "I am ... so sorry you went through that."

"At least you are not in love with Reno."

She scoffed with a half-laugh. "Well shit, babe, I'm certainly not in love with Rufus."

"You two are quite compatible. You look in one another's eyes when you have sex."

"Not the last two times," Karla said. "But what about Reno? Are you going to be flip with him, too?"

Eric shook his head. "I should probably tell you that Nichole Parker was preserved in stasis. Reno's Nichole. She appears to have been healed. There is a scar on her chest, above her bust, where she was once stabbed through the heart. The healing is advanced - it appears to be old scar tissue."

"Nichole didn't have an ability," Karla said offhandedly.

Eric nodded. "Like our daughter, I do not know why Falcon preserved her."

Karla offered a sad smile. "Reno'll be happy to hear she's been preserved. You know, you're not usually this talkative."

"Sorry."

"No," Karla said, cupping his cheeks again. "That's not what I meant. You're talking a lot, and you're talking quickly. You only do that when you're worried I'm upset with you. It's one of your tells."

"When we fought in March, I started closing down."

Karla nodded. "Yeah. I remember. All the times I expected you to show me your tell, you locked down. I thought we were over. That's why I said we should be separated. I thought maybe space and time would heal things between us."

"Has it?" The sincerity of his voice was endearing.

Karla kissed her husband. "Yes." She took him by his jaw and rubbed her thumb over his bottom lip. "But don't you ever fake your death again."

"Why are you forgiving me?"

"Because_I_ walked out on you. I wasn't there when you were attacked, Eric. I blame myself. It's my fault. And here you are, crawling back to me."

He brought his hand up, overtop of the one she had on his face.

Karla continued. "You later learned I was sleeping with others, and you still came back to me. I'm moved you love me this much."

"I do. I love you, Karla. I fucking love you. I thought it would be best to let you be free. I wasn't going to interfere. I only wanted to make sure our children were safe. But then I saw you when that man attacked you."

"I thought you were Justus."

"The Parkers made the same assumption. Until I showed myself," his tone lowered from embarrassment, "to argue with Rufus. It was childish."

Karla grinned. "Maybe, but it showed you are still obsessed with me."

"Obsessed," he murmured. "A side effect of Sire's programming."

Karla laughed and smooshed his cheeks with her palms. "Sire's programming wears off after a while. Yours didn't. I'd like to think it's because you caught _real_feelings for me. Thank you for attacking Jasper. Thank you for listening when I told you not to pull him apart. Thank you for remembering that you're still my husband after all we've been through."

Eric reached up and took her hands into his. "So ... you want to start over with me?"

"We're putting the past behind us, right?"

"Yes."

"You won't be nasty with Reno, or Conner, or Johann Foster, or Rufus, or Kalen, or Donovan Loupe, or Topaz Nevada, Rachel Razin or Lance Paterson?"

"Why would you bring up every one of their names? It doesn't matter anymore," Eric said. "Who cares who you've slept with? You're not sleeping with them anymore, right? So it doesn't matter, just so long as you're not upset with me about _my_betrayals."

Karla offered a weak smile with sad eyes. "Conner threw everyone's name at me recently. I was worried you might hold it against me, too."

"If we're starting over, will you be faithful to me, and only me?"

"Am I still allowed to 'play' with women every once in a while?"

"Will you be discrete?" Eric placed his hands on her shoulders. "At least until Donnie is an adult."

"I will. Tell you what, never the same girl twice. No emotional attachment."

"Would you be upset if I asked if it could be ... just us?"

Karla stepped back and rubbed her chin. "Are you going to make me feel desired like you used to?"

Eric nodded. "You always impressed me, Karla. A succubus that gave up her urges and remained steadfastly loyal for over two decades. Your willpower has always impressed me."

She feigned a smile. "I did it for love."

He nodded in understanding and embraced her again. "I'll let you have occasional female lovers. To deny you the right to feed is ... that's akin to not accepting you for who you are. I can't do that to you anymore."

Karla wrapped her arms around him. "This is what I've wanted from you for so long. Jesus, you had to practically die just to become a better man? You should have faked your death years ago," she said. Karla cringed, adding, "Sorry, babe. I'm ... I'm deflected by making jokes. I didn't mean that."

"It's fine," Eric said, resting his chin on her head. They held one another in silence.

Neither spoke.

Sinopa approached the couple. The kitsune cleared her throat and sheathed her sword. "I've searched the area. I cannot find Albert."

Karla looked back at Sinopa with a teary-eyed smile.

Sinopa immediately felt bad for breaking the mood of their reunion. "I do not know if they captured Albert or if he escaped when we intervened." She bowed somewhat to Eric. "Konichiwa, Eric-san. I am pleased to see you are alive."

Eric gazed over Karla's head at the kitsune. "I've always had an incredible amount of respect for you, Mrs. Guillot. I am deeply sorry for your loss. Jules was a good man, and someone I looked up to."

Karla whispered to Eric, "If you treat me the way Jules treated her, I will make you a very, very happy man, Eric Loupe. I mean it."

Eric coughed and abruptly cleared his throat. "I saw the lion creature escape the area. He was chasing someone - an unarmed man with a duffle bag. The soldiers were trying to stop the lion. When you intervened, the were-lion continued after the unarmed man with the duffle."

Karla reached up and ran her fingers through Eric's hair. "So you're going to stay with me this time? You're going to help?"

"What is your plan?"

She tucked locks of canary blond behind her ears. "We push Falcon's military and police force until they fall back to this fabled 'Lost City' bullshit beneath the seabed."

"It exists," Eric said. "There are several ways down, but only one reliable way up. There is a highly concentrated electromagnetic field in the crust. You will not be able to teleport to the city from here. It did not have an affect on Reno Nevada, however."

Karla looked up at her husband. "Reno went down there?"

"He witnessed Falcon going to the city below us. Vincent caught Reno and they spoke. They went down to the lower city together." Eric paused briefly. "I believe those two are the only ones capable of destroying Falcon."

Karla nodded firmly. "Let's finish fighting these PMC bastards up here. I want to clear this place. We can take over and relax."

"Alright." Eric reached for Karla's hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. "Perhaps we should start by finding your lion friend."

"He's not a friend," Karla said. "He's a drunk with a big mouth. But he's Sekhmet's play thing, so ... whatever."

"What's the end-game plan?" Eric asked.

Karla began walking with her husband. "James, Evan and Kalen are going after the artifacts. If anyone can break into Falcon's vaults, it's a master thief and a guy who can turn stuff to glass, and then into sand."

"And then?"

"James and Albert will take some of that crap back to the surface. Kalen, Sekhmet, and a few others will help sweep this city and prepare it for destruction. The rest of us will go down below and finish this shit. We're going to raise hell, then destroy that place."

"Destroy it?" asked Eric.

"Hell yes," Karla said proudly. "You really want Steven and Lance down here? Steven did all this shit with Falcon to get his hands on Conner. That kid is some sort of key to something that was previously inaccessible. The only reason he turned on Falcon is because he was manipulated into thinking Falcon killed Lance. I say we destroy the place, and then we tell those two that it was a casualty of war."

Sinopa nodded. "They lived this long without whatever they seek beneath the Atlantic. The gods fear the fabled technology of the First Age humans. These people invented the supernaturals and used your kind as soldiers against deities."

"I am afraid I really don't understand," said Eric.

Sinopa frowned. "The gods were created by the meek humans living in squalor around the globe. The technological achievements of the First Age humans overpowered the gods of the meek."

"So, your kind was created by humanity to protect the people?"

"Hai. However, we were suppressed by Steven's people."

Karla grimaced. "With all due respect, Red, some of the gods got kind of childish. They were starting wars, having sex with minors, and carrying on like idiots."

"Hai," Sinopa said with a sigh. "Many deities are dramatic because they were created by dramatizations of story tellers. It is a dramatic race that gave us life."

Eric gave Karla's hand a squeeze. "If Steven's people found a way to basically fight gods, and the supernatural community, generations later, found a way to ban gods from Earth ... then imagine what Steven could do to humans, who can't fight back. I agree, Karla - we have to destroy the city. Question is ... how?"

"We find a way to flood it." Karla grinned. "Don't worry, you two. An opportunity will present itself."

Sinopa nodded. "Let us find the others. I am pleased you two have been reunited." She fell in step with them. "I imagine Sekhmet and Heimdallr are enjoying themselves."

Karla grinned. "Yeah. They probably love this. But I can't help but wonder how James, Evan and Kalen are doing. They have a really important job."