Derek's hazel eyes narrowed as Jeroen van Dissen walked out of the thick, green overgrowth, weapon in hand. "My word, I never thought I'd see you two alive again," the young man snickered. His leering eyes concentrated on Alex. "And looking so fetching. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"What do you want? To finish the job?" the woman spat at him. Derek watched as she only paused at the noni tree before she moved to others nearby, pulling leaves as she gradually edged closer to him. The younger man motioned with his other hand.

"Maybe I should congratulate you both on managing to get out of your respective situations." He gave Derek a stony glare. "Especially you, Dr. Rayne. What does it take to kill you."

The precept clenched his jaw, and his left hand rubbed the side of his head. "Evidently more than you're capable of doing," he retorted, an icy edge in his voice.

Alex uttered a soft gasp as she took another step toward him, and Jeroen's eyes focused on her. "Don't move any further, you stupid bitch," he coldly warned, turning the gun on her. "I will happily shoot you." Derek saw her shudder as Jeroen's gaze dropped to her breasts. "Well, after I play with you first, stoephoer." He smiled widely, his tongue running along his upper teeth.

She flushed with anger and humiliation before Derek's eyes caught and held hers. She blinked away tears, stopping at the order in his eyes rather than the one in Jeroen's threat.

"I thought you were more interested in me," Derek said coolly. "I'm disappointed."

"Oh, I'll take care of you," he said softly, venom paramount in his voice. "Don't you worry." The young man drew back and trained the weapon on Derek. "Of course, I thought I had already," he said, his voice returning to normal. "Yet you're still alive." He smiled, but there was no emotion behind it. "Hoe heb je dat geflikt?"

"Duidelijk zich verknoeide u," the older man shrugged.

"Derek..." He heard the worry in Alex's voice, but the other man only laughed.

"I'm glad you survived, boerelul," the other man sneered, his voice low and menacing as he shoved the gun against Derek's chest. "Because now I'm going to have to come up with... een andere speciale manier om u te doden."

"Jeroen, no. Please!" Alex screamed as she started forward. The young man instinctively turned to her, and she stopped. "Don't hurt him..." she pleaded.

"Such a pity," the precept muttered as he stepped back at the same time his left arm shot up from his side, sending the gun flying into the bushes nearby. Jeroen automatically turned to the weapon, giving Derek the chance to quickly tear off Alex's sling. He was unable to do more before the younger man growled as he lunged for him. Derek caught a glimpse of Alex rushing to him as the two men fought. "The gun..." he panted at her. "Get the gun."

She hesitated a moment as he wrestled with Jeroen before she bent to search for it. Dammit, he was barely holding his own against the younger man. His energy was failing fast. Derek inhaled deeply, digging further within himself for the strength he needed to ignore the pain.

Out of the corner of his eye, the precept watched the young psychic stiffen as she picked up the .22 revolver. It bounced from her hands as if it would burn her, and the weapon fell into the deep underbrush in front of her. Derek knew he couldn't let Jeroen see Alex's vulnerable state while she was in the vision. He had to keep the other man's attention.

"What's the matter, oetlul?" the older man taunted. "Can't beat me?"

"Rotzak!" Jeroen screamed. "I'll kill you!"

The two men struggled, and the younger man soon pushed him to the damp undergrowth several feet away. Derek stumbled and fell backward, scuffling with Jeroen on top of him. The older man inhaled sharply as he caught an alarming indication of open sky through the low ferns. They were on the edge of a rocky cliff...

That sparked a rush of adrenaline, and he managed to roll them back into the clearing. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold Jeroen at bay much longer. His breath caught as Alex rushed to help. She slipped and tried to regain her balance, but her legs went out from under her. A surprised grunt escaped from her as she fell.

"Excuse me for a moment," Jeroen muttered as he punched the precept with a right hook. He fell, stunned, his headache growing worse. Alex charged at the young man as Derek struggled to get to his feet. Godverdomme! What was wrong with him? His legs wobbled, but they wouldn't hold him and he slumped to the ground. Derek watched in horror as the other man sidestepped Alex. Her momentum would carry her over the precipice...

Jeroen swung around and grabbed her arm. He twisted her back toward him, pushing her arm up behind her back. Alex gasped as he pulled her tight against him, but she fought his hold. "I'll be with you shortly, greppeldel," he murmured in her ear before he kissed her neck. With that Alex tried to kick out her legs, but the young man was expecting it. He whipped her around, then struck her with the back of his hand. As she collapsed, the man laughed and returned to him.

"Now, where was I?" A large smile appeared on the other man's face. "Once I get rid of you, I'm going to have a great deal of fun with Alex." Jeroen spoke as if he knew his victory was at hand. And why not? Pain radiated down Derek's arm as it began to go numb when he attempted to grab the other man's arms. Jeroen easily broke his hold, and his hands went around the older man's throat once more. The younger man leaned down, his breath hot against his ear. "Dit keer zult u gezet blijven wanneer ik u begraaf."

Derek fought to extricate him from his grip, but his strength was gone. He strained to take in air. Something was wrong; he couldn't breathe...

Darkness... couldn't catch his breath... Were his eyes open? Confusion. Couldn't move. He tried to feel the area around him. Dirt? Move fingers. Loosening. Wet. More like mud. Why? All over. Need to escape. Push... Get up... FIGHT!

He gasped as he broke the surface, coughing and spitting out the dirt in his mouth. Exhausted, his head and arm throbbing, he dragged himself out as much as he could before he collapsed.

Awareness of his surroundings returned, and he came out of it to once more hear Jeroen laughing. Derek moved his head and blinked his eyes to try to clear his vision. Alex? His eyes refused to focus, and the burning in his lungs and throat made it difficult for him to speak. What in the world...? She was running at them, a large coconut held over her head. Her face was contorted in shock and rage.

Jeroen's concentration was entirely on the dark young woman. Derek was certain that his arms were quite useless, but he was somewhat sure his legs still worked. He concentrated his energy, kicking out one leg and swinging the other back as hard as he could. Jeroen fell to the ground with a curse. A moment later, Alex swung the coconut down on the young man's head. He groaned and he fell to the side.

"There's another damn good use for fruit." Her worried face floated in his vision like a disembodied apparition. "Derek! Come on! We have to get out of here! Hurry!" Alex screamed. He shook his head trying to clear the fog.

"What..." His head ached and he tried to stand. Why was it so cold?

"We have to get down the mountain. Let's go, Derek," she urged as she grabbed her top. She held it in her hand as she put one arm around his waist and started to lead him away. He felt the apprehension pour from her. Another storm must be coming, he thought as mist gathered around the fallen young man.

"Jeroen... we can't leave him here, Alex. The gun..." Derek groaned in pain and exhaustion as he slipped back to the soft earth.

"Please, let's go... we can't handle Jeroen by ourselves. We have to get off the mountain, now!" Alex replied firmly as she squatted beside him. "The gun's in the brush somewhere. He won't get it."

"He's too dangerous..."

"Derek... I can't walk without your help... my leg... please help me!" She shook him and his eyes returned to her. He gazed at the stream of crimson flowing down the shapely dark limb. "We should treat that..." he replied as focused on her injury.

"We'll take care of it later," she grunted as she pulled Derek from the ground with a strength that surprised the precept. "We have to notify the cops and we both need medical attention. Let's just get the hell out of here!"

"We can't let him hurt anyone else," he said, looking at her. Alex's face swam before him as she dragged him away.

"You're barely able to stand. I'm... My leg is cut. We need to leave before he wakes up. Come on!" Perhaps she was right. If Jeroen came after them again, Derek doubted that the two of them would escape. Her fear was understandable.

"But still..." Derek looked back at the younger man and tilted his head. Something formless, something cloudy, was developing beyond the young Dutchman. It solidified, and the vague outline of a face formed within it. Was that...? He lost sight of it as they descended farther.

A short time later, a ghastly scream echoed around them and he felt Alex shudder. His confused eyes turned to hers, and he could see the uneasiness in them. "May they finally have peace," she whispered. She shook her head at his unspoken question. "Come on, let's get as far away as we can." Alex pressed them on.

They almost lost their footing several times with all the wet leaves and slippery rocks beneath their feet. The storm had blown heavily through the area, with branches, leaves and a variety of fruit that had been shaken from the trees. There were no signs of a trail, and he briefly wondered if they might stumble off another cliff.

They stopped a short time later after another near tumble. He tried to get Alex to talk as to why there was such a rush for them to descend, but she only insisted on them hurrying down the mountain. She had to be running on adrenaline, but his was now spent. He needed a longer rest break.

"Alex, I..." Derek staggered, his leg slipping out from under him on the damp earth. He fell, taking her down with him. They slid down the slope, coming to rest in a muddy puddle.

"Yuck." Alex stood and shook her hands of excess mud before wiping her face. "Good grief, what else is going to happen on this wonderful escapade we've having?"

Derek moved to a seated position in the mud. "I'm not sure I can get up. I'm feeling a little... strange, dizzy."

"Just a little bit more," she urged him. "I promise we'll rest, and maybe we can find some water." He merely nodded and she helped him stand.

They continued to falter their way along the wet soil and stones. The sun peeked through the trees, and Derek felt the mud drying against his bare skin. What a sight they must be. Alex's hair and face were streaked with mud. He thought it strange that she had not wanted to stop and clean up before this point. He was sure the scream they heard had been Jeroen. So why the haste?

They walked on in silence and eventually came to a small clearing. "Oh, look at that!" Before them was an array of wild flowers growing all around them. "Ooh," Alex groaned. "I think this is an excellent place to rest." She gently lowered him to the ground.

"Doesn't it smell wonderful?" She limped over to an evergreen tree with drooping, lime-colored flowers. "Oh my God, this is ylang-ylang." The young woman turned back to him wearing a delighted smile. She inhaled the familiar scent. "It's one of my favorite flowers."

"Look at these white ones." He leaned forward and indicated the flowers next to him. "These look like tiares. I didn't know that they grew wild out here."

She hobbled back and sat down next to him. "This is lovely," she sighed as she lay down among the flowers. "If this was a soft, warm bed, I'd think that I was in heaven."

He smiled as he followed her example. "This is a much better place to rest than the last one."

She giggled as her head turned to him. "True, but I think you were the one that chose it." Her hand went to her face. "I hope we can find another waterfall or stream. I must look like an absolute horror."

Derek propped himself up on his good arm and gazed down at her. "I think you look beautiful." He picked up one of the white flowers and placed it behind her left ear. Her eyes went wide for a moment before she smiled against his mouth as he kissed her.

She moaned against his lips several minutes later. "Is that a good moan or a bad one?" he teased her. She grinned at him, but he could see the pain in her eyes.

"Well, as much as I would love to spend the rest of this day kissing you, I think we'd better get going before all our strength is gone." She winked before she sat up and checked out her bleeding right limb.

"Alex, wait," he told her as he stood. "Will these leaves help clean up your leg as the others did my arm and head?" Derek gingerly walked over to a coconut tree and pulled off a large leaf. He squatted to her, and he saw her grimace as he gently wiped her leg.

"That feels a little better," she admitted. "Now let's see if we can find some sign of civilization."

Arm in arm, both to support each other and enjoy the closeness, they continued down the mountain.

End part 32

Dutch Translation:

stoephoer = bitch, slut
Hoe heb je dat geflikt? = How did you manage to do that?
Duidelijk zich verknoeide u = Obviously you fucked up
boerelul = asshole, tho not the literal translation
een andere speciale manier om u te doden = another special way to kill you
oetlul = bloody moron (longer, more colorful way of saying it)
rotzak = bastard
Godverdomme = God damn it
greppeldel = a slut, an "easy to get" girl
Dit keer zult u gezet blijven wanneer ik u begraaf. = This time you will stay put when I bury you.