Then she took NT's hand and they walked out of the building. Once they were outside, she said softly. "Do you want to go right back to Tampa now? Or do you think--well, I'd still like to show you that park I was talking about the other day."

NT looked at her watch. It wasn't supper time yet, and all she needed to do was quickly tell Ariel through the link where She and Donna were going next. NT did exactly that. Ariel said it was alright as long as they didn't stay away long.

"She says we can go as long as we go home soon." NT said to Donna, "But you gotta be careful, a park can be a very dangerous place even if it doesn't look it." NT warned. "I got kidnapped from a park last year, and when you were talking to Flan in there about wanting to die because of the torture, I can relate. And it all happened after a walk in a park. That was fine, but we noticed a pretty flower, and my friend picked it and let me smell it. And that's the last thing I remember before waking up in a cold dark place. Capri and the others got me out but I was pretty sick by then. Just, be careful."

Donna nodded. "I will." she managed a smile. "I just...I just wanted you to see it. And maybe we can come back another day when it's a bit earlier."

With that she took NT's hand and shifted them.

And they were in a wooded area, surrounded by trees of varying heights on three sides, the fourth was the edge of a lake. While the sun was low, it hadn't actually started getting dark yet, so things could still clearly be seen. Donna led NT over to some moss covered rocks near the bank and motioned for her to sit down.

"This's a national park, not one of those little city parks. And we're pretty far in--most people don't bother coming this far into it, aside from the rangers every now and again. I just found it by accident myself, one day I'd felt like walking and kept going. When I saw this place...it just..." she shrugged, not sure how to put into words. "It just seemed like a place I wanted to be, when I needed to be by myself for a while."

"You're right," NT said, "It's very peaceful here. Next time, I'll take Mia. It would be nice to sit here and hold her. And do you know how to skip rocks? Capri knows how but I just can't get the hang of it, and I've tried. But just throwing them into the water's fun too." NT smiled. She was starting to feel quite at home, this place reminded her of the safety of MC's World.

"Capri skipping rocks?" Donna repeated, surprised. "Somehow I can't picture her doing that. She always seems so..." she chuckled despite herself at the image, just for a moment, then sighed. "NT, don't get me wrong. She's one of your friends, and I'm sure she's nice, but she scares me. Not as much as *they* did but..."

NT nodded. "You're not the only one who's frightened by her. Miranda is, and boy oh boy, so is Tracy! Nathan should be, only he's too stupid to register the emotion. Capri's definitely somebody you don't want to mess with and she doesn't put up with nonsense, but it's really cute when she laughs and smiles. Sometimes she picks me up and spins me around and then she laughs right along with me. But lately Nathan has really put everybody including her in a terrible downer."

Donna looked at NT for a long moment. "Nathan puts everybody down." she sighed. "But Capri--I don't know, I just can't picture her laughing or smiling. Maybe I just don't know her well enough yet. I still see her growling at me like she did that first night.." she shifted into a mimicry of Capri's voice " `what th' 'ell is she doin' 'ere, she oughta be locked up with them other two'"

NT couldn't supress a giggle when Donna mimicked Capri, but she just sat quietly and listened as Donna needed to talk and she needed somebody to listen.

Shaking her head, Donna laid back against the grass and looked at their surroundings. "You know...it's just...getting to me how much I've missed this place. It's been so long since I've been here..." she took a deep breath. "The last day I was...I'd been trying to work up the nerve to tell Mom what was happening to me. That I could see into people, and--and ask her if she knew why. Because none of the kids I knew could do that, as far as I could tell. The searching stuff came a little later. But..." she took another deep breath. "I never got the chance. I got home--and the police and social workers were waiting for me. And it was only a few weeks later that I...I went to stay with Tompkins. And the only way I could come here after that was if he brought me, or Christine--and I didn't want to tell them about this place. It was like, the only thing left of me that they hadn't touched, if that makes sense. She paused and her eyes met NT's. "I'd close my eyes when things got really bad and try to imagine being here. Like if I couldn't be here physically I tried to feel like I was...it helped, a little, though it wasn't the same. But if I could think about this place I didn't have to think about what he--or she--were doing to me." She sighed, shook her head, then continued. "I'm just glad Ameh fixed things so I can come here now. Or go other places, too."

When Donna described how sometimes she needed to try getting to this place in her mind, NT remembered the feeling of her friend holding her, and how she had longed for that and for the warmth and comfort of Ariel's arms too when she had been taken hostage. She nodded sadly, but then began silently shedding tears when Donna said that she had tried to get to this place in her mind when Nathan and Christine did stuff to her. For a while, she just squeezed Donna's hand as the tears ran down her face.

When Donna was about to apologize for dumping this on her, NT put her finger to her lips and shook her head. "Don't be sorry," she choked out, "You can talk to me, I'm here to listen and I won't break." she reassured. "You and Ameh, and so many people've been through a heck of a lot, and sometimes friends cry for you. And you know, if I'd known about you an'--if there was some way of rewriting history, I'd have Nathan and Christine erased from the book so to speak...Well, or at least done something so you wouldn't've gone through that. But now this can be our special place, and I won't tell anyone about it until you say so."

Donna sniffled, brushed away some tears, then sat up and reached over to hug NT. "Thanks...thanks for coming along, and--and for everything." she managed a weak smile. "And sure, we can come back here anytime you want to. Maybe even, like you said, bring Mia. If you think she'll be okay near the water, I wouldn't want her falling in and getting hurt...or can possums swim?"

NT grinned. "Don't you worry about Mia near the water. She never leaves my hands when I have her out. I can't have her running loose all over the place even in the house, it would freak Ariel out too much. She likes small animals but she's scared of them when they run loose around her. Mia keeps still during the day anyway, and she just loves being snuggled, so she'll just stay put when I bring her along to this place."

Donna smiled, "Well if you're sure she'd be okay, then bring her. I do like holding her she's so...soft and cuddly and...well, you know." She took a deep breath. "It's just hard to believe anyone wants anything to do with me....that's what got me so upset this afternoon to where I just had to talk to somebody. And it did help. You're helping too." she managed a smile and gave NT another hug. "Thanks again just...for being here and putting up with me, it's going to take me a while to get through this. I'm still worried about Mom and what's going to happen when she hears about everything.

"Your mother will feel the way I did when I figured out that Nathan had done..that horrible stuff to Ariel. And it will make her want to kill him, and hate herself for being helpless to do anything about it. And I don't have any answers for dealing with that. All I know is how it feels." NT said.

Donna nodded. Trying to distract herself and NT, she decided to get the laptop out of her backpack and check the Telegraph for messages. There wasn't anything from Ariel, Ameh, or Capri, but there was one letter for Donna.

____________________________________________________

Donna,

Those fools who took you away from me do not understand you, not the way I do. They don't know what you are, or what you might someday be capable of, with the proper...guidance.

Your mother never told you who your father was, did she? No, it was not I....but it was a man whose magic was nearly, I say nearly, the equal of what I had before it was so rudely stripped away. Unfortunately even magic cannot always be proof against the cruel tricks fate can sometimes play, and he died when you were only a few months old.

Didn't it ever occur to you to wonder why Christine and I were so interested in your talents?

I know what is best for you, child. You have only to come to me--you can get past the wards that cursed Monroe and NT have set, you have the ability--and release me from this place. Then Christine and I will show you what power truly is.

There is so much more you could be with me, than against me.

Nathan Tompkins

____________________________________________________

"Damn him! Even locked up he's still...!" Donna cried.

NT started to shake, and Donna put a hand on her arm to reassure her.

"If he thinks I'm doing a damn thing for him again, he's crazier than I thought. Look at this..." Donna said, and began typing a message of her own. "You can see this."

NT was reluctant to look over someone's shoulder, but Donna was insistent.

____________________________________________________

Tompkins,

I'm never coming back to you, you got that?? I'm not yours and I never will be again!!

Yes I do want to know about my father, I do want to learn all I can about whatever magic I have. But it's *not* going to be from you, or Christine either.

You've ruined my life enough as it is, damn it!

I'm not letting you out of there, and I wish Capri didn't have to, but that's the only way you're going to trial, and I'll be there to see you rot!!

Donna

____________________________________________________

When Donna was finished, she sent off her message. NT clapped and cheered, then decided to send one herself.

____________________________________________________

Tompkins,

You're so full of crap it's coming out your mouth! You're forgetting that when it comes to power, you don't have it any more and you never will again! Besides, power's not all it's cracked up to be, it's sure not the most important thing in the world, especially when people like you go around abusing it.

Now, stop bullying Donna! You just back off or else! You've been warned!

NT!

____________________________________________________

After sending her message, NT's expression showed a hard, tormented look, and she got up and stole to the edge of the water. There, she picked up a large rock and threw it in with all her might, and then another. Turning back to Donna, she said, "C'mon, let's get some of this out of our systems before we explode."

Donna nodded. "I'm with you...so many times I'd want to just...break something in that house. Only I knew if I did he'd have Christine punish me again and I c-couldn't stand that." She grimaced and scooped up a rock of her own. "That's for you, Benson!" she cried as it hit the water. Picking up another one, "And that's for you Tompkins!"

The next several minutes were filled with similar cries from both girls and splashes as rocks hit the lake.

A short while later, NT turned to Donna. "Now, doesn't that feel a little bit better anyway?" she asked.

Donna nodded, turning back from the lake to sit down next to NT. "You're right...it does," she managed a smile.

NT went on. "And you know Shawn Catlin, right? Well, he and I were both there for a while with Ariel and Sarah when Nathan tried that vamping thing."

Donna nodded again. "I know who Shawn is. Though I never got to actually see him till the other night--Tompkins would never let me come to Tampa while he was pretending to be him."

"Well, Shawn and I took Tompkins's magic and then he made this Nathan Tompkins dart board. I should suggest or maybe make a Christine Benson one myself. Well, Shawn and I were shooting away at Nathan when Capri came in, and she took some shots. Wow, she's a sharp shooter too. And you know what she said? "Too bad that ain't the real thing I'm shootin at." or something to that effect. Hehe. I'm sure Ameh would feel the same way."

"I'm sure she would." Donna replied. "And maybe...do you think Shawn would mind if I...if I asked him about that dartboard? I'd like a turn or two at it myself. Did you say he...just made it?" She looked down at her hands. "I wonder if I could do that. Tompkins kept talking about how I'd be able to do so much more when I was older, and Pippi--you heard what she said about my father." She met NT's eyes. "If he was a mage, doesn't that mean I could be, too?"

"Well, I think you already are a mage, Donna, since you can do magic - that's what they call you when you can do magic but you're not a fairy. Now, as for Shawn, I'm sure he'd be more than glad to set up some dart boards for us and himself." NT smiled back.

Donna smiled back. "I'd like that. But..." she took a deep breath. "NT, I didn't even know I'd ever had any family besides my mom until yesterday. Remember for a few minutes there I was afraid Tompkins might've--hurt her the way he did Ariel." she shook her head. "Then Pippi and Ameh got back and told me that wasn't what happened. But all they gave me was his name...now, call me curious but I...I want to know as much as I can. It's like...the more I find out, the more I'll be *me* and not what Tompkins wanted me to be. You can understand that, can't you? Because I *won't* be that. I won't be used like that again."

"I guess if Ameh and Pippi found out anything else they probably can't talk about it yet. And I don't know any more about it than you do. Less, actually. I guess I'm opposite of you since I don't want to know any more about me - what I already know is too much and I kind of wish I didn't."

Donna nodded. "I'm not surprised. But I'd like to, to know more about you, if you don't mind that is. I know a lot already, but what I wanted to ask you is..." she took a deep breath. "Those friends of yours--the ones that're missing. I'm sure they'll be back...but I'd like to hear about them. Ariel told me a little, the other day when you were so upset..." she blushed, hoping she hadn't just said the wrong thing again. "We..don't have to talk about your friends if you don't want to...I just wondered if, when they come back--do you think they'd like me?" She was hoping mainly to reassure NT, she had no more idea what had happened to them than anyone else did.

NT shrugged. "I honestly can't think of anybody who wouldn't like you, Donna, except for the obvious two. and they don't count anyway. But you know Valyn was married to Mary Cecelia when I was born, and when Ariel was taken away - just faded away from me, Valyn and Mary Cecelia took me in because I'd tried but didn't exactly succeed at living on my own then. And I'd shown a lot of support to their other foster/adopted girl, Abby. She and I are still great friends. And then the other friend is a boy who was sent to MC's World along with me when some seriel killer was causing trouble and we needed to be sent away so he couldn't torment us any more. He and I've been great friends since then. I wish I knew how to give back to him everything he's given me. He took a liking to me when I didn't think I was even likable. I owe him and Ariel my life."

Donna reached over and took NT's hand. "NT...you've done so much for me just in these last couple of days, I just want to do something for you. And I can tell just by your voice they both mean a lot to you, even if you hadn't told me so much. I...I wish I could help you find them. I've tried but I don't get anything any more than you do." She took a deep breath. "But maybe--maybe it'd help if you thought about some of those happy times, and you could show me, too." Her eyes met NT's. "It's okay, isn't it? I won't if you don't want to let me."

"No, I don't want to just remember the happy times, I want them back. Thinking of them just isn't good enough." Nt replied. "But the only way I can comfort myself now is that my magic warning link hasn't done anything, and I can just hope that means nothing else's happened."

Donna bit her lip and turned away. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'd bring them both back here right now if I could. I just thought...but I guess I shouldn't've. If you don't want to let me see what you remember about them, that's up to you...I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so damn tired of hurting people!" she buried her face in her hands.

NT put her arms around Donna. "Listen, I know you'd bring them back if you could. So would I. As for looking into my memory, nobody can do that, even if I wanted them to. I'm magic immune, I can't even be healed by magic. But all the magic or immunity in the world's not going to do a thing for either of us now."

NT put a hand under Donna's chin and lifted it up to make eye contact. "I think you need a break from all this. You need to take time out from questioning, trying too hard, and hitting yourself over the head every time you think you've done something wrong. I know you were just trying to help, OK, but nothing will help the situation with them until I know they are really safe for a fact, and/or they come back safely. That's the cold, hard, truth of it. All you can do for me now is just be there as a friend, and I'm doing the same for you."

Donna hugged NT back, and tried not to let herself start crying again. She raised her head and looked out over the lake. The sun had now almost set, but oddly enough even the shadows, in this place, didn't frighten her."Th-thank you." was all she said aloud. Then she just sat quietly, hugging NT and letting NT hug her, watching the sky turn colors as the sun set.

For a while the two girls sat looking out over the water at the setting sun. *Setting* sun? Oh no. Suddenly NT looked at her watch. It was getting onto supper time if not past it! "Oh, shoot! I told Ariel we'd only be a little while! We gotta get back!" NT said, and before Donna had any time to respond, they were shifted, and found themselves back at home in Tampa.

Ariel was in the kitchen, and supper was waiting on the table.

"Sorry we're late!" NT said as she came breathlessly into the kitchen.

"A little late?" Ariel asked, "I thought you'd only be a little while, what happened?"

"Donna and I ended up talking about stuff and forgot the time. I'm sorry." NT replied.

"Yes, I was just about to call you through the link, NT. but I'm glad you're both back safe and sound. Now, come and eat before your dinner gets cold." Ariel smiled at Donna, seeing how timid she was. "It's alright, Donna, make yourself at home."

Just then, Ameh came up the steps, "wow, you sure stayed away longer than I thought you would." but noticing supper was ready, Ameh immediately took her place at the table, and Pippi wasn't far behind.

Ariel went up to what had been NT's bedroom and knocked, and Susan opened it.

"It's supper time, dear," Ariel said, and Susan followed her downstairs. Rebekah was already sitting at the table, she had been helping Ariel fix dinner.

The meal was a peaceful one, and once it was over, NT and Donna were excused along with Susan, and Rebekah and Ariel cleaned up the dishes, while Ameh and Pippi went over the trial business.