"Justin?" She said as she placed a hand on the side of his face. Justin sighed and shook his head. She smiled and quickly wrapped her arms around him. And he started to cry, and he wrapped his arms around her. There were no words said.

            Lynn slowly pulled back and looked at him and ran her fingers through his hair. Then she frowned. And she was trying to say something but no words would come to her mouth. But Justin knew what she was trying to say and he said.

"It's better if you don't know. But, I'm back now . . . Forever."

This Time . . .

            The next Morning, Josh awoke to an empty, cold bed. He rolled over, his hair disheveled, and his eyes frowning because of the sunlight.

"Lance?" He asked out loud.

"Yeah?" Lance answered back from the hall. Then came into the room. He didn't look as happy as he normally did.

"Just checking." Josh said as he lay back down on the bed, and closed his eyes.

"Josh, I think you should get up seeing that it's almost 10." Lance said as he sat down on the side of the bed. Josh yawned and than sat up.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Down at the pool. Why the hell we got that I have no idea." Lance said as he pulled the hair back from Josh’s ears.

"Because, Joey, and Chris wouldn't shut up about how we have this castle, and no pool." There was an uneasy feeling that came over Josh, one that he knew all to well. "What's wrong?" He asked as he turned around and faced Lance. He just shook his head on got of the bed.

"Lance, I know you. Something's bugging you what is it?"

Lance stopped just inches from the door. "Lynn came by last night after you had gone to bed."

"Oh." Was all Josh said.

"She and Justin are going out to have dinner, after everything here is over." Lance said.

"Well, I'm glad that he patched things up with her. Now, tell me what's really bugging you." Josh stood up from the bed, and grabbed a pair of sweats from the floor, and pulled them over his boxers, and then tied the strings.

"Why didn't you tell me you have all our powers? And why can't you tell me about the Prophecy!" Lance's voice was laced with anger. At the mere mention of the Prophecy Josh seemed to tense up.

"You know all my powers Lance. I just don't use them, because . . . Because I don't want everybody to think that I'm pulling that shit I did when we first started this. Why Chris left, Why Justin Left. I don't want to seem . . . better than everyone else."

Lance turned around and his neck stuck out.

"GOD DAMNIT! You are better than everyone else! Always have been! It's always been you and Justin that were the best! Best dancers, singers, fighters, everything!"

"Yeah, well times change! People Change!" Josh raised his voice but keeping his cool.

"What the hell does that mean!" Lance asked.

Josh just shrugged his shoulders, then smiled.

"Oh, no, that's not working this time." Lance said. Josh took a step forward and he continued to smile. His hair was messed up, but his body looked nice in the sweats. "Josh. I'm really pissed at you. Stop." Lance said trying to stay angry.

"Oh, Lance, you can't be pissed at me, cause I'm just so darn cute." And walked over and gave him a slow kiss. His hands started to roam down Lance's body. But Lance put his hands on Josh’s chest a pushed him away.

"The Prophecy."

Josh frowned and his eyes flashed lightly.

"You know I can't tell you." Josh said almost sad. "No matter how much I want to. No matter how much I want to change it. I can't."

Lance pushed him back more, and said,

"You know what? I'm so sick of this Chosen One shit! I thought you loved me!"

"I do!" Josh said shocked.

"Then why don't you tell me!" Lance screamed. Josh snapped and his anger flew through his body like a flood. It almost seemed like his blood was going to boil. The wind blew through the room. But Lance stood his ground. But, his fists were clenched. He was ready to defend himself.

"I don't tell you cause I don't want you to know what’s going to happen! I know every fucking thing that is going to happen! It has been burned into my head, AND everyday I wake up knowing what's going to happen! Knowing every scrape, cut, bruise, and word you’re going to say! AND I CAN'T STOP ANY OF IT! I know that right now, Justin and Joey are playing Mortal Kombat on the FUCKING VIRTUAL Nintendo, because they can't figure out how to work solitaire on CIDS! I know that Leo has been in love with Buffy since he met her! I know that last night, Sean and Sonia slept in the same bed so they could watch over each other in their Dreams, because they are so scared that they’re going to get killed! I know Chris is in the studio right now teaching his son to play the damn piano and I know that you are so scared of me that every night you think of leaving here. But you’re scared that I will come find you! And I know that in 12 hours, me and Justin are going to get into a fight. And I know that you are going to be the one caught in the crossfire! And I WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP IT! Do you know how that makes me feel every day of my life! Knowing that I can't protect you against Vampires, OR EVEN ME! Do you! So don't go asking about the Prophecy cause I don't want to even think about it! ALRIGHT!"  And Josh stormed out of the room. Leaving Lance with tears that didn't want to fall.

Josh grabbed a shirt out of the laundry room, and threw it on, and grabbed the keys to his car. A 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500, with Nitro’s boost and started down the main staircase.

"Hey! JC! Wait up!" Justin yelled as he lightly jogged towards Josh. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"I'm kinda busy right now Curly." Josh said as he turned for the front door of the Manor. Justin stopped dead at the door and frowned as he saw Josh get in to the car and drive off.

Then a soft yet very calm voice said.

"What's his problem?"

Justin turned around quickly and spotted Vanessa coming down the stairs, holding the spell book in her hands.

"I don't know. Where'd yah get that?" He asked as he pointed to the book.

"Oh, it was in the library. I thought it would be kinda fun to look through it and see how it differs from the craft I study. Perhaps you could help me?" She asked.

Justin got a slight smirk on his face. The one that used to drive girls crazy whenever he flashed it "What would you like to know." He asked folding his arms.

"Well for one thing, it’s in a language that I’ve never seen before, neither have any of my guides!" She said as she opened the book. "For example, Emta clodarta hemart . . ." but Justin quickly cut her off.

"Okay! That was fun. Let's find some spells that won't get us both killed shall we?" He said as he took the book away from her. "Let's go to the atrium. That is where I'm strongest." He said smiling, and walked through the door behind the main staircase. With her in tow, she was thinking with a smile on her face. When she walked into what was normally a very hot and slightly humid room, was now unusually cold. All the plants were dead, and brown. Ice still clung to some of the railings, and the fountain was still frozen solid.

"What happened in here?" Vanessa asked, shocked as she looked around.

"I don't know." Justin said curiously as he lifted up the bud of a dead rose.

As he lifted the rose, he closed his eyes, and the rose turned red again, and began to rise from its slumped position. Then a light started to cover his body and he lifted up into the air. Vanessa watched in amazement as Justin flew almost 8 feet up in the air, and began to spin around. The room filled with light, and all the plants started to come back to life. The smell of fresh flowers filled the air, and Justin slowly spun down to the ground, then stopped, shook his head and sighed.

"Well, that . . . Tiring." He said as he sat down on the now flowing fountain. Vanessa looked at him, her eyes wide. He looked up at her and smiled. "Most of my powers are based on nature. The most powerful Wizards are Nature Wizards. As far as I know. There are only 4 maybe five in the world. Others have to say spells, or conjure things. But, I . . . I don't have to." He said as he rubbed his eyes.

"That . . . Was . . . wow . . . unbelievable. I mean, I could make a flower come back to life while it was wilting, but never after it was dead, well, in that extreme anyway!" She said as she sat next to him. He handed her the book and said.

“Well that’s cause there’s a difference between our powers.”

“Oh, of course! I mean, you’re WAY more powerful than I could ever be! I know people who follow the Druidic paths, and I know people who practice Wizardry, but . . . you . . . All of you . . . you’re like THE most powerful people I’ve ever came in contact with! I haven’t even seen what any of the others can do, but judging just from you alone . . . It’s like, you don’t even have to work at it, it just comes natural to you!”

“Well, I don’t really follow the Druidic paths as a religion, I’ve read up on them, to sort of see where my powers derived from, but I guess that’s the main difference between us, you practice the Craft as a religion, and I practice as a sort of gift that was given to me to fulfill a job. This is my destiny. But hey, I didn’t become this good without practicing! It took me a little while to be able to learn how to do what I just did!”

“Yeah, but THAT, that was something more than I could ever do!”

“That’s cause our energy levels are different.”

”Of course . . . yours are at a much higher level than mine. I mean, I’m no normal witch, because I have the Dream Masters’ Syndrome, and that’s enabled me to work harder at my gifts, get in contact with teachers from the past, present, future, from this world and others.  But even as blessed as I am, as many things I can do, what you just did . . . just WOW!”

"Well, it's in there. You can learn how to do it, it won't be as extreme as I just did, but you can make a rose come back to life. But, let’s start with something simple, like changing the color." He opened the book, and it flipped to the page he needed. He raised an eyebrow, and smiled, he then reached behind him, and pulled a rose out from a bush and handed her it.

“HEY! What are you doing?!” She said as she saw him pluck the rose.

“Huh?” He said confused.

“You just killed it!”

“Huh?”

“The rose! Don’t you . . . you’re supposed to ask permission first!”

“Huh?”

“Nevermind . . .” She said getting up.

“Wait . . .”

”What?” She said turning around, slightly annoyed.

“You teach me about witchcraft, and I’ll teach you about wizardry!”

“Fine . . . for starters, if your powers are truly nature based, you need to respect all living life, plants included! If you’re gonna pluck a flower, you ask for its permission first, then if it complies, you take it. It may sound stupid, but it’s karma . . .”

"Alright . . . Fair enough, I apologize little flower . . . Now will you come and sit back down?”

“I guess . . .” She said putting her back to him.

“Okay . . .” He said as he sat the book down in front of her. Then crawled behind putting his legs on both sides of her. "Now hold the flower like this." He said as he placed both her hands in a cup shape and covered them with his.  She lightly smiled and leaned back into him a little bit. "Now close your eyes. And concentrate." She did and lightly licked her lips. "Now repeat what I say. Red as rose, blue as night, fold colors with wind and might. Colors that be, change at sight, make the reddest rose, blue as night." She repeated after every word he said. Her voice was soft and gentle as she said them.

"Look." Justin whispered in her ear.

She opened her eyes, and the rose was as red as it was before.

"What happened?" She asked calmly.

"You gotta focus harder, this takes complete concentration . . . you gotta see the rose turning blue in your mind." He said lightly. He placed his chin on her shoulder and his face brushed against hers. "Lets try it again." He placed his hands on top of hers. And closed his eyes, and she closed hers. "Red as rose, blue as night, fold colors with wind and might. Colors that be, change at sight," and with every word their lips got closer and closer, "Make the reddest rose . . . Blue as night." The last words were said in a whisper, and then their lips met ever so slightly. The rose fell from their hands, and landed on the ground, a flawless, deep blue color. Then lovingly, Justin placed his arm around her midsection, and she met his hand. She turned around, and was straddling him, as they kissed. Their lips never broke apart, and their minds weren't racing with any other thoughts but each other, time just seemed to stand still.

            She ran her hands through his curls lovingly, and so gently that he moaned in pleasure. Then she leaned back slightly, and pulled open her shirt. They went back to kissing, but it was more forceful, full of passion this time. She ran her hands up Justin’s back and the warmth of her hands moved to the small of it. She started to pull up his shirt, over his head. They broke, but only for an instant, before they resumed kissing. He reached behind her, and ran his fingers through her curly red hair, letting his hands trace her neckline and ultimately massaging her breasts through the fabric of her bra. Their breathing was heavy, and their bodies were pressed together tightly. Justin stood up, and laid her on the floor. They kept kissing as she started to undo the buttons on his jeans, and pulled them just slightly off him. She rubbed her hands down the shaft through the fabric of his boxer-briefs. He moaned as he explored her body with his hands, taking in the soft texture of her skin. Stopping just above her bellybutton, he got down on his knees and started to kiss his way back up her body. While caressing her left breast, he made his way back up to her lips and they kissed passionately. As he moved his lips down to her neck, she slid off her pants, leaving them both clad in their underwear. She rolled him over on his back and straddled the tent now bulging in his boxers. She pinned his wrists down to the floor, then ran her hands down his arms, to his chest and down his abs. Justin moaned in pleasure as he was seduced like never before. Vanessa started to gyrate her hips on top of Justin’s, causing them both to moan as the sensation of sex flowed through their bodies. As Vanessa continued to stroke back and forth on top of him, Justin felt an intense wave of pleasure flow through his body. Not wanting to rush into anything that could be more than just a fling, Justin grabbed Vanessa by the waist and gently rolled her onto her side. Both lying there, they just stared into each other’s eyes, not knowing where things would lead from there.

TBC . . .