Hey there! How have you been? :)

You know, normally I only publish something when I have all the chapters more or less sketched, so that I won't make you wait for too long. But I had started this one for such a long time that I thought it was time to finally finish and post it. Next chapters are still only in my mind and soon I'll have to work more intensely for my master thesis, so they will take very long… Although, since the end of this chapter isn't really a cliffhanger and it kinda gives some closure to the episode, I decided to post it anyway. I hope you don't mind the wait… much.

As I told you before, I'm addressing second season now. This story will cover the events that preceded Zhalia's infiltration in the Blood Spiral, from the end of episode 4 until episode 9, when she leaves. I would like you to assume that "Painful Choice" and "Paradise" actually happened, which means, my dear friends, that Dante and Zhalia are *together* since the very end of season one. Also, keep in mind everything that Zhalia's been through regarding Klaus' matter, since it'll be brought up here. So, yeah, sad stuff. I'll keep on adding the emotional part I feel it's missing in these episodes, which are so full of tension and uneasiness, particularly for Zhante… Again, there'll be angst, drama and, of course, the reassuring part ;)

I'll write in first person as well, but for now I'm just using a lot of free indirect speech, so you'll still be able to get both Dante and Zhalia's thoughts and feelings :)

And, again, I want to thank this wonderful fandom, for your kindness and support!

Here you have the first chapter, which takes place in the end of episode 4, "Knight of the Willblade". I hope you enjoy this story and feel free to give me your feedback. Constructive criticisms and suggestions are very welcome!

Lots of love,

Lil

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Huntik: Secrets and Seekers, nor its characters and scenarios. It all belongs to its original creators.

Dante's house, Venice, Italy

3rd person's POV

It was late at night when the Huntik team finally returned from the mission in Avalon. The kids had gone back to Sophie's house, leaving Dante and Zhalia finally alone in their house. The appearance of the red comet was worrying the whole team. They knew something was changing in the seekers' world but no one could tell what it was. They only knew it wasn't good. It wasn't good at all. Though there was yet another thing bothering one of them as well…

Zhalia was leaning at the window of her and Dante's room. She vaguely watched the rare people that were crossing the poorly illuminated street, while a recent and unpleasant memory was running through her mind.

Flashback

Same day, Avalon, Coast of Northern England

The Organization had finally caught up with the Huntik team, so Zhalia, Dante and LeBlanche stayed outside holding them off, while Lok, Sophie and Cherit headed for the Casterwill castle. The elder team members chose their targets; Dante went for Hoffman, Zhalia for Stack and LeBlanche for one of the suits.

Zhalia was punching Stack when suddenly some other suit jumped out of nowhere and pushed her right into Stack's hands. He tried to hit her with Thundercut, but she easily escaped, rolling away from the two men. As if the dirty trick wasn't enough, now she was outnumbered and needed back up. By the corner of her eye she saw Wilder standing nearby as well. So she summoned King Basilisk, one of her strongest titans and the best choice to handle the situation. Or at least that was what she thought. Unfortunately, though, that was exactly what the enemy wanted.

"Now, stone gaze!" she shouted and the purple light immediately started to emanate from the titan's eyes.

"Zhalia! NO!" she immediately heard a well-known, panicked voice from nearby. She soon understood the reason of Dante's scream as a mirror-like titan appeared in front of Wilder when he called its name, Divine Mirror Kagami. On instinct she covered her eyes. Titan or not, she knew very well what a mirror could do with the Basilisk's stone gaze.

After a while, when she finally dared to reopen her eyes, what she saw seemed like something out of her worst nightmares. As expected, King Basilisk had become a stone, but in front her stood Dante, and Caliban by his side, both also turned into statues. She couldn't believe it. Dante had stepped in front of her, to protect her, and she… She had turned him into stone!

"NO!" she screamed in horror and despair, as her hands went to her head. She couldn't even try and stop Wilder from entering the castle. In that terrible moment, time had stopped to her, as her eyes started to fill with tears and her mind with horrid thoughts and reminiscences from a certain mission in Romania...

End of Flashback

Zhalia shook her head trying to get rid of those memories, but in vain. Once again, her mind flew back to Romania. A year ago she had used the Basilisk to kill her own father and save Dante. And now she could have killed her beloved the exact same way. Wasn't King Basilisk the right titan to summon? And why did she have to hurt every single person she loved? First her team, then Klaus and now Dante… Did she really deserve to be happy?

Her eyes were starting to get wet, but she rubbed them quickly when she heard Dante's footsteps coming out of the bathroom. She didn't want him to see her like that. She didn't want him to worry or feel guilty. It wasn't his fault that the minimum thing could get to trigger all of her past issues.

"Zhaal?" Dante called from behind. He startled her a bit, but she rapidly recovered. He leaned beside her.

"Uh, what is it?" she asked, trying to sound cool.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing." she answered quickly. "Why are you asking me that?"

"You've been leaning in this window for quite some time..." Dante started. "Listen, I know that the appearance of this red eye has affected us all. But I sense there's something else. What else is bothering you, sweetheart?"

Dante always knew when she was worried or upset. It was simply incredible. She was starting to wonder if he could read minds or something. She gave him a surprised look, making him smile lightly.

"I just know you quite well, my love. And those beautiful yet sad eyes don't lie." he explained smiling. She smiled a bit, while mentally cursing herself. She should have known that Dante wouldn't be that easy to fool… "You're thinking about the mission, aren't you?" he asked then. She nodded slowly.

Dante knew she used to spend some time thinking about past missions. Especially when she doubted her actions or thought to have made a mistake; even though she rarely did. For this mission, he could recall two moments that eventually could have caused her to doubt herself, the Casterwills' trap and the thing with King Basilisk, so he decided to talk her out of whatever it was right away.

"Listen, Zhalia, if you're thinking that any of your actions may have harmed the mission, you should stop. Sometimes we need to risk being caught on a trap if we really want to know our enemy. We wouldn't have found the Casterwill cave without you. And if we didn't, I believe the Casterwills would have ambushed our spot, which could have been even worse given that LeBlanche was hurt. And about Kagami…" She trembled a bit at the titan's name. Dante noticed it. Now he knew exactly what was the moment she was overthinking. "King Basilisk was the right titan to summon, you know that. That's why the Organization was expecting it too. I was just lucky to see Kagami next to Wilder in the split second you were hitting Stack."

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly, giving her a reassuring smile.

In her mind, Zhalia sighed in relief, for Dante didn't get to the real reason why she was upset. Nonetheless, her heart was starting to fill with warmth, even though this time his reassurance had a different purpose. He always had this soothing effect on her and she couldn't help but smile in response. She almost wished he would actually get to the truth and comfort her from that. She really needed it, but still she wouldn't tell him. She knew he would feel guilty and he didn't deserve that. He was just trying to protect her. And maybe being a hero, but still…

"Thanks, Dante…" she simply whispered. Then she averted her eyes from him, staring back to the street below, and unconsciously bit her lower lip as she fought her inner desire to spill the truth. Slowly the horrible thoughts and memories were coming back to her mind, making her close her eyes firmly to avoid the tears, and shake her head almost unnoticeably.

Dante, however, still noticed all of that and knew exactly what those actions meant. There was something else…

"You weren't just doubting yourself, were you?" he asked, voice tinted with concern. Zhalia slightly shook her head in denial. She still didn't want to worry him, but now there was no way out. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide anything from him. So she told him the truth.

"Dante, it's just… I almost killed you today. That time in Vlad's castle I refused to kill you and killed my own father… And now I… I turned you into stone… Why? Why do I have to harm everyone who's ever loved me?"

She was totally crestfallen and her eyes were getting wet again. Dante didn't know what to say. He remembered everything she'd gone through during those times after Romania. Now it seemed Klaus' matter had finally stopped haunting her, but apparently there always had to be some damned event to bring it back… He should have seen this coming, though. The Basilisk's gaze was involved again and it would naturally bring it all up. A feeling of guilt started to invade him. He never thought it would affect her that much… So now it was his turn to doubt himself. This was his fault. Maybe he shouldn't have stepped in front of her... Maybe he shouldn't have protected her… But would he actually be able not to do that? Could he risk her being turned into stone? He shook his head at that thought and just pulled her into a hug while letting out a sigh.

"Darling, you didn't turn me into stone. Wilder did. You brought me back." he said after a while, before kissing her hair.

"But I wouldn't have done it without LeBlanche's help." she said pulling away slightly. "He used Newlife in King Basilisk's amulet. If he wasn't there… God, I don't even want to think about it… You stepped in front of me and when I opened my eyes and saw you petrified…" she couldn't finish the sentence as tears started to fall from her eyes. She tried but she couldn't hide them. "I'm sorry…" she muttered.

"It's alright, Zhaal, everything's alright. I'm here with you and always will be. Always." he said wiping the tears away and tightening her back to the hug. They stayed like that for a long while, with him rubbing her hair and back. That was enough for Zhalia to feel much better. Dante always knew exactly what she needed. His love was always the cure to her grieving heart.

"What if you were the one turned into stone?" he asked after that, trying to justify himself. His mind was now filled with guilt and worry. But he had to protect her, hadn't he? Had he made the right choice?

The question made Zhalia pull back and sit on the bed staring at him. Her eyes widened with the realization that in that case no one would be able to revert the spell.

"Right." Dante said, reading her mind. Then he sat next to her. "Listen, I didn't plan any of this. And I wasn't just trying to be a hero. I acted more on instinct, you know? All I knew was that I couldn't let that power hit you."

"But I was covering my eyes. You didn't need to step in front of me and take the spell. I thought I'd lose you forever!" she exclaimed trembling. Dante held her hand again, caressing it and kissing it gently.

"I know, I'm sorry." he said. "But what if you hadn't covered them on time? Then I would lose you forever. And in that case there would be no way out. No one would be able to bring you back. I just couldn't let that happen, I couldn't risk it…"

He shook his head. The seriousness and gravity of his words made Zhalia's eyes widen a bit and her expression changed. He just didn't want to lose her, just like her to him…

"Besides, LeBlanche was there and I knew you would manage to bring me back." he continued. "Look, I'm sorry I made you through it. You're probably right, maybe I didn't need to step in and could've spared you this pain…" He bowed his head.

Zhalia let out a small sigh. She knew he would feel guilty and there it was. Now it was her time to try and reassure him.

"Honey, it's alright." she said, caressing his hair and face gently. "None of this is your fault, you just didn't wanna lose me. And because of that today I almost lost you. I also don't want that to happen, Dante. I don't wanna help that happen…"

"Zhaal, you didn't. It was me who stepped in front of you. And no one could have imagined that Wilder would…" he started.

"I know." she interrupted. "Just don't do this again, ok?" she then pleaded. "Some of my past has come back to haunt me, but at least I have you to help me cope with it. I need it to stay that way. I'll be alright as long as I have you by my side. I know I can't ask you to stop, but… could you please just try not to get hurt when you think I need saving?"

Now Dante couldn't say anything, he had no words. He could just nod, with a wide smile on his lips. That girl who was so anguished and needed assurance ended up assuring him in the loveliest way possible. This was one of the reasons why he loved her so much.

"Is that a promise?" she asked with a small smile.

"It's a hard promise to make…" he answered after a while. "But I can at least try…"

"Well, good thing I don't need to be saved that often." she said, as as the small smile turned into a slight smirk. She knew that "at least try" would be the closest she was gonna get.

"I know, I know you can take care of yourself." he said returning the smirk. But soon his face became serious again. "But I need to ask you the same thing. Whether if you're saving me or not, please, just try to be safe."

"Alright, love; but only if you do that too." she answered. He nodded seriously. "But thanks for protecting me anyway. You're my angel." she then said smiling lightly, before kissing his cheek gently.

He smiled back, but the gentle kiss wasn't enough for him. He captured her lips in a passionate kiss, while holding her face in his hands. She returned it immediately, as her hands went to the back of his head. Without breaking the kiss, they laid on the bed and let the magic happen. All the sadness and concern was swept off their minds, as the clothes were swept off their bodies. No matter what happened, they would always have each other.

Well, that's it for now. I hope you guys liked it. I hope it makes sense and, again, that the ending wasn't too abrupt or sudden…

Like I said, it'll probably take some months until I get to update this, so I hope you'll still be around and don't get tired of waiting for me. See you around, guys! Be good :)