I made us simple sandwiches for lunch. It almost surprised me that he would eat something so normal. Kumajiro was sitting at my feet. Or more accurately he was sitting against my legs and keeping a minimum of five feet between me and Gilbert.

He had not liked being left to sleep while we frolicked in the gardens.

"Where's Lili and Madeline?" I asked, leaning back in my chair once I had finished.

Gilbert paused, his mouth full of sandwich. What a slob. He tried to swallow, but nearly choked. After finally swallowing, he grinned apologetically. "I honestly don't know. I haven't seen her or the baby today. I know that Vash went on a mission for me late last night and isn't expected back for a month or two, but I don't remember where she went."

I frowned, "Where's that man? Roderick? Could he know where she is?" I asked, half standing already, pushing away from Kumajiro.

Gilbert closed his eyes for a moment, then grinned. "He's playing his piano in the music room. You know the one that you found me in yesterday?"

I nodded, already headed off.

The manor/castle was huge, and it took me a little bit of thinking and retracing until I found the piano room from yesterday. I found it soon enough though, what with the musical notes flowing through the corridors.

I opened the door and let myself in, stopping on the side of him so he wouldn't be too startled to see me there.

When he noticed me staring, he slowed his playing until he stopped, turning his attention to me. One of his elegant eyebrows was raised in question, and I suddenly felt nervous for no reason at all.

"Yes?" He asked, that one word in a fancy drawl.

"Have you seen Lili or the baby today?" I asked softly, highly aware of my voice in the deafening quiet after his beautiful music.

He nodded once, pointing at a small basket next to him on the piano bench. "Lili asked me to look after Madeline while she went to market to sell wares and buy things. She should be back at the end of the day." He told me, handing me the basket.

Inside was a sleeping Madeline. I balked at the idea of caring for her all day, almost shoving the basket back at him.

"Umm, that wasn't an invitation to hand me the baby! I don't know-" I was cut off by his stern look.

"It isn't that hard, just make sure Gilbert doesn't go screaming around her, otherwise she won't calm down until she's exhausted herself." He replied, going back to his playing before I could reply.

Numbly I took the basket from the room, an odd feeling sinking into my gut. For some reason, I felt as though something wasn't right.

I took the baby down to where Gilbert was still eating, and showed him the bundle. Gilbert pouted, aware of how he would have to behave for the rest of the day.

"Really? Roderick gave you the baby to take care of?" He asked, slumped against the counter.

"Yes, he thinks I can handle it…" I frowned, something feeling more and more wrong. "Gilbert… does it feel like something is wrong?"

At my words he tensed, head tilted as if listening. A dark frown slipped into place and he sat up completely. Without a word he began walking out of the room.

I followed after, worried.

…

I didn't have to wait long. Gilbert marched outside and threw back his head, letting out a great roar. The sound woke Madeline, and I had to quickly calm her down so Gilbert could hear the response.

Kumajiro was crouching next to me, glaring at the sky. "I don't like this." He murmured, shifting closer to my leg, hair on his back bristling.

"Something isn't right Matthew, get back inside, I'm going to try shadow jumping." Gilbert growled, almost dragging me back into the castle, his pale face twisted in such a manner that I labored to make sure that Madeline didn't see it.

I didn't know what shadow jumping was, but Kumajiro didn't want me near it, so he convinced me to try some of my own magic to find where Lili was, and see how she was doing at market.

I placed Madeline on the floor of the kitchen for Kuma to look after. While she bubbled and giggled, I grabbed a large bowl and filled it with cold water. I grabbed the two herbs needed for a scrying spell, and crushed them into a fine powder. Once that was done, I sprinkled them in, lending in my magic and concentrating on Lili.

An image began to appear in the water, and my whispering spell faltered at what it showed.

Lili was being dragged away by government officials. She was screaming, trying to get someone from the crowd to help her, but no one moved to help, instead running away, or staring. She was struggling, lashing out, but her body was still weak from giving birth. I couldn't hear anything going on, but I could tell she was crying out for Vash.

He had gone on a trip or something, and wouldn't be back for a while.

The government people threw her into the back of a police truck, and began to drive off, the spell following her inside the vehicle. She was sobbing, curling around herself. No one was in the back with her, but she didn't move more than the jostling of the truck.

Suddenly the connection broke off, and I went reeling backwards, falling back on my butt.

"Lili!" I cried, lunging for the empty expanse of water. Kumajiro was there, grabbing my biceps roughly.

"What did you see Matthew?" He growled, insistent.

"Lili was being dragged away by government officials! I have to see where she went!" I cried uselessly, trying to get back to the bowl. Why wouldn't he let me look again?

"If you do that Matthew, then they'll know you're watching, and move her to someplace else. Or worse." He told me, stopping my feeble struggles.

"I have to save her though!" I cried, turning to him for comfort. Footsteps came rushing into being, the sound deafening for a moment. I looked up from my place in Kumajiro's arms to see Gilbert stop a few feet away, his face concerned, but not overly so. He didn't yet know what had befallen Lili.

"Gilbert," I whispered, body lurching out of Kuma's grasp and into Gilbert's. He caught me, concern turning to worry. "They have her, the government- they have Lili! I saw it in my scrying bowl!" My hands shook as they grasped him, fear making the rest of my body tremble as well.

"What?" He seemed shocked, it wasn't at all what he had been expecting me to say. "They did what?" Gilbert demanded this time, gripping my arms and pulling me gently away from his body. "You saw government people taking her? Where did they go?"

"I don't know! The connection was severed, probably by a spell on the truck they threw her in, before I could see where they took her beyond the market she had been selling her food in." I explained, tears brimming my eyes. How could they do this to her? More importantly, why?

"Those bastards. I didn't think they would stoop to this." Gilbert growled. He seemed to know what was going on.

"Why? What did they stoop to?" I asked, biting my lip in worry.

"They're trying to draw me out. I'm guessing the current leader sees me having you now as a threat to his authority. If he draws me out before the curse is completely broken, then he is allowed to kill me, hunt me down, or even enter my manor grounds." Gilbert explained, turning away from me so he could begin to pace.

"I just didn't believe they would actually use Lili as bait…" He muttered, no longer paying any attention to me.

"You can't go after her Gilbert." I said firmly.

"Matthew is correct Master, I am afraid that Mistress Lili would not have it. Her baby would be put in danger if you were to do such a thing." Suddenly Roderick was there. "I know that I myself cannot go, as my physical body is bound to this palace, but you must not go either." His logic on the table, Roderick bowed his head and moved to begin cleaning up my scrying bowl.

"Oh? And since you can't go, and I can't go, and we can't reach Vash for anything when he's on a hunt, who then, do you recommend?" Gilbert snarled, at the phantom's throat in a manner of seconds.

"Me. I can turn invisible, I can get in, and grab her, and get out!" I exclaimed, stepping forward. Gilbert turned on me, the snarl twisting his face in a demonic way. I vanished for emphasis, walking around to his other side and beginning to help Roderick clean up.

"You are not going to leave this place!" Gilbert roared, red bleeding into the whites of his eyes.

"If it's to save Lili, you can't stop me. Gilbert," I paused, going back to him. He seemed to be struggling to stay in his human form, scales appearing and disappearing across his pale smooth skin. "I love you. I will come back, and I will bring Lili with me." I told him firmly, my form now visible.

"You don't understand Matthew, if they catch you, and they will, they will know who you are. They will know what you are to me, and with you as their bait, of course I will come to save you." He confessed. I could almost swear that I saw tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

"Oh Gilbert…" I murmured, gathering him in for a hug. "I'm sorry, I have to do this though. No one else can go get her. Maybe I can get help from the fairy?" I suggested, hoping it would be received well.

It was. Gilbert glared, but he nodded slowly after a few moments of my puppy face.

"Fine, go find him. But if he can't help, then you are not going."

I nodded firmly, convinced that he would be able to help.

…

"I am so sorry Matthew, but this is a little much even for me. There are a number of anti-spell barriers around where they are keeping her. Anything I could give you wouldn't work inside the compound." Arthur looked miserable, sitting in one of the top branches of his tree home.

I swung around and kicked a rock, yelling at nothing and everything. "But they're hurting her! Isn't there something you can do? Anything that might help at all?" I begged, sitting down hard on the ground.

Arthur looked pensive for a moment, leaning against his hands in thought. "Gilbert doesn't want you to go… but you are the only one able… Matthew, what if I made a double of you?" He asked suddenly, an intense look in his eyes.

"Umm… wouldn't he be able to tell that it wasn't me?" I asked, a little worried. The idea could work, but if it was found out before I got back…

"Don't worry, I would take a piece of your consciousness, and create an almost-physical body. You would however, have to leave Kumajiro here and not take him with you." Arthur explained, eyeing the polar bear sadly.

"I know, I wouldn't have been able to-"

"Excuse me, but when exactly did we decide that you would go alone Matthew?" Kumajiro interrupted, looking affronted.

I winced internally. "Well, I can't make you invisible, so I assumed it was a given…" I replied, focusing on the large white bear right next to me.

"How am I supposed to protect you, if I'm not with you?" He demanded, worry and anger melding together in his tone.

"If I do get caught, then you can send me back my magic, and then you'll be small again, you can break in, and get us both out as a last line of defense." I figured out, nodding along with myself.

Arthur was nodding too. "Kumajiro, I know that you're his familiar, you can appear anywhere he is without even having to walk there. No magical barriers can block that, it's impossible." He explained, almost pleading. "Please,"

Kumajiro glared. "I'll go along with it, but if I feel that Matthew is in serious trouble, then I will blow the whole thing." He growled, black eyes flashing angrily.

"Thank you Kuma, it really means a lot to me…" I murmured, hugging him close.

"Whatever… don't get yourself killed you idiot…" He grumbled, slouching away.

"When should we do this?" I asked, turning back to Arthur. "And how will I get out without Gilbert knowing?" I began pacing, going over a quick plan.

"I will shield you from his touch for that moment that you pass between, as well as their notice on the other side. As for the when and how, allow me to explain." Arthur answered, waving his hand. A glowing map of a low building I had never seen before appeared in the air.

"This is where they hold her. I cannot give you the exact location of where she is in the building, but this area," A corner of the building glowed faintly, "Has recently had many trucks coming and going, at the very least it should be a good place to get in."

I nodded, making a squishing motion with my fingertips and expanding the picture so it showed where it was in regards to my location. "Okay, so how am I supposed to get there? I can't fly in, they would see the broomstick since I wouldn't be able to keep it up for very long, and I don't know when they begin to see me. It would take too long to walk. I don't have a car-"

"I can teleport you just outside don't worry." Arthur interrupted, impatient.

I nodded once. "Got it, anything else I might need to know?" I asked, impatient as well. Gilbert could find me any moment and discover what I was planning.

"Now is not the time to do it, I will teleport you there during twilight. You'll feel only a warning tingle, so make sure that you're alone okay? I'm so sorry I can't do more…" He sighed, hands rubbing over his face.

I understood. "I know, this is more than I can ask for, thank you." I told him, bowing my head. "I should get back before Gilbert suspects anything. Not like he could do much about it anyway, but oh well." I shrugged, turning and leaving the fairy's home, Kumajiro following behind me.

A/N: Ugh just kill me already. I tried to have this out in time for Canada day, but that didn't happen. I know it's a shitty and short chapter, but I promise the action is just about to get started!

Y'all are seriously going to hate me though. Like seriously, you're going to finish reading this entire story, which has maybe three chapters left, and you're going to send me hate mail.

Anyway, thank you to my lovely reviewers, you inspire me to continue with my writing, and I appreciate all of you that take the time to leave me your thoughts about this story/chapter/life in general.

Thank you, please review!