The morning of the sacrifice dawned bright and sunny. Eliot hoped it was a sign that Eve's plan would work. For it, they were depending on the help of ancient dead warriors who resided in antique wooden carvings. The idea seemed absurd, but there was no denying they might not succeed otherwise.

As Eliot turned from the window, he thought about his meeting with Strength. Even now, the memory made him uncomfortable. The experience had been one he wasn't quite willing to share, so he kept it inside, trying to come to terms with what had happened.

Eliot picked up the statue of the beast, refusing to be intimidated. Everything around him immediately got foggy and fuzzy, and he blinked his eyes to clear them. He blinked several times and, in between one breath and the next, his surroundings changed.

The room and his friends disappeared, leaving Eliot alone on a desolate landscape. Cracked earth, hungry for moisture, stretched as far as the eye could see. The only thing that interrupted its vast emptiness was a large lake. Its waters were red, and Eliot felt a twinge of shock when he realized it wasn't water. Water wasn't thick and clingy. It didn't smell like death. An air of sadness and despair joined the scent of death and decay, and a ball of tension settled in Eliot's chest.

The blood of the lake parted, and a beast appeared. It was as fierce and ugly as the statue that represented it, and its fur was dry and almost blindingly white.

Eliot felt himself falter at Beast's ferocity, but he refused to run.

"Eliot Spencer," it said, stalking forward and showing sharp teeth. The voice was harsh and rough but not unkind.

"This is one hell of a greeting,"Eliot told it, his tone almost as harsh.

"You see what you feel you deserve."

"What are you talking about?"

"Guilt and sadness. A lake of blood that will never dry or become clean again. This is a reflection of your soul."

Eliot swallowed at the grim starkness of it. Seeing himself this way made his stomach roll and bile come up his throat. He closed his eyes to block it out, hating himself and hating what he'd done to his soul.

He was surprised to feel a warm puff of air on his face. It took a moment to realize that it was Beast's breath. It should have smelled like rot, but instead it smelled like jasmine. The warmth and peace that the others spoke of wrapped around him.

"Open your eyes, Eliot."

Unwilling to be a coward, Eliot forced his reluctant lids to obey. He opened them and looked down at his feet. A little green stalk had struggled out of the baked earth, and a small leaf was fighting to uncurl. The stalk wasn't very tall, but it was healthy and vibrant.

Eliot stared at the plant, admiring its strength and determination to grow. It seemed like a long time before he could turn away to glance at the beast, questions in his eyes.

Beast didn't answer them. Instead, it spoke of magic and High Robes, and the Brotherhood. Eliot listened carefully, but, when he returned to the others, it was that little splash of green that he took back with him.

Every time he spoke to the Beast in his mind, he thought of the bleakness in his soul, but he also thought of the hope that had taken hold and started to grow. That was too private even to share with Jake.

Shaking his head, Eliot brought himself back to the present. It was early, so he left Ezekiel, Jake, and Hardison sleeping and went into the main room. Eve and Sophie were already there, sitting at the table quietly, still in their nightclothes, with big, white, fluffy robes over top.

Sophie smiled at him sleepily, and his heart ached briefly at how beautiful she was in the morning.

Eve said quietly, "They should be here soon, but I wanted to give the others just a little more sleep. It's going to be a big day."

He nodded, joining them at the table and taking a seat between them.

"This place would be more bearable with coffee."

"Coffee would be good."

"No one should have to go to their own sacrifice without coffee," Sophie added, looking down at where her arms were crossed on the table. There were slight lines at the corners of her eyes and dark circles underneath from the strength of her worry. Eliot wanted to touch her to give her support, but he hesitated. She was a toucher, but he wasn't really, and he didn't want it to be awkward.

"What time is it?" Parker came into the room yawning, already dressed for the day.

"Early." Sophie's smile was back, but Eliot thought it was a little strained at the edges.

"Do we get to eat?"

"You're better off to go to the kitchen," Eve told her. After a pause, she added, "We should probably wake up the others."

That took less time than it should have. Everyone was wound tight, and no one tried to linger in bed. After one last pep talk from Eve and Sophie, Hardison, Parker, Ezekiel, and Cassandra slipped out so they'd be gone when the Robes came.

After the younger four left, the rest of them were quiet. There wasn't much more to say. Sophie and Jake would have the most active roles in what was to come. If it all went to hell, Eliot and Eve would have to step in and act.

It wasn't much longer before eight people entered. Four of them were wearing their hoods up, and the other four—obviously servants—wore them down.

Eliot itched to fight them. He wanted to punch and punch and keep punching until there was no one left. Only the knowledge that this would screw up the plan kept him calm. Eve was scowling, and he knew this kind of compliance was probably almost as grating on her as it was on him.

"Come with us, please." This servant was a soft spoken woman who looked to still be in her teens. She had big, sad eyes and gaunt cheeks.

Eliot walked towards them, feeling tension in every part of his body. He said nothing and neither did Jake, Sophie, or Eve. Though it was impossible to tell whether the Robes were male of female, the servants were two of each. The teenager who'd spoken went to stand beside Sophie, but she didn't look into her face. Eliot's servant was chubby with a pleasant face. He nodded at Eliot solemnly, his face respectful.

When Eliot, Sophie, Jake, and Eve each had a servant shadow, the silent Robes surrounded them, and they were led to communal baths. The women went in one direction, Sophie catching Eliot's hand briefly as she was led away, and the men in another.

The room was of white marble, which wasn't a surprise. In the middle of the room was a rectangular pool. Steam came from it, and shelves along the sides held shampoo, soap, and scrubbing implements.

"Please disrobe," the servant assigned to him said, his voice as serious and respectful as his gaze.

Eliot glanced at Jake, who shrugged, before starting to remove his clothes. Both of them had played sports, so it wasn't the first time they'd been naked in front of other men.

The hot water stung as Eliot waded into it as far as his waist. Steam rose around him, and it clung to him like fingers. The servants didn't bother to remove their robes as they joined Jake and Eliot, and the garments floated around them like dark clouds.

Eliot's servant took some stuff from the ledge and approached him. He eyed the soap and the long handled brush warily. "Whatever you're planning to do with those, don't."

"We were instructed to scrub your bodies clean."

"If you try to scrub me, my fist will be the last thing you see until tomorrow."

The servant took a step back.

"You're not the right gender or nearly beautiful enough for me to let you wash me."

The servant glanced at the Robes watching them, and his face went pasty. Eliot took pity on him.

"Give me the brush and the soap, and I'll scrub myself. You can supervise, and I'll let you wash my hair."

The servant glanced at the Robes again and took a shaky breath when one of them nodded.

Eliot reached out and took the brush and soap from the servant's hand. He spent the next few minutes scrubbing himself until his skin felt raw. Jake had taken advantage of Eliot's rebellion and was also scrubbing himself. When the servant was finally satisfied that his body was clean enough, Eliot allowed his hair to be soaped and rinsed. The servant was especially vigorous when scrubbing his scalp, and Eliot wondered if it was to pay him back for being stubborn.

Finally, Eliot and Jake were led back out of the pool. After a glare from Eliot, his servant allowed him to dry himself and held out a robe made of smooth white silk.

"You want me to wear that?" he asked incredulously.

"It is required."

Eliot took it and looked it over critically. It was soft between his fingers, but it would only reach the middle of his thigh.

"It couldn't be just a little longer?" Jake complained. He already had on his robe, and he was tugging at the hem.

"It is the traditional dress," the other servant told him. "All sacrifices must wear these."

"It looks drafty," Eliot said, but slipped it on. He hoped a gust of air wouldn't come along and show the whole room his ass.

When they were led from the bathing chamber, four more Robes were waiting for them. These all had the extra embroidery of the High Robes, which meant they were the ones assigned to accompany the sacrifices to the ceremony. Eliot scowled at them and hoped Parker knew what she was doing.

It was a few minutes before the women came out of the next room. Eliot gaped at Eve. She was only two or three inches taller than he was, but that couple of inches made a big difference on such a short robe. Hers looked more like a long shirt, and it barely covered what it was meant to cover. Her extremely long and perfectly shaped bare legs looked like something out of his more erotic fantasies.

Jake elbowed him, and Eliot forced himself to look up into Eve's face. Sophie was looking petulant beside her and was wearing her robe as if it were evening wear.

"What?" Eve asked irritably. "I know it's short. I hope a gust of wind doesn't come along and show everyone my ass."

Eliot laughed as she echoed his own thoughts, and her face got stormier.

"We won't have to wear them very long," Sophie said. She was rosy from her scrubbing,and her belt was tied lightly, as if she didn't care if it came undone. Sophie being Sophie, she probably wouldn't care if she were walking around naked as long as she had control of the situation.

"What?" Eliot demanded.

"Oh, didn't you know? We have to be naked for the sacrifice. Once we get on stage, we'll have to drop our robes.

"What?" Jake echoed, pulling his more firmly around him.

No wonder Eve was looking so stormy.

Eliot glanced at the Robes behind him. He let all of his displeasure show on his face. Connection or no connection, pain or no pain, if someone tried to take his robe from him, they'd get a punch in the face.

XXX

Parker waited impatiently outside of the magic room. She fidgeted as she waited, not liking that so much depended on someone she didn't even know.

Just when she was starting to think he wasn't going to show, a robed figure came down the hallway. Its hood was up, so she wasn't sure it was Mark. She tensed in case it wasn't.

Through him, they had learned that the Backdoor would be almost easy to snatch if you had one magic user and one outsider to do the job together. Only Robes and High Robes could open the door to the room where all the dangerous magical objects were kept, but only someone born of no magic at all—which, because their village was so small, meant no one in the enclave, including servants—could actually touch the Backdoor. It sat on a special pedestal that connected its energy to just a handful of High Robes. Those High Robes were the only ones who could touch it without dying horrible deaths. Parker found the horrible deaths intriguing, and she wanted to know if the people melted.

Since Mark could get her into the room, and Parker could steal the Backdoor, but neither of them could go down the stairs with it, they'd have to hide after it was stolen until Jacob and Sophie did what had to be done.

When the figure got almost to her, it flipped its hood back to reveal the leader of the True Robes. Mark looked around furtively, showing he was an amateur at sneaking. Parker was okay with that. She liked that he was an honest man. Before Nate, Parker hadn't really trusted anyone who claimed they were honest. Since then, she'd met many good people, and she'd come to appreciate honesty.

Mark put his hand on the door and it opened easily. If Parker would have tried, it would have shocked her and stayed resolutely shut.

"Stay out here," Parker hissed, "and, if anybody comes, come and tell me."

"Everyone's supposed to be at the sacrifice."

"And yet here we are."

He nodded in understanding.

The room that held the Backdoor was full of interesting treasures, and the most interesting thing of all was the magical security systems. Parker took a minute to let her gaze wander over everything, wishing she had time to take what she wanted. It would be fun to see if she could beat the magical protections. Maybe Mark would let her play with them when this was over. The thought cheered her, so she almost skipped over to the table where the backdoor sat. It was small and unassuming, but it was still pretty. A sphere of perfect glass, it seemed to hold all of the colors of the rainbow in its depths. It sat on a serious looking pedestal, nestled in a perfectly sized indentation. Parker knew, from both Hardison and Mark, that the moment she plucked it from the hole, its connection to the High Robes would be broken.

Reaching out, she felt a tingling against her skin. Parker paused to see if they'd been wrong and she'd melt, but nothing happened. In satisfaction, she snatched the globe. She couldn't help being a little disappointed that it had been so easy. Apparently, the Robes thought only magic users would try to steal it.

The backdoor was cool and smooth against her skin. It felt good in her hand. Reluctantly, she slipped it into the pocket of her robe.

"Jacob?" she said tentatively in her mind, reaching out to him.

"Parker?" His voice came through clearly. "Did you get it?"

"Yup. It's in my pocket."

"Just in time."

"Why? What's going on?"

"No time to talk. You're sure you've got it?"

Parker opened her pocket and looked inside. "Sure do."

"Okay. Get out of there so me and Sophie can get started."

"Leaving now."

She went to the door and knocked sharply. Mark opened it, and she slipped out.

"Okay," she said to him. "Got it. Let's go find somewhere to lay low until it's all over."

XXX

The first thing Eve noticed about the room was that it was full of people. They were all talking, and the sound of so many voices together was almost deafening.

The High Robe beside her raised his hand, and one clear, vibrating note from a gong filled the air. There was immediate silence. Countless pairs of hidden eyes turned in their direction, and Eve pulled self consciously at the hem of her robe.

"Do not try anything, Bravery," the High Robe leaned towards her to say quietly. "Remember what we can do to you, to your friends. Heart will break under the agony. Strength will turn into a true beast."

She nodded, even though she had a strong impulse to spit in his face. Or maybe it was to break his nose. In a perfect world, she'd be free to do both.

Eve caught Eliot's eye and saw his tolerance was almost at an end. If they didn't get on with it, he might forget about waiting for Stone's cue and lunge for somebody. She gazed at him steadily until she was sure that he had his temper under control.

"What do you want us to do?" she asked the High Robe.

"Soon, the gong will chime again, and the crowd will part. The four of you will make your way to the stage. Once there, you will follow our directions. If you try to fight your fate, it will be worse for you."

Eve wondered if he would calmly accept his own fate.

The gong went off again and, as her captor had said, the crowd began to split down the middle. This was done in absolute silence. The High Robe took her arm and, after allowing Stone and his High Robe to go first, started leading her down the path cleared by the Robes. The feeling in the room was solemn.

The walk to the stage was the longest walk of Eve's life. She knew that if Parker was unable to break the High Robe's choke hold on the Quartet, death waited at the end. She hadn't really known Parker long enough to know if she could rely on her, but Eliot, whom she respected, seemed to trust her.

In front of her, Stone stared straight ahead, not bothering to look at the crowd. Eve didn't have that much self discipline. The sea of hooded figures seemed more like ghosts than people.

She was just mounting the steps and passing the man with the gong, when she heard Stone's voice in her head. "Baird!"

They had practiced this some, so she wasn't startled, though it still felt strange. "What is it?

"Parker's got the thing."

The knot that had been tightening in her middle relaxed. "Okay, we'll get started as soon as we're in position. Is Sophie ready?"

"Yes, she and Heart are ready to lend their gift to mind. You can connect with Bravery any time. If we're lucky, it'll all go without a hitch."

"Let's not trust it to luck. Where are the others?"

"Cassie and Jones and Hardison are in the crowd. They're ready to help if things go pear shaped."

"I don't know how much use they'll be against this crowd, but the True Robes should be scattered out there, too. Surely, they'll realize that we're liberating the Quartet. How's Eliot?"

"Cranky."

"No surprise. Tell him to be ready. In a worse case scenario, he may need to use Strength to help get us out of here."

"He knows. We all know. Relax, Baird."

She'd relax when it was all over, and they were on their way back to civilization.

Stone and Eve were led across the stage while Eliot and Sophie were held on the other side. Since they were facing each other, Eve studied Sophie's face. It seemed uncharacteristically bland and neutral, which may have been a sign she was talking to Heart.

High Robes flanked her and Stone, one on each side, and they did the same to Sophie and Eliot. In the expectant hush that followed, Eve reached out to Bravery so he could draw what strength he needed from her to lend to Mind. The silence continued for several seconds before another robed figure made its way onto the stage. It went to the centre and held up its hands. When it was sure all eyes were upon it, it reached up and removed its cowl. A bald man was revealed. He had a long white beard and a pleasant face.

"Hello, again, Brothers and Sisters." His voice was so loud, Eve was sure it was amplified by magic. "The day of sacrifice has finally come, and, as you can see, the mortal embodiments chosen to give their lives for the Quartet are ready." He gestured first at Eve's side of the stage and then at Sophie's. "Let me present to you Mind, Bravery, Heart, and Strength. We will start with Heart, who is both the strongest and the weakest, and end with Mind, who ties everything together."

Most of the Robes were nodding their heads. Eve wished she could see their faces.

"Please bring the Quartet."

Four Robes moved through the crowd. Each one carried an artifact in his or her hands. There was more silence until the Robes mounted the stage. They stood at the back, waiting to be called on. Eve felt nervous energy tingle in her arms and legs. The time was nearing and, even after power was taken from the High Robes, things could still go very wrong. It would take a few minutes for what happened to dawn on them, and there was no way to know what the True Robes would do.

"Now, we will begin. Heart, please step forward and remove your robe."

Sophie went to the front of the stage without prompting and stood staring out at the crowd. The Robe holding the Bowl came forward and placed it in front of her. Off to the side as she was, Eve could clearly see most of Sophie's face.

Sophie slowly untied the belt of her robe, her face serene; she looked like a woman about to get into her bathtub, not one who was about to be sacrificed. She opened her robe and reached up to slip it from her shoulders but stopped before completing the motion.

"No," she said calmly.

A ripple of anger went over the speaker's face before he was able to smooth it away.

Sophie smiled a beatific smile and turned to look at Stone. Giving him a slight nod, she raised her hands. "I will not be sacrificed."

"It is our will; it is the will of the Warrior Quartet," he boomed. "If you do not disrobe and bow, you will be forced to do so."

"Only one of those three things is correct. Of the other two, one you know is a lie, and the other you think is truth."

All eyes were on Sophie. She stood there, her arms raised, as silent as the Robes watching her. The air of expectation in the room rose, and no one moved, not even the Robes on the stage.

"Robes of the Enclave, listen to me," she started when the tension in the air was so tight that it hurt. "The sacrifices in the name of the Warrior Quartet will stop, and they will stop right now. The Quartet will not tolerate the blood of one more innocent. You have been saying for centuries that you know what the Quartet wants, but these words have all been lies. In your arrogance, you have turned from your true purpose, turned form light to dark, from good to evil. The Quartet has watched you silently. They are objects, but they are objects with a purpose. Objects with a soul. And they can see into your hearts."

There was noise at the back of the stage, and Eve turned her fascinated gaze from Sophie. She'd never seen anyone with such an ability to captivate a crowd.

The leader of the Robes was gesturing to Sophie's guard, and the guard was shaking his head violently. As if feeling them behind her, Sophie turned.

"It's no use," she told them. Even though her voice was no longer booming, it cut through the room. "Your control over the Quartet has been broken. It no longer listens to anyone with a Robe. It has been freed."

There were voices now. They started as a low rumble that went quickly through the crowd. The white bearded man strode forward with purpose. There was fiery anger in his eyes.

Eliot stepped in front of him. "I wouldn't."

"You can't stop me," he snarled. "I'll shut her up with magic, if I have to."

"When we have control of the Quartet? How do you think that will go?"

The leader of the High Robes just gaped at him speechlessly.

"Listen to her. You might be interested in what she has to say."

Sophie turned back to the crowd, not waiting to see if the High Robe complied. Eve kept one eye on them and one on Sophie.

"The society of Robes is corrupt. High Robes. Robes. Novices. Where once you fought the Serpent Brotherhood to save the world from its influence, now you wish to rule it. You want to break the world for your own profit. Did you think the Quartet would allow that? Did you think the Library would? The Warrior Quartet can see inside of you, and it knows which of you are traitors. You must be punished so that you will never hurt anyone again."

She closed her eyes and dropped her arms. Bowing her head, she folded her hands in front of her, resting them against her bare stomach.

The leader of the Robes made a desperate lunge at her. Eliot caught him and started beating on him. The murmurs had died down again, and the only sound was that of flesh on flesh. Sophie didn't move. Eve was surprised nobody broke and ran. That was how complete Sophie's spell over the gathered crowd was.

"It's done," Stone said harshly as Eliot finished, leaving the Robe unconscious on the floor.

Sophie opened her eyes, and the serenity was back in her face. "The Warrior Quartet has handed out your punishment. It is harsh yet merciful. Everyone who wished to join the Brotherhood in order to rule it will never rule anything by magic again. Your magic has been taken from you..."

She was interrupted then as panic broke out in the room. Robes desperately tried magic and, when it didn't work, tried it again.

As the Robes on the stage with them discovered their own lack of power, they angrily came after the closest target, which was Eliot. Since there were eight of them, Eve rushed to help him. She felt a surge of speed as she punched one guy in the face and elbowed another in the gut. Stone jumped into the fray with more enthusiasm than skill.

Ignoring both the fight and the murmurs, Sophie continued speaking. "There are those among you that can still work magic. Some of them were part of a group called the True Robes, a group dedicated to bringing your society back to its original purpose. Some of them are those who were against what the High Robes were doing but didn't dare to raise their voices. All of them are High Robes now. To show who these people are, the Quartet has added both the skeletons to their sleeves and a new symbol to their left shoulder. It is of two crossed swords. Everyone else's robes are blank."

Stone paused to listen to her. While he was distracted, one of the desperate Robes got in a lucky punch. When Stone staggered, Eve angrily kicked the Robe in the face.

Stone felt his jaw to see if it were all in one piece. "Feel better?"

"Little bit." She grinned fiercely.

"To you, new High Robes," Sophie's voice was still loud and steady, "The Quartet, and the Library, is entrusting in you the most important of missions. Now that magic is loose in the world, you must work to defeat the Serpent Brotherhood. It is your duty to fight it with everything that you have."

By the time she stepped back and turned, Eliot was knocking out the last of the Robes on stage. Her eyes widened at the pile of unconscious bodies, but she just nodded in acceptance. Then she frowned and looked down, remembering her near nakedness. Eve wondered if that had been some of what kept her audience captivated.

Sophie gave a little half smile and drew the sides of her robe closed, tying it with the sash.

"I think it's done," she said.

Eve looked out over the crowd where the new High Robes were starting to round up those now without magic. "I think you're right."

"Okay," Stone said, still rubbing his jaw. "I'll tell Parker and Mark that they can come out of hiding."

She absently waved a hand at him in agreement. Cassandra, Ezekiel, and Hardison had dropped their hoods and were trying to get her attention. Chaos swirled around them, and Eve suddenly realized they were wearing plain, dusky robes.

"And somebody should probably inform the mob that Cassandra, Ezekiel, and Hardison are with us."

XXX

"What a day, huh?" Cassie commented from where she was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

The eight of them were all sitting back in the room that had been their prison for days. It was a nice room despite its function, and they decided to spend one more night there before Molly took them to the village so they could catch a ride somewhere with cell access. From there, they'd be able to call Jenkins and get him to set them up a doorway to go home.

"I don't know," Baird said, leaning back in the big chair and stretching out her legs. "Seems like just another day at the office to me."

After the Quartet stripped the bad guys of their power, the eight of them had helped Mark and his new High Robes to create order. Jake knew that Baird was satisfied that things had been resolved in a way that would please both the Library and Jenkins. Sophie, Eliot, Parker, and Hardison had done remarkable work despite being new to magic and the Library.

"We made a good team," he added, thinking of the way Hardison had worked with Cassandra and Sophie had worked with him. He still didn't know how he felt about her, but Heart had chosen her well. No one else in their group could have done what she did at the sacrifice.

He glanced at her. She was curled up comfortably in the other big chair, her arm resting on Eliot's thigh. Eliot was perched on the arm beside her, his expression a little less grim than usual.

"It was fun," Parker agreed. She was also on the floor, lying down and leaning on her elbows. Her legs were crossed at the ankles.

"Yeah, if you count almost getting sacrificed as fun," Eliot told her.

"Oh, stop whining. You lived, didn't you?"

"So, what do we do now?" Sophie asked, tilting her head slightly. "Pretend all this never happened?"

"But magic is real, Sophie. How can we pretend we don't know?" Parker sounded almost like a little girl.

"Not to mention your new voodoo," Hardison added.

"We're not keeping that," Jake and Eliot said at the same time.

"What?"

"You saw them, Hardison. You saw what this thing did to them. Power corrupts," Eliot told them.

"A Librarian couldn't have said it better." Baird sat up straighter. "If we kept our connection to the artifacts, over time, we could become what we just fought against."

"And this power needs to stay here," Jake added. "These guys need it to fight the Serpent Brotherhood."

Parker looked at Sophie. "Sophie?"

Sophie shrugged. "I don't really need it, Parker."

Parker and Hardison shared a look showing they just didn't understand.

"It's like you're giving up the power to be Superman," Hardison said.

"Or Wonder woman," Parker echoed.

"Would you want anyone else to go through what we went through?" Cassandra asked.

"I guess not."

"We've already talked to Mark about finding suitable replacements," Baird said with finality.

"And Mind has promised to break the connections when we leave." Jake met Parker's eyes. She sighed and let it go.

"I won't be sorry to see the last of this place," Sophie changed the subject.

"You and me both," Baird agreed.

"But it was very nice to meet you." Sophie smiled. "Your team has an interesting dynamic."

"And somehow it seems to work."

"I know just what you mean." She elbowed Eliot gently, and he grunted.

"I'm glad the four of you were here to help."

"Oh!" Parker said excitedly. "Maybe we can work together again someday."

"That wouldn't be completely terrible," Jones said.

"No, not terrible," Baird agreed.

XXX

Eliot regarded his cousin from across the table. It was after hours, and the brew pub was quiet and dark. Everyone had left-Sophie to go home to Nate, Hardison and Parker to his apartment, and the other Librarians back to the Library. Jake had stayed behind, and now they sat together with both a table and two beers between them.

Jake looked tired but satisfied. There was none of the old sadness in his face, and his eyes were unshuttered.

"It was great to see you," Eliot said, taking a sip of his beer.

"We should do some stuff. Darts. Poker. Bar fights."

"Now that we're both in Portland, there's no excuse not to."

"No." Jake looked down at his drink.

"What is it?"

"I wish that I had told you."

"About the brains or about the magic?"

Jake looked up and smiled, a real smile. "You pick."

Eliot shook his head. "There's a lot I never told you. I was afraid you'd be disappointed in me."

"Nah. Never disappointed. You're the only family I got. I was worried about you for awhile."

"It's better now. For both of us."

"I'll drink to that."

"Me, too." It was Eliot's turn to smile. He raised his glass. "To change."

Jake clinked his against it. "And to finally doing what's right instead of what's easy."

They each took a drink, and Eliot felt warmth that had nothing to do with the alcohol go through his chest. It had been one hell of a week—he'd been kidnapped, been tortured, learned to talk with a magical figurine and how to use its magic, and saved the world. And, now, he was having a beer with his cousin. What could be better than that?