Well, here we are, end of another story. End of an era, some might say. But the some who might say that would be wrong, methinks. Far as I know, there are no eras here. But I digress.

Thank you very very very very very much to all fantastic people who've reviewed, you're lovely and if we ever meet I shall give you a gold star and a kiss, if you're lucky! Mega special thank you to Hannah and Corinne for helping me with this, couldn't have done it without you! Well, I probably could, but it wouldnt be nearly half as good!

Also, thanks to McKenzie Drestire (if you're reading this) for reviewing 'Every Year', but you gotta sign in dude so I can review reply propely!

They ran along the stone passageway, Howard and Bollo supporting Vince while Naboo and Tara hurried behind them. Tara clutched her stomach as she ran.

'Are you ok?' asked Naboo.

'Just feeling a bit sick.'

'Concussion?'

'I think so. Mixed with fear, anger and various other emotions. And also hunger.' She added, puzzled.

When they got out, Naboo magically sealed the door so it couldn't be opened by anyone on either side, unless they were a shaman. He also sent a message to the Board of Shaman to inform them that the Sirènes had been contained, and needed to be 'taken care' of.

They got back to the hotel and laid Vince on his bed. Naboo and Bollo sped back to London on the carpet to get what Naboo needed to help Vince recover, and Howard and Tara were left to clean the blood off him.

It was everywhere, covering his torso and all down his legs. Adèle had said that they could use the washing machine to clean his trousers, but his underwear was also bloodstained.

'Um, could you take care of that please Howard?'

'What? No, you do it!'

'No way!'

'You're his sister.'

'Exactly, it'd be too weird!'

'And it wouldn't be weird for me?'

'Well it would certainly be less Freudian!'

'Nuh-uh, no way.'

'Well, its gotta be done, and soon, Adèle wants the washing machine later. How about we toss a coin?'

Howard had had some bad experiences from coin-tossing in the past, and declined, suggesting that they play Rock, Paper, Scissors instead. He soon learned that luck was against him in this as well, as he closed his eyes, preparing to swap Vince's underwear.

He grasped the silky fabric, when all of a sudden Vince's voice cried 'What are you doing?!'

Howard opened his eyes to see Vince looking up at him from the bed, an expression of terror on his face. Tara had apparently also opened her eyes when he'd spoken, and was now doubled over in fits of laughter.

Howard tried to explain himself 'Well, I, um.. they were…oh, just do it yourself then!' he finished, throwing the clean pair he was holding at him and turning his back while Vince changed, wincing in pain every now and again.

By the time his clothes were in the washing machine, and the blood was being sponged off him, Naboo and Bollo had returned, and mixed up a potion to apply to Vince's multiple wounds.

He yelped as Naboo dabbed the first little bit on. 'Ow!'

'Its an antiseptic Vince, its gonna sting.' He told him, applying more. 'But it should make you heal faster.'

He left the care of Vince to Howard for the moment, and went over to Tara, who was sat on the floor against the wall on the other side of the room, eyes closed.

'Hey' he said softly.

She opened her eyes, and he knelt beside her, placing the bowl of his healing mixture on the floor.

'How's he doing?' she asked, nodding towards Vince.

'He'll be ok soon enough. We'll probably have to bandage his chest though.' He said, and she winced as he dabbed the mixture onto her head wound. 'Sorry.'

'S'ok' she leaned her head back against the wall and let him continue to dab her head. His eyes roamed from the wound to her face, eyes obscured by perfect lids, the gentle slope of her nose, her ruby lips-

'Naboo!'

He turned sharply. 'Yeah?'

'Heard me the fifth time then. Do I need to do anything else?' asked Howard, who had now finished treating Vince with Naboo's mixture.

'Uh, yeah, there's some bandages on that chair.'

Unfortunately, once Howard had finished, the bandages were so thick that Vince could no longer get any of his tight tops over them, and it was suggested to him that he wear one of Howard's for the time being.

'No way!'

'What's wrong with it?' asked Howard, holding up the green Hawaiian ensemble.

'What's wrong with it? Look at it, its like a psychedelic nightmare about kelp!'

'Do you mind? This is my best shirt.'

'I know it is' he replied with a pained expression.

However, Vince was eventually persuaded into the top on the condition that he be able to customise it – as long as Howard could easily restore it to its former glory when he was finished with it.

---

The next couple of days passed swiftly, and it was soon time for them to leave Paris.

Vince had healed well, and his bandages were now wrapped in a much thinner layer, allowing him to wear his own clothes again. Both he and Tara seemed to feel rather awkward about what each of them had said to the other, and didn't talk much. However, Vince decided to accompany her on her trip further south, so they could discuss their argument in Paris

They assembled outside the hotel, Naboo's carpet laid out next to Tara's van. While Tara was saying goodbye to Howard and Bollo, Vince called Naboo over to him.

'Naboo, can I talk to you for a mo?'

'Sure'

Vince kept shifting his weight from foot to foot, and was having trouble making eye contact. He obviously felt rather awkward. 'Its about Tara. Look, um, you're my mate and all yeah, and I know you like her, and you probably wouldn't but…' he trailed off, then looked Naboo straight in the eyes, all trace of awkwardness gone. 'If you hurt her, I'll kill you.'

Naboo smiled up at him. 'I know. But we're not togeth-'

'Yeah, I know, but just in case.'

'Alright.' He was just about to go, then turned back. 'How did you know how I felt about her?'

Vince shrugged. 'S'obvious.'

Naboo bowed his head and nodded as Tara bounded over to say goodbye to him. She hugged him tightly, and he could smell her hair as it brushed up against his cheek. It smelt like peppermint and hemp. She inhaled his musky aroma for the last time on that trip, and pulled away. His hands lingered on her back a little longer, and he looked into her eyes. 'Goodbye.'

She smiled faintly. 'Bye Naboo.'

He reluctantly let go and joined Howard and Bollo on the carpet, and they flew off, watched to the horizon by Vince and Tara, who then got into the van, waved at Adèle, and drove off.

---

They stopped a few hours later for lunch. They still hadn't said much to each other, partly because Tara was focused on the road, and Vince was reading 'cheekbone' magazine, but also because they didn't really know where to begin.

They decided to sit up on the roof to take in the view. Side by side, they sat eating their baguettes, until Tara broke the silence with a question that had been plaguing her since their argument.

'What was mum like?'

Vince turned slowly to look at her. In nineteen years, not once had she asked him any thing about their mother. He always supposed that maybe it was too painful for her, or she thought that he didn't want to talk about it, in which case she would have been right. Until now.

He gathered his thoughts. 'I don't remember much really. But I remember that she was pretty, and funny, and kind.' He smiled at her. 'She was a lot like you are.'

She smiled a little, then took a deep breath, preparing for what she was about to say. 'Listen, I'm- I'm really sorry about everything I said to you. It wasn't true, and I didn't mean any of it, but it just kept coming out of my mouth, and I couldn't stop it, and.. and I'm sorry.' She sighed.

'Its not just you, I said some things I didn't mean as well.'

'Yeah, but you were under the influence of Dèsirèe's bad juju or whatever, weren't you? I don't even have an excuse for what I said.'

'C'mon Tara, don't worry about it.'

'Don't do that!' she cried. 'Don't shrug it off like it doesn't matter, it does matter, it matters to me!'

'Sorry.' He bowed his head momentarily. 'I forgive you though.'

'But I cant forgive myself.'

'You should, you haven't done anything wrong, you were angry, that's all.'

'Just because I was angry, doesn't give me the right to say all that to you does it? And I know that, so why did I still say it?'

'Because you're an idiot.'

'Oh, thanks a lot.'

'You're not the only idiot though! I was stupid enough to fall for Dèsirèe in the first place.'

She laughed to herself. 'We're a pair, aren't we?' she asked.

He smiled down at her. 'Definitely'

The End

It is the end.. but is it really the end? Yes, it is. But they'll be more fics in the series up soon, plus a few more non-Tara ones, so keep your eyes peeled, y'hear?

Hope you all enjoyed that, please review because I really love getting feedback, and thanks for reading, you must really be dedicated if you've got this far! xxxxx