This is going through some major revisions...by the end the story should be easier to follow. That's what I'm hoping at least.

The havoc that Jenner had caused made quite a mess for the Rats of NIMH to clean up. Broken pieces of the wooden equipment lay strewn everywhere and trying to find all the original sections of rope used was a task in and of itself. The rain hadn't helped much. Soon after the rats watched in amazement as Mrs. Brisby unleashed the awesome power of the Stone to do the job they couldn't, sprinkles of rain turned into a short down poor. Regardless of how much they wanted to call it quits, it was imperative that not only every trace of the equipment be picked up, but the Rosebush itself had to be gutted to remove any evidence that the Rats of NIMH had lived there.

After Mrs. Brisby had fallen unconscious, Justin carried her to the medical ward within the Rosebush where Mr. Ages and Ash, the Rat's own doctor, had taken a look at her. Exhaustion was the only prognosis, besides the superficially scalded hands. Other than that, she was in "excellent condition, considering..." Considering, indeed, Justin thought. Jenner had smacked her hard, yet there was no bruise to be seen.

After that, he helped carry her back home where the children and there "Aunt" were waiting eagerly to see her. Mr. Ages had to be the one to carry her into the house, with Martin's help, for the opening was far too small for Justin to enter. That was when he met the children for the first time, except of course for bed-confined Timmy, which was a treat for him. Martin had been the most inquisitive, asking questions about how he learned to sword fight and such, or if Justin had ever drugged the cat Dragon. The oldest daughter, Teresa, seemed content just staring at him and batting her eyelashes while Cynthia mostly cowered behind her older sister, only coming out once to kiss him on the cheek.

Playtime was over after that. The rain started up again after only a small break. Justin had gone back to supervise the equipment wreckage, and more importantly, the recovery of the dead bodies of Jenner, Sullivan, and his mentor, Nicodemus. A small group had already been at work for most of the time, removing the largest sections first. Justin had given strict orders that he would handle the recovery of the bodies, and until that time the bodies were left covered in gray sheets. To help with his grisly task were Arthur, Brutus, and his top lieutenant, Orion.

They went for Sullivan first, simply because he would be the most difficult to remove. As the rain continued, it knocked around the looser pieces of wood, blocking their path to each body. When it rains, it pours, Justin thought as he and the other rats made their way towards Sullivan's body.

Then Justin's jaw dropped. "S-Sullivan?" he asked in a disembodied voice.

To their amazement, Sullivan was sitting up with his back against the big rock, sheet pulled aside, and a confused look on his face.

"Justin," Sullivan whispered. "Is that you? Why are you...am I, dead?"

Justin continued to stand speechless for a moment before coming to his senses. "No, your not," he answered. "But I swore you were. Jenner, he...he killed you-he cut your throat wide open, you should be dead."

Sullivan slowly placed his hand to his neck, as if to make sure his head was still attached, and pulled it away to examine it, seeing no trace of blood, it didn't even hurt to touch it, even though he somehow knew Justin spoke the truth. "I think..." he said finally, "I think I was."

By now Justin and the others had come closer, still feeling like this was a ghost before them as the rain started to take another short break. Brutus stood silently and watched. The others knelt down, Justin and Orion directly in front of Sullivan with Arthur looking on from the side. Justin lifted Sullivan's chin to see himself. There was nothing there. No blood. No scar.

"Nothing," said Arthur.

"What happened?" Sullivan asked.

Justin simply looked at him for a moment before answering, trying to find the answer to Sullivan's question, and to his own. "The rain caused a mudslide," he said. "The house began sinking straight down. We tried everything we could to stop it. We tied ropes, secured support beams, everything, but we couldn't save it. Finally it went all the way - completely under. I thought for sure the children were dead, but then Mrs. Brisby used the stone to..." Justin trailed off.

"What?" Sullivan asked, "That mouse woman? What do you mean?" He looked to the others for answers but found none.

"The stone," Justin repeated firmly. "It was the stone, it had to be!"

"What?" asked Orion.

"What are you talking about?" Sullivan asked.

"There was no way the children could have survived that. The house was completely submerged, for at least a minute. But she used the stone and it must have..." He trailed off again, but this time in bewilderment, not confusion. The stone truly had awesome power.

"Right," said Arthur, "It makes sense..."

Orion nodded in understanding as well.

"-The same with your cut," Justin said, "I saw Jenner's blade tear your neck open and...SHIT!" He cried, standing up looking around wildly. "Shit!"

"Jenner!" shouted Orion.

Justin took off running towards the other side of the stone, Brutus, Arthur, and Orion trailing behind, with Sullivan slowly getting up to follow the others as they bounded over piles of destroyed equipment. He found them standing around a wide field of mud with a dirty gray sheet, a sign of panic and distress on their faces. But it wasn't what was there that worried them, it's what wasn't there.

Jenner's dead body.

(****)

Mrs. Brisby woke up surprisingly refreshed from her slumber. She was in her bed, not remembering how she got there. The only thing she could remember was Justin pulling her away from the sinking house, feeling desperate. Then the next thing she knew, a warmth had surrounded her. There was no fear, no hesitation, no doubt, then...nothing. And now she was in her home; which was obviously secure without a spec of mud to be seen. In fact the dirt walls looked as though they were packed even better than before.

She looked around and was surprised to find Mr. Ages sitting nearby; suddenly she noticed a stinging in her hands and began rubbing them.

"You were burned," Ages said softly. Mrs. Brisby had no idea what time it was but knew it must be late for him to speak so softly. The children must be asleep; she thought and turned around to see just that. They were all in the same bed, something she hadn't seen for a long time.

They must have been scared, she thought.

"It's not as bad as it looks though they should heal quickly," she looked back at Ages slightly confused. The burns, she realized and held her stinging hands together.

"What time is it?" She whispered.

"It's almost three. You've been out for nearly two hours. The rats have been cleaning up the mess left behind, but-"

"The rats!" she exclaimed, then caught herself and checked to see that she hadn't woken her children. "The rats, are they still here? Where's Justin?"

"No, they haven't gone yet, but very soon they will," he explained. "Justin wanted me to send for him as soon as you were awake. Are you... all right, Mrs. Brisby?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I'm fine," she assured him. "What about Justin?"

"Wait here, I'll get him."

(****)

The storm was gone by then. The sky cleared, and the moon was out. Justin made his way quickly to the Brisby's newly relocated home just in time to see Mrs. Brisby emerge from underground. He saw her face light up as he himself couldn't suppress his widening smile. Wow, he thought. She looked lovely under the stars. They met halfway in a tight embrace, saying nothing. Justin could feel her body tremble in his arms, but the longer he held her, the more they went away. He knew if he needed to, he would hold her all night, NIMH or no NIMH.

"Oh, Justin," she said softly. It was all she could say. Now that her children were safe her only worry was for the safety of her new friends. "What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about us," he said calmly. The sound of his voice sent waves of confidence through her body as he lowered their embrace to look into her eyes. "The Rats of NIMH are always a step ahead. We're ready for everything, including this."

She looked slightly confused, "You were prepared to move?"

"Well, not entirely, no. But a few of us, Nicodemus, Arthur and myself included, always believed in a back-up plan for emergencies, should we ever be discovered. The Rosebush had been altered for years by myself and Arthur and his crew, to enable us to pull out quickly. All the wiring, the lights- ripped out. All the belongings that could be taken are out already. Everything has been buried deep within the rosebush; deeper than we ever lived. You couldn't tell who had lived there."

Mrs. Brisby listened to his voice talk, knowing she could listen to it forever. Such confidence, such bravery, in many ways he reminded her of Jonathan, and the ways he could always comfort her when she was worried about their next meal, or where they would find enough clothes for the children. She noticed Justin looking very formal. His clothes were clean, definitely not the ones he had fought Jenner in, and he even wore his captain of the guard hat. He looked very impressive and mature.

"Oh, my, let me take a look at you," she said, taking a step back to admire his look. Mrs. Brisby reached over to straighten his collar a little.

"Am I everything you expected?" he asked, smiling.

"Yes, very much so," she said half playfully.

Then a streak of sadness ran through her, removing her smile. "What's wrong?" Justin asked anxiously. He didn't want to see her sad, he couldn't stand the thought.

"I'm so sorry, about..."

"About what?"

"Nicodemus," she said sighing. "What will you do without him?"

Justin shook his head laughing. "Mrs. Brisby," he said, "Nicodemus is alive."

Her eyes brightened, "What?"

"He's alive! Nicodemus is not dead."

She lit up again, falling back into Justin's arms, but once more was confused, "But I thought Mr. Ages said that-"

"He said Nicodemus was dead, and he was right. But Mrs. Brisby, that stone," his grip tightened on her with excitement, "when you used that stone, it did something. I don't know- no one knows what happened. But when you used that stone, you saved his life. You brought him back to life!"

"But, but I," she stumbled for words. "But how?"

"I don't know, but whatever it was it saved the lives of your children, and the life of Nicodemus and Sullivan..."

"What is it," she asked, noting some hesitance in his voice.

"We've gone through so much," he said slowly. "But I don't even know your first name."

"Oh," she felt embarrassed. "It's Elizabeth, Elizabeth Brisby."

"Elizabeth," he said, savoring the sound it made, as so did she. It was that voice again. Sometimes he could say things that just made her feel…secure. Like he was the only sane person left in an insane world.

"Nicodemus is alive," she said again, still bewildered.

"Yes, but he's decided to retire; something about enjoying his second chance."

"What do you mean?"

"Elizabeth Brisby, you are looking at the newly appointed leader of the rats."

She smiled and laughed with relief as they embraced again.

Justin knew he had to leave soon, but begged for time to stand still. He fought tooth and nail to suppress the sinking feeling in his stomach that reminded him of their inevitable separation. He then asked the impossible, "Come with us, Elizabeth, you and your family. Come with us to Thorn Valley."

"Oh, Justin," she said, with sadness in her voice again. "You know I can't. I wish I could. I wish I could go with you to your valley, and live in your perfect world like in the fairy tales Jonathan used to tell the children, but this place…this is our home. We don't belong." A tear began rolling down her cheek. Justin immediately wiped it away.

"I knew when I asked that you would refuse. It is best for your children, for now..." he said, fighting his own tears, knowing full well he didn't mean it the way she thought. "Timmy needs to recover, and after all, why go to all the effort to move the house if you're not going to live in it."

She laughed through her tears. That was Justin for you, never too far away from joking. "Maybe someday..." she said. "But I'm afraid we don't belong. We're not rats."

"Nonsense, that's meaningless to them," he said. "They would honor you just like they did Jonathan. But you are right, for now. You should stay here." In his heart he knew she should stay for there were darker days ahead for the Rats of NIMH, and she would be better off never seeing them, and who they would bring. He couldn't bring himself to tell her about Jenner. He couldn't do that to her, not now. He repeated her words, "Maybe someday?"

She nodded slowly, "I would like that." Elizabeth had stopped her tears and looked into Justin's eyes. He returned the gaze with every bit of emotion that she did. She held her hands tightly to his shirt, feeling his heart race underneath, pulling him closer. Justin's hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly as well. Their faces closed in together until they nearly touched, then paused for a moment that seemed like an hour. Her hand moved up to hold his shoulder as he pulled his arms around her even tighter. They closed their eyes, and kissed.

Elizabeth's body was electrified by Justin's lips. His spirit seemed to fill her body; all her troubles, all her worries about what lay ahead in the future, gone. Every inch tingled and pulsed with the feeling he gave her. Then the next thing she knew, her lips parted slightly with his, and she felt his tongue gently touch hers. She was in heaven. Her body nearly went limp in his arms as their tongues wove a soft, delicate dance. Her nerves were on fire as she felt like her heart would pound through her chest.

Justin had waited for that moment ever since he laid eyes on her. When their lips touched, nothing else mattered but her. His heart soared higher than it ever had before as his skin grew hot and his fur stood on end. And when their tongues met, he wanted to carry her away, anywhere, he just wanted her. Forget Thorn Valley, forget NIMH, all he needed was her.

And as quickly as it began, their kiss ended, both pulling away to see the other, not saying a word, because they knew what each other was going to say. Instead he just pulled her to his chest and they held each other for what felt like a small eternity.

But it still wasn't long enough.