Jared paused, racking his brain as to who it could be, he froze as he thought.

"Hannah? Chloe? Jenn?" Jared's eyes beamed in excitement. Luna shook her head. "I'm gonna keep guessing, tell me when I hit it, alright?"

"Alright." The princess smiled in slight amusement.

"Okay, Heather, Brenda, Julie, Kayli, Savannah, Millie, Gertrude, Meghan, Allie, Alex, Cheyenne, Makayla, Sydney, Luanne, Libby, Charlie, Loraine, Kendra, Darlene, fuckin' Becky?" He asked in one breath, one hand out, tilting his head slightly in anticipation of hitting the right name.

"Nope." Luna smiled gently, slowly walking towards the doorway. "Follow me."

Jared looked to Celestia, who nodded at him as if a mother telling her child they may do something. "And she's okay, right?"

"Absolutely, just cold from the waters, possibility of pneumonia from aspirating." Celestia answered. Jared followed Luna through the doorway. She lead him down marble floored hallways, red velvet carpets covering the stones.

"She's very excited to see you, but isn't expecting you so soon." Luna replied, slowing to a stop outside the door. "She is resting inside... Be mindful she did nearly drown, she will need to rest and save her strength."

Jared nodded respectfully. He slowly reached for the doorknob, then looked to Luna for approval. She nodded. He removed his hand and rapped on the door gently, several times. He then gripped the doorknob, slowly opening it. The heavy oak door opened with ease, gently swaying open on its hinges.

Her form was facing opposite him, laying in the dim morning light.

His boots sounded on each footfall, heel-toe, heel-toe across the floor. He approached quizzically, trying to make out the silhouette, yet not startle her.

She slowly rolled over and his breath caught in his chest. His knees wobbled and gave out under him, he fell on his ass to the floor, halfway catching himself on the tile as the shotgun clattered to the tile. She sat upright at the noise of metal on stone.

He tried to stand again, but couldn't stand. It was like he was staring at a ghost, his legs crumbled again, falling to his hands. He whimpered, his breaths shaky and sudden, he inhaled sharply, slowly raising his arms towards her as she got to her feet. He was crying.

"Jared..?" Her voice, though her throat was rough and irritated, sounded like honey on his ears.

"Oho-my-god." He sobbed, trying to make his legs work, to stand and walk to her like the strong man she'd known.

He sat in the middle of the floor on his knees, crying like a child. She threw off the down covers and rushed over to him, taking him in her arms and shushing gently.

"It's alright.. It's okay.. I'm here.." She called. He choked out another breath as his shaking hands wrapped her in an embrace, holding her tightly.

"Y-years.." He sobbed into her shoulder, his fingertips curling into her back, her oversized overshirt bunching in his hands. "You have been dead.. For years.. I buried you.. I watched you drown... I couldn't do anything... I was tangled.."

"Hey.. Hey.. Baby... I'm here, I'm alive.. It's not your fault.." She replied, her arms wrapped around his head, holding him into her chest. His sobbing didn't subside as he held her in his arms. He never though that he'd see her again. The love of his life, here, in front of him. Her messy hair, bags under her eyes... She'd never looked more beautiful. He quickly broke the hug when he stood, walking backwards. He breathed, in the nose, out the mouth as he made a small circle of the room. He shook his hands, overwhelmed as he walked. He wiped his eyes and then rushed back, picking her up and spinning around in a circle. He held her tight as she squealed for a moment.

"Jared, take it easy!" She laughed. He held her tight, then loosened his grip to look at her face.

"God if you're not real I'm going to break shit.."

"I'm here... The raft flipped, I was drowning.. I got caught in a logjam and was able to pull myself out of the water.. My lifejacket was too loose, it kept riding up in the back, trying to flip me over.. I was lucky to get it on at all I guess, considering it was off when I hit the water."

"I have missed you so much..." He slowly let go. "Oh god have I missed you.. Nothing's been the same since you've been gone.."

"I can see that." She chuckled.

"What? Oh, well yeah obviously." He laughed with a choking breath and gestured around them. "I just mean.. I haven't really been happy.. Not for any real amount of time.. Just moments.."

He pulled back, holding her shoulders with gentle hands. He gave the same choking laugh and let go, running his hands through his hair, his hat falling to the ground.

A knock came at the door. Jared turned to look at it as Miranda slowly stood. She walked to open the door, Jared snatched up his hat and shotgun, composing himself. He put the hat on and re-hung his shotgun on his shoulder.

Miranda opened the oak door, holding the brass ring door pull in her gentle hands. It was a royal guard with peircing eyes, almost predatory.

“Sir, the princess requests your accompaniment in the main chamber.” The guard spoke. “Just you, Mr. Wright.”

“Alright.. Get some rest Miranda..” Jared walked across the tile, hugged her tightly once more, kissed her forehead, and waked out the door. The guard started down the hall.

“I love you..” Jared stopped, looking to Miranda’s gorgeous blue eyes.

“I love you too.” She giggled, giving him a knowing look. “Now get.”

He turned to see the guard disappear around a corner.

“Hey!” Jared jogged to the corner. A light green flash shone on the opposite wall. “Where’s the-“

Around the corner was a long hallway. The guard had vanished, a maid stood watering a plant.

“Oh. I’m sorry ma’am, I was looking for the guard. Could you tell me where the main chamber is?” Jared asked, chocking the disappearance up to magic.

“Down the hall, go through the second door on the left and follow the hallway to the end.” She instructed.

“Thank you.” He gave a smile, walking down the long marble hallway. Halfway down the hall, Luna exited through a doorway in front of him. “Hey Luna, you guys wanted me in the main chamber?”

“Main chamber?” She asked, confused. Jared gathered a look of confusion as he turned to look at the maid. She was gone, the water pitcher lay on its side, spilling its contents on the floor. Jared pieced together in his head, that someone obviously wanted him away from Miranda. He looked back to Luna before sprinting down the hallway.

“Jared?” Luna called after him. He stepped in the water and slipped on the wet tile, smashing his head through the pot the sprawling fern resided in.

“GahhH!” He exclaimed, slipping to a standing position. Now soaking wet, his temple beginning to bleed, he stumbled down the hallway. His injured gait turned into a sprint once more as he reached her room. Jared burst through the door, hearing a startled gasp inside.

“Miranda!”

She rolled over, she had clearly just gotten in bed again.

“Jared? What’s wrong?” She asked.

He slowly, suspiciously walked towards her. “Was anybody just here? After I left?”

“No..?” She replied in a confused, but ingenuine tone.

“Thank god.” He relaxed his tense shoulders, reaching up to his bleeding head now. He made a small circle of the room, trying to appease his suspicion as an idea struck him. He pretended to be looking the windows over. “I thought you said nobody was in here?”

“Nobody was..?”

“That window was open when I left.” He stated, still not facing her.

“I closed it, I was getting a chill.” Miranda hesitently knelt on the bed, as if she was about to step off and walk to him. Jared clenched his fist, turning slowly, intently. “Jared, what’s wrong..?”

“It’s a fixed window. It doesn’t open. Why would you lie about something like that, you never lie to me. You’re too damn smart to have just “mistakenly thought” you closed a window that can’t open in the first place.” Jared demanded, his tone growing darker.

“Jared, you’re scaring me..” She backpedaled.

“Tell me something only you would know. Tell me how we met.” Jared stated. A sudden, intense headache brought him to his knees. He let out a howl of pain as his hands flew to his temples. Miranda rushed to his side and he held out a hand.

“Stay away from me!” He growled, slowly reaching one leg in front of him, attempting to stand as a twinge built inside his right eye. A static haze formed in his vision. “Answer the question!”

As soon as it had come on, the headache stopped. A new feeling of renewed happiness came over him. Of seeing her again.

“I-I”

“Miranda..” He stated, more calmly, his breathing still heavy as he steadied himself. His vision cleared as he took a step towards her. Her eyes flashed briefly to a flourescent green. Jared reached in his belt loop for his .45, holding it limply at his side. “You’re going to tell me who you are, right now.”

She began to cry, tears falling from her face as she slowly sat on the floor and pulled her legs to her chest.

“Cut the shit, Miranda would have been confrontational if I’d pulled my gun out. She wouldn’t have sat and cried. She’s a fighter dammit..” Jared growled, trying to mask the inexplicable happiness he felt. The girl stopped crying, just like that. Her gaze still at the floor.

“It was a mistake, bringing you here. Your lack of natural magic... Everyone else in the hive could know what was going to happen. She was so thirsty. She wouldn’t listen.” She spoke, softly.

“Oh-ho-ho, that’s what this is. Disappearing guard, maid, fake room.” He raised his sidearm, stepping closer. His boots echoed on the cold tile. “Hive. Drop the disguise, I already know what you are.”

In a wave of green, his love disappeared and a large changeling replaced her. The fake happiness feeling disintigrated with the disguise, and he was filled with blinding rage. Firing from the hip, Jared placed a round through the left foreleg of the changeling. A spray of green blood painted the wall as the creature screamed in pain. Jared’s ears were ringing, his hearing felt like they were stuffed with cotton. The changeling’s already hole-pocked leg now dangled by nothing but soft tissue. The lateral Palmar nerve and a string of damaged muscle were all that attached the creatures limb to its body. It lay quietly moaning and wimpering, attempting to move its leg. To stand.

He slowly advanced, grabbing the changeling by the throat and pinning it to the wall. He held his pistol to the creature’s skull and got nose to nose with it.

“You’re going to tell me where the fuck she is. And you’re going to tell me right fucking now.” His breath fogged the cold chitin of the Changeling’s face as he tightened his grip.

The door swung open behind him, it was Luna, completely aghast. “Jared! Put it down!”

Jared looked at her, then thought for a moment. “Yeah. I’ll put it down.”

He choke slammed the creature to the hard masonry. A tile shattered with the force, Luna gasped.

“Jared! Be reasonable!” She stepped forward.

He knelt before the creature as it lay gasping for air, slowly attempting to crawl away.

“Is that what this is about? You’re trying to use me?” He asked the creature in a cooing, patronizing voice. “I bet you’re the reason I’m here. I bet you’re the reason they all died here.”

Jared stood and placed his boot on the changeling’s head. “Last chance.”

“You’ll never find her, she’s with Shaman now...” It spoke in a low, choking voice. Luna approached slowly, silently. “Mercy...”

“Excuse me?” Jared asked.

“We have seen that you showed mercy to even those who hurt you worst, you held your fist... Have mercy...”

“Your people have taken everything from me. You were direct accessory to it.” He growled as he stepped off and held the chin of the creature up with his boot’s toe. The sight and smell of the leather drove fear into the Changeling. “Hive eh? Hive mind, they see and know what you do?”

The creature wimpered.

“Then know this.” He knelt on the floor, getting in the changelings face as its life blood drained from the damaged hoof. “I will stop at nothing to get her back. I will find her, or kill you all trying. There is nowhere you can hide long enough, nowhere you can run fast enough. I will have her back.”

Jared slowly stood, Luna walked to his side.

“And there ain’t thing one you can do about it.”

He swiftly brought the heel of his boot down upon the Changeling’s head.

Author's Note

Quick chapter! Sorry for the mistakes!