Chapter 18 - Questions and Answers

It was just after 10pm when May got home. Da Gueur was off taking the Night-copter with Brandon and Jade in it to Buttonville airport where they had a private hangar. They would grab a cab ride to Jade's house later.

May's parents were there to greet her. They are overjoyed to see her unharmed. May couldn't believe that only about 2 hours had passed since she first got captured. Her body ached with exhaustion and she couldn't wait to crawl into her soft warm bed.

A familiar presence makes itself known to her gift. It was a presence she had felt many times, but never in her own home. In the living room, sitting on the three-person couch was Sifu Chang.

"Sifu? What are you - how did you get here so fast?" asked May.

Sifu looks up in the direction of her voice and smiles. "I've been here since the afternoon. I got here just after you left to go to your friend's house."

"Why are you here? Did you know I was going to be captured tonight?" demanded May.

Stella Li frowned at the angry tone in May's voice. "May, show some respect!"

Sifu Chang held up his hand, palm out in Stella's direction. "That's ok, child. She has a right to be angry." He gestured with his other hand, indicating that May should sit down opposite of him on the sofa chair. "I did not know about your capture ahead of time. Clairvoyance is a precarious gift. I had a dream last week that I would be here on this date. You were sitting across from me and you were bombarding me with questions. Well, I'm here, bombard away."

Sifu Chang looked tired. Never before had May seen him look so careworn and exhausted. It was understandable because he was well over retirement age, but at his school, during all the summers that May had attended, Sifu Chang had always seemed spry and full of life. Tonight, more than ever, he looked his age - and then some. May's heart went out to the old man but then the events of the evening came back to her. The endangerment of her friends, her own captivity and near rape as well as Brandon and Jade being hurt by Diablo, all these thought drove her next question and put more anger into it than she intended. "Why have I been lied to all my life?"

"May Hua Li!" snapped Stella. However, before Stella could chastise May, Sifu Chang raised his hand again.

"It's alright, child. She meant no disrespect. She feels that she has been lied to, and she's not entirely wrong." Sifu looked straight at May with his closed eyelids in that eerie way that he had. "May, no one lied to you. You have not been told the whole truth, but you definitely have not been lied to."

May opened her mouth for a retort, but again Sifu Chang held up his hand. "Please, allow me to finish. You were not told the whole truth because quite simply, the past causes many of us great pain, and we had hoped that it was buried. We were wrong. I thought, hoped and prayed that Toby Clark died the night we psions gained our freedom."

"Who's Toby Clark?" asked May.

"I think you know," said Sifu Chang. "You met him tonight, although, he goes by a different name now."

"Diablo? His real name is Toby Clark?"

Sifu Chang nodded in response. "Let me tell you a story that will hopefully explain everything."

May nodded her acceptance. Sifu Chang took a long deep breath and began his tale.

"I did not have a happy childhood. I grew up in the slums of Beijing. My parents were poor people who flunked out of their school exams and had to eek out a living in deepest poverty. I grew up knowing I was different. I could feel other people's emotions. I'm sure you're familiar with what I went through as a child. However, I did not have the benefit of your parents' love and understanding. My parents thought I was a freak and a demon. When I turned 13, my gift blossomed. Not only could I feel other's emotions, I could project my emotions into others as well. This is a skill, I believe, that you've had all your life. Perhaps that will give you an indication of just how special you are, May. I did not realize my full potential in empathy until puberty. While you had a spike in your power during your own trials, I believe that your full potential has yet to be realized.

“Anyway, where was I? My mind wanders so much these days. Ah, yes. Puberty. When my parents realized what I was doing, they threw out onto the streets. About a year later, some people who posed as policemen picked me up. I was never sure about this, but I believe my parents told the wrong people about my gift. I never saw them again. They brought me to a place that simply translates into Center For Crazy People. For the next ten years or so, they poked and prodded me along with several others at this facility. I won't bore you with the details. All I can say is that your worse imaginings probably do not come close to the truth. When I turned 24, they moved me to another place. I didn't know until later, but I was in Britain. I met my wife in that new facility and for a while, I was happy. My wife was of Asian decent but was born and raised in this country. The researchers were much more friendly and took a different approach to their research. My wife and I had a lovely daughter, whom we cherished with all our hearts. However, whoever controlled these centers must have become impatient with these British researchers and moved us to a facility in America. My daughter was about 17 at the time.

“This was when the nightmare truly started. My wife was a Clairvoyant and my daughter a Telepath. All three of us were especially strong in our gifts. The American researchers wanted to know how the gifts translated to offspring, so they bred my daughter with an American Empath. Yes, bred - like a horse or a cow. This American Empath was not a gentle man. Even at twenty, he was cruel, brutal and evil to the core. He raped my precious daughter over and over until she became pregnant. A year later, she gave birth to my grandson, Hon Yee Chang. My grandson soon displayed an abnormally high level of Telekinesis. At 2, he was able to lift objects that were too heavy for his hands. For a while, the researchers were satisfied. A few years later, they became obsessed with a single question. Why did psions only have one gift each? To answer this question, they began to operate. They killed a lot of psions before they had their first success. Me. They chose a young Clairvoyant, a boy really, and operated on us both. I acquired the boy's gift, but he did not survive the operation. The scientists, however, were overjoyed with the success.

“Boosted by their success, they then wondered if it were possible to create an even more powerful psion. A super psion, if you will. As the base psion, they chose the only other empath at the Center - the man who raped my daughter and the father of my grandson. Toby Clark jumped at the chance to gain more power. For the other psion, they chose the most powerful clairvoyant they could find. My wife. I refused to allow them to touch my wife. In my feeble attempts to save her life, I lost my eyes. Toby awoke from the operation with my wife's gift. However, his mental stability was a little shaky afterwards. Sometimes, when under stress, he would talk in my wife's voice or adopt some of her habits. The researchers didn't care. They wanted more. They were on a roll with two successful operations. They wanted to add telekinesis to the mix to. For this, they chose the most powerful telekinetic at the Center - my 6-year-old grandson. Again I rebelled. My daughter fought for her son's life too. Toby Clark himself ended the short-lived rebellion by snatching his own son from my daughter's arms. We never saw Hon Yee again, but Toby would sometimes sulk just like him.

“I knew what was going to happen next. The next logical step would be to merge the final gift to Toby's repertoire. The most powerful Telepath at the center was my daughter. I decided that I had just about enough. Direct confrontation was not going to get me anywhere, I decided. Together, my daughter and I plotted our rebellion. With her gift, she reached out to all the other Telepaths in all the other Centers around the world. We were not the only psions who were being mistreated. The other psions willingly joined our rebellion. We planned our attack to occur at pretty much the same time, so that the Centers could not warn each other. That night, my daughter and I discovered something else about us. In our rage against our captors, we linked minds and merged our gifts. When our gifts combined, we were able to direct the actions of our guards. Not many at a time, but enough. We controlled enough to free the other psions at the Center and fight our way to freedom.

“My daughter and I eventually made our way to Canada. Some of the psions at the Center were very proficient with computers. As such, we all shared in the spoils of the rebellion and all of us walked away rich. Here, in this country, we found a measure of peace. I started gathering together all the young psions I could find and took it upon myself to train them to protect themselves. My daughter managed to find some happiness herself. She found - or rather her husband found her and together, they have raised a beautiful daughter. My granddaughter, whom I have never seen with my own eyes, is more precious to me than anything in this world. My granddaughter, who will one day become the leader of all the psions in the world. My granddaughter, who is currently the most powerful Empath I have ever met, bar none. My granddaughter, who is now sitting across from me and has never known until now that she had me as her grandfather."

Tears streaked openly down May's face. She leapt across the short distance separating her and her grandfather, fell to her knees and cried out her heart into his lap. Several minutes later, she finally managed to pull her head up to look around. Both her mother and father were crying openly too. She sniffled and wiped her tears away with the back of her sleeve - something she hadn't done since she was a child. "Why? Why wasn't I told any of this before?"

Stella came forward and sat down beside her father. "Some of it was too painful, May. I can still remember with vivid clarity the night Toby ripped my son from my arms and dragged him kicking and screaming to the operating room."

Fresh tears welled up in May's eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mother."

Stella shook her head and give May a sad smile. She reached out and touched May's hand reassuringly.

Sifu Chang cleared his throat and said, "Now you see some of the reasons why you were kept in the dark. It is now time to tell you the rest."

May nodded her understanding and leaned back and sat down on the floor. She crossed her legs and looked up attentively to her teacher/mentor/grandfather.

"You understand about prophecies, do you not? I believe your cousin Jade made one a couple of years ago. I made one too, the morning I woke up with my clairvoyant gift. Although I did not remember anything I said, your mother was there and she committed every word to memory."

May looked over to her mother, who closed her eyes and recited:

"At the end of the world, when all is lost

An Empress looks over the world of frost

Sister to the Demon, scion of the Teacher

The Phoenix races in order to reach her

She will join the gifts and mend the rift

Through the tears of her sorrow

We will have peace tomorrow"

Stella ended her recitation and May asked, "That's it? That's the prophecy?"

Stella nodded solemnly.

"But that doesn't make sense!" protested May. "Who this Empress supposed to be?"

"I thought that was obvious," said Sifu Chang. "Sister to the Demon? Toby Clark now calls himself Diablo. However despicable the fact is, he does contain the essence of your brother, Hon Yee. Scion of the Teacher? I think that one is self-explanatory. As for the rest, your interpretation is as good as mine."

"I'm the Empress?" asked May incredulously. She was about to scoff at the idea but then she remember another prophecy - one that she just re-heard straight from the prophetess's mouth. By themselves, they didn't make much sense, but put them together, especially with recent events, and then they didn't sound so ridiculous anymore.

"My own interpretation is that it is a doomsday prophecy," said Stella.

"Doomsday? You mean that bit about the end of the world?"

Sifu Chang answered for Stella, "You see now why we did not want you to know. What if we were wrong? It would have been a hell of a burden on you while growing up."

"All through your childhood, the only thing you seemed to want was peace and quiet," said Stella. "We desperately wanted to give you that."

"With the re-emergence of Toby Clark as Diablo, I think the time of the prophecy is upon us," said Sifu Chang.

May felt fresh tears well up in her eyes. She covered her face in her hands and tried to fight back the tears. This was all too much. The end of the world? Herself as the Empress? Mending the rift? After what had happened tonight, she was now expected to fulfill some prophecy? What more did they want of her?

As if to answer her unasked question, Sifu Chang said, "Desperate times will soon be upon us, May. You must take on the leadership of the Children of the Night."

"What? Why me?" exclaimed May. "I thought Brandon was the leader!"

"Only for the interim," said Sifu Chang. "An empath is always the leader. When Jared came along, I stepped down and passed the reins to him."

"Why does it have to be an empath?" asked May.

In response, Stella said, "May, don't be so dense!"

Startled, May looked back at her mother. May thought about everything that had been said tonight, coupled with everything she knew about the psionic gifts. Her mother was right. The answer was pretty obvious. Only an empath would have the ability to truly understand other people. "This...this is too much."

Sifu Chang nodded sagely. "I know, child. Rest for now. Any major decisions you need to make can be made in the morning."

May nodded. She got to her feet but then a sudden fearsome thought struck her. "What about Diablo? Are we safe here? He found me once, he can do it again."

"No need to worry yourself about that for now. While I am here, I can counteract his clairvoyance to a certain degree. Besides, he would be limited in the fact that he does not know you very well personally, and probably does not have anything of yours that has been in your possession long enough to have your imprint on it."

"True, but what about his empathy?" asked May.

"Can you sense him now?" asked Sifu Chang. When May shook her head, he continued, "I cannot either. Looking for someone in a city as large as this with empathy alone is worse than finding a needle in a haystack. I can sometimes catch glimpses of him but only when he is exhibiting behavior traits of my late wife and grandson."

"Go upstairs and rest," said Stella. "Do not worry about all this anymore tonight."

May nodded her head tiredly. As she headed for the stairs, she wondered if she would have time to give Tracy a quick call to let her know that she was all right. As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Edward Li moved to open the door, and as soon as he did, a blonde haired bundle of joy and repressed worry barged in and clutched May in a bear hug.

"Oh May! I'm so glad you're safe!" exclaimed Tracy.

May closed her eyes and allowed herself to be lost in the loving emotions of her friend. "Tracy! What are -".

"I called her as soon as Sifu Chang 'saw' that you were safe," said her father.

May could feel her friend's need to throw questions at her and felt grateful for the fact that Tracy didn't. Emotionally drained and numb, she allowed Tracy to lead her upstairs. Instead of leading her to her bedroom right away though, Tracy led her first to the main bathroom. Tracy turned on the water for the shower and began undressing May.

"Tracy, what are you doing?" protested May.

"Shhh, just relax." said Tracy. "I don't know everything that happened tonight yet, but trust me, the shower will be good for you." She finished undressing May and nudged her towards the shower.

May stepped in and allowed the hot water to wash over her. While standing under the spray, all the events of the evening came back to her in a rush. Tears squeezed out of her tightly shut eyes. A small quiet sob escaped from her throat. Then another. Soon, she was sobbing in earnest and would have fallen into a crying puddle if strong warm arms had not encircled her from behind. She paused long enough to gasp, "Tracy? What're you-"

"Shhh, hush, May. Just let it out. Just let it out," crooned Tracy as she turned May around to face her. She cuddled May's face to her chest as she held the sobbing girl. She didn't yet know all that happened tonight, but one thing was for sure: her best friend was hurting inside. When May's crying had subsided somewhat, Tracy reached around her and turned off the water. She stepped out of the shower first, pulled off her shower cap and pulled on a terry cloth bathrobe. When May stepped out, Tracy wrapped another bathrobe around her.

In May's room, Tracy had May sit in front of her dresser as she skillfully dried May's hair with a blow dryer. Someone, presumably Stella, had laid out a nightgown for May on her bed. Tracy's overnight bag was sitting on the floor by the foot of the bed. After May's hair was dry, Tracy help her pull the nightgown over her head before reaching into her overnight bag and changing into her own nightgown. Still without a word uttered, but speaking from the heart nevertheless, Tracy motioned for May to get into bed. Tracy turned off all the lights before joining May in bed. In bed, in the dark, Tracy thought of nothing but comforting thoughts. She knew that even though she could not project her emotions out like her friend, May would still be able to pick up on hers and be comforted by it. Tracy cuddled May until the tension eased away and her breathing became deep and rhythmic. When Tracy was sure that May was asleep, she finally allowed herself to drift away as well.

Late Sunday morning, Michael awoke to a whirlwind storming into his room.

"Michael, what the hell is this?!" exclaimed Serena as she threw a newspaper on his bed.

"Good morning to you too, Serena," mumbled Michael as he squinted through sleep filled eyes at Serena. He looked down at the newspaper with blurry eyes and said, "Looks like a newspaper. The Toronto Sun to be exact."

"I know it's a newspaper!" said Serena in an exasperated tone. "Explain to me why you're on the front page!"

Suddenly wide-awake, Michael grabbed the newspaper and looked. Sure enough, even though the photo was taken in the dark and the resolution was grainy, the silvery silhouette of a winged figure could be made out. Not far behind the winged figure was the unmistakable outline of a helicopter. The headline read: "Covert Helicopter Chases Angel Over the City."

What the hell? Big Bro?

<<Oops.>>

Oops? What do you mean oops?

Serena cleared her throat and Michael could see that she was getting impatient for an answer. So, he said the first thing that came to his mind, "Oops."

"Oops? What do you mean oops?" exclaimed Serena.

"Umm..."

"I leave you alone so that you could be with your girlfriend last night, and then I wake up to this!" said Serena.

"Um, yeah, about that. Look, at the dance last night, May was kidnapped by this gang called the Demons."

"May? Is she alright?" asked Serena. At the mention of someone in trouble, her anger at Michael seemed to dissipate.

"Yeah, she's fine. Big Bro and I got Tracy home first and then we went after her. Well, actually, Big Bro took control and staged a rescue."

"He can do that?" asked Serena. Now she had an interested expression on her face and she sat down on the bed.

"Yeah, it’s just something we experimented with and found out that he could. The situation last night was pretty delicate and desperate and I didn't want to screw it up."

"Interesting," said Serena. She gestured to the newspaper once more and said, "So, what's up with that?"

Well?

<<I apologize, young one. I was so preoccupied with having May safe and sound, and then I was so distracted with my conversation with her that...well...I forgot.>>

You what? At the same time, Michael said out loud, "He says that he forgot."

"He forgot? I thought he was supposed to be this great teacher and 'big brother.' How could he forget?"

Michael shrugged and said, "Hey, everyone makes mistakes sometimes. He was pretty preoccupied with getting May back safe, plus he was dragging that helicopter behind him. What's the big deal anyway? So someone snapped our picture, so what?"

Serena sighed and said, "I guess I just wanted to discuss your changes with our parents before something like this got out."

"Speaking of parents, where are they? Shouldn't they be home soon?"

At this question, Serena frowned. "I don't know. They were supposed to check in with me, but they haven't yet. I'll make a couple of calls to their superiors. They still owe me a favor or two."

"Please do that. It's starting to feel as if I haven't seen them in like forever," said Michael with feeling.

"I'll do that," said Serena. An impish gleam came to her eyes. "So, since last night was a bust for you, I'm guessing that you'll want more free time tonight?"

Michael blushed at the thought. "Umm, well...that is...Actually, I haven't given it much thought just yet."

"Well, just in case you're worried about anymore foreign objects crashing through your newly replaced window, and you decide to use the guest room, please let me know so that I can wash the sheets before I fully move in, ok?" Serena laughed at the expression on Michael's face. "Oh, Michael, you're so easy to tease! I like Tracy, and I'm sure she'll make a man out of you!"

Michael coughed to clear his throat. Inside, he vowed to get even with Serena one day. Until then, it was time to get up, and there was still one small issue to take care of. "Serena, remember the no peeking rule?"

"Of course, why, you want to bend it a little?" asked Serena with a saucy smile.

"No! Of course not!" protested Michael vehemently. "But, um, I kinda just jumped into bed when I got home, and well, unless you want to break that rule, you'll have to get the heck outta my room so that I can get dressed!"

Serena sighed theatrically. "It's been so long for me that you're starting to look good to me!" She laughed at Michael's expression and got up to leave. She pulled the door shut as she left but didn't put enough force for the door to shut all the way.

Michael eyed the small gap suspiciously before pushing the door shut with his senses. Outside the door, he could hear muffled giggles. One thing was for certain. Living with Serena full time was going to be an interesting experience!

A couple of hours later, just after noon, Michael rang the doorbell to May's house. He had called Tracy before he left and was told by her mother that she was staying at May's place. Another quick call to May got him permission to visit. An attractive Asian woman opened the door. She smiled when she saw Michael.

"Hi, you must be Michael!" she said. "Come on in. The girls will be down soon."

Michael walked in and the woman took his jacket. "Thank you, Mrs. Li," he said.

"Tut, tut, call me Stella! Mrs. Li is my mother-in-law and we don't get along!" Stella hung up Michael's jacket in the closet and called upstairs, "Girls, you have a visitor!"

There was an ecstatic scream followed by loud giggling. There was the sound of running footsteps and a voice suddenly cried out, "Tracy! You can't run down like that! You're practically naked!"

"So what? It's nothing Michael hasn't seen yet!" yelled Tracy.

"My father and grandfather are downstairs!"

"Oh. Oops, where's my bra?"

"Here, silly!"

There were more sounds of giggling and hushed whispers. Michael's ears were burning red and Stella laughed at the expression on his face. "Looks like someone is happy to see you," she said. "Here, come into the living room. You can meet my husband and my father."

Michael allowed himself to be led into May's spacious house. Part of him was surprised at the size and obvious luxuriousness of May's home. Although May never showed any airs at school, judging from her home, it was clear that her family was rich.

In the living room, Michael first shook hands with Edward Li, May's father. He was a friendly faced man who seemed genuinely please to meet Michael. Next, Michael was introduced to May's grandfather.

Stella steered Michael towards the sofa chair where her father was sitting. In response, her father stood up and held out his hand. "Michael, I would like you to meet my father," Stella paused and frowned. "Um, Ba Ba, how should I introduce you?"

Michael looked into the face of May's grandfather and realized one thing immediately. He's blind!

The old man gave Michael a youthful grin and said, "Michael, in the course of this morning alone, I have heard much about you. Much of what I hear concerns your looks, and although I cannot see you, I am sure you live up to your reputation. Even though you are not one of my students, you may call me Sifu Chang. I am pleased to make your acquaintance." Sifu Chang held out his hand.

Michael stepped up to Sifu Chang and took his hand. "I am please to meet you too, Sifu Chang."

As soon as their hands made contact, Sifu Chang stiffened as if in electrostatic shock. His hand gripped Michael's in a vise-like grip. Michael looked back at Stella and said, "What's wrong?"

Stella rushed forward immediately. Edward met her on the other side of the old man. Stella raised her voice and shouted, "May, come down now! We need you!"

Footsteps pounded down the stairs as May raced downstairs and into the living room. She took one look at the scene and cried, "Oh no!" She was still in her nightgown and had not yet changed. Tracy was right on her heels and was wearing nothing but her bra and panties. May rushed to her grandfather's side, but as soon as she put her hands on both her grandfather's and Michael's joined hands, she was pushed back as if repulsed by an invisible force.

In a disembodied tone, Sifu Chang began to speak:

"The truth lies in the shadows of the past.

Trust your instincts for the lies are fading fast.

Do not hesitate to strike your blow

Or else the next time you will see your foe

Will signal the end of all we know."

Sifu Chang paused as if for breath and then recited:

"The reign of the Mad God begins

When Demons fall and the Empire wins"

Sifu Chang drew in a deep breath and would have collapsed if three sets of hands had not eased him back into his chair. Sweat beaded down the old man's face as he said, "Did I just make another prophecy? It has been so long."

May gently prodded Michael and he moved away from the old man. Without a word, she led him and Tracy back upstairs. Once they were all in May's room, she closed the door and looked at her two friends. She sat down on her bed and motioned for them to do the same. Michael and Tracy did as she bid and all three teenagers looked at each wondering, as if who would speak first.

Michael finally broke the silence. "Umm, what just happened down there?"

Instead of answering his question right away, May turned to Tracy first. "Tracy, would you be a dear and put on some clothes? We have a lot to discuss and we can't have you distracting Michael with your current state of undress."

Tracy shrugged and said, "Why bother, he's going to see everything sooner or later." When Michael's face reddened, she laughed and walked into May's ensuite bathroom.

May turned back to Michael and asked, "Michael, I need to check something. Can you please give me your hand?"

Michael nodded and held his right hand up to her. May grasped it between hers and looked straight into Michael's eyes. "Michael, I'm going to let you in on some very serious secrets. Can I trust you to keep them?"

Michael's eyes never left hers and he replied firmly, "You can trust me."

Feeling no deceptive emotion coming from Michael, May nodded her head and let go of his hand. ”Tracy and I had a long talk this morning about what we should tell you. The police came early this morning and we gave our statements. They know next to nothing about the real truth. Tracy was in favor of telling you everything, but since the secret concerns me and my family, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get you involved."

"After last night, I think I'm already involved," said Michael. "Besides, I love Tracy and I consider you to be a special friend. If I can help in any way to keep both of you from harm, I will."

May smiled at Michael's statement. The emotions coming from him were all genuine. Her smile darkened when she considered the danger involved. "It could be dangerous, both to you and your family."

"I can take care of myself," said Michael. "My parents would approve, I think. They're all for sticking together with your friends through thick and thin."

May took a deep breath and said, "Ok, here goes. Some of what I'm about to say may seem extraordinary, but I swear, everything is true." She took another deep breath and started talking. At first, she had intended to tell Michael only the pertinent stuff, but as she talked, the words just kept right on coming. Through it all, Michael sat without comment, quietly absorbing every word she said.

Soon after May started, Tracy came back out of the washroom dressed in a pair of jeans and a baggy sweat top. She silently sat down on the bed and listened intently to May's story. Tracy already knew most of what May was saying, but she listened without comment. When May got to the part about her grandfather and the cruelties he and her mother had endured, tears began to streak openly down Tracy's face. She crawled to May's side and hugged her tight until she finished her story.

When May finished, she closed her eyes for a few seconds and leaned against Tracy, glad for her support. She opened her eyes and looked at Michael. He still had not said anything. "Well?" she prompted.

Michael shook himself as if waking from a dream. "Wow," he said. "I had expected something along those lines, but the enormity of the truth is beyond anything I had ever imagined."

"What happened downstairs finally made up my mind to tell you everything," said May. "Did what my grandfather say make any sense to you?"

Michael shook his head. "My past is pretty much an open book. Other than the fact that I'm adopted, there's really nothing shady about it." He looked thoughtful for a minute. "Maybe it's about the time before I was adopted, back in the orphanage. But I really don't remember much about that place. Then there's this whole thing of striking my foe. I don't have any enemies that I know of. The last bit really confuses me. What Empire?"

"I think that may be a reference to me."

When Michael and Tracy looked at May quizzically, she started talking about the other prophecies she had heard and the various interpretations for them.

When she finished, Michael and Tracy leaned back and looked thoughtful. They were interrupted from their musings when Stella knocked on the door and said, "May, it's almost time to go. Have you gotten dressed yet?"

May jumped up and said, "Not yet, but just give me a few minutes!" She ran into her walk-in closet and came back out with a black dress. "Sorry guys, we can continue this later. I have a funeral to go to."

Both Michael and Tracy got up. Tracy said, "Jared's funeral is today? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to spoil the mood for last night."

"You silly girl," said Tracy. "We could have skipped out on the dance then."

May shook her head. "Jared would've wanted me to go and have fun."

Tracy looked torn. She looked as if she were about to ask if she could go to, but at the same time, she looked as if she were remembering some unconsummated plans and an available empty house.

May saw her expression and let her off the hook, "It's ok, Tracy. I'll be with my family. I'll be fine. Besides, you and Michael have some unfinished business!"

"Are you sure?" asked Tracy hesitantly.

Before May could confirm, Michael cleared his throat and said, "Um, actually, May, if you don't mind, I would like to come too, and pay my respects."

Both girls whirled to look at Michael in astonishment. May recovered first and asked, "Are you sure?"

Michael shrugged and looked apologetically at Tracy, "Of course I'm sure. It's what friends do, right? Tracy, I hope you don't mind, but we can always continue our date next week."

"If I don't mind?" asked Tracy incredulously. "Does this show you how much I don't mind, and just how much I love you?" Tracy tackled Michael and they both fell onto the bed. Tracy rained kissed all over Michael's face and he playfully fought her off.

"Ah hem," said May. "If you two don't mind, I still need to get changed, and Tracy, if you're coming, maybe you should wear something a little more solemn."

"How about what I'm wearing?" asked Michael from underneath Tracy.

"You look fine," said May. To Tracy, she said, "You better hang on to this one, Tracy. A guy who would dress up nicely to meet his girlfriend's best friend's family and give up a hot date with said girlfriend is definitely a keeper!"

Tracy gave Michael one last kiss and got up. "Don't you worry on that score! Michael, do you have the car with you?"

In response, Michael nodded as he got up off the bed. "Good," said Tracy. "May, can you give me directions and Michael and I will meet you there? I'm going to go home to change but I don't want to hold up your family."

May handed Tracy a brochure with all the directions and then firmly nudged her friends out of her room.

When they got downstairs, they inquired about Sifu Chang, but were told that he was currently resting in the den. They bid their goodbyes to Stella and Edward and promised to meet up with them at the funeral home.

Once outside, Michael and Tracy walked hand in hand towards Tracy's house. Tracy was silent and Michael was worried that he might have offended her in some way. "Tracy, are you alright? I'm sorry for volunteering us like that. I know you wanted to spend more time together, but I just figured that this was more important."

Tracy just smiled reassuringly at him and hugged his arm to her as they walked. "You're crazy if you think I'm mad. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you, and how much I love you at this moment."

Inside Tracy's house, they found a note on the refrigerator door explaining that her parents had gone out and would be back later that evening. Tracy attached another note explaining that she going to be with May's family a little longer. At Michael's questioning look, she explained, "My parents lead pretty busy lives. My mom's a MPP and my dad's a professor at U of T." She sighed. "Too bad I didn't know the house was going to be empty today. There were some things I could have planned!" She gave Michael a wink and led him upstairs to her room.

In her room, Michael sat on Tracy's bed while she busied herself in her closet. She came out a few minutes later with an elegant black dress that she laid on the bed. She looked thoughtfully at Michael and then promptly made up her mind. "You know, I had so much planned out for this weekend, but with circumstance being what they are, the plan kind of went out the window."

"That's ok," said Michael. "I'm sure we'll have lots of other opportunities."

Tracy nodded her approval. "That's what I really love about you, you know. You let me go at my own pace and you've never pushed for anything."

"I love you, Tracy," said Michael simply. "Just being with you is like a dream come true. Of course, that doesn't mean that when I'm alone, I don't have a few other dreams while I 'take care of business'!" He leered openly at Tracy, and they both shared a laugh.

"Well," said Tracy tartly, "soon I'll be taking care of the business for you. Until then, here's some fuel for those dreams of yours."

Tracy pulled off her sweat top and threw it on the bed. She was swaying slightly, as if listening to a song in her head. She unbuckled her jeans, turned around and pulled them down, bending at the waist as she did so. Michael gave her an appreciative whistle, which caused her to laugh and straighten up. She reached back with her hands and unclipped her bra. Sliding it off her shoulders, she slowly turned around until she was facing Michael once more. She slid the bra down a bit at a time, slowly revealing her breasts to Michael's hungry eyes. Then, in a sudden movement, she pulled it completely off and threw it at Michael. "Ta da!" she exclaimed.

Michael moved his hands involuntarily, and Tracy caught the motion. "Uh uh! Today is see but no touch! We don't have enough time. Put your hands down where I can see them." Michael complied with a grin.

Tracy pulled off her panties and pranced around the room totally naked for a while. Her movements weren't entirely random because she ended up back in front of Michael with a black bra and panty set. She pulled these items on slowly, and Michael let out a playfully disappointed sigh as Tracy's naughty bits were covered up once more. Tracy picked up the dress and pulled it on. She motioned for Michael to come over and turned her back meaningfully.

Michael stood behind her and zipped up her dress. When he was done, he put his arms around her and hugged her close. He rested his head on her shoulder and whispered, "Thank you. I think you've just fulfilled some deep rooted fantasies of mine."

Tracy giggled and turned her head enough to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you for watching. I've always wanted to do that for someone I loved and not have to worry about being mauled before the show was over. And don't worry about the fantasies. I'm going to fulfill all of them before I'm done with you!"

When Michael got home later that night, Serena's car was in the driveway. The front foyer was littered with boxes and Serena was busy sorting through them. She looked up and Michael came in. "So, how was your date? I noticed that the guest room's sheets were undisturbed again. What's the point of me leaving you all alone when you don't take advantage of it?"

Michael hung up his jacket and moved to help Serena with her boxes. "Oh, we didn't end up going out on a date. May's cousin's funeral was today so we went to pay our respects. After the funeral, we were invited out to dinner with May's family."

Serena stopped her unpacking to look at Michael incredulously. "You passed up a hot date to go to a funeral?"

"It was the right thing to do," Michael said.

Serena reached over to tussle his hair and ended up wrapping her arm around Michael's shoulders and hugged him tight. "It definitely was the right thing to do, and I'm proud of you! Our parents would be proud of you too."

"Speaking of which, did you get an update?"

Serena shook her head. "Everybody I asked just clammed up." She frowned and said, "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that there was a conspiracy or something."

"Conspiracy?" Michael arched an eyebrow. "Do I really want to know?"

Serena shook her head vigorously. "Sorry kiddo, can't tell you yet."

Michael just sighed and continued to help Serena with her unpacking. By the time they were done, it was just past midnight. They bid each other goodnight, and Michael went into his room while Serena headed for the guest room down the hall. As Michael got into bed and turned off his light, he reflected on how nice it was to have company in the house again, and to know that he wasn't entirely alone anymore. When he closed his eyes, visions of Tracy undressing for him and then prancing around the room naked filled his mind and accompanied him into his dreams.