she sighed heavily and dropped the chips. "this is quite possibly the weirdest situation that anyone will ever be in, ever, so if you're having difficulty computing it after only finding out about it, oh, six hours ago, that's okay. no one is expecting you to just get it. in fact, i'm pretty impressed by how calm you've all been."

"we were provided irrefutable evidence that this is real. we either accept it or ignore it. i'm not a fan of ignoring it."

ari cocked her head with a soft smile. "you sound like the old charlie. you are, i guess."

"was i so different after mikey ...?"

ari leaned toward him. "charlie, whatever happens, don't become a part of this world. it's not meant for humans.

it destroyed you. watching it destroy you was the hardest thing i've ever done."

he shook his head slowly, his eyes fixed on hers. "you look at me with such affection and familiarity. it should freak me out but ... i think i like it. you must have really cared about me to do something so huge with such massive consequences, to save me and my family."

"you were my oldest and best friend. i would have died for you. i still would."

"you're amazing," he breathed, his expression turning warm. "i can totally see us becoming best friends again."

ari chuckled, trying not to blush at the way he looked at her.

"this is going to sound like a total pickup line, but you have the most extraordinary eyes i've ever seen. i bet you get that a lot."

"they're weird eyes," ari shrugged.

"people notice."

"not weird. beautiful. you are beautiful."

"glad you got that out of your system now," trey wandered into the kitchen, shooting charlie a droll look. "i wouldn't repeat it unless you want her boyfriend to turn you into some kid's buzz lightyear figurine."

ari's skin burned, not only from charlie's very smooth come-on but also from trey overhearing it. it grew even hotter when charlie shot her a disappointed look. "boyfriend?"

she nodded. "jai."

charlie frowned. "so you and i never ... i could've sworn there was something ... we never ... ever?"

and in that moment, ari quickly decided it was for the best if she lied. it would make it easier for everyone, especially fallon, if new charlie didn't get any ideas in his head about his old relationship with a girl he found attractive. she shot trey a quelling look before turning back to charlie. "no, we were always just friends. remember i told you that you dated fallon, one of the roes."

he nodded, but his expression was a little tense. "the guild hunter i inadvertently had killed. is she ... mad about that?"

ari shook her head. "no. she was there because she cared about you. she doesn't blame you."

"so this fallon chick ... she's cool?"

"very."

charlie looked up at trey. "she hot?"

trey grinned. "very."

"i could work with that."

ari glared at him. new charlie was like old charlie-charming and irreverent. that wasn't going to cut it in this situation. things were far too delicate. "here's a heads-up ... in our reality, fallon cared a great deal for you and she was murdered in her attempt to help you. because she's jinn, she remembers that reality and was more than a little cut up to hear you don't remember her anymore. tread very carefully with her, please. i don't want her hurt more than she already is."

he held up a placating hand. "i'm sorry. i'm just ... still computing. but i'll tread carefully."

the sound of a key turning in the front door shot them all to their feet. trey and ari took the lead, hurrying into the hallway as one of the large double doors blew open. in stepped a travel-weary michael, followed by caroline, gerard, megan, fallon, and jai trailing at the back.

fallon's eyes immediately sought the space behind ari, and as they locked onto charlie, they widened, so many emotions flickering through them, it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what she was feeling. ari would just go with ... a lot.

she smiled reassuringly at fallon and was just about to shoot jai a welcome grin when her shoulders hunched up at the appreciative murmur behind her, "tell me that's her. if so alternate charlie had good taste."

16

you'll take a piece of me with you

"i'm fallon."

ari watched, impressed, as fallon held a hand out to charlie. although her eyes were burning with curiosity and questions, her fingers didn't tremble once. she was steady as a rock. she had always been impressively self-possessed, but ari still noted that subdued quality to her that hadn't existed before. she wasn't sure if she liked it.

the group introduced themselves to the creaghs, jai clapped trey on the back in greeting, and then hugged ari close. they moved into the sitting room and now everyone's attention was on this weird reunion of sorts.

charlie's eyes glittered with a surprising amount of good humor and interest as he reached to shake fallon's hand. as they held onto one another, fallon took another step closer to him and narrowed her eyes. after at least half of minute of intense scrutiny, she whispered regretfully, "you're not him."

charlie frowned and shot ari a quizzical look. she sighed, squeezing jai's hand in hers. of course fallon would be freaked out by this charlie. she, unlike ari, had never known this charlie. this was the charlie ari had loved. brooding, vengeful, intense charlie was the young man fallon had loved. he was nowhere in sight.

fallon's expression fell and she quickly stepped back against her mom. caroline wrapped her arms loosely around her in comfort and protection.

as if he knew he'd somehow disappointed her, charlie ran a hand through his hair. "sorry," he mumbled.

"no tattoo," fallon muttered, her eyes still on him.

at that, charlie raised an eyebrow and curled his lip. "i had a tattoo? i hate tattoos."

"you had the word 'justice' written in arabic around your wrist," ari explained.

charlie made a face. "i sound pretty tortured."

"yeah, you do. dude, you love me a lot," mikey teased. ari couldn't help but giggle. it reminded her of old times.

throwing his brother an unamused look, charlie retorted, "i was obviously bored without your incessant pain-in-the-assery in my life."

"pain in the assery?" mikey nodded.

"i like that. i'm using that."

"you can't use that. if i impart any wisdom in this life, it's 'be original.'"

"well, considering your history, i would've gone with 'stay away from suppressants and sorcerers.'"

ari sucked in her breath as everyone stiffened at the crack.

mikey raised an eyebrow. "what? too soon?"

lips twitching, charlie turned back to ari. "you sure i went on a rampage because of this guy?"

ari burst out laughing, all the fear and anxiety melting away for just a second. everyone stared at her like she was nuts. charlie asked, a small smile playing on his lips, "what? what is it?"

her eyes flickered between mikey and him and she shook her head, her eyes shimmering with tears. "everything was worth it. to hear you two bickering again." she turned to jai and squeezed his hand. "it was so worth it. does that make me an awful person?"

jai shook his head, his expression serious. "never." he tugged on her hand and spoke to the others as he led her out of the living room. "ari and i are just taking a minute."

worried that jai's sudden need for privacy meant something else had happened, ari's heart raced as she hurried up the stairs after him. she followed him into one of the smaller back bedrooms and watched with trepidation as he carefully closed the door behind them. he turned to her with a determined expression on his face. "what's goi-"

the question was swallowed in his kiss as he pulled her into his arms and crushed her mouth under his, his hands tangling in her hair.

her surprise quickly burned away with his heat, and she wrapped her arms around him, melting into the desperate, intoxicating kiss. when he finally let her up for air, he gazed into her face with hooded eyes, brushing his thumb tenderly over her swollen mouth. "i just really needed to do that."

oh.

a slow, delighted smile spread across her face and his beautiful eyes brightened at the sight of it. "well, you know any time you get that urge, just go for it. i'm willing to accommodate."

he grinned. "good to know."

she rested her head against his chest and sighed, enjoying this moment of peace since it was only going to last for another few minutes.

feeling jai's fingers brush through her hair melted her even more, and she longed for the day when this was the kind of moment that wasn't stolen.

"did you get any sleep?" he asked quietly.

she nodded. "trey made me."

"i knew i was friends with him for a reason."

she smiled and reached up to press a kiss to his throat. "i have to go."

jai's arms tightened. "i want to come with you."

"you know i need you here protecting them."

"and who's going to protect you?"

tilting her head back to meet his eyes, ari gave him a cocky smile. "i don't know if you know this, but i'm pretty kick-ass now."

he nodded casually. "there's a rumor to that effect floating around the jinn world." he smiled a little but ari could still see the concern-maybe even fear-hiding in the back of his eyes.

she smoothed her hands down his chest in a comforting gesture. "i promise you that i am going to get out of this alive. i promise."

"you have to." the desperate emotion in his eyes gripped her heart. "i need you to for the both of us. if ...if something happens to you, if i have to live my life without you, i'm afraid of what will happen to me. i'm afraid i'll get bitter and angry like my dad. or worse ... destroy everything that touches me like charlie did."

the air was sucked out of her at his declaration, and her fingers unconsciously curled into his shirt. the immensity of the responsibility he was putting on her shoulders might have made a lesser person panic. or at least a person who didn't love him back just as much. instead she cradled what he'd said in her chest next to her pounding heart and offered it protection with fierce determination.

"i'm coming back." she tugged him closer, their faces almost touching. "i'm coming back to you. i will always come back to you."

after their private and very epic goodbye, ari let the roes and the creaghs know she was preparing to leave for mount qaf. rather than cracking an inappropriate joke like she would have done before, fallon gravely hugged ari and wished her luck. after more hugging, ari took jai's hand to combine their energy. she needed to telepath to red in mount qaf and that could take it out of a person. ari needed to keep all of her strength for whatever was coming next.

red, i need you to bring me to mount qaf! she shouted, hoping he could hear her.

ari, i can't leave here unless it's extremely important, he answered impatiently.

i know how to take down lilif.

in an instant, fire exploded in the room and mrs. creagh yelled out, her two boys cursing. the red king stepped out of the peripatos and eyed charlie who looked at red like he was a god among men.

in a way, ari guessed he was.

"you've found him. good." red turned back to ari. "i think i know what you're planning and i don't know if i like it."