Fiction: The Teamsters

(For those who read and enjoyed Fairy Tale and Soul Searching, this is the continued story of Snap Play and her adopted family, taken mostly from rp sessions with my SGmates. I can't and won't claim credit for these stories, but I would love any comments/criticisms/questions you may have to be posted here, so that I can pass them on to the appropriate parties. Thank you for reading-on behalf of the Teamsters, I hope you enjoy!)

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My face was pressed to the stone, my arms and legs stretched painfully and bound. I knew I wasn't going to escape. He paced back and forth in front of me, and though I could not see his face under the hood he wore, I sensed that he was grinning, enjoying the moment, savoring my fear.

As he reached for the knife, I tensed, squeezing my eyes closed. I would not flinch, I thought, pressing down a panic attack. I would not show him that I was afraid-it would only prolong the ordeal. I waited, each second longer than the last, until the silence convinced me that he was gone, and I was alone.

As I relaxed and opened my eyes, he stepped up in front of me, raising the knife high, and as it arced down towards me a scream tore painfully from my throat...

"Snap!" Alaric said urgently, shaking her shoulder gently.

Shaking me...someone...who?

"Snap! Wake up!" He knelt on the bed beside her, lifted her slightly into his arms, shook her again.

Alaric? Sounds...scared...don't be...

"Snap!"

"Wha-?" Jerking awake, Snap stared up at Alaric, dazed. After a few seconds searching his face and reassuring herself that she was okay, she found her voice again. "What...happened?"

"You were having a nightmare again, sweetheart," Alaric said gently, settling her back on the bed and lying down beside her, pulling her close. "Want to talk about it?"

Her eyes darkened slightly, remembering, then she turned and curled up against him, closing her eyes again. "No...not really. What time is it?"

He sighed and glanced over at her clock. "Does it matter?"

"Matters to me."

"Four in the morning. Go back to sleep," he added, settling in next to her and wrapping his arm around her.

"Already am..." she mumbled, sinking back into unconsciousness.

Alaric sighed again, staring at the ceiling. It had been-what-two months since they'd rescued her from the Will? Three? Almost three...and the nightmares refused to cease. She'd had nightmares before, he knew-always, according to Blackrazur-but never this bad, and they weren't even as bad now as they had been before he had started sharing her bed. He remembered hearing her wake up screaming and paranoid, mistrustful of letting anyone but 'Razur come near her, and he grimaced.

Snap shifted slightly in her sleep as his arm involuntarily tensed around her, and he relaxed again, schooling his mind to peace. Slowly, his breathing evened out, and he slipped from meditation back into sleep. Tomorrow, he thought hazily, we can deal with it tomorrow...

The next morning, Snap woke alone. Rolling over to check the time, she found that it was already nearly noon, and cursed Alaric under her breath for turning off her alarm clock. He'd only say that she needed the rest if she confronted him about it, but that made it no less annoying.

Sighing, she sat up, slowly getting ready for her day. Once she had made herself fit to be seen by the other members of their supergroup, she headed out of the small "apartment" she shared with Alaric, seeking the base kitchen and a much-needed cup of tea.

The smell of mint greeted her as soon as she entered the dining area, and she began to move faster, wondering who was home and brewing her favorite flavor of tea. As she entered the kitchen, she smiled; a comfortingly familiar form stood over the stovetop, pouring boiling water into a mug, which was set on the counter in front of her as she slid onto a stool.

"Morning, Snap." 'Razur said, crossing his arms and leaning nonchalantly against the counter.

She took a sip of the tea before answering, making a face as the hot liquid scalded her tongue. "Morning...what's the occasion?" she asked, gesturing towards the mug. "Not that I don't appreciate it," she added. "You're the only one in the Teamsters who can make this exactly the way I like it."

"Maybe if you weren't so particular about how much sugar you put in it..." 'Razur grinned. "No occasion. Hungry?"

"Not if you're cooking. What are you up to?" Snap eyeballed him suspiciously over the top of her mug before taking another sip.

"Nothing...how'd you sleep?"

Snap paused for a second, briefly remembering her nightmare, before pushing it out of her mind and answering. "Pretty well, I guess. No worse than usual."

He stared at her, jaw tensing slightly. "Liar."

"If you already knew the answer, why did you ask?"

"Same reason I always ask. You don't like me in your head. I don't like being lied to. Alaric already told me you were having nightmares again, not that he had to; I could feel your fear in Talos. I was on my way back to base when he got you to wake up."

"I'm fine, 'Razur," Snap said, staring intently into her tea. "Don't worry about it. Where have you been anyhow? We haven't seen you for, what, a week now?"

"You're not fine," he growled. "I've been training, learning something that might help you."

The diminutive healer nearly choked on her tea. "Oh?" she managed, swallowing. "What's that?"

"Dreamwalking." 'Razur studied her intently; she could feel it. Even with his ever-present sunglasses on, it was impossible for her not to know that he was watching her. She shook her head mutely, her natural reticence taking over. "What?" he asked.

"I don't..." she started, before pausing for a second and taking a deep breath. "I don't want you in my head...there are some things in there...I don't want even you to see."

"As if anything in your head could make me feel any different about you!"

"It doesn't matter." She shook her head again. "I just...let me deal with it myself, okay? It's my problem anyhow."

"No, it's not. What happens if Alaric gets dragged into your nightmares? Or Ali? You know it's possible, and while I could handle it, they might not be able to. Do you really want that to happen?"

"If one of us were psychic, then yeah, I'd say it's possible. As it is, you're the only one I'm connected that close to, and you won't get dragged in anyhow!"

"You can't guarantee that."

Snap shook her head miserably. "No. I can't."

"Then let me help you!" 'Razur growled, weary of her stubborn attitude.

She paused for a second, then looked up at him. "If my theory doesn't work out...then we'll talk. Okay?"

After a moment, he nodded. "Fine. What are your plans?"

"Nothing right now...later on, we're supposed to go help Citadel. He wants an 8-man team to help find out some stuff on the Council; I volunteered the Teamsters for the assignment."

"Well, count me in, if you've got space."

Snap grinned. "Was already counting on you, tall one."

'Razur grinned back and stood up. As he started to leave the room, he turned to her, abruptly shooting out one claw and raising her chin with it, forcing her to look him in the eyes. As he studied her intently, he saw nothing there but her absolute trust in him.

"You know I would never hurt you, Snap-not even in battle rage," he said quietly. "I'd tear myself to pieces first."

"I know," she answered calmly, without shifting her gaze. Satisfied, 'Razur turned to walk away, calling out "See you later!" over his shoulder.

Snap wandered the base for a little while, just checking over things, until finally a flash of yellow caught the corner of her eye. Following it to it's destination, she walked into Mionas' lab, calling "Mio?"

"Yeah?" The muffled reply came from somewhere above her, and she knew he must be in his room above the lab itself-not that his room was really much of a room either; the college student had filled the lower part of his space with the lab equipment necessary for maintaining his power armor, and his living space was full of book and computers, with only a small cot, a couch, and a big-screen tv as "creature comforts".

She tilted her head back, projecting her voice towards the ceiling. "Can I come up? It's Snap."

"Wha-? Oh! Yeah, yeah, that serum you wanted. Yeah, come on up."

Popping her head up through the hole in the second-story floor, the rest of her body following shortly thereafter, Snap smiled at the youngest co-leader of the Teamsters. "How's it going? You've been...ah...busy, looks like..." She took in the disaster scene, raising one eyebrow admiringly. Clothing was strewn just about everywhere books weren't.

"I have a date tomorrow night with-"

"Ali. Right, I remember now, you won that race against her because she went to Miskatonic U's base instead of ours. Where did you decide to take her?"

Mio gave her a look that bordered on complete agony.

"You didn't decide, did you?"

He shook his head. "I don't know what she likes! And I can't ask 'Razur, I mean, sure, he wasn't scary before, but that was before I got a date with his granddaughter!"

"Great great great granddaughter," Snap corrected automatically. "Okay, I'll trade you-you give me the serum I wanted, and I'll tell you how to impress Ali."

Mio reached into a cabinet and pulled down four small vials, scrutinizing the labels before laying them out in front of Snap. "You wanted to increase your powers, right? Heal a little better, do a little more damage?"

"Right, that's the one."

"Okay, well, these are yours then. Now tell me! Please!"

Snap scooped up the vials, tucking them away in a pocket of her cargoes. "Okay, here's the thing. Ali doesn't like to sit still for longer than a few minutes, so you might want to try taking her dancing or go-kart racing or something active like that. She does like movies, so an action movie would probably be a big hit. Also, whatever you do, don't order dessert-sugar and caffeine make her impossible to control, that's why 'Razur won't let her have them. Got all that?"

Mio nodded dumbly, taking it all in.

"Oh, and head over to MiskU's base a little early-'Razur asked Asylym to make you one of these." Snap reached into her back pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a tiny dart gun, pre-loaded.

"Um...what is it?"

"It's a tranq gun, designed specifically for Ali." Snap's face was deadly serious as she stowed the tiny weapon away. "We both carry one. So do most of the others who work with Ali."

"...why?" Mio was starting to have serious doubts about his date. He'd known that she was addicted to speed-as in, miles per hour-and that she was a little unpredictable and airheaded, but he'd had no idea that she actually had a tranquilizer designed for her!

"It's a precaution...just in case she gets really badly out of hand. We haven't had to use them yet, but you should carry one, just in case. Anyhow, I have to go-still need to run by Icon and Wentworth's today. Laters!"

Before Mio could yell out "Wait!" she was gone, leaving him staring dumbly into space before forgetting why he had been trying to stop her in the first place and returning to his preparations.

Snap sat on the edge of one of the platforms in the workroom, conversing with Fyglia Skydancer, Storm Rose, Donovan Cosantoir, Tybaltin, and WRider. The lone human of the group, WRider was explaining the effects of a serum he'd developed.

"It was supposed to increase my accuracy, but it changed my gender instead," he explained, swinging his legs off the edge of the platform next to Snap. "I decided to keep it, since Countess Crey is looking for me...she's looking for a male WRider, not a female."

"That makes sense," Don agreed. "It's an excellent disguise."

"Oh! Speaking of serums...I'll be right back," Snap said. "Mio worked up a serum for me that's supposed to increase my healing abilities, I figured I'd take some right before we go out to work tonight, in case it wears off." Slipping down off the platform, she dashed through the base to the apartment she shared with Alaric, grabbed a vial off their dining room table, and returned to her friends.

"Okay...let's see if this works..." she said, wincing as she carefully injected herself with the serum.

"Um..." Rose said, staring up at her brother's girlfriend in surprise.

"Whoa!" Fyglia said at the same time, also staring.

"...wow." said WRider, the first to find his voice.

Snap stared down at her friends in dismay. "I...I don't think it worked...oh, no..."

"No, I don't think it did either!" Rose exclaimed.

"Well, try healing?" WRider suggested.

Spreading her hands over the group and concentrating, Snap sent a wave of healing energies through them, then shook her head and slumped to the ground. "No...same as before. Instead of increasing my powers that stupid potion just increased my size!"

"I can...sorta see how that might work," Rose mused.

"This is so not good!" Snap moaned, burying her face in her hands. "I don't want to be big! And there's no counter-serum!"

Fyglia giggled. "Maybe Mio pulled a prank on you!"

"He better not have," the changeling growled, "or I'm sabotaging his date tomorrow!"

"Date? What date?" the group chorused.

"Mio has a date with Ali tomorrow night, he won it by beating her in a footrace," Snap explained.

"Someone actually likes Ali enough to go on a date with her?" Rose asked, aghast.

Ignoring her, Snap turned her face to WRider. "If I gave you what's left of the serum, could you make a counter-serum for it? Or something to fix this?"

"I can try," the blaster answered thoughtfully, "It might be a little difficult considering I didn't create the thing...plus you know my current streak of creating potions is not very good."

"Well, nothing can be worse than this, right?" Glumly, Snap got up to retrieve the remaining serum and place it in WRider's lab. As she returned, she interrupted her friends' murmuring, saying, "It's on your desk, WRider."

"I'll get to work on it as soon as I can," he promised.

"As for it not being able to get worse...you could turn into something like what Doc Squid turned into yesterday, that metal-skinned guy," Rose reflected. "At least you still look like you, only bigger."

"I don't want to be big though!" Snap cried, close to actual tears. "I just got used to being little! Fygy, stop it!"

The smaller faerie had been running around Snap's seated form in circles, pretending that her friend had her own orbit. Hearing how upset she was, Fyglia stopped and knelt down next to Snap, hugging her and murmuring an apology.

"Wait, weren't you the one who complained about not wanting to be little?" Rose frowned.

"Well, I didn't want to, before..." Snap mumbled, "but I was just getting used to everything!"

"Usually how it goes," Rose nodded. "The moment you stop looking..."

"Quite," Don agreed. "The fortune Fyglia read for you was quite accurate. Fate's hand is unpredictable in its effects."

"Ah, don't worry too much," Rose shrugged. "We're not gonna throw you out or anything just 'cause you got a little bigger."

"Hey, haven't thrown me out yet, right?" WRider added, injecting himself with his gender-bending serum.

"Indeed," Don nodded, "Your size is irrelevant. You are still you!"

"I'm not worried about that, you guys," Snap mumbled, blushing at the warmth that spread through her at her friends' declaration of loyalt.y.

"Then why's it so much of a problem?" Rose asked, confused.

"What else preys on you, then?" asked Don at the same time.

"It's just...I really, really, really don't want 'Razur to see me like this," Snap said, worried.

"Oh?" Donovan raised an eyebrow at Snap.

"...why not?" Rose asked.

"I was about to ask that!" Fyglia giggled at Rose.

"...he's just...been acting weird lately," Snap said slowly. "Weirder than usual, I mean...it's like...he's tied in too closely to Alaric, or something."

Rose coughed, jerking her head toward the base entry. Snap looked up, only to see the object of her dread entering the base, staring at her with a stunned expression on his usually stony face. Shrieking, she rose into the air and fled to her bedroom, leaving the rest of the group standing there looking at each other in shock as 'Razur followed swiftly after.

"Um...should we let them work it out by themselves?" Apprehensively, Rose looked towards the hallway the pair had disappeared down.

"...yeah...let's do that..." Fyglia answered, putting Don between herself and the hallway Rose was looking down.

Meanwhile, Snap was attempting to lean nonchalantly against her bedroom wall, with 'Razur standing over her glowering. "Um, uh...hi, 'Razur..." she managed, smiling weakly. "Uh...Asylym gave me some stuff for you...said he was paying you back ro something...here..." Reaching into her belt, she pulled out a wallet and tossed it to him.

He caught it and stowed it away, still staring at her in shock. "Thank you...what the hell happened to you?" he added, all in a rush.

"Uh...nothing...I...don't know what you're talking about!" she said brightly, ducking away from him and rejoining the rest of the group. "Come on, everyone, we're supposed to meet Citadel in Talos..."

"I need to stop at Wentworth's," 'Razur growled. "And then, Snap...we talk about this..."

"Well, there's a Wentworth's in Talos, right near our rendezvous point, as a matter of fact, so let's go...." Snap said, falsely cheerful. Moving fast and always out of her partner's reach, she headed for the telepad bay and was airborne in Talos before he arrived.

As he stood in Wentworth's, dealing with the pretty young woman who had been assigned to him for the moment, he sent a pulse of thought along their mental connection.

"You wanna explain what the **** happened?"

"Not really..." she sent back tentatively.

'Razur sighed inwardly, then sent a sterner thought. "Snap, explain!"

Compelled by the order, she complied, sharing her memories of the incident.

"Has he got a fix for it?"

"WRider is working on one..."

"Oh, boy...hope he doesn't turn you into a dude..."

"I hope so too...although...I'm not actually sure if that would make it worse or better..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if it made me the right size again, WRider's serum reverses gender, so..."

A wave of understanding hit her, then: "What was Mio trying to help you with?"

"Increasing my abilities...it didn't...as I think you can tell."

"Yeah..." 'Razur withdrew from her mind, closing her out of his, as he rejoined them to speak with Citadel. They began the night's work with an awkward silence hanging between them and weighing on the teammates who'd become accustomed to the duo's easy bantering.

As they worked that night, Snap remained largely silent and introspective, remaining aloof from the group's joking and teasing. She threw herself into her part, bolstering her friends' reserves of energy when they began to tire, healing their wounds as quickly as she could, and pulling them back from the brink of death whenever necessary. She carefully avoided looking at 'Razur-she could feel him watching her, and the few times she had opened their connection to retrieve him from the Netherworld, she had felt such a wave of tangled emotions that she couldn't cope-love, pain, lust, confusion, and worry, and an underlying fear that she couldn't put her finger on.

At one point, as they split off from the rest of the group inside a Council base to scout it out, he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to him, tangling one hand in her hair and kissing her savagely. As she cried out in surprise, he released her, moving quickly away from her down the hall to rip into a group of Council soldiers with his claws, leaving her standing looking after him, touching a trembling hand to her bleeding lip and closing the small wounds he'd made before following, stoically blocking it from her mind.

A few emptied bases later, 'Razur's thought-voice came tentatively into her mind. "I...I'm sorry, Snap...I don't really know what came over me..."

"Don't worry about it," she dismissed abruptly, attempting to close him back out.

More practiced than she, the mutant forced the connection back open. "No...Snap...we need to talk...this...changes things."

"It doesn't change anything," she returned, stubbornly attempting to withdraw.

"It changes my perceptions," 'Razur said, unusually gentle, "which changes things."

"...fine." Snap thought back, sending with it a sense of defeat. "We'll talk. Later. Not in front of the others."

"I know," he responded.

They returned to speak with Citadel once more, then split off their seperate ways. Fyglia and Donovan remained with 'Razur and Snap, who sidekicked the pair and headed to Peregrine Island to assist with a bank robbery that was out of the PPD's league.

"Thank you, lo...Snap." 'Razur said quietly as she teleported him into the bank, abruptly diving at the first Carnie he saw.

"You're welcome," she answered, lobbing orbs of concentrated magical energy into the fray.

Fyglia and Don shared a wordless glance as they, too, chose their targets and began to battle for control of the bank.

Later, back at the base, Snap was beginning to feel a little bit underwhelmed at the helpfulness of her groupmates. First she headed to Mio's lab, where he examined her (with WRider's help) and took a blood sample.

Then it was to WRider's lab for more tests. Then back to Mio's lab.

Finally, she sat down on the library steps in the telepad bay, the scientists and inventors gathering around her, discussing her "condition". They were interrupted when a figure in a suit and hat showed up in the doorway and crossed quickly to their little group.

"Professor Lovecraft!" Snap smiled warmly. "Good to see you."

"Hello, Snap," he returned. "I was led to understand that you were having issues with a...oh, good lord!" he exclaimed suddenly, peering over WRider's shoulder to see her lengthened form hunched over on the steps.

"...with a serum, yes," Snap completed for him. "This is Mionas, who created the serum, and WRider, who is helping him look for a cure."

"Umm...hello," Mio said nervously.

"I like your hat," WRider supplied.

"Ah...thank you. Good to meet you." Professor Lovecraft turned back to Snap, raising his eyebrows. "If you'd be so good as to explain...?"

She nodded her head in Mio's direction. "I asked that idiot there to help me increase my healing abilities and he made me tall instead. He was probably daydreaming about his girlfriend or something."

"I see...well, it is because of that issue that I am here," Lovecraft asserted.

"Oh crap!" Mio yelled suddenly, clapping his hand to his forehead. "Ali! Our date tomorrow! I totally forgot! Uh, I gotta go-I need to pick up my new outfit from Icon! Later!"

The speedster dashed out of base, leaving the group behind him looking slightly startled.

Professor Lovecraft was the first to regain his composure, clearing his throat to gain the attention of the remaining Teamsters.

"Right, well...where is the formula for this, ah, serum?"

WRider pointed in the direction Mio had taken. "In the tome that Mio just left with..."

Now it was Snap's turn to facepalm. "That idiot!"

Mio came speeding back through the base. Just as he was about to step foot on the telepad that would take him to Steel Canyon, they all yelled his name simultaneously, prompting him to skid to a halt, then dash back to them.

"I went to the wrong place by accident...what's up?"

"The tome?" Lovecraft said solemnly, holding out his hand.

"Oh! Yeah, yeah....here." Reaching into his jacket, Mio pulled out a slim, ancient book and placed it in Lovecraft's hand. Before the professor could thank him, the young man was off again.

Lovecraft sighed and turned his attention to the book. As he opened it, several pages of looseleaf paper fluttered out, covered in scribbles. Snap bent to retrieve them, handing them back to him. "I think these are Mio's notes..."

"Ah, yes. Very helpful." As Lovecraft turned to pore over the notes, WRider hanging at his shoulder and pointing various things out to him, Snap sighed and stood. "Well, I'm going to go find Ali...I need to borrow some clothes from her. It's a good thing my battle gear changed sizes when I did, but I can't just wear this all the time. Good luck, and...thank you, for working so hard to find a way to fix this."

As she left, Lovecraft raised an eyebrow at the wall behind her empty seat. "You can come out now, Blackrazur."

The towering mutant faded into view, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. WRider jumped, emitting a surprised noise, but 'Razur focused only on Lovecraft. "Can you fix it?" he asked softly.

"Yes, I think so," Lovecraft nodded, returning his attention to the book in his hand. "Given the time, and the right ingredients...and once I finish deciphering your young friend's notes."

"Good," 'Razur growled.

"I'll need someplace to work, though...preferably, someplace quiet, and out of the way, where I won't be disturbed."

"Use my desk...I'll show you where it is."

"Lead on..."

As they exited, WRider watched after them a moment, wondering, then shrugged it off and returned to his lab.

Snap had returned to the Teamsters base to find it, apparently, deserted. Realizing suddenly how hungry she was, she headed for the kitchen, where she found Rak'sha digging through the fridge.

"Um...hi...?" she said to his back, prompting him to turn around. When he did, his eyes opened wide in surprise.

"When did Snap's big sister get here?" he asked.

She glared at him. "It's me, dummy. Mio accidentally made me tall."

"No way!"

"Yes way. What are you looking for?"

"Oh...some of 'Raz's meat cubes, the little beef ones he likes."

Snap sighed. "Don't eat those. There's plenty of stuff in the fridge for everyone to share without getting into 'Razur's stuff."

"But I'm hungry!" the big man whined.

"Move!" Snap ordered, pushing him aside. "Here, I'll make you something. Go sit."

"Yes ma'am." Rak'sha mumbled, hopping over the counter and taking a seat on a stool.

He watched as she started pulling things out of the fridge and prepped two sandwiches. Passing the significantly meatier sandwich to him, she put the ingredients away, then sat down on the stool next to him. "So, what do you think?" she asked as he took a bite.

"'S good!" he exclaimed, covering his mouth with his hand to keep crumbs from spraying everywhere. He swallowed, then added, "What's in it?"

"Pepperoni, salami, provolone, and tomatoes." She picked up her own sandwich, and they sat in companionable silence as they ate.

Afterwards, they made small talk as she washed their plates and put them away. Just as she was starting to feel at ease again, the hum of wings behind her, and a light thump as someone's boots hit the ground, prompted her to turn around.

Alaric stood there, looking shocked as he took in her new height. She smiled weakly down at him, giving him a moment to adjust.

"Um...hi, sweetheart..." she said quietly.

"Um...hi." he replied, still staring at her. "Uh...how was your day...?"

Behind Snap, Rak'sha snorted, chuckling. He figured he should probably leave the room and let them sort things out, but at the moment, they hardly seemed to notice him. Of course, if he moved, they probably would.

"...messed up." Snap mumbled, sitting down on the edge of the stool in front of him. She was still taller than he was. Of course, the stool itself was almost taller than he was.

"So I see," he said softly, stepping forward to look up into her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Snap paused for a moment, watching him warily. "Not really, no, but...I'll live. I hope."

Rak'sha stood, his stool scraping the ground noisily as he cleared his throat. "I'll be in the other room if you two need a moment," he said, excusing himself as he left.

"So do I," Alaric said quietly. "Ummm...what happened?"

Snap sighed. "Well, I asked Mio to make me a formula to improve my healing abilities. It didn't work...made me taller instead. A couple hours after that my hair grew back out."

The faerie prince reached up to embrace Snap, suddenly understanding how she felt around Blackrazur. His girlfriend, meanwhile, was suddenly gaining a whole new perspective on how her feral partner felt around her. "Darling," Alaric murmured, "which height do you truly prefer?"

"I don't know!" Snap cried. "When I was turned into a faerie I only wanted to be human again and now I just want to be my height again and I don't know what height that is! This is how tall I was before I got changed but I just got used to being little!"

"Well, while you will fit in better with your Faerie brethren at your smaller size, you can fit into the human world better at this height." Alaric pointed out.

"I don't fit in anywhere," Snap said miserably.

"Yes you do!" Alaric grinned at her, pulling her back into his arms. "You fit quite nicely right here!"

She glared at him, on the verge of tears, as she considered how small he suddenly was in comparison to her. "Sure, I did when I was little, but not any more!"

"That doesn't have to be a problem, love..." Alaric said quietly, stepping back. Instantly, he shifted from being five feet tall to being a hair over Snap's new height. "Look at me." Reaching out, he tilted Snap's chin up, forcing her to look at him. "Is this better?"

Hopelessly confused, Snap just stared at him, her mind attempting to keep up.

Gently, not releasing his grip on her face, Alaric explained, "I was raised by a shapeshiter. While I have nowhere near his mastery, nor his mastery of magic in general, I can adjust my height...but for now, at least, the wings will just have to be there. I can't hold both at once."

"I...I don't...you...I..." Snap stammered, struggling to communicate through the storm of emotions she was dealing with. Besides her own emotional turmoil, she could also sense 'Razur's, and while she was keeping a lock on it it was hard to maintain her mental distance from him when she had grown accustomed to his comforting presence in her life. Finally, she broke down and sobbed. "I give up!"

Alaric gathered her back into his arms, rocking her slightly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so sick of this ********!" she exploded. "Every time things start going right, something goes horribly wrong and messes everything up! And then every time I get used to that, something else gets messed up!"

"But things haven't gone horribly wrong...you just got taller," Alaric murmured.

Ignoring the interruption, she demanded, "Haven't I done enough good in the past few months for karma to leave me the hell alone?"

"I'm sure we can find a way to make you your faerie size again." He caressed her hair and back gently, trying to find a way to soothe her.

"I was used to being short!" she cried against his chest. "Our apartment, the base, it's all designed for the size I was! I just want stupid destiny or whatever to...to leave me alone!"

"Shhh, sweetie...this can be fixed."

"Says you, says everyone, but what if it can't? What if I'm stuck like this, again? Nobody ever heard of a six and a half foot tall faerie, Alaric, and Puck Jr. doesn't count! He's...special. Kind of." She sniffled miserably. "Yes, I'm reading your mind. Sort of."

Alaric grinned. "Puck Jr. is, yeah, special. That's a good word for it. If you can't get changed back...we'll adapt." He started running his hands through the length of her hair. "Ilike your hair like this...it looks good long."

"Yeah, well, I like it this length too. It's always been long," Snap sniffled again, "except when...he...cut it."

Alaric scowled. He could feel her still fighting the panic that the memory of Will of Hequat brought on to her, to the point that it was impossible for her to say his name. "Well, he is gone," he reassured her. "Permanently. 'Razur...cut a deal, so to speak. it involves a pineapple...he won't say anything more than that."

"And that's another thing!" Snap exclaimed, sitting bolt upright as she got sidetracked.

"Yes, darling?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her sudden mood swing.

"'Razur's acting all...all weird! And I don't know why and I should know why! Weirder than usual I mean!"

"Like weird how?" Alairc asked, amusement crossing his face briefly.

"Like...just weird, okay?" Guiltily, she tilted her head towards the floor, studying the wood grain.

Alaric grabbed her chin again, forcing her to look at him. He smiled gently, his amusement at her discomfort with the situation now clearly evident. "Like how? Like he's suddenly seen you with new eyes? Like, you're no longer the size of a child to him?"

Snap shifted her eyes away, knowing that they always betrayed her when she felt guilty, as she did now. She remembered the fleeting, passionate kiss 'Razur had pulled her into and blushed. "Maybe..."

Chuckling softly, Alaric hugged her. "Snap...he loves you. That's been apparent since the first time I set eyes on you two...but before, it wouldn't have worked. That. and this...bond...that has us all in its grip...it bleeds over from him, through you, to me...and vice versa. He has also picked up some of my feelings."

She stayed silent, resting her head against his chest. He grinned and hugged her again. "And you love him."

"...yes," came her muffled answer. "But..."

"But what?" Alaric asked. "You two are bonded in a way no one else could ever understand. I'd be worried if you didn't love each other!"

"It's wrong...to love two people," Snap said quietly, looking up at him.

"Why?" he demanded.

Snap thought for a second, trying to figure out the best way to word her thoughts. "You can't...can't give your whole heart, your whole self, to one person...if you're always divided between two."

"You've already given your heart and all of you to me...and to 'Razur...and that's okay!" Alaric exclaimed. "In a book I read once, I read a line that makes a lot of sense. Love does not subtract...it multiplies."

She searched his face, doubt warring with trust. She saw nothing but love and understanding in his expression. After a moment, he leaned down and kissed her softly. "It really is okay...and don't worry...I'm not going anywhere. I'm not interested in anyone but you."

Snap took a deep breath. "I just...I don't want you to regret it."

He pulled her to her feet so that he could hold her properly, anxiety crossing his face for a moment as he felt how shaky she was. "I won't. I like to think I make you happy...and if by being with him as well you become happier...then there is nothing for me to regret."

Snap reached up and scrubbed at her eyes, trying to wipe away the fact that she'd been crying. "Thank you, love..." she whispered.

"You're welcome, darling..." he whispered back, hugging her tightly and smiling into her hair. "Um...do you...want to be with 'Razur tonight? It's okay..."

Snap tensed. "I don't know..." she said slowly. "I did promise to talk to him, though..."

"Then let whatever happens, happen," Alaric replied, stepping back slightly as she nodded silently.

"Um...sorry to ruin the moment..." Rak'sha wandered back in, headed for the fridge. "Apparently someone forgot to refill the fridge in the room," he gestured vaguely, "and I need a drink..."

"Go ahead and grab one," Alaric called, grabbing Snap's hand and pulling her to a corner near the door. "I can go stay at Miskatonic U if it'll make you more comfortable..."

"No!" Snap said forcefully, a brief flash of fear crossing her expression. "No...stay with me...please. I just...I need you here."

"Okay..." Alaric said, one eyebrow arching. Mentally he was pondering the geometrical possibilities of the night to come, but he said nothing, knowing he'd only wind up scaring her. Instead, he watched over her shoulder as Rak'sha grabbed two drinks from the fridge and headed out.

Snap distracted him by kissing him tenderly before stepping away, holding his hand in both of hers. "I guess...I guess I should go talk to him...?"

He smiled slightly. "You're asking me? Probably."

"I'll see you later, then," Snap promised, giving his hand a last squeeze before dropping it and turning towards the door.

"I love you, Snap." Alaric said softly, watching her start to walk away.

She stopped to smile brilliantly at him. "I love you too...always."

Filled with a strange sense of foreboding as she left, he headed towards the freezer and began rummaging for a package of ice cream. Tonight, he felt, he was going to want it.

Snap Play sat alone on a small rise in Croatoa, staring out at the clearing before her, remembering.

Months ago, she had stood in the center of the clearing, fending off a group of the pumpkin-headed monsters known as the Fir Bolg. Just before she had been overwhelmed, help had arrived...help in the form of an eight foot tall man in black, whose claws shredded through the monsters like paper. She remembered the spark of recognition she'd felt as she looked up at him that first time, and how afraid she'd been that he was an enemy as well.

As she stared out at the clearing, seeing the scene replay itself before her eyes, a silent figure dropped to the turf next to her, kneeling at her side and facing her. Finally, the faerie looked up and smiled weakly.

"Hi, 'Razur..."

Her partner reached out to caress her cheek, and she could sense him studying her worriedly behind his ever-present sunglasses. "You've been crying...are you okay?"

Closing her eyes, she remained still at his touch, willing herself not to run away from this conversation. Somehow, she felt, she'd always known that the only reason their relationship had never progressed beyond best friends was because of her size...and now that Mionas' serum had made her nearly 'Razur's height, she should have known that this conversation was inevitable. "I'm fine..."

'Razur paused, watching her, and withdrew his hand. "About earlier...I...I really have no excuse...except...I love you, Snap...and before, you were...unattainable."

Snap smiled sadly at him, sharing his memory for a moment, knowing that he hadn't meant to hurt her earlier. She remembered the hunger she'd felt in him, the need, the moment's lapse of his usually rigid self-control. "I know, 'Razur...and I've always known, I think...but...you said...that that was never a part of our connection..."

"Because it wouldn't have worked!" 'Razur growled. She knew that it wasn't her that his anger was directed at, but the unknown force that controlled their lives. "I could make myself see you as...forgive me!...but almost as a child, before...but...now..." His voice got quiet, and his face dropped from it's usually stony facade, showing her just how human he really was as he looked at her in the bright moonlight. "I could have done nothing but hurt you, but...now..." He tensed, waiting, unsure. He knew Snap better than any other living being-including her boyfriend-but he could not count on what he'd felt time and time again since they had first connected, every time he'd heard her shriek in rage as he went down under one too many opponents, every time she'd flooded his soul with light and life to pull him back from the Netherworld and return him to his body. He needed to hear it, needed to hear her say it...and while he could fight fearsome monsters and face death laughing, his fragile faerie partner was scaring him more than anything else he'd ever faced.

"I don't...want you to hurt, 'Razur..." she said, hesitating.

"Don't worry about that, Snap," he answered quietly. "Pain and I..we're old friends."

She shook her head slowly. "No...not any more. You won't have to hurt any more...or, not as much." Glancing up at him, she smiled slightly. "That's why I'm here, isn't it?"

"Maybe...though I think you are here to keep me human...or, as human as I can be." He half-grinned at her, knowing she'd understand what he meant. "And yes, to ease some pain...to be someone to share eternity with who's not going to die in the blink of an eye..."

"I told you before," Snap interrupted. "You're not going to be lonely any more."

"I know that," 'Razur acknowledged. "I know that...whatever happens...you and I, we're together...my best friend..."

"No." Snap said firmly, rising to her knees and reaching out to him. Tentatively, she caresssed his cheek with her fingertips, then, when he didn't turn away, cupped it gently in her hand. "No, 'Razur...what you almost said earlier...that was more right, wasn't it?" She heard the words echo between them-"Thank you, my lo-Snap..."

He closed his eyes, tilting his face into her hand, pressing himself against it. "Yes..." he sighed.

She nodded. It was enough for her to know that, to know that it was true. As she began to withdraw her hand, he caught it deftly in his, bringing it to his lips and kissing it gently. A tear of blood coursed down his right cheek from under the sunglasses, and she raised her free hand to wipe it away, leaving a smudge of red where it had been. She could feel the tension in him, and she knew that he had been fighting himself for months, for her sake-protecting her from himself, as he protected her from others.

"I won't leave you, 'Razur," she said slowly, gently. "Not ever. You won't be alone ever again. I have...always, since the first time I saw you...always loved you."

"And I, you," he whispered against the hand he still held, feeling some of the tension melt out of him as he kissed it again. He glanced up at her. "What about Alaric?"

"We talked..." she said quietly.

He raised an eyebrow at her, prompting her. "...and...?"

"He said...something like...love doesn't subtract, it multiplies..."

"He is...wise," 'Razur interrupted approvingly.

"And..." Snap continued over him, "he told me that...it's okay, that's he's okay, that I can...can love you both...and," she added, smiling, "I'm pretty sure he got that quote from a book...I'm not surprised."

"No, me either," he grinned back. Rising to his knees, he released the hand he was holding, only to pull her gently into his arms. She came willingly, feeling his internal struggle to maintain control as he inhaled her scent, then bent his head towards her to kiss her. Steadily, his kiss grew hungrier, more passionate, until Snap had to break away for a moment, touching glowing fingers to a spot on her lip where blood welled up.

Concerned, 'Razur withdrew, staring at her mouth in horror, knowing that he had caused her pain. "I...I'm so sorry!" he said, his emotions evident in his voice.

"No, 'Razur, it's okay...look," she said, pulling her hand away from her mouth to reveal that although the blood had not dried, the small wounds caused by his fangs had been healed. "See? I'm okay."

"I don't want to hurt you, Snap," he said quietly, still concerned. "Ever."

"It'll be okay," she said firmly, reassuring him. "You can't kill me...well, not any more," she added, remembering that before her episode with the Will he most certainly could have. "And I can heal myself, if I have to...it'll be fine," she smiled, placing one hand on either side of his face.

He pulled her back into his arms so that she was at an angle to him, sitting across his knees. Her near arm was pinned between his torso and hers, but she reached up her free hand to caress his face as he kissed her again..

After a moment, he pulled away from her again, having discovered that the shoulder-length hair he'd become used to had grown back to fall to her waist, the same length it had been when he'd met her. "Your hair...?" he queried.

She grinned at him, quirking an eyebrow. "Side effect of the serum...you like it?"

In answer, he wrapped it around his hand several times, then used it to pull her head back. "I...need...you, Snap..."

"I know," she answered softly, using one hand to guide his face back to hers for a tender kiss. She sighed, shifting in his lap to free her other arm and wrap it around his back as she rested her forehead against his lips. "I know."

"We should probably head back before they send out a search party..." 'Razur rumbled at Snap, grinning.

She nodded wearily against his chest, reluctantly slipping away from him and scooping up his jacket. "I'm borrowing this," she announced, sliding it on and fastening it. "You ruined the clothes I borrowed, so you'll just have to buy me new ones, I guess."

"It was worth it," he grinned.

She smiled back, reaching around to free her hair from the collar of his jacket. "I never said it wasn't." He arched an eyebrow at her, obviously appreciating the effect of her wearing only his jacket and her boots and nothing else, and she grinned impishly and rose into the air, firing off a shot over his shoulder. He turned to watch as a small group of Fir Bolg fell prey to a miniature magical explosion, then turned back to look at her, questioning.

"They were staring," she explained. "It was annoying."

"Ah," he muttered, dressing himself as she flitted around the clearing killing Fir Bolg.

"What happens when they find out how to change me back?" Snap asked quietly.

He paused for a second. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said decisively. She nodded, continuing to hunt, and he joined her.

Together, they stalked along the outer walls of Salamanca, defeating anything in their path with practiced teamwork. "Remember when these used to be a challenge?" Snap giggled.

"Vaguely," her feral partner grinned, slashing his way through another leafy body.

"I remember..." she said quietly.

"I remember every little detail from when I first laid eyes on you," 'Razur admitted.

"I remember..." Snap said again, before continuing, "I remember having no idea what the hell was going on...and hoping I wouldn't have to fight you after you fought them," she added, gesturing at the Fir Bolg.

'Razur snatched her out of the air and held her against him, kissing her hard. "I knew then that I couldn't hurt you," he said quietly.

"I didn't find that out until the fourth or fifth time you saved my *** before we decided to team up," she reminded him, "and I'm still not really sure there was any 'deciding' involved."

"Oh, there was a decision," he assured her. "Just not sure it was up to us!" He glanced up under the jacket again as she darted over his head, grinning happily.

"I remember it was more like I couldn't stop being saved by you...and in the end we wound up helping each other out because it was convenient...I couldn't stay out of trouble and you couldn't stay off the ground!" she teased, tweaking his ponytail as she flew behind him.

"Still have that problem some days," he mused.

"Not much has changed, really..." she said quietly, hovering at his side.

"Yes...yes, it has..." he said, turning to her and caressing her cheek lovingly.

They spent the rest of the night together in Croatoa, until finally, as morning began to show, they stumbled into base, glowing with joy. As Snap vanished towards 'Razur's room to curl up on his couch (she had grown too big for the bed she and Alaric shared), 'Razur halted in the entry room, waiting. A moment later, Alaric walked through, heading back to the apartment he normally shared with Snap. 'Razur caught the faerie prince's eye and inclined his head slightly, thanking him silently. Alaric returned the gesture, knowing they shared a common goal.

"We should probably head back before they send out a search party..." 'Razur rumbled at her, grinning.

She nodded wearily against his chest, reluctantly slipping away from him and scooping up his jacket. "I'm borrowing this," she announced, sliding it on and fastening it. "You ruined the clothes I borrowed, so you'll just have to buy me new ones, I guess."

"It was worth it," he grinned.

She smiled back, reaching around to free her hair from the collar of his jacket. "I never said it wasn't." He arched an eyebrow at her, obviously appreciating the effect of her wearing only his jacket and her boots and nothing else, and she grinned impishly and rose into the air, firing off a shot over his shoulder. He turned to watch as a small group of Fir Bolg fell prey to a miniature magical explosion, then turned back to look at her, questioning.

"They were staring," she explained. "It was annoying."

"Ah," he muttered, dressing himself as she flitted around the clearing killing Fir Bolg.

"What happens when they find out how to change me back?" Snap asked quietly.

He paused for a second. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said decisively. She nodded, continuing to hunt, and he joined her.

Together, they stalked along the outer walls of Salamanca, defeating anything in their path with practiced teamwork. "Remember when these used to be a challenge?" Snap giggled.

"Vaguely," her feral partner grinned, slashing his way through another leafy body.

"I remember..." she said quietly.

"I remember every little detail from when I first laid eyes on you," 'Razur admitted.

"I remember..." Snap said again, before continuing, "I remember having no idea what the hell was going on...and hoping I wouldn't have to fight you after you fought them," she added, gesturing at the Fir Bolg.

'Razur snatched her out of the air and held her against him, kissing her hard. "I knew then that I couldn't hurt you," he said quietly.

"I didn't find that out until the fourth or fifth time you saved my *** before we decided to team up," she reminded him, "and I'm still not really sure there was any 'deciding' involved."

"Oh, there was a decision," he assured her. "Just not sure it was up to us!" He glanced up under the jacket again as she darted over his head, grinning happily.

"I remember it was more like I couldn't stop being saved by you...and in the end we wound up helping each other out because it was convenient...I couldn't stay out of trouble and you couldn't stay off the ground!" she teased, tweaking his ponytail as she flew behind him.

"Still have that problem some days," he mused.

"Not much has changed, really..." she said quietly, hovering at his side.

"Yes...yes, it has..." he said, turning to her and caressing her cheek lovingly.

They spent the rest of the night together in Croatoa, until finally, as morning began to show, they stumbled into base, glowing with joy. As Snap vanished towards 'Razur's room to curl up on his couch (she had grown too big for the bed she and Alaric shared), 'Razur halted in the entry room, waiting. A moment later, Alaric walked through, heading back to the apartment he normally shared with Snap. 'Razur caught the faerie prince's eye and inclined his head slightly, thanking him silently. Alaric returned the gesture, knowing they shared a common goal.

Ali stepped into the Teamsters base, reflecting to herself, as she looked around, how different it all was from a few short months ago. The base had nearly doubled in size, adding personal areas for the five other faeries who had arrived shortly after Alaric, plus an area for the dwarven inventor, Morron, and an apartment which Alaric and Snap shared. Two other labs had been added, one for Mionas and one that WRider and Rak'sha shared, and a fourth was in the process of being set up. It was for the occupant of the fourth lab that Alazne had come today, and when she found that her target wasn't there, she zoomed immediately to the rec room.

Sitting on the couch, staring intently at the screen as he pressed buttons on the console's controller, was a slight, pale young man, barely out of childhood. His dark hair was neatly combed above a round, nearly babyish face, and his glasses slipped slightly as he bent his head to reveal dark, insightful eyes. As he paused the game and lifted his hand to adjust his glasses, Ali pounced on him, diving over the side of the couch with a shriek.

"Rory!"

"Gah! Wha-Ali! Hi!" Wiggling slightly in her crushing embrace until he could move the controller out from between them, he lifted his arms to hug her back, which only prompted her to squeeze him harder. "Ali!" he gasped, finally. "Air! Need air!"

"Eep! Sorry!" Reluctantly, the teenager released the object of her affection, grinning hugely at him. He returned the grin happily as she continued. "Snap radioed my comm and told me you were here! I'm so glad you made it! I'll show you Croatoa and Atlas and you've just got to see Lusca and-"

"I've already seen Atlas!" he interrupted. "Got my Hero ID and everything, see?" Reaching into the pocket of his lab coat, he pulled out a laminated card and handed it to her.

"Ace Stronghold," she read, giggling. "Leave it to you to come up with a name like that!"

He blushed beet red for a moment. "It was all I could think of!" he defended. "Don't laugh at me, Ali..."

"What're you gonna do about it, little brother?" she laughed.

"This!" he yelled, lunging towards her and tickling her in all the best spots. "Who's your favorite brother?" he teased. "Come on, who's your best friend?"

She shrieked again, giggling madly as she grabbed a couch pillow and tried to fend him off. "No! Rory! Cut it out!"

The noise from their playful battle drew 'Razur into the room from the other end of the base. Grinning, he leaned on the wall, watching his descendants wrestle happily with each other. Snap, still tall from the effects of the serum, came in shortly afterwards, and he held up one hand, cautioning her not to interrupt.

Finally, the young siblings exhausted themselves and drew apart, still giggling. Ali, flat on her back on the couch, tilted her head back. "Uncle!" she cried out gleefully. "Rory's here!"

"I see that." 'Razur grinned back. "And from the looks of things, he's making himself at home."

Snap stayed silent, staring at Rory with a surprised look on her face as Ali and 'Razur discussed his arrival. Finally, the young scientist noticed her staring at him and blushed.

"Um...what...?"

"You're so cute!" Snap blurted out. Unable to help herself, she dashed across the room and caught him up in a hug, setting a burst of laughter off from 'Razur and gathering a confused look from Ali. After a moment she sat back on the couch, blushing slightly. "Um...sorry...I couldn't help it! You look so different!"

'Razur quirked an eyebrow at her. "From...?"

"From earlier. I showed him around base and everything after we got him signed up."

"Oh! Um, that's because of this serum I created...see, look..." Rory pulled out a needle and, rolling up his sleeve, pressed it to his arm. A moment later, he had grown to just over Ali's height, muscles filling out his normally slight frame. "It increases-well, never mind," he said quickly, seeing Ali's interest fading. "It makes me super strong and invulnerable, besides making me taller."

"Oh!" Ali turned to Snap, who had returned to 'Razur's side during Rory's explanation. "Hey, Snap, since you changed clothes you don't need mine any more, right? Can I have 'em back?"

"Uh..." Snap exchanged a look with 'Razur, reminding him that he was the one who should answer.

Gleefully, 'Razur sent a memory into Ali's mind of himself slicing through the clothes in Croatoa, removing them from Snap. "Do you really want to know?" he asked, grinning.

"Ewwww! Uncle!" the young hero yelled, Rory looking between them in confusion. "There are some things that people don't wanna know!"

Timidly, Rory asked, "Ali? What...?"

"Trust me, little brother, you don't want to know!" Ali said, sounding as absolutely disgusted as she could. 'Razur just laughed, then grabbed Snap's hand and pulled her out of the room.

Ali looked after them, wrinkling her nose, then turned back towards Rory, who had retrieved his controller and was tossing her the second one. "Come on, I'll teach you how to play..."

A few days later, in the Shadow Shard, Snap was leading a team through a labrynthine maze of caves, decimating Nemesis troops in search of certain keys to bind a god, when something strange happened. All at once, the Nemesis lietenant she'd been fighting, who had been a whole head shorter than her, was twice her size. Finishing him off, she looked around and realized that everyone else was at least twice her size, too-which could mean only one thing.

"It wore off!" she whooped with joy.

"Gratz!" called her fellow Teamsters, using the shorthand version of "congratulations" in order to save their breath for fighting. For a moment, Snap felt a flicker of despair and fear from 'Razur's mind, but he closed it off, prompting her to suddenly realize that maybe being back to her normal size-at least for some people-wasn't exactly the happiest thing in the world.

She frowned in his direction, then resolved to herself to find a way to make it work.

That way came in the form of Rory. Snap explained the situation to him later that night, carefully outlining that she wanted to be able to swap sizes at will. Rory nodded.

"Yeah, I can just alter the formula I use for being a hero to apply to you...let's see...I need a blood sample, and..." he trailed off, muttering to himself as he worked. Snap watched with interest as he scribbled equations down in a notebook, marveling at the difference between the thirteen year old genius and his half-sister, Ali. She willingly gave him a blood sample, looking away as he filled the syringe, and then went off to putter around the base, confident that somehow, Rory would find a way to solve the problem to everyone's satisfaction.

A few days later, Rory tossed her two small bottles of pills as he passed her in the hall. "One will make you bigger, one will make you small," he sang quietly, grinning at her and adding, "I labeled which is which."

Impulsively, Snap pulled the youngest member of the Teamsters into a hug. "Thank you, Rory! You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you!"

He blushed, stammering, "Uh...y-you're w-w-welcome, Snap..." then disentangled himself and fled to the relative safety of his lab, while Snap flew off to find 'Razur and inform him of his descendant's genius.

A strangled yelp came over the Teamsters channel of Snap and 'Razur's comm units. Frowning over at her partner, who was dismantling some of the Council's War Wolves, Snap pulled her unit from her belt and thumbed the talk button. "What's up?"

"Uh...um...nothing!" came a feminine voice. "Everything's fine...didn't realize my comm was on...sorry..."

Snap frowned again and checked the comm's screen. "Mio? No way..."

"Er...uh...yeah," the voice replied sheepishly. "I think my energy drinks got mixed up with WRider's formula..."

The faery burst out laughing and waved at 'Razur, getting his attention. "Hey! Come on, let's head back to base-I've got to see this."

"See what?" he responded, quirking an eyebrow as a muffled "Nooooo!" came over her still-active unit.

"I think Mio turned himself into a woman." Snap giggled, leading the way back to Portal Corp. "Good thing we're finished here."

A few minutes later, they entered the Teamsters base, the diminutive faery sitting on 'Razur's shoulder and talking animatedly about an investigation they were working on. Seeing a flash of yellow in the workshop, she launched herself from her perch and flew in just in time to catch Mio by the back of his collar.

"Helloooooo," she giggled. "Okay, let's see."

Hesitantly, Mio turned around to face two of the other three group leaders. He'd been transformed from a tall (from Snap's perspective) well-built young man into a short, cute, and curvaceous young woman, who blushed furiously under the duo's inspection.

"So, we should start calling you Mia?" 'Razur said finally.

Mio glared at him and kicked him in the shin, which did nothing but make his toes hurt. "Ow...no! And none of my clothes fit me, and I have a date with Ali tonight and-oh my god! Ali! She can't see me like this...and I canceled our last date because I was trying to find that book for Snap...and...oh, this is not good!" he groaned.

Snap stifled another giggle. "Okay, first things first, Mia...let's get you some clothes. You can't wear those sweatpants all the time. 'Razur, call Ali and tell her Mio can't make it."

"On it," the scrapper rumbled, pulling out a phone. Snap, meanwhile, towed Mio out to Pocket D, despite his protests against being seen as a woman in public, and introduced him to Trina, who helped him pick out some more appropriate clothing.

While Mia and Trina tried to find something Mia was comfortable wearing, Snap got on her comm to try to track down WRider and Clairevoire. She discussed the situation with WRider, then turned the comm unit off and turned to Mia. "Hey, WRider says he knows what happened...he'll meet us back at base."

"Oh, thank God..." Mia sighed. "He can fix it?"

Snap shrugged. "Dunno. He flips genders all the time, so probably. If not...at least you're a cute girl. And you have a better rack than I do!"

Mia shot her an evil look and blushed as she laughed merrily at his discomfort. "Ugh, let's go back to base..."

Ali came to a screeching halt in the workshop of the Teamsters base, just in time to avoid crashing into a short but curvy brunette. "Yikes! Sorry...uh...hey, do I know you? You look kinda familiar..."

"Er..." the girl said, turning and fidgeting nervously. "No...ah...no, you don't know me...I'm...uh, new! Yeah, I'm new."

"Oh. Cool. I'm Ali. I'd stop to talk but Uncle called and said Mio is sick so I came right over to make sure he's okay! Poor guy..."

The tall scrapper started to dash off again, but the shorter girl blocked her way. "Wait! Uh...he's not here! Right, he's not here right now. he went out someplace."

Concerned, Ali stared at her. "But he's sick! He shouldn't be out doing things if he's sick!"

"I'm sure he'll be fine..." the girl said, attempting to placate her.

"Well, I'll just call his comm and make sure." Ali pulled out her communicator, dialing the private extension used by Mionas, and waited, biting her lip anxiously. Puzzled, she stared at the new girl as the comm in her back pocket rang. "What a weird coincidence...aren't you going to answer that?"

"Oh, uh, I'm sure whoever it is can wait..."

The ringing stopped as Ali hit Mionas' voicemail, and, frustrated, she dialed again, the same thing happening.

She stared at the girl, who nervously stared at the ceiling.

"...Mio?"

"...yep..."

"Ohmigosh, what happened?!"

"Uh...well...I left some energy drinks in WRider's fridge, and I went back to grab what I thought was one of them, but it was his serum for swapping gender, and then for some reason the antiserum doesn't work...so...I'm kinda hoping it'll wear off, maybe..." Mia shifted her weight, hoping that Ali wasn't about to freak out.

Fortunately, she wasn't. "Well, are you okay? I mean other than being a girl?"

Caught by surprise, she nodded. "Uh...yeah..."

Impulsively, Ali grabbed her in a bear hug. "I'm so glad! I was so worried when Uncle told me you were sick!"

"You're...uh...not mad?"

"No! Well, okay, you shouldn't lie to me, Mio, I mean, I thought we were friends and all, but other than that...no, I'm just really glad you're okay!"

"Oh...uh...good to hear, Ali." Mia grinned shyly. "Good to hear."

"DAMN BEES!" Alazne shrieked, fleeing at top speed through the twisting, turning caves with Mionas hot on her trail. "Xiggy! Get 'em off me!"

The saurian complied immediately, placing himself at the end of the cave between the two young scrappers and the Devouring Earth swarm. The insects immediately turned their attention to him, allowing Storm Rose time to take them out in a burst of flame while they were distracted. The tiny corpses fell the ground, smoking and crackling.

"Should've brought bug spray," Mia grumbled, eliciting a grin from her companions.

With Xiggy leading the way, the four conversed amiably with each other, discussing the recent business of their supergroup and the city. Rose poked fun at Mia, with Ali jumping in to defend her occasionally.

Xiggy stopped and turned suddenly, leading to Ali (who wasn't paying attention) walking right into him. "Oof. Hey, what gives?" she asked, looking up at the gentle green giant with a puzzled expression.

"Doesn't it bother you that your boyfriend is now your girlfriend?" he asked.

Ali glanced over at Mia, who was studying the wall determinedly. "Uh...not really. Should it?" Mia looked up in surprise, trying her best to hide a grin.

"It would bother Snap." Xiggy pressed.

"I'm not Snap," Ali shrugged, squeezing past him in the narrow passageway to take point.

Xiggy and the others followed. "Well, she's the Earth female I know best," the saurian explained.

"Crap...duck!" Ali shouted as another Swarm came rocketing through the cavern at them. Rose quickly incinerated it. "Thanks. And Xiggy, Snap is not anything even remotely like normal."

"I'll second that!" Rose smirked. "Of course, neither are you, Ali..."

"I like to think I'm a little more normal than Snap, though!," the scrapper retorted, diving into a group of Fungi and scattering them with a sweeping kick to their weedy legs.

"Nope, you're just as weird. In different ways, though." Rose hovered in the air just above the fighting as Xiggy kept the attention of the Devouring Earth entities and Mia and Ali quickly finished them off, firing fireballs at them whenever she could get a clear enough shot.

"...says the faery who throws fireballs!" Ali panted, delivering a vicious kick to a mushroom-like head and bringing it down.

"That's perfectly normal for a faery!" Rose protested.

As they continued arguing quietly, Mia caught up with Xiggy, and the two of them took a left turn as Rose and Ali went right. They made small talk until the two pairs met back up in a large, central cave, where they were promptly ambushed several times.

"Look out!" Rose sent a blast of flame shooting over Mia's shoulder, covering the three melee fighters as they charged into a group of Devouring Earth. "Lesser Devoured, behind you, Mia!"

"Whoops!" Her fellow fire-wielder turned to attack the monster before it could summon a Swarm, but she was too late. As the vicious bees attacked, she slammed closed the visor on her helmet, one of the only pieces of her armor that still fit her without padding. "Ali, duck!" she yelled, getting the martial artist's attention.

"ACK!" Ali screamed angrily, swinging her left arm and the shield that covered it up over her head as she crouched down to avoid the toxic stingers. "I...hate...BEES!"

Later, the small group returned to base, tired and triumphant. Xiggy and Mio, each with their own forms of armor, were fine, and Rose had been wise enough to stay at range, but Ali was covered in small red welts and moving sluggishly as opposed to her normal breackneck pace.

As she sulked through the workshop to find Snap, WRider glanced away from a salvage rack. "Devouring Earth, Ali?" he asked sympathetically.

"Damn bees," she grumbled in response. "I hate bees..."

"Knock knock," Snap said, stepping into Mionas' lab. "Anyone home?"

"Oh, I see..." a petite figure dressed all in pale blue was saying, talking to someone out of Snap's view. The young girl turned as Snap spoke. "Oh, hello there."

"Good afternoon," Snap answered, moving farther in.

"You already said...oh! Uh, hey Snap!" Mia said as she stepped into her view.

"What's up?" the fae healer asked. "I knocked, but I guess you didn't hear me."

"Uhh...just met ummm...uhhh...Yuki, here," Mia gestured, looking embarrassed.

"Hopefully you're behaving yourself," Snap said coolly, as Yuki turned back to Mia with a puzzled look on her face.

"Are you okay? You seem to be looking for your words a lot." the android asked.

Snap snorted. "That's normal for Mia."

"What?! It's not like I tried to examine her extensively! Uh, I mean-" the young scientist stammered.

"Yeah, well, you science types are always trying to take things apart to see how they work," Snap sighed, shaking her head in mock disapproval.

"Okay, so I took a peek at her audio receptors, but that's nothing!" Mia continued.

Snap waggled a finger at her. "Don't take apart Yuki, okay? She's a groupmate, not an experiment."

Mia flushed. "Hey! I only take apart things that I know I can put together again!"

"She wouldn't be able to take me apart," Yuki interrupted.

Snap turned to the android, studying her. She had the appearance of a young girl, with pale skin and light blue tracery of circuitry on her face, and was wearing a pale blue and white schoolgirl's uniform. The faery sighed. "He, actually. It's a long story. Mionas-or Mia, at the moment-is naturally male."

"Doesn't look male," Yuki said, eying Mia skeptically.

"Yeah, it's a long story..." Mia said, shifting uncomfortably. "One that is unfortunately embarrassing and well shared at this point..."

"It's not my fault you don't pay attention to what you drink," Snap pointed out laconically. "Hopefully you learned your lesson."

The two mentors of the Teamsters seemed to have completely forgotten Yuki as they stood arguing, and she observed them with mild fascination, wondering if this was standard behavior in the group.

"It's not like I did it on purpose! And I'm beginning to think it's more than just WRider's potion, otherwise his serum would have fixed it..."

"Well, you took the potion, then the serum, then Fygy and Rory both tried to help you..."

"And I ended up four feet tall and purple..."

"-and at this point you're a walking cocktail of potions, serums, and alchemical concoctions. On the plus side, at least if you're female you have the fortune to have a nice rack," Snap finished in a decidedly un-Snap-like tone, with a slightly disturbing grin on her face. A second later, she frowned and shook her head as though to clear it. "Dammit...that keeps happening lately. I'm sorry. I've been having trouble keeping 'Razur out of my head."

This statement brought a surprised frown from Yuki. "You have a razor in your head?"

"Uh...no. 'Razur is short for Blackrazur, my partner." Snap went on to attempt to explain the connection between herself and Blackrazur, which only drew another confused look from Yuki. Mia hurried to jump in with a more technical explanation.

"It's kinda like her and Raz share a private net link between their minds."

"Oh! I understand that explanation better." Yuki smiled.

"Yeah, nobody else understands what she's talking about most of the time either," Mia sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm not totally sure I understand it myself," Snap said dismissively.

"You're what?!" Alazne shrieked excitedly, jumping up from the couch.

"Uh...cursed, Ali." Mia replied, arching an eyebrow at her.

"That's so cool!" the young hero gushed. "I always wanted to meet someone who was cursed! It's just like a st-"

"ALI!" Snap yelled, drawing the girl's attention. "Calm down and let him...her...finish!"

As Ali sat back down, she grinned at Mio and her gender-bent friend grinned back. "As I was saying, so my contact in Croatoa found out that it wasn't WRider's potion after all. It turns out I'm cursed because of, uh, borrowing that book from the Cabal to help you, Snap, and the only way to get cured is to defeat Mary Macomber and ask her to remove it."

"I've met Mary Macomber. She's not the type to grant favors," Snap shrugged. "I guess she might if she respects you enough, but you'll need friends. Lots of friends. She'll be surrounded by hers, I guarantee it."

Mia looked a little disappointed. "I, ah...hadn't thought of that...well..."

Snap grinned and pitched a couch pillow at him. "Ah, cheer up. You're a Teamster. We'll go tonight-you, me, and whoever else I can drag up. We'll want Yuki along, for sure-she's practically indestructible-and, let's see, maybe WRider..."

"What about me?" Ali pitched in.

Snap gave her a look. "You're on patrol tonight, remember? So you patrol and I'll swap out with you later tonight. You can meet up with Mia once he's Mio again."

"Fine," Ali assented grumpily, sulking. Mia grinned at her.

"You know, once I get cured, i still owe you that date..."

Snap sat bolt upright with a mischievious grin. "A date? Mia, you still haven't taken Ali out on that date?"

Mia cleared his throat guiltily. "Uh, well, I didn't think it would be right for me to take her when I was cursed and all...I mean...I'd just really rather be myself...you know?"

The faery shrugged. "I guess. How'd you wind up getting a date with her anyhow, again?"

"I challenged him to a race!" Ali chipped in. "If I won he was going to join Miskatonic U-this was before I came back to the Teamsters-and if I lost he wanted to take me on a date."

"And she lost," Mia finished, grinning. "Because she went to Miskatonic U's base instead of to the Teamsters base."

"I would have won if I hadn't gotten confused!" Ali protested.

"Well, I'm glad you lost," Mia teased. "Otherwise you'd never have looked at me twice."

Ali blushed and Snap groaned. "Okay, lovebirds, I'm going to go make a few calls and see if I can dig up a team to help take down Mary. Ali, hit the streets."

"Awww...okay." Ali reluctantly uncurled her tall form from the couch and headed for the base portal, waving and telling Mia good luck on her way out. Snap disappeared into the room she shared with Alaric, and Mia, looking first one way and then the other, was left alone to contemplate exactly what was going to happen once he was himself again.