A thud woke Aerrow from his half sleep, quietly he crept onto the floor and reached under his bed for weapons.

Slowly and logically he checked the hallway but found no one, the same was to be found all over the Condor.

Outside he saw that Stork and Monica had fallen asleep talking about Skimmers and now snored lazily into the scatters of thick snow piled up around their armchairs.

But it wasn’t them who’d woken Aerrow.

Here and there Blood Sashes slept amongst the snow, obviously not bothered by the lack of warmth. Sparks snuggled up to James causing the wandering snow to fluff up eerily.

Another thud from behind made him jump, and he quickly let off crystal energy in that direction.

A screeching skid down the Condor signalled that the intruder had been on its roof.

“Stop right there!” he yelled at the flailing figure in the snow, this made it pause and as the snow settled he saw who it was.

“Next time, a warning would be nice” Lypix groaned.

“Lypix!” he called, this time more out of happiness than alarm.

“That’s my name” she smiled weakly standing up.

He ran and hugged her but she remained limp.

“What’s the matter?” he asked worried.

“Aerrow. Have you noticed the weather?”

Aerrow glanced up, “It’s sunny, so what?”

“Its never sunny on Terra Populus” Lypix sighed, “and the reason your yelling hasn’t woken anyone up is because they aren’t listening, not really”

Aerrow screwed up his eyebrows in confusion, “Where are we then if not Terra Populus?”

She looked away, “I’m pretty sure the Blood Sashes have told you that I probably won’t make it. I don’t think I will either”

“What’s that got to do with where we are?”

Lypix looked straight at Aerrow. “This is like, a dream world. I can see you guys moving about but you can’t see me or hear me. Sometimes, when people listen properly they can reach me, only you and Anastasia have managed to do it so far”

“So are you…” Aerrow couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“Dead?” Lypix finished for him.

“Yes” he nodded.

“No. At least I don’t believe so.”

Silence stretched between them as Aerrow realised this would probably be the last time he talked to her.

“You should go to sleep, when you wake up I’ll still be around.”

Aerrow eventually agreed and made his way back into the Condor while Lypix went to sit on the roof.

She smiled weakly in the dream induced sunlight, if only the sky stayed clear like this all the time. She couldn’t remember when she’d last felt so peaceful.

00

Anastasia’s eyes fluttered open, in the dimness of the grey morning she could see Lypix was either about to die, or escape death.

“James!” her husky voice called, it seemed to echo about the trees, also beaconing the Storm Hawks and other Blood Sashes.

“What’s going on?” Nathan asked, assessing Lypix’s condition.

Her chest was rising and falling sharply, like some cruel grim reaper was holding the necessary air just out of reach. Lypix’s hair shifted into a honey blonde, similar to the shade she used when scared.

Anastasia looked up at James in a, ‘she will make it’ way, and turned back to whisper into Lypix’s ear.

Lypix’s eyes shot open and closed again, her breath steadied and her hair changed into a black.

Aerrow arrived just in time to see her settle back to normality, and if he’d been watching closely, he would have seen the snow to his left stir.

00

Aerrow stayed until the horrible grim grey of the sky had reached its lightest and had unleashed frozen angels to flitter down and rest on everything.

Lypix didn’t wake up for a further eight hours, however, so Aerrow was asleep when she finally sat up.

Looking around she saw the snow. She knew what it all meant but no one else could, not just yet.

“You’re awake!” Finn called entering the clearing, soon she was smothered by happy Storm Hawks and Blood Sashes, Aerrow was last to join.

“How are you feeling?” Anastasia asked quietly.

“Fine” Lypix smiled and it was true, she was.

“Are you coming back with us?” Junko asked, “We don’t mind if you want to stay with the Blood Sashes”

Lypix looked at James and then back to Junko, “No, I’m coming back with you”

The Blood Sashes saluted and turned as a large Ship rose above the treetops. From the position they could see it landed near to the Condor.

Getting closer Stork’s eyes boggled and Aerrow looked at him puzzled, until he too realised what had triggered the reaction.

“No way” Finn said, shocked.

James cleared his throat, “Storm Hawks I’d like to introduce you to our ship, the Phantom. Seven engin…”

“Engines, two weight suspension helium balloons. Light, but strong Arian armour, available in almost any colour but brown, mainly because the makers don’t like the colour” Stork finished for him, still pretty gobsmacked.

Monica approached the small crowd of people, “What you think?” she grinned, pinning her goggles back onto her head.

“I can’t believe you have a Rettini mark one! Where do you get all this stuff!?” Stork shrieked, almost hysterical.

“We didn’t get it” Nathan replied.

“Where then?” Piper asked.

“Well since we’re several centuries older than you, it’s possible the designer might be one of our team” James responded.

Now Stork almost had a fit, “Who?!” he screamed. “It’s got to be you right? You say hardly anything!” he said, shaking Anastasia.

“No” she smiled.

“You then, you’re the leader, the clever one!” Stork loomed at James.

He shook his head smiling.

“You’re a sharpshooter! You have an eye for design!” he screamed at Siren.

Again he met a shaking of heads.

“You?” he asked Nathan, running slightly out of steam.

“Not me, no” he grinned.

Stork turned to Monica, “you...”

“It took about half a year to build you know, but I’m extremely proud of it” she finished, ignoring the fact he hadn’t respected her as a pilot.

“I’m sorry” he said hanging his head.

“Doesn’t matter” she smiled, “water under the bridge”

“I believe we were about to go?” Finn prompted impatiently, he longed for a sunny sky, he was sick of all the grey clouds.

00

“I’m going to miss you guys” Lypix smiled hugging Anastasia.

“We’ll always be around. Haunting the skies” she grinned.

“We’ll keep in touch” James smiled reassuringly.

“And if we see that Crispin...” Nathan left it open for the imagination to fill in.

Lypix pulled away and stepped onto the Condor, she waved slowly as they pulled away and the Blood Sashes became little specks on her vision.

00

Walking into the main room she saw Stork was whimpering at leaving Monica and all her trade secrets, this made Lypix smile and she went to sit down in her comfy armchair by the window.

Looking across the room she saw Piper giggling in Aerrow’s arms, Aerrow looked up just in time to see her glancing away.

Lypix pulled her jacket further around her and lent against the chair to close her eyes.

She’d come back to see them, to see him, hadn’t she? Then why was it so hard?

Yaysys! Finally finished that one, I can now move onto episode 6, which is good because of all the mean things I’m going to do to Piper!

Mu ha ha!!