Kelly met up with the gang at lunch time and took her usual seat by Xan. If he wasn't going to worry about it neither would she. It still felt a little awkward, but she was determined to prove to him, or maybe just herself, she was over him. They really were never a love match anyway.

She could see now it was a relationship of convenience. Maybe if she had invested more into it, but no, that wasn't her style. Heck she wasn't looking for anything serious herself just a steady guy she could call her own, and who wasn't a complete slob.

Xan broke through the awkward silence with an announcement," Guys I have some news to share."

Suddenly the banter of the table came to an abrupt stop and all eyes turned to him.

Lauren took a moment to wave her hand to incant her patented anti-eavesdropping spell, and the very air around them seemed to take on an other-worldly vibe.

"What CJ said yesterday got me thinking about the Ankh so I did a little tuning in to the rumor mill and I found out something interesting."

He paused for effect while everyone looked on in complete fascination. She was even curious to hear the news, and she should be, it concerned her after all. If Liam got his hands on the Ankh he'd be coming after her next. He made it perfectly clear last spring during their parley that she was the only one who could wield it.

With that thought she uttered impatiently, "Sugah why don't you just spit it out already?"

Xander turned and looked at her funny . . . AGAIN . . . and if he didn't stop doing that she was going to be setting him straighter than a preacher on Sunday.

If he expected her to hang on his every word like she had before, he had another thing coming.

He cleared his throat and looked a little dejected that she had taken the wind out of his sails, as she thought good maybe he'll learn the whole darm world doesn't revolve around him.

"Rumor has it they moved the Ankh to a more secure location that's even more top secret. I mean next level secret, because if I don't know –with my affinity for gossip – then nobody knows. We can rest easy he won't be getting his hands on it. Nobody will."

There were more than a few audible sighs of relief and a few exchanged happy looks. If Liam had gotten his hands on the Ankh, a tool that could reanimate the dead and control the undead it would have been a real deal breaker. It would have been an all hands on deck situation and every halfblood from here to Cairo would have been conscripted early. Now they actually had a real chance at a normal teen existence.

Well at least as normal as a halfblood could get.

Zach cut through the congratulatory moment to ask, "Have you heard anything about Liam?"

"Yeah actually, I've heard he's over in Europe stirring up trouble there and has been for a couple of months. Apparently he's looking for allies through the magical races for the halfblood cause."

"As if the Berserkers weren't enough," Megan snorted and rolled her eyes as she stuffed one of her fries into Cam's mouth.

Kelly couldn't help, but think -- as her mouth watered -- the misfits eating habits were shameful. Would it absolutely kill them to eat a salad once and awhile? She stuffed her grilled chicken green salad into her mouth with gusto, and swigged back a big gulp of water to trick her stomach into feeling that it was full.

It was back to training today and she had some muscle to lose. Hopefully their trainers wouldn't expect too much of them on their first day back, but knowing them, they'll gleefully put them through their paces as per usual.

People had started talking among themselves again. Congratulating each other on a job well down, when Donnie cleared his throat and asked tentatively, "X-xander . . . have you no heard anything about my people and why they want me dead." He gulped at the end of his query.

Xander paused a forkful of food halfway to his lips and put the fork down with a clank on his plate before he responded, "I did hear something about the Cait Sith being one of the magical races that were approached, but nothing else, sorry man."

Everyone exchanged concerned looks and cast mournful looks in the troubled teen's direction.

"What did your cousins say about it? Did they have any ideas?" Zach asked between bites.

"No my cousin he say they have no idea but they will ask their contacts in Italy maybe they have something to say." Donnie pushed his half eaten tray of food away in disgust.

"I tell him too that I stay with friends. I no want to bring trouble to his door. He has a family of young to protect. He's no happy about it, but his wife she make him understand."

Kelly thought you poor lost kitten. But when everyone turned to her with a shocked expression she realized she had mistakenly said it out loud.

"What?" She uttered indignantly and fixed them with a cool stare, prompting everyone to go back to eating.

"That reminds me," Zach broke up the shocked stares when he blurted out, "Did your cousins say anything about the Umbra Road? Does it open up anywhere?"

Donnie let out a deep sigh letting the air escape his lungs in a long breath and sucking it back in sadly," Yes Lauren was correct. The Umbra Road can be opened anywhere. Wards are useless against it. "

Quinn let out a low whistle, "Let's hope Liam doesn't get the Cait Sith on his side then. I'm liking the fact that we failed to steal the Ankh more and more every day now, because of our epic fail they decided to hide the Ankh where no one can find it, I call that a win." Quinn took a moment to fist bump with CJ who in turned passed it on around the table.

When the fist bump chain got to Donnie, he didn't notice he was too preoccupied with staring at his hands in his lap, and seeing his expression sucked the joy right out of the room.

"Don't worry Donnie you can stay at my place as long as you need, "Lauren jumped to reassure him.

"I can no do that!" He protested. "Anyone I stay with is in mortal danger?"

"You can and you will, "Lauren said emphatically," Besides, I can port us anywhere if someone breaks in, all I need is two minutes to open a port door."

"But in that two minutes we may be dead" Donnie whined.

"Ok so I'm no Kelly in the fighting department, but I'm no slouch either. I'm sure we can fend them off long enough to get away."

Lauren sought to reassure the poor boy, but Kelly could see it wasn't working, so she interrupted and said, "He can stay with me."

Sweet baby Jesus had she just offered to babysit? Kelly did a mental facepalm. 

Dweebs from all around the table either dropped their forks entirely or let their food slide right off them in shock over her offer.

"Ya'lls eyeballs are going to pop straight out your heads if' ya'll don't stop staring like that." Kelly said in annoyance. Sweet Jesus what did they think she was a monster or something.

"B-b-but you can't port him, "Lauren objected.

"I can if you leave a port slip between my room and yours that I can activate with a protection charm."

"Can you do that," Zach asked Lauren incredulously?

Lauren blinked a few too many times, but eventually she sputtered, "Well yes, of course, but how did you know I can do that?"

"Please sugah you're not the only one that can read." Kelly said indignantly as she pushed her salad around on her plate."

The nerd herd was still staring like she had two heads which was really getting her dander up.

"In that case why don't you just stay at my place and we won't have to construct the port slip?" Lauren suggested.

"As if I'm going to move my entire wardrobe and beauty supplies to your house, not in this lifetime." Kelly scoffed and rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw the back of her head.

She dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin and said matter-of-factly," If you're not interested in my help that's perfectly fine with me," before getting up to clear her tray.

But Donnie was on his feet in a flash, "I would like to stay with you if that's okay with Xander?"

Kelly's confident stride faltered and she stopped midway to the garbage can with her heart stuck in her chest. The shocked breath of several of the kids at the table was unmistakable which made her second guess if Donnie had really graduated from needing the creep jar.

That poor dumb boy had done thrown himself off the top of the stupid tree and hit every darn branch on the way down.

Kelly snorted and threw her snide remark back over her shoulder at Donnie, "Sugah, Alexander Vashenko doesn't speak for me, never has, never will," and she sashayed away.

When she spared a glance back at the table all the faces present held the look of people who had just seen a grenade land between them and were still too shocked to deal with it, all except Donnie. She couldn't believe it; the guy had the audacity to look pleased as punch. What was up with that boy?

She shook her head as she walked away and thought well she was certainly going to get pretty familiar with the big dumb oaf. They'd be spending all their time together for the foreseeable future.

She spared a final look at the table before she cleared the cafeteria door and Lauren must have lifted the anti-eavesdropping spell because she heard Quinn clearly ask," Lauren if you create a port slip to my room, I swear I can make it worth your while." He practically leered at her and wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively, which earned him a punch in the arm by Zach -- a pretty hard one by the sounds of it.

Kelly thought speaking of stupid boys. Those two had better get it together, or they'll be watching Lauren walk away too.

Shocker! Kelly offered to help out the gang. More specifically Donnie.

Now why would she go and do a thing like that?

Tune in tomorrow to find out.