How do the friends get along?
     

     
--- three months later ---

     
      “I’m kinda glad you kept your downtown apartment Amy,” Susan states. “The view really is amazing.”

      “I still can’t believe that you got the entire penthouse suite though,” Petra comments.

      “Well, I didn’t originally,” Amy says.

      “Swallow your food before talking young lady,” Rebecca admonishes while holding up another spoon full of warm oatmeal mixed with honey and cinnamon.

      “Sorry Mom,” Amy tells her after swallowing the mouthful.

      “So how exactly did you get this place then?” Brianna asks.

      “I had a nice little place on the floor below. It still had the great view and an incredible balcony. I was happy to hang onto it, but when we showed up the first time after that vacation the management tried to get me evicted. It was a clear case of discrimination and Brianna’s lawyers made short work of taking them to task.”

      “Wait, they tried to kick you out because of your changes?” Jun asks.

      “Oh yea. They didn’t like the thought of having a giant bird with extremely sharp talons flying in and out of the place and, as they put it, leaving droppings everywhere. Not to mention the giant spider leaving webs all over the place, at least in their minds. They tried to throw me out on the basis that I’m not human anymore and tried to call me an exotic pet and Alexa a pest.”

      “Thankfully both my lawyers and the company’s lawyers had already been quietly working to establish us all as victims of an unforeseen accident in an experimental trial.” Brianna states. “We have all been listed as disabled to one degree or another.”

      “And more importantly, we have all received updated legal documentation recognizing that we are all still considered human despite the level of non-human DNA in our makeup. It didn’t take them more than a couple of weeks to get the building owners to back down,” Amy giggles.

      “How did you wind up on the top floor then?”

      “Oh, once they realized that they were in for a major fight and they would be shown as trying to discriminate against a legally disabled person, not to mention an emerging celebrity, the upper management did an about-face. The penthouse was unoccupied due to going through a remodel and upgrade. They offered it to me and even threw in accommodations for my condition. All it took was a couple of politely worded requests to have the other alterations included for the rest of us,” Amy answers.

      “Yep, the general construction work was at just the right point in here that all they had to do was revise the blueprints and keep moving forwards. Nothing had to be ripped out or redone,” Brianna adds.

      “I still love the looks the doorman gave us when we all arrived together a few days ago. Not to mention the front desk! I swear they practically had a collective heart attack! That one woman even fainted!” Amy laughs. “Having Jun and myself go in first got plenty of stares and double takes which was funny. Following that with Susan in her power chair was nearly anti-climatic because she looks so normal with her special wet blanket over her tail. I’m not sure any of them realize the truth even now.

      “But then Brianna and Petra walked in together with Alexa on Bree’s back. That did it for pretty much all of them! Poor George and Rebecca were simply ignored in the commotion.

      “I love how they stammered and hemm’d and haww’d when I told them every one of you were to be added to my lease and to be given appropriate access cards and keys! They were so afraid that either of you would break their nice little elevators but didn’t know how to say it politely! Then Brianna calmly tells then that she would need to have access to the freight elevator and any doors leading around to it. You could see several of them let out a huge breath of relief at that! It was just hilarious!”

      “It’s only been a few days since they finished the revisions up here and let you occupy the space,” Petra says. “We’re still getting shocked looks anytime we come and go where we can be seen.”

      “Not to mention the snide comments they try to say under their breath, thinking that we can’t hear them,” Alexa includes.

      “Right,” Petra agrees. “You don’t have to see that since you love to fly in and out off the roof, birdy.”

      “Oh, I’m sorry. I guess we need to say something about it then. I don’t want it to just keep going on and possibly getting worse,” Amy says.

      “Eat your breakfast before it gets cold dear,” Rebecca reminds the feather covered girl.

      “Let me try again, I think I can do it,” Amy begs, trying to give her caretaker and surrogate mother her puppy dog eye look.

      “Child, you need to stop doing that,” Rebecca chuckles after she leans forwards again from jumping back in shock. “You only seem to be able to glare at people with those eyes of yours. The closest thing you can get with that look is making a person think you’re about to hand them their eyes.”

      “Sorry Mom, habit. I was good at it for twenty-two years and I still forget I have a death stare now,” Amy giggles.

      “Here, take the bigger spoon,” Rebecca instructs her as she hands Amy a spoon with a larger handle. “Now be careful and go slowly.”

     Amy carefully grasps the handle in her talon as she hops up onto the higher bar of the custom perch she is sitting on. She takes her time lowering the spoon to the bowl of oatmeal and successfully scoops up some of her breakfast without throwing it across the room this time. Lifting it up to her face she is able to place the food in her mouth with just a small drop escaping from the corner that Rebecca catches with a napkin.

      “You’re definitely getting better with that,” Jun remarks.

     Amy tries to nod as she takes another bite and ends up spilling most of the spoonful down her front.

      “Oops,” she says blushing.

      “Don’t try to do two things at the same time love,” Rebecca tells her as she wipes the food off the girls feathered chest.

     Taking another successful bite Amy swallows before addressing Jun again.

      “I’m getting better with my residual hands too,” she exclaims as her wings flex oddly. “I’ll never be able to do anything fine like putting on makeup or small detailed work of any kind, but I can manage large gross manipulations now like picking up a shoebox or large book. Although I still drop them after a minute. I still have to work on retaining my grip. But my therapist thinks that I’ll eventually get to where I might be able to do something like drive an adapted car on my own!”

      “That’s wonderful Amy,” Jun smiles. “I’m still amazed that you somehow were able to develop those digits after you permanently merged with your wings. There was nothing like that included in the structures of your wings that I recall seeing or finding when I got to look them over.”

      “There wasn’t, they were just wings,” Amy agrees. “However it happened I’m glad it did. Eventually I’ll be able to do a few more things for myself because of them.”

      “I mean,” Amy quickly blurts out seeing Rebecca’s small smile beside her, “I’ll always need to have someone around to help take care of me. And I love my current Mommy and all she does for me,” Amy states as she hops over and enfolds the elderly woman in her wings. “Not to forget my half sister.”

      “But I’ll be able to do a few things on my own which would take some of the burden off you,” Amy tells them.

      “You are never a burden to me, light of my life. And never will be,” Rebecca reassures her.

     Amy kissed Rebecca on the cheek then turns back to her breakfast.

      “But what about you?” she asks Jun. “Are you excited to finally go back to the hospital and start working again tomorrow?”

     Jun’s eyes light up and sparkle with the joy she feels as she answers.

      “I am flying higher than even you right now, so to speak,” she giggles. “I can’t wait to get back to working again! I’ll get to do pretty much everything I was doing before I gained my true body!”

      “I guess it’s a good thing you’ve been able to increase your control over your shape shifting then,” Amy states between bites. “You’ve gotten really good at it.”

      “It is a good thing. I can get my fur to pull back in over most of my body, for the most part. I have to keep my ears where they are, that doesn’t seem to be negotiable, but a surgical cap can cover them when needed. It’s just uncomfortable and muffles sounds some. And I can’t get my paws to shift or lose their fur either. I remain fuzzy up to above my ankles. I’ve gotten some custom booties to deal with that. Otherwise I can look damn near like my old self. I can make my entire face shift and pull back to look entirely human.”

      “And what about your primary tail?” Amy inquires.

      “Total no go. I can’t hide this thing with my abilities no matter what I do or how hard I try. It’s like it demands the attention and has to be seen. And I still have some trouble maintaining my shifts for an extended period of time. I can’t make it through a whole shift of rounds and duties on the hospitals schedule. But I’m getting better at it. I should be able to go a whole shift eventually.”

      “What’s it like trying to hold it in?” Susan wants to know.

      “For the first several hours it’s fine. I don’t really even notice anything. But after a few hours I start to feel like I don’t fit in my own skin, like I’m wearing clothing that isn’t the right size. After that it starts to kind of itch, mentally, the longer I hold it. The itching gets worse and worse until I can’t take it and have to shift back. But the instant I am me again I’m fine. But if I hold it for that long then I can’t shift anything again for at least a couple hours.

      “But that’s when I shift everything I can all together. If I shift less then I don’t get as uncomfortable and can shift again sooner once I reach my max time limit. That seems to pretty much be a hard and unchangeable line right now. Except for my extra tails. If I’m only hiding my four tails then I can hold that indefinitely it seems. And even when I have to take my true form again I can still keep them hidden if I want to put up with some intense itching in the back of my mind. It’s nowhere near as bad as when I shift my whole body, but it can still get distracting.”

      “Well I guess it’s a good thing that you’re moving over into pediatrics then,” Petra says. “Kids will love having Doctor Foxie as their attending physician I’m sure. You’ll be able to maintain a lower level body shift with a bunch of your patients I’m guessing.”

     Jun nods in agreement, “That’s the plan. The hospital administrators have been surprisingly willing to work with me on coming back. We’ve been able to discuss how I’ll come back and what I’ll be doing for the hospital without having to get any lawyers involved hardly at all. It’s been nice. And if there are any emergencies while I’m on duty then I can still step in and assist as needed.

      “And as I am capable of doing depending on how long and how high of a shape shift I’ve been holding,” she amends.

      “But it’s happening! Tomorrow!” the happy orange-red and white bundle of furry energy exclaims as she bounces on her toes, all five of her tails fanning the air excitedly.

      “Well, I need to get back out to the ranch,” Brianna informs the group. “I have a checkup with Alice and Jane this afternoon.”

      “I’ll go with you,” Petra says. “I’m still somewhat stunned that happened to you. But considering what you went and did it’s not all that surprising.”

      “Well, yea. I suppose not. I did pretty much force myself to go into season and my body reacted accordingly. But twins. I still can’t get over it.”

      “Well, you’re only just starting to show considering you’re carrying two foals,” Jun states.

     She walks over and gently runs her hand over the flank of her friend.

      “They seem to be healthy, and so are you,” She tells Brianna.

      “That really is neat that you can get a feeling for how someone is doing by touching them,” Amy comments which gets a nod from Jun.

      “It’s one of the reasons they want me back,” Jun says. “How are you doing in therapy by the way,” she addresses Petra as the two larger members of their group get ready to leave.

      “I’m ... adjusting. I’m glad that Bree’s shrink accepted her and me as patients, and then the rest of you too. Having a doctor who has other clients that are dealing with similar issues helps a lot. The monthly group therapy sessions are fun. But it’s been a struggle and I have a problem or two.

      “It seems that I have a natural tendency towards violence now. Something with my instinctual fight or flight responses being heavily tilted to fight that I’m having to work on controlling. That’s actually become my biggest problem. Not that the dysphoria from my gender change isn’t up there too, it’s just that I’m coming to terms with that a little easier.”

      “Are you going to be okay next week? I know I’m getting ready to lay another egg again,” Amy says. “It’s my time of the month next week, and you’re about ready for another clutch too from what we’ve been able to figure out with your anatomy.”

      “Yea, it’ll only be my second clutch of eggs too. They’re forming inside of me and I should be laying them next week as well. I’m not too sure I’m up for that, but I don’t really have much choice in the matter. Nature is going to rule over my biology on that one.”

      “Well I’ll be coming on over to the new place at the ranch to have mine, so I’ll be there with you,” Amy tells her.

      “I’d really appreciate that, Ames. It’ll mean a lot to me to have someone else there who is kinda going through the same thing I am. At least in part. Just watch out for my bad attitude. If I’m anything like I was the first time then my instincts are going to be up front and in control for a little bit I’m afraid. I don’t want to hurt anyone, so be careful around me until I clear my head.”

      “You know that I had that new home built for all of us,” Brianna announces while looking directly at Amy. “It’s ours, it belongs to all of us, not just me because it’s on my ranch. I had the deed updated and you all signed the revision in regards to that.”

      “I know,” Amy replies. “And I do think of it as my home. Just maybe my second home after this place. Just like here is for all of you too. You all are fully responsible signees on the long term lease for this place now.”

      “Alright, alright,” Brianna chuckles. “So we have one or two places to go and be ourselves. I’ll see whoever shows up whenever they arrive.

      “Ready to go Petra?”

     The two of them head to the back elevator and start their journey back to the ranch.

      “I’m going to go take a swim in the pool,” Susan announces once their two friends have left. “I love that you got them to maintain it with natural ocean saltwater. Chlorinated pools smell wrong, and don’t get me started about how that tastes when I want to submerge for a bit.”

     Susan’s wheelchair whirs quietly as she wheels herself out of the kitchen breakfast area.

      “Sounds like you might want to charge your batteries,” Jun calls out to her.

      “I need to go change bed sheets and start some laundry around here then do some sweeping and dusting,” Alexandra announces as she heads towards the utility room.

     Looking over at Amy the Fox says, “I don’t even have to ask. I can tell you’re jonesing to go dive bombing the streets below,” to which her white plumed compatriot giggles. “I guess I’m going to head on over to the hospital. I may not have a shift today, but I can still go in and interact with some of the other doctors and nurses I’ll be working with. Get a better feel for how they’ll react to me that way.”

      “How much fur are you going to show them?” Amy inquires while tilting her head sideways.

     Jun blinks in surprise at how far Amy’s head is able to tilt, but otherwise ignores the sight and answers, “As much as I can. Might as well let them see me at my best before I show them my more subdued look. And I can have some fun with the kids that way too.”

      “Well enjoy your day,” Amy says to the five fluffy tails that are disappearing into the front elevator.

      “I’ll be back in a little while, Mom,” Amy tells Rebecca then enfolds her in another feather soft hug.

      “I’m really beginning to love those hugs,” Rebecca says. “Be nice and don’t scare too many muggles.”

      “Yes Mother!” Amy yells with a roll of her eyes as she runs with her curious hopping steps out the door to the balcony area then launches herself over the railing and falls out of sight. A moment later an eagle cry rings out, announcing the pure joy of living to all who hear it.
     
     
--- the next week ---
     
     
     Amy ruffles her feathers and makes herself more comfortable in her nest. She glares across the room at Sara and Jenny.

      “Oh come on Amy,” Sara says. “You didn’t have to smack Jenny with your wing like that.”

     Jenny gingerly rubs her head where a bump is already forming.

      “I just hope you didn’t give her a concussion.”

      “No, I’ll be okay,” Jenny states.

      “I’m just surprised you’re still acting like this,” she addresses Amy. “You’ve always stopped the brooding in three hours at the longest before, and here it’s been three days now.”

      “Yea, well, I’m sorry. Really. I’ll make it up to you. But stay away from my eggs right now. I’ve always only laid one egg each month since I became a Harpy. This time I’ve laid three eggs. Three.

      “First off, it still feels like my vagina is a huge gaping hole after passing these things through it. I know it’s not, but you try shoving something that big out of your pussy then do it two more times in a row. Second, I can’t help it. Something inside me insists that I have to keep my eggs warm and safe. I know that’s my instincts kicking in, but I just can’t stop it.

      “It’ll calm down, eventually. Then we can dispose of my eggs in the incinerator like normal. I won’t care. It’s not like I’ll be able to hatch a youngling or chick, my eggs aren’t fertilized after all. I have yet to have sex since my changes. Just be patient with me. And stay back. Please.”

      “Alright. You proved your point,” Jenny agrees as she massages her aching temple. “At least you’re easier to talk to than Petra is right now.”

      “Oh no, is she having a hard time again?” Amy asks, concerned for her friend.

      “Well, we don’t get to work with her directly,” Sara gestures at the two of them. “But yea, she is. Claire and Wendy can’t even go into her room yet. They declared Petra’s room as off limits to everyone after Petra broke Claire’s arm.”

      “She hurt Claire? Oh no! Is Petra even aware of what she did?”

      “I don’t think so. From what Wendy has said it looks like Petra has gone wholly serpent on us. She’s operating completely on instincts right now.”

      “That’s not good. Petra is going to be so ashamed once she comes around. We’ve got to do something,” Amy says.

     She shakes her head and not looking directly at the other women in the room gets an intense look of concentration on her face that still makes both of them back up a couple of steps. With a grunt of annoyance Amy stands up and steps out of her nest then stalks to the door of her room. Coming level with the two she stops and blinks her eyes several times.

      “I ... I have to help Petra.”

     With another shake of her head Amy’s gaze softens and she looks at them.

      “It’s okay now, I think. You should be safe,” she tells them then looks back at the three oblong white items resting behind her. “Do what you need to do with them.”

     Turning away she walks out of the room.

      “Damn, did she just force herself to override her instincts?” Sara asks.

      “I think she did,” Jenny replies. “I’m impressed. That had to take an extreme force of will. The need of her friend apparently means more to her than any instinct to protect her eggs.”
     
--- ---
     
     The door slowly opens inwards and there’s a warning hiss that comes from inside. A few brown feathers appear around the edge of the door to push it open a bit more followed by a white feathered head peeking in. Amy steps slowly inside, never taking her intense gaze from the pile of emerald green in the middle of the room. She keeps her back to the wall and stays as close to it as she can while keeping her tail feathers from getting bent uncomfortably. The door quietly closes as an unseen someone pulls is shut from the outside. Amy stops moving and simply stares back, her golden eyes locked with the yellow slits that regard her suspiciously.

      “Petra, it’s me, Amy,” she says gently but loud enough to be heard by the snake that is starting to rear back in preparation to strike.

      “I’m here, just like I said I would be. I laid my egg three days ago. The same day you did. I even laid three of them, Petra. Me. I had to squeeze out three damn eggs. We didn’t do an ultrasound before hand because they thought I was still ovulating a single egg like a normal human female.”

     Amy chuckles quietly, “I guess that would explain why I was having some cramps the last couple of days. I was so full my tiny little body was complaining.”

     Her friend has relaxed slightly so Amy takes that as a good sign and takes a step forward. A loud hiss and scales quickly rising into a strike pose is the response to the movement.

      “It’s just me. Little Ames. I won’t hurt you, or your eggs. I could maybe help keep them warmer if you want me to?” She says in the same low gentle tones as she hazards another step.

     Another hiss warns her to stay back, but the anticipated strike does not come.

      “I’m going to help you, Petra. You’re my friend. One of the Scooby Zoo. The newly minted group of six best friends ever.”

     Amy takes another step forwards, reaching the halfway point to the serpents nest. There is a sudden movement of iridescent green and for a split second the two of them are touching nose to nose and looking eye to eye, both giving the other an intense look as their IDs clash, then the moment is gone and Amy is looking back up at her friend.

      “I suppose that you could easily snatch me up,” Amy tells the righteous gaze that is focused on her. “I can’t really get away in here, there’s no room for me to take flight. You’re probably getting pretty hungry by now. You didn’t eat for a few days before clutching, and I’ve been told that you haven’t accepted anything they‘ve offered you since.

      “I wouldn’t be much more than a snack for you though, I’m afraid. I’m so small. And tough too I bet. But if that’s what you need, I won’t fight you.”

     She takes another step and flutters her wings briefly before settling them back down against her sides.

      “I’ll do my best to keep my talons from hurting you or piercing your scales.”

     Another step and Amy is almost close enough to touch the coils in front of her. The confused look on the face above is joined by the torso lowering down to bring the head closer. Amy steps up and slowly extends her wings until she encircles her friend’s body in a soft feathery embrace.

      “It’s just me, Amy. And you, Petra. You and me, here, together,” Amy tells her as she pulls her in closer with a soft hug.

     The other woman’s eyes close for a second then in a sudden flash of movement the steel hard bands of green muscles encircle brown and white feathers from neck to ankles. Amy cries out in pain as one wing gets wrenched backwards in a manner it is not meant to go.

      “ARGH!” Amy yells as the coils quickly tighten around her chest, trying to force the air out of her lungs. A painful creaking is heard as mounting stress is placed on reinforced hollow bones while the coils slowly continue to shrink.

      “Petra, please,” Amy gasps roughly. “You’re going to kill me.”

     The golden yellow eyes begin to bulge as a new scream of pain accompanies a wet popping sound, but no air is able to be drawn back in to replace what just got released. Amy’s gasps and attempts to gain more air grow quieter. The next cracking sounds barely cause a squeak from within.

     Amy’s vision begins to swim and grows blurry, but she is still able to tell when another face draws close to her own.

      “I love you, and I forgive you,” is barely whispered as the heartbeat within the encircling grip of muscles begins to slow.

     For an eternal moment in time, everything seems to stop. Petra looks down upon the face of her closest friend, red from blood effusing it, the eyes bulging out of the sockets but unfocused. She feels the beat of a heart not her own hammering against her scales yet they grow slower and softer as the seconds pass. Muscles within the chest still strain as they attempt to expand and draw air into lungs that are denied their right by the tight embrace of her coils.

      “AMY!!! NO!!!” Petra shrieks in horror as her huge body releases what was only prey mere seconds ago and she gently attempts to cradle the nearly lifeless bundle of feathers in her arms.

     A ragged sound of air being sucked in rattles through Amy’s chest and is followed by small flecks of blood being coughed up with the exhalation. Another breath is drawn in and released successfully, but the movement is obviously causing the crushed form some pain.

      “HELP ME!!! ANYBODY!!! HELP! PLEASE!” the serpent woman calls out in dread, fear for her friend’s life suffusing every cell of her extended form.

     The door to the room opens part way as if hesitant to allow access. Petra quickly slithers forwards, her eggs forgotten, carrying Amy to whom ever is on the other side of the portal.

      “Help her! Please! She can’t die! Not her!” Petra yells as she practically forces Amy’s broken body on them. Hands take the badly damaged Harpy into the arms of several people and she is rushed down the hall with comments on her condition already being made.

      “You have to get Jun out here right away!” Petra demands as she collapses to the floor.

________________________________________________________________________
     
     
--- Epilogue ---
     
     
      “Come in,” Amy calls out quietly in answer to the knock on the door.

     Petra slowly enters the room to see the rest of her friends gathered around the bed that holds someone she can’t look in the eye. Her sinuous coils slowly slither in and arrange themselves in the corner. She gives a small start when she notices Alexa is up on the wall next to the ceiling.

      “How is she?” she asks Jun, who is standing beside the bed checking on the figure within.

      “Ask her yourself. Amy’s awake,” Jun responds.

      “Come here,” Amy commands softly.

     Petra winces but obeys. She lowers herself down to almost below the level of the mattress as she approaches the bedside.

      “No, up here. Don’t you dare try to hide,” she is told.

     The ashamed woman lifts herself higher but keeps her face down cast and partially hidden behind a cascade of long red locks that have quickly grown out since her transformation.

      “Look at me,” Amy says gently.

     Petra moves the hair behind her ears and returns Amy’s gaze.

      “I told you a week ago that I love and forgive you. I meant it then and it still stands. I know what you are going through, and I can both sympathize and empathize with you for the most part. I hit Jenny in the head that same morning because she got too close to my own eggs. Gave her a goose egg of her own. I get it. You were just lost deeper in your instinct than I was.”

      “I’m so so sorry Amy. I can’t forgive myself for what I did. I hurt Claire and almost killed you.”

      “No, you didn’t. It’ll take more than that to get rid of me. Not much more,” Amy jokes, “but I’m still here.”

      “But, look at you. It’s all my fault.”

      “Yes, in a way it is. But I forgive you. And you can too. Forgive yourself.”

     A tear rolls down Petra’s cheek as she carefully leans forwards to gingerly place a kiss on Amy’s forehead, as if she were a delicate porcelain figurine that just got glued back together.

      “How bad is it?” She asks softly.

      “Well,” Amy looks sideways at her wing that is stretched out and lying limply on the bed, “My wing is broken in two places. As you can see they had to insert pins and use an external fixator to hold the bones in place. My ribs are only strained, the cartilage holding them together is just partially separated. I can breathe okay as long as I keep it gentle and don’t take deep breaths. Yelling, coughing, and laughing really hurts right now so please keep the jokes to a minimum.”

     A scraping sound draws attention to the odd semi sideways position Amy is laying in as the talons of her foot scratch at the cast on her other leg.

      “My leg and foot is busted in three places. Do you have any idea how strange it is to have just four toes that are supposed to be able to grip around something and keep me upright but I can’t even move them? Look at my foot! They encased each toe individually then ran the cast all the way up to my hip! They had to add in additional abduction bars between my toes to support the cast because my grip strength was too much for the plaster otherwise. Having feathers trapped inside my cast is really annoying.

      “And because of how I have to keep my wing carefully placed but still have my leg semi elevated and remain comfortable I have to lay here partly on my side and partly on my stomach. Let me tell you, that is not doing any favors to my ribs despite the heavy bandaging and piles of extra fluffy pillows I am lying on. And having my feathers compressed under these wrappings is so uncomfortable! And not to forget, I so do not look forward to my next couple times of the month. The pressure I have to exert just to squeeze out one egg ... nuh-uh, not fun. That is going to be hell with tender and still healing ribs.”

      “Yep, I’m sure it sucks,” Jun stops Amy’s rant. “But with how much you’re already whining about it I have no doubt that you’ll survive and get through this. It’s just going to take some time.”

      “Yea, well, that’s another thing. It’s going to be months before I can fly again. I’m a creature of the air and I’ve been grounded.”

      “I’m sorry,” Petra says quietly.

     Amy looks back up at her friend and her gaze softens.

      “I know. And I’d do it and go through all of this or worse again. In three months I’ll be right there for you, whether or not I’ve healed yet.”

     Everyone in the room can hear the absolute certainty in Amy’s voice and do not doubt it.

      “You won’t have to go through anything like this ever again. You can be there, and you’ll be safe. Everyone will. The Naga will not take control like that, never again. Petra will remain in charge. That I swear.”

     Saying the words, Petra felt it within herself that it was true. Somehow, she knew it would be so.