It was with a heavy heart that I took Alexei's proffered hand as he helped me up out of the water.

"That was amazing," said Tony. "I mean; that was amazing. I mean, like... amazing."

Alexei looked at me, asking a question with his eyes that I was in no position to answer.

It had been a strange experience down there with Porthos. Strange, but wonderful. I had felt more at peace than I could remember feeling since they took my mom away. I struggled to put it into words.

"How long was I down there?" I asked.

Tony glanced down at his laptop. "Couple of minutes."

I shook my head. I would have guessed a minimum of half an hour. It had felt far longer than that. In a strange way, it felt as if I had lived a lifetime down there, which sounded silly when I came to say it but that was how it had felt.

"Lock up, Tony," was all I said. I couldn't explain it to him. I couldn't explain it to Alexei, either, but I felt as if he understood already. Perhaps what I had felt down there had been part of my semi-divine nature. Or perhaps human effigies were just blessed with a less limited view of the world, seeing things more the way they really are.

Alexei passed me a towel from his bag. "I'm afraid your clothes haven't dried much in the last few minutes but you may as well get as dry as you can."

"Then we've got to get out of here as fast as we can."

"Agreed."

We didn't hang about on the bridge above the pens, walking quickly and carefully back the way we had come, making sure we were leaving everything as we had found it. Down the ladder, through the corridors and out to where Christoph and Nico were waiting for us. But although we moved quickly, and continued to as we headed for the exit to the park, there was a solemnity to our progress. Not sad, exactly, perhaps “thoughtful” would be the best description. Certainly, we were nowhere near the elation that had followed the completion of previous tasks. Although, we were one step closer to our goal, and that goal had not ceased to be of vital importance, and the completion of the tasks remained my number one priority, celebration of any sort would have seemed disrespectful. And, although I was the only one of the party who had actually gone into the tank with Porthos, everyone seemed to sense the need for a little silence and introspection. Even Tony, whose mouth did not usually stop for anything, had been profoundly affected, staring into middle distance as he clutched his laptop to his chest.

We made it out of Ocean World, Tony reactivated the security systems, and we headed back to the car, the real world slowly starting to reassert itself upon us.

"You get some sleep," said Alexei as we drove off. "You've earned it."

Tony was already curling up in a corner of the car, hugging his computer like a teddy bear.

"You're going to drive back all through the night?" I asked, as Christoph started the car.

"We'll take it in turns. We can't afford to waste time and we don't need that much sleep if we choose not to need it."

"Why would you choose to need sleep?" I asked, yawning as I did so. "Think how much more you'd get done."

Nico shrugged. "To be more human."

As drowsiness stole over me, I cuddled up to the warmth of Nico's body, almost unconsciously. "I'm not leaving him there."

"Who?" asked Nico, putting an arm around me protectively, making me feel warm and safe.

"Porthos. I know this was just another task, but I'm not leaving him there. If I have to grift the whole of Ocean World, if I have to team up with some tree-hugging group, if I end up doing time for it, I don't care - I am not leaving him there."

"Well, alright then."

"As long as that's clear."

"One more reason to save the world."

I must have fallen asleep, as the next thing I remembered was the car pulling up outside Tony's place back in New York in the early hours of the morning.

"Thanks, Tony," I said with feeling. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Tony shrugged. "Well, obviously. I'll see you around?"

"For sure."

"Remi, too?"

"He'd like that."

"And then you'll tell me what the hell tonight was all about?"

 I smiled; Tony was no fool. "I don't know, Tony. I don't know if I can and I'm not sure you'd believe it if I could."

Tony pulled a rueful face. "After tonight, then I think I might believe pretty much anything." He paused a second. His usual chatter had still not returned. "Kitty Cat?"

"Yeah, Tony."

"Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, kid, anything."

"Let me know what happens with Porthos." His eyes were almost pleading.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Tony shook his head. "Don't try to pull that on me. You may not be a proper environmental crusader, but I know you well enough to know that you've got something planned where that fish is concerned."

"Mammal."

"Whatever."

I nodded. "I'll let you know if anything happens."

He nodded, quiet and thoughtful and wholly unlike the Tony I had always known. "If you need any help - maybe someone who knows computer locks and so on - then..."

"I know where you are."

"Goodnight, Cat."

"Goodnight, Tony."

We drove on towards Dolos's apartment.

"I liked him," announced Christoph. "Smart kid."

Back at the apartment - I resisted calling it “home” - I found that the nap in the car on the way back had left me feeling energized, even though it was still, essentially, night. Still, I didn't want to read the new task - assuming there was one - yet. I always felt better reading those first thing in the morning.

"You guys should get some sleep," I said, when we got in.

"We don't need that much," Alexei said.

"I guess we could start on the next task."

My reluctance was probably clear in my voice, as Alexei said, "What could we really do at this time of night? Better to wait until morning when we can actually do something."

I nodded, trying not to show how grateful I was - although I wasn't tired enough to sleep, the mental exhaustion of my encounter with Porthos still told on me. I wanted to relax, kickback, self-indulge and be pampered. Maybe that wasn't an option and we only had a few hours of night left before affairs of the day took over once more, but that was what I felt like.

"I'm going to have a shower," I decided, and strode off towards my room, leaving the guys to their own devices.

I had a long luxurious shower, dried myself, and got dressed, since I still didn't feel like going to bed. Then, as I was about to go out and see what the guys were up to, I turned to find them quietly filing into my room.

"What's up?"

"We've been talking," said Alexei.

My heart sprang into my mouth. They'd found out that I had slept with all three of them. It had to happen sooner or later but, with one task remaining, the timing was just appalling. What was going to happen? Were they here to tell me that I was on my own now? Had I forfeit humanity's right to a second chance by behaving like a college girl on Spring Break? If I had doomed mankind just because of my uncontrollable desires, then I deserved everything I was about to get, but the rest of the world didn't.

"About what?" I asked.

"You'll get the last task in the morning," Alexei began, "and then our time together is over. This is our last night together - or what's left of it. We want to spend it with you. If that's agreeable, of course.”

It took me a little while to get my head around what Alexei meant. And even then I wondered if perhaps I had misunderstood.

"When you say; spend it with me...?"

"We all love you," said Christoph, simply.

"We don't know what's going to happen from here on in," said Nico. "This is our last chance to show you how we feel and, I guess, to find out if you feel the same way."

"So you all..." I stuttered and stumbled my way through the latest surprising turn my life had apparently taken. "You all know what I…that I…that we all..."

I never got around to finishing the sentence and I apparently didn't need to. Alexei nodded. "We all knew, all along. It doesn't do good to have secrets - you give yourself an ulcer trying to keep them."

I couldn't argue with that. "So... What now?"

Alexei shrugged, his heated gaze sending my pulse into overdrive. "That's up to you, Cat.”

I looked at the three beautiful men who had helped me so much, who had saved my life several times, who had thrilled my body and won my heart like no man before them. There was only one answer, and there wasn't a shred of doubt or uncertainty in me as I nodded.

“Yes."