"Are you saying Aquarius is dead and Keith and his grubby little borrowers have a piece of the Eye?!" Aries yelled. "You heard me correctly. I confirmed it from the people of Xi...or what was left of them" Markus replied. "How can you be so calm about this?" Taurus asked. "Are you lot always so high strung?" a voice asked. "Susan Durmont" someone muttered. "Not the one you're thinking of" she said wagging her finger. "Them getting a fragment can work in our favor. Emboldened by their recent victory, it will give them a greater incentive to find the last piece" he said. "Where is the last piece?" Pisces asked. "Guatemala but it will be no easy task taking it. It has the most dangerous defense imaginable...their own worst fears" he replied.

Back in Yorkshire...

"So, you had no idea that a member of ZODIAC and a fragment was there?" Keith asked. "Not a clue. My clairvoyance is second to none but not all knowing. If you want to blame someone blame the girl you're fucking. It's her luck power that pulled the odds to go that way" Joseph said watching the snow fall on the dome. Keith glared at him. "You're better for going Keith. The sword will be finished this evening and you found your edge again. Don't you feel better inside?" he asked. "You...you invaded my mind?" Keith asked. "I did nothing of the sort. You'd have to be blind not to see you're happier now than you were three days ago. I know how it feels to have a crushing burden in your heart and then one day letting it go" he said.

"A long time ago in a city called Ur, lived a young woman named Zaria. She was 17 years old, long black hair with skin the color of the setting sun. A beauty whose job was to make beer. I met her in the marketplace one day and I fell in love immediately. She found me charming and I found her kindness endearing. We were married by the high priest of Marduk a month later. Less than a year later, Zaria decided to visit her aunt who lived in the foothills to announce to her she was with child. I of course went with her. Not long after we left the city we were attacked by a gang of bandits. They had the high ground and pelted me in the back with arrows. I fell to the dirt as my wife screamed my name. Last thing I saw before I blacked out was her being dragged by her hair away from me. I awoke that night, my powers keeping me alive as they did and for the first time in a long time, I felt fury"

"I grew to 150 ft. and stomped out into the desert looking for them. Didn't take me long at all to find them with that campfire sticking out in the darkness. I saw them...saw them laughing and drinking as my dead wife lay by the fire. I saw into their minds that they raped her one by one till she went into labor and only stopped when she bled out. My eyes glowed with anger giving away my presence. They began fleeing and I crushed each one into paste their broken bones and pulped flesh to be swallowed by the sands in the coming week. And as I thought I had gotten them all, I heard whimpering from a tent. I tore it from the ground to reveal the man who dragged my wife away from me, but he was not alone. The cowering man was shielded by his son. A boy no older than 12 holding a sword too heavy for him. His legs shook, piss running down them but standing fast against the demonic giant before them."

"I contemplated eating the boy. Suck on his naked body making sure his father heard his screaming. Spitting his sandal in his face before swallowing him alive. Make him feel anguish, misery, and grief. And yet I did not. I walked away into the night not having the heart to kill them. And such a thing plagued me for years. Why did I not avenge my wife on him? He was their leader so why spare him and the boy. I felt as if I betrayed the memory of my wife. I didn't set foot in Ur for 50 years. And when I did, I was met with a remarkable sight. The young boy, now a striking man caring for the sick and poor. I spoke to him as I was curious."

"Many years ago, me and my father terrorized the people of this land until the gods sent a demon to eradicate us. We prayed that night for forgiveness and the demon spared us. Not long after, my father gave up the sword for a plow and became a farmer. He worked hard saving money to send me to school to be a healer. And here I am" he said. It was then I realized my actions led to the salvation of not just him and his father but others. That was how I honored the memory of my wife" Joseph said quietly. "But in my case, I could've killed my rapist. I was a kid, but I was three times stronger than him. I could've easily broken his arm and then his neck, but I didn't. What does that say about me?" Keith asked. Joseph cocked an eyebrow getting a small idea of what Keith was talking about. "That you were as you say a kid. A scared boy. A kind boy that became a kind man. It's not weakness to be scared. It's a sign of strength to accept pain and keep moving forward" he replied. Keith smiled a bit and wiped a tear away. "You sound like a dad" Keith said. "I've had thousands of sons, so I got practice. It's not out of the grounds of possibility you're a descendant of mine if you think about it so who knows...grandson" Joseph laughed.  "We should get started hunting down the last fragment. Have you seen Susan?" Keith asked. Joseph looked out into the colony. "She's playing with Ruby near the western edge" he replied. "It's not pressing. I'll give her some time. Ruby is still shaken up about Fiona.

"This is harder than it looks" Ruby said stumbling about. "It only gets harder now keep focus" Susan said staring at the young giantess walking about the 30 by 30 ft. training square used by borrowers grown to giant size. "First thing you have to consider is how strong you are. Your footsteps are more powerful than a human's. You could smash your foot right through a wooden walkway without trying. Second, your center of gravity is going to be way higher which means harder to keep balance" Susan said. "I know all that!" Ruby yelled placing her right bare foot down. "Use your big toes for balance of you must. Now, time for a few obstacles" Susan said as she used illusion magic to create borrowers at the teen giantess feet. "Really?" Ruby asked. "If you want to be a giantess in this colony you have to learn these things. There ain't no shortcuts" Susan said watching. A young man pulled his cart into the street making Ruby abruptly stop. When she did her left heel came down hard to prevent her from falling. "See? Look at that. Totally had it" she said confidently. "Totally blew it you mean. Raise your heel" Susan said. Ruby gasped as she saw the crushed remains of someone. Susan dismissed the gory sight.

Ruby fell on her butt with a heavy thud shaking. Susan hopped down from a rooftop and walked to her feet. She ended up straddling her left big toe. She looked at the sniffling giantess. "If that was real, I'd me a murderer" she said. "But it wasn't and you ain't. That's the whole point of this exercise. I didn't ace this thing my first time out either" Susan said stroking the flesh between the giantess' toes. "You didn't?" Ruby asked. "Hell no. Took like 13 tries before I didn't squish anyone. Keep in mind I was blind through" Susan said. "But they're illusions so you can't smell or feel them right?" Ruby asked. "So how did I ace it? Listening. Their tiny footsteps. Their little voices. The echoes they give off. Wasn't easy but the point I make is it took time and I didn't let failing stop me from trying again" Susan said.

Susan looked at her reflection in the red painted toenail of her adopted daughter. "Do you plan on retiring?" Ruby asked quietly. The question surprised Susan. "Not anytime soon. I'm needed more than ever" she replied. The giantess bit her lip and shed a tear. "I don't wanna go through that again" she muttered. Susan was quickly snatched up and brought to her face. "I don't wanna have to see someone I love buried in an empty box on a hill again!" Ruby sobbed. Her hands shook as she kissed Susan. Her giant tongue licked her before she cuddled her. "I lost one mom already. I don't wanna lose another" she whimpered. "Aww honey. I don't plan on dying anytime soon. In fact, I'm stronger than I ever been right now" Susan said floating away from her. With a gesture, she shrank Ruby back to normal size and floated to the ground. She gave her back her shoes and smiled as she slipped them on. Susan wiped her tears away before giving her a kiss. "Let's go home" Susan said. "But we haven't got to the part where I use the environment to hide" Ruby said. "Sweetie we can do that at home. I'll just shrink you real small. But you better be as good as you say you are at hiding" Susan warned. "And if I'm not?" Ruby asked. "I'll eat you" Susan smiled. Ruby laughed at her. "That wasn't a joke kiddo" Susan said walking forward. Ruby shuddered.

A short time later...

"Yeah Keith what's up?" Susan asked as she dangled a wriggling Ruby over her mouth. "I'm not taking you away from anything am I?" Keith asked over the magic link. "Just me about to swallow alive Ruby" Susan replied. "Please tell me you're joking" Keith said. "Nope. We were playing hide and seek, and she lost badly. Getting eaten is punishment isn't that right honey?" Susan asked the girl dangling by her ankle over her smiling mouth. "Dammit mom this isn't funny!" Ruby yelled. "Have a heart Susan" Keith asked. "But she looks so cute and vulnerable. That long red hair making her look like a cherry to be devoured" she chuckled. "Susan" Keith said. "Oh, I was just screwing around" Susan huffed as she placed the girl on top of her breast. "You know I live for her" Susan muttered as she petted the girl. "Not even close to funny" Ruby said glaring. "I can still do it starting with those adorable tiny feet and slurp you right in" Susan muttered. "Shutting up now" Ruby squeaked. "Anyway. About the next location for the fragment" Keith said.   

"It's in Guatemala that much I can tell you" Susan said. "You sure?" Keith asked. "Keith...ever since Japan, I have these flashes. These weird images popping in and out of my mind when I sleep. Things I shouldn't know. It frightens me" she said softly. Ruby laying on her breast felt the giantess' heart beat faster. "Anything dangerous?" Keith asked. "Not so far" she replied. "Have lunch with your daughter and come to the house for the next mission. Meanwhile I'll make a call to Elena. She's from that corner of the world" Keith said ending the connection. "You really are scared" Ruby said. "Out there is a woman that is the total opposite of me. A person of anger, malice, and unbridled magic power. That's what I'm afraid of. That the Lemurian side of me will poison my soul. I've gotten better and controlling it but in the back of my mind it yearns to be free."

"How do you control it?" Ruby asked. "Remembering those I love" Susan replied. "Well, you're overbearing and clingy, but I love you very much mom" Ruby said. "Is that an insult or compliment?" Susan asked plucking her from her breast. She lowered the girl to her mouth until her tiny bare soles touched her lower lip. "Compliment! It's a compliment!" Ruby yelled. Susan licked her feet and smiled. "I'm overbearing because I want you be strong in case the worst really does happen. The girl whimpered hearing that. "But enough about that. Let's go to the hamburger joint down the street. After that we can get stuff to make gingerbread houses" she said smiling. Susan placed her on the floor and undid her shrinking spell. Ruby hugged her tightly. Susan watched her out her shoes on. As she did, she thought about Markus and the other Susan. She and Keith agreed that eventually they would come for the fragment they had and wouldn't take no for an answer. That this moment could be one of the last remaining few happy ones left.

Later...

"Thanks Elena" Keith said hanging up the phone. Susan entered his room and sat on his bed before laying back. "What did she have to say?" she asked. "Elena doesn’t know any stories about lost cities in that area except the ruins the humans visit. She did mention one thing. There's a small area of forest the locals refuse to enter. Story goes anyone that enters never returns. Not even rescue parties" he said as he handed his phone to her after opening an app. "What's this?" Susan asked. Keith sat on the bed and took off her shoes and socks. "The area she talks about by way of google image" he replied rubbing her slightly sweaty feet. "Seems normal. Hmm? There’re a few grey pixels. Stone?" she asked. "Don't know. We can have Joseph take a peek" he shrugged pulling on her long toes one by one. "Am I wrong to tell Ruby she can't be an agent?" Susan asked. "Does she have the aptitude?" he asked slipping his fingers between her toes. Susan sighed contently.

"She's too impulsive. She gets discouraged easily" she replied. "Haha...you sure she's not related to you by blood?" he laughed. Susan snapped her fingers. "Just for that you get to do it the hard way. And more between the toes. I wanna have sex and I need to get wet" she grumbled. "Honestly, I think your concern for being her mother might be clouding your judgement" he said pulling a chunk of sock lint from her now giant toe cleavage. "Would you let Hope be an agent?" she asked. "Hope could put us out of business" he replied. "Keith. She's so delicate when I hold her. So small and yummy. Those dainty little feet and pretty freckles. I once didn't care about coming home to an empty house but now I expect to hear, see, smell her as soon as I hit the door.  And if I don't...I feel lonely" she replied. "Congrats. You're a mommy" he said. He inspected her other toes. Once he stopped, she pulled his clothing off. "So, what should I do?" she asked.

"Well, let me stretch before you push me inside or if you want to suck on me give me warning" he said. "I meant about Ruby" she said as she placed him on the bed. She took off her own clothes. "I know what you meant and…wow...you waxed down there" he muttered. "Didn't want you to get tangled in my pubic hair. Finish what you were saying" she said. "What I was saying was being a parent means when to know to give them space. Right now, Hope is exploring the colony by herself. She needs to learn how to interact with people without me hovering around her. Susan cocked her head to the side not because she disagreed, but she didn't sense Hope in the colony. "Maybe she doesn't want to be bothered by people recognizing her?" she thought. Keith touched her moist labia. He drank some of her juices before gently stroking her sensitive parts. She suddenly shrank to his size and pounced on him.

"Whoa!" Keith yelled as she straddled him. She gave him a toothy grin as she slipped his cock into her. She whimpered as she sat completely down on him. Susan bent down and kissed him. Her tongue licking his back teeth, she held him until she broke for air. "You always teasing you'd eat me, but I think it's the other way. I'll eat you up sperm and all" she whispered into his left ear. Susan rode him fast and hard, her breasts jiggling up and down. The squelching of her pussy as the shrunken couple bred on the bed. "Sir the guest...oh shit sorry!" the maid said entering the room and seeing them...occupied. "Either join in or speak your peace!" Susan yelled seeing the giantess maid not moving. "Well..." the maid said slipping her shoes off. "She was being sarcastic Belle! What...what is it?" Keith asked. "Our guest Joseph asked if you learned anything" Belle the maid said. "Tell him to look at central Guatemala" he said. The maid nodded and closed the door. "Really Susan?" Keith asked. "I want a baby and I'm done being a prude. Now cum inside me" she growled.

"She kinda killed the mood" he said. "I'm ovulating. You squirt in me and I'll be a tiny little helpless girl swollen with child. I'll need my pussy licked, my breasts milked, my toes sucked, or I'll go crazy with lust. I'll be your sex slave for weeks. And I don't mind that at all" she whispered into his ear. Keith actually got harder. "I want to be at your mercy! I want you to snatch me up at a moment’s notice, strip me naked, and suck on me till I scream! I WANT YOUR FUCKIN' BABY!" she yelled. Keith gritted his teeth and jammed himself as deep as possible inside her. Susan whimpered as she felt his hot cum gushing into her. They laid side by side resting for a moment. Susan canceled the shrinking spell on him but not her. By her insistence, she had him carry her to the bathroom to wash up. "You can join me in the tub you know" he said. "But it's more fun to wash in the sink" she chuckled. "Susan?" he asked. "Yes sweetie?" she replied. "That other me. Was he stronger?" he asked. Susan looked at him. "Depends on what you define as strong. The capacity to kill? Yeah, he did that and then some. Why do you ask now?" she asked.

"I feel...inadequate without the sword. As if I'm only a badass with it" he said. Susan burst out laughing. "Keith, you mowed down a shitload of Xi soldiers without it. You got your badass rank without it no doubt" she said. Keith shrugged. "What's this really about?" Susan asked leaning on the edge of the sink and kicking her feet in the water. "What if we lose? I held my own for a while from some powerful players in the battle, but this Markus guy crushed me in seconds. Dude is like a super Saiyan" he said. "A super what?" Susan asked. "A story for another time. My point is I don't see us winning without turning my daughter into a weapon. As a father I can't but as a leader how can I not?" he asked. Susan stepped onto the edge of the sink and pulled off some tissue paper to dry herself. "Keith. Ruby wants to learn how to fight and not just pretend to be a human. I don't want that for her, but I can't pretend this world will be gracious to her. One day she will have to fight, and she needs the support of her mommy. The same goes for Hope and then some. Bad people want her and as big a badass you are, you can't protect her from all of it. Mark my words, she's going to fight. As her dad, she needs your emotional support" she said. Keith stood up in the tub.

"You're right. Sucks as it is, you're right" he said stepping out to dry off. "And you had doubts about being a mom" he snickered. Susan scoffed as she floated to the floor. Keith followed her and got dressed. They found Joseph looking southwest out of the window. "About time lovebirds" he said. "Find anything?" Keith asked. "Yeah. And it troubles me. There's a stone shrine surrounded by a 100 ft. radius stone circle littered with skeletons" he replied. "Skeletons? Are there anyone alive?" Susan asked. "No. Just skeletons. Some very old. But that's not what worries me. Something is surrounding the circle. Something hidden from my sight" he said. "A barrier" Keith said. "No, not a barrier. A barrier could block my sight entirely. I see well enough that the fragment is there along with something else. It's a trap" he said. "No shit" Keith said. "We can take Hope and smash whatever is there" Susan said. "...no. I rather have us do it. Worse comes to worst, we can have her as backup" Keith said. "So, what do we do?" Susan asked. "We need that fragment. We go, trigger the trap and use your magic to fend off whatever. We can call for help if we need it" he replied. "Then let's get our work clothes on" Susan sighed.   

"You heading back out?" Ruby asked. "Yep" Susan replied as she slipped on comfortable socks. Ruby studied the black right fitting uniform. "Isn't that hot?" she asked. "It's breathable to an extent but it can get warm. The gel layer helps absorb impacts and the iron mesh dulls certain magic attacks. The rubber insulates" she explained as she put her shoes on. Ruby saw her sword and went to get it. "Don't touch that!" she yelled. "I was just getting it for you" Ruby said. "It's a very dangerous weapon. It's sharper than normal blades one is not even allowed to hold one until a year of training. "How long will you be gone?" Ruby asked. "Hopefully no more than a day at most" Susan said. "So, who will babysit me?" Ruby asked. "Fi...you're capable enough to be alone" Susan said catching herself. "Where ya going?" Ruby asked. "Ruby I'm trying to concentrate here!" Susan yelled fumbling with her zipper.  "I just wanted to know. You don't tell me shit" Ruby muttered leaving the room. "...dammit" Susan hissed.

"First time me seeing you in that" Sudan said looking at Keith. "When in Rome. We ready?" he asked. Susan and Joseph nodded. "You said anything to Hope?" Susan asked. "She's ignoring my calls. I think she wants her space. I can tell her when we get back" he replied as Joseph opened a rift is space time. He shifted his weight a few times. "Something The matter?" she asked. Oberon is back in my head. Being a bound spirit means he can't be too far away from me. Guess Guatemala is too far" he chuckled.  "Be careful you two" he said. They gave him the thumbs up before stepping through.

"About goddamned time" mirror Susan hissed. "Quiet. My cloaking spell conceals us buts it's not foolproof" Markus said. Both he and his Susan hid in a bird’s nest above watching the site. "I'm just saying we've been in this itchy nest for nearly a whole day" she said pushing twigs from her back. "Suck it up. Like the other two sites, this one has its own defenses. I can't see what though" he said. "So, you're going to let them go first like canaries in a mine shaft?" she asked. "Now you're getting it. Whatever trap or defense system is in place, it surrounds that circle. They trigger it and die, and we grab the fragment or they survive, we kill them and take the fragment" he said. "Sounds good to me" Susan chuckled.

"Jesus it's humid" Keith muttered as they approached the circle. Susan looked around sensing something. "Feel anything?" he asked looking at her. "Maybe? Just nerves I guess. However, I really hope it's not an iron giant again. I didn't sense that either" she said. "Well we won't get anywhere just standing here" he said taking her hand. They cleared the brush and vines from their path exposing the southern path into the site. "Oh my god" Susan muttered as they both saw skeletons with tangling vines growing through them at the entrance. "Yeah that's not pretty" he said. Susan carefully bent down to get a look. She glanced at another and then another. "Did The plants kill them?" Keith asked. "No. Nothing magical about them. Regular old vines. They grew through after decomposition was done" she replied.

They cautiously stepped forward towards a 10 ft. tall shrine.  "There it is!" Keith yelled seeing the shining fragment sitting on a pedestal. "Stop. Am I the only one here that's seen Indiana Jones and The Raiders of The Lost Ark?" she asked. "Ooh. Yeah..." he muttered. "This is giving me the fucking creeps. There's even more skeletons and not one died by knife or sword. Not even so much as a bludgeon. Their bones are completely intact" she said. "How did they die?" he asked. "The skulls with the open mouths died screaming. The ones closed so tightly their teeth cracked" she said. Keith covered his mouth. "Poison" he said. "No. Body spread pattern is too spaced" she said. "Maybe we should go back" he said. Keith took a step and slipped on a femur on the ground falling towards the shrine. As soon as he did, the stone floor glowed brightly. Both yelled as a blinding flash took their vision.

"They took the bait! Now we can...motherfucker!" Markus yelled. "What now!" Susan yelled. "A barrier went up! It's a fucking flytrap spell! The damn thing won't go down until the targets are dead" he sighed.

"Wha!" she yelled sitting up in bed. Susan looked around. "How the hell did I end up back home?" she asked herself looking around her bedroom. She got out of bed, went pee, and then changed out of her pajamas. She walked downstairs. "Ruby?" she asked not seeing the girl. The clock said 7:49 a.m. She sighed and went back upstairs. "Come on sleepyhead. You'll be late for school. Time to get up" she said opening the door to the second bedroom. "Ruby?" she asked not seeing her. Her bed was untouched. No dirty clothes on the floor. Nothing indicating a tiny teen girl called it her room. "Did she go on ahead?" she asked herself going back downstairs. Susan made breakfast, ate, and changed into her casuals. She grabbed her phone heading out the door.

She grew to human size before walking to the mansion. Her phone in one hand, her sneakers in the other. It baffled her how she ended up back home with no memory. She checked her text messages and found none. No emails either. "Maybe he's not wake yet" she thought as she tip toed through the city. People would wave hi to the giantess in socked feet, but Susan barely paid them any mind. Once in the sunroom, she slipped her shoes on and made her way to Control. She popped right in just as there was a briefing. "So all quiet on the western front?" Keith chucked. "As far as we know sir. The Mogwai have made no advancements" Fiona said. "FIONA!" Susan yelled running to the woman. She snatched her up so quickly, Fiona was lifted right out of her boots. Agents watched curiously as the giantess kissed the girl over and over. "Susan were in a meeting!" she yelled. Susan looked around as everyone was staring at them. Susan put her down.

The giantess stood there confused as hell as Keith quietly ended the meeting. "We all thought you were dead! How did you survive?!" Susan asked her. "Dead from what? Have you been drinking again? Susan, I know you're still grieving Lily but this...this here ain't gonna work" Fiona said leaving her. Susan went to Keith. "You're alright? That flash and then I woke up in bed" she said. Keith looked at her funny. He sniffed her. "I haven't been drinking!" she yelled. "Flash?" he asked. "Yes the flash. We triggered some trap spell and it sent us home. Hello? The mission we left on to grab the Eye fragment?" she asked. Keith narrowed his eyes. "The fragment! Markus! ZODAIC!" she yelled. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about Susan."

"There is no ZODIAC. No Markus. I haven't been in the field since taking command and you've been on furlough since this summer" he said. "You're under a spell" she said gripping his cheeks. She grimaced. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Trying to use my magic to break whatever spell is on you" she said. Keith pulled her hands down. "You're not a fae Susan. You don't have magic. You're a borrower like me" he said. Susan felt a fear creeping into her heart. "Don't look at me like I'm crazy. I'm not" she muttered crying. Keith sighed and as he did Susan kissed him deeply. Keith broke it off. "Susan!  What the fuck has gotten into you?! I love you but we don't have that kind of relationship!" he yelled. Susan recoiled in horror before leaving.

"Ruby! RUBY!" Susan yelled at home. Nothing. She rushed to the school and waited. Her giant socked feet thumping the ground unnerving the kids and teachers as she waited for school to let out. She watched the tiny kids one by one leave and didn't see her. A boy Ruby's age got close to the giantess and Susan grabbed him. He was startled for sure but he knew Susan so he wasn't frightened...yet. "I'm looking for my daughter. Ruby Durmont, 13 like you" she said. He shook his head. "Don't lie to me!" she snarled. She brought the boy close to her face and pulled off his shirt, shoes, and socks. She smelled his little body. "You're...you're not lying" she muttered. The boy was crying softly. "Please don't hurt me" he whined. Her heart sank looking at him. She kissed his bare chest softly. "I won't. I'm so sorry" she said choking back tears as she put him back on the ground. Susan went back home.

Susan sat in the dark for hours alone. She went through her phone and found not one picture of Ruby. Not even the emails from the attorney that handled her adoption. And then she noticed something that gave her a glimmer of hope. "It's November 26th? That's what happened! That fucking spell sent me back in time! No wonder everything is fucked! It hasn't happened yet! All I have to do is redo everything. Hell, this time it’ll be even better!" she laughed. Susan waited two days and repeated what she had done before. "Alright. Today is when we get the mission to investigate Sagittarius. I'll kill her on the fucking spot, take the bow and Keith will know I'm not crazy" she thought as she entered the briefing room. She waited...and waited. "Then if that's it we're done for the day" Keith said ending the meeting. "Wait! Didn't you get a mission to investigate an artifact in The South of France?" Susan asked. Keith looked at his tablet. "No" he replied. People shuffled out whispering.

"I let you back in because you said you were better but whatever this is...this belief some organization named ZODIAC is after us and controlling the world. You're sick Suzie. You need help" he said. Susan dashed out of the room and ran down the hallway. "Hope. I should've gone to her from the beginning" she muttered. She threw the door open to his room and found the small girl watching tv. What she was watching was none other than "It's a Wonderful Life". "Hi aunt Suzie. Did you know every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings?" she asked. Susan grabbed Hope from the bed. "Suzie?" Hope asked as her sweaty hand enclosed most of her body except her head and adorable socked feet. "Hope. Something has happened to me. I went back in time by some spell and everything is super wrong. I need you to fix it" she said. Hope looked puzzled. "I'll try but I've never done this kinda stuff before" she said. Hope flared up brightly and then died down.

"Uhhh...I'm not sensing anything weird off you...magic wise. "Hope stop playing around! This is serious!" Susan yelled. "Owww....Susan you're hurting me! I would feel the residual magic of a spell on you and I don't!" Hope yelled as Susan squeezed her. "Try fucking harder! I'm not going through this bullshit life with no daughter, no lover, and no purpose!" she screamed. And as soon as she finished that sentence, there was an ominous crack. Hope went limp in her fist. "Hope?" she whispered raising her to eye level. Hope had her eyes open, her mouth open with blood dripping from it. No heartbeat. "No... oh god no" she muttered in cold terror.  "...what have you done?" Keith asked from the doorway.  He walked in and took Hope from her. "Honey? Sweetheart?" Keith asked in a whisper. He poked her chest and he heard small cracks. He felt what was left of her ribs loosely move. Susan heard a sound from him that cut her deeper than anything she ever heard. It sounded like a wounded animal. A half groan and cry. The whimpering of a man who lost his child. "It...it was an accident...we can heal..."

The emptiness in his eyes seemed to swallow her. Before she could utter another word, Keith punched her so hard her head lodged in the wall. Susan blacked out seconds later.  

She awoke cold. Her bare feet chilled as they touched the concrete floor. She was stark naked except for shackles on her wrists and ankles. She recognized the place to be a holding cell. "She's awake. Call the commander" a guard said. The other guard went off to make the call. "Please. I need to see Keith. Hope was an accident. I know advanced healing spells that can help her" she said at the cell bars. The guard turned and looked at her. The guard was a young man no older than 17. He looked at for just a moment before spitting in her face. "I admired you. You were fucking female James Bond. Hell, I jerked off to you in the academy. I thought you were perfect. And as I look at you now, sexy toes, nice tits...and a fuckload of crazy. The great Susan Durmont is a fucking looney tune. And the worst part is...you took away something irreplaceable to all of us. Our guaranteed survival in a world of giants. Proof that we can be more than what society thinks of us. That we don't have to accept fucking handouts. You miserable cunt..."

"Guard. Your keys and our privacy" Keith said entering the room. "Y... yes sir" he said handing the keys to Keith. Keith watched him leave the room.

At the same time...

"By the gods" Oberon muttered. Seeing the devastation of the landscape. The mansion was engulfed in flames. The city reduced to rubble under a shattered dome. And in the center was Keith screaming and wailing. Oberon staggered to him as the influence of the spell weighed on his literal soul. As he got close, he could see the source of Keith's mental breakdown. On the ground was Hope human sized with Rune Breaker sticking right through her chest. "Keith! KEITH!" Oberon screamed until he slapped the young man. Keith looked at him. "She turned evil. She wanted to take the world for herself and make it...make it better. She used Etherion to control the minds of every borrower here. Hope demanded we give worship to her for what she called benevolence. Susan tried to stop her, and she’s gone. I was the last one left.  She didn't even suspect me. I killed her. I killed my little girl..." Keith said shaking. He began to gasp for air as he clutched his heart.

"Look at me boy! It's not real! NONE OF THIS IS REAL! Remember how you got here!" Oberon said forcing his thoughts onto Keith's mind. Keith stopped gasping. "...Guatemala. There was a stone circle, skeletons, and then a light" he muttered. "Yes, there was. We triggered a very vicious spell that makes us live out or worst fears until we die of fright" Oberon said. "I can feel it pulling on me" Keith said straining as a part of him wanted to look at Hope again. "I know. I'm not immune to it. Give me your hand. If we link our spirits together, we can temporarily break the spell. And then we can do the same to Susan" Oberon said. "Oh god Susan" Keith muttered as he took Oberon's hand. There was a flash of light and when Keith opened his eyes again, he found himself on his side in the stone circle still pulsing with magic energy. Not far away was Susan on her back with eyes wide open frozen in shock. At first, he thought he was too late the way she was lying down, but he saw her breathing...very shallow.

"Keith it was an accident!" Susan yelled tugging on her chains. He didn't move. "I'm sorry!" she yelled. Keith finally did turn, and she saw him holding a box in his left hand and a sword on his hip. "Sorry? Sorry doesn't undo this" he said opening the box. The box of course was none other than a casket. Inside was Hope dressed in a beautiful white dress and opened toed heels. Her arms were crossed over her upper chest. "I had Fiona pick it out. She looks like she's sleeping doesn't it? DOESN'T IT?!" he screamed. Susan held her head down whimpering. "Don't you fucking dare look away. Can you imagine the sound Aspen made when I told her Hope was dead? It was like her soul was condemned to hell. I'm going to hear that sound in my nightmares for a very long time. Part of this is on me.  I should've put you in for psych evaluation months ago. Or at the very fucking least when you began talking nonsense about secret organizations and ancient lost civilizations. My baby...my precious baby" he muttered touching her tiny face. He cringed in grief feeling the coldness of his small daughter's skin. With an ominous clack, he closed the box. Keith unlocked the cell and touched the sword. "You're going to kill me now..." Susan muttered. "No" he said softly tossing the sword at her feet.

"You got two choices. End it yourself or wait till Claire gets here and we both saw during the battle what she can do" he said closing the cell and locking it. "I have a funeral to plan. Goodbye Ms. Durmont" he said walking away. "Keith! Please don't do this! I didn't mean to! I... I didn't..." she said as his footsteps faded away. Susan looked at the sword at her feet and picked it up.

Keith crawled to Susan as the spell kept trying to pull him under once again. Closer...and closer...and closer he got to her.

Susan pulled the sword from its sheath and held the blade. She held it to her throat. "God...why?" she asked crying.

Keith touched her hand and both him and Oberon forced a spiritual connection. Keith appeared in her nightmare and saw immediately her about to slit her own throat. Keith tore the cell door from the wall and grabbed her wrist. He forced the sword from her hand. "Why..." she muttered. "None of this is real" he said sternly. "I killed her. I killed your little girl" she sobbed reaching for the sword again. Keith held her firm. "This is all an illusion. Not a damn thing you see here is real...except me...and this" he said before kissing her.

It was the deepest kiss he had ever gave her. His heart, his very soul he gave to her at that moment and in her deepest sorrow...she saw and felt they very thing that told her this Keith was real. "My soul. I felt the part of my soul I gave you in that. KEITH!" she screamed holding him tightly. "I know baby. Now we have to break free or this'll start all over again. Join your soul with ours" he said. Susan stood up with him and held him close as she focused. There was a flash of light and she awoke on her back holding his hand. "Fortification...spell type two" he groaned as she wrote the arcane in the dust. He cast it on Susan giving her added resistance but more importantly strength. "Condensing gravitons...focusing fortification...Lemurian striking spell level...two. Touch of Infinity" she muttered. She jumped into the air and slammed her fist into the stone circle. There was a heavy thud and then a series of cracks. The kinetic force cracked the circle apart destroying the spell array instantly. Keith and Susan were free...but not safe.

Both heard the sound of small footsteps and saw Markus and mirror Susan grow before them. "I'll be taking that and your..." before Markus could finish, Susan dashed at her counterpart and slugged her hard enough to smash her through a tree. Mirror Susan jumped high into the air and grew. She came crashing down with her 18 ft. long left foot right on top of Susan. "Pfft. Been meaning to plant a dumbass tree" Mirror Susan chuckled as she ground the sole of her shoe on Susan. "Forgot about me already?" Markus asked as his hand emitted lightning. Keith sidestepped and closed the distance. He grabbed his arm and broke it easily. "Not for a second. Harrowing!" Keith yelled releasing dark magic. Markus exploded instantly spraying blood, guts, bone, and bit of flesh into the forest.  Mirror Susan paused and then a beam of light burned clean through her foot making the giantess scream in pain. "Skycutter" Susan hissed hitting her evil twin with a blast of lightning. In seconds, Markus reappeared cracking his neck. "Better but not good enough" he said.

Susan had not said one word during the fight which worried Keith. She had a crazed look about her. A bezerker. Susan used magic to tear the bedrock from its foundation to hurl at him. He snapped his fingers and in the blink of an eye shrank them both to no bigger than the size of a grain of sand. Markus floated to the ground and looked at Mirror Susan who has shrunk to human size to heal her injuries. "Where are they?" she hissed getting to her feet. "Down there by that pebble" he said pointing to them. Keith and Susan were trying to break the spell to no effect. "Oh, don't bother. That's a hefty shrinking spell I used. At your level it would take at least an hour to break it on your own. You do know you don't have an hour, right?" Markus said grinning. Markus hurled a glob of spit at the miniscule couple which landed with a wet slimy thud not far from them. "Ah. Forgot to correct for wind" the giant laughed. "Let me kill one" Mirror Susan said as she quickly took her shoe and sock off.

Markus nodded. "I think I want Keith" she said lowering her foot just inches from them both. The smell from her foot was overpowering at their size. Her big toe alone was taller than a five-story building to them. Hell, the thickness of her toenail was more than their height. "You might even enjoy it if you're like my Keith. The sweaty sole, the pad of my toe, or do you want to suffocate lodged in my toejam? So many ways" she mused. Her foot began slowly creeping to him. Her toe cleavage big enough to wrap around him. And just before he was about to meet a stinky, sweaty, end, there was a crackle of energy, a gust of wind, a heavy series of thuds, and Markus and mirror Susan seemed frozen in place. Keith and Susan turned around to see the gigantic Joseph behind them. He waved his hands and the couple were human sized once more.   

"I froze their own personal time. It will only last another second or two" he said. "Fuck! Then let's grab back the fragment and..." Keith was saying before Markus and Susan began moving. And once they did were startled by seeing their victims their size. "You...I should've known" Markus hissed looking at Joseph. "Been awhile...son" Joseph said. "You're no father of mine. You broke our agreement. You don't attack me, and I don't cull humanity" he said. "You still have the fragment do you not?" Joseph asked. "What the hell are you doing?! Freeze them again!" Keith yelled. "I can't. Time spells are very taxing" he said. "So, where do we go from here?" Markus asked. "You think I have not noticed what you have done to the atmosphere above us?" Joseph asked pointing upwards. Keith and Susan looked up. Since it was very bright outside, they had not noticed a small brightly shining orb of light sitting 2000 ft. above them.

"Insurance policy. I burst that plasma orb and everything in a kilometer gets vaporized. We'll survive but they won't" Markus said. Joseph raised his hand. "Ah ah ah! Anything happens to me and it goes boom" he warned. "Begone boy" Joseph hissed. "Let's go Susan. I have this thing about being around weaklings and cowards" he said as he opened a rift. Joseph did the same and yanked Keith and Susan through. As soon as they all left, the superheated and pressurized gasses exploded swallowing up a dozen square miles of forest and the site. A site that stood the test of time for nearly 20,000 years until today.

"I can't believe we were this fucking close and you just let him go!" Keith yelled as they emerged in the living room. "He would've burned you both to ashes" he said. "If it meant stopping him then by all means!" Keith yelled. "Keith you got a more pressing issue at hand" he said looking at Susan. She was on her knees gasping. "Shit! Susan calm down. It's okay" he said. She was having a full-blown anxiety attack. Joseph touched her head and she fell asleep. "Mortals think in such narrow terms. There is a delicate balance in all of this, and your deaths would simply tilt victory in his favor" Joseph said. Keith picked Susan up. "You're going to tell us why he called you father. You're going to explain yourself. No more convenient omissions" Keith snarled before walking to his room.

Later that night...

"You've been gone all day" Keith said seeing Hope enter their room. "Been exploring and walking around" she replied. "For the entire 14 hours?" he asked. "I wanted some alone time. That okay?" Hope snapped back. Keith went back to petting Susan's hair. She was still asleep human sized in his bed. "I sense something wrong with her" Hope said as she floated onto the nightstand. "We had a bad day. Me and Susan saw our worst fears. Susan was already kinda fragile in that way" he said softly. Susan stirred and awoke. She shot up gasping and looking around. "You're safe and at home" Keith said. She looked at Hope and trembled. Hope floated into her lap.  "How ya feeling?" she asked the giantess. Susan was still haunted by her nightmare. Hope looked at Keith wondering why Susan was so afraid. "Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time!" Hope sang shaking her hips and flashing her belly. She fell backwards onto the bed sheet laughing. Susan simply shed tears. Keith went and placed her in Susan's hand. "She's okay and I trust you" he said. "That's how it started. You trusted me there too" Susan said. "It was a very bad dream" he said. "Kissing makes it better you know" Hope said. Susan cracked a smile.

She kissed the girl with shaking hands. "Better. Hope, why don't you take your bath now" Keith said. Hope nodded. "I want to see Ruby. She wasn't there" Susan muttered. "Your wish is my command" Hope giggled and snapping her fingers.  In an instant was a tiny teen girl in an oversized shirt and panties munching a cookie sitting on Susan's lap. "AHHH! The hell?!" Ruby yelled. "Hope. While you meant well that's scary to people" Keith said. "Sorry guys" she said floating out of the room. "Mom. You're back. Why didn’t you come home and tell me you made it back?" Ruby asked. 

"She wasn't there in my nightmare. Like she never existed" Susan muttered to Keith. "Well you can see that's not the case here" he said. "How...how can you be so calm after all this?" she asked him. Keith, who had his right hand down at his hip raised it. It was trembling. "Who ever said I was calm. You gonna be okay if I leave?" he asked. Susan quietly nodded. Keith left and closed the door behind him. "What's he talking about mom?" Ruby asked. Susan grabbed her up and smooshed her to her check. The giantess sobbed deeply like a child.

"Mom what happened to you?" Ruby asked. "I was shown my worst fear! You, Keith, my reason for being. It's was made out like it was just a dream. I was back where I was weeks ago...all alone. It hurt so much! My house was so empty without you in it!" she sobbed. "It hurt you that much? But I've been with you barely two weeks. I'm not even your real kid" Ruby asked. Susan was aghast she would even say that. With no warning, Susan linked her mind with her and shared her heart. Ruby felt a warmth in her heart that made her toes curl. A love so profound blood ties meant nothing. It was no exaggeration to say that the teen girl was a cornerstone in her heart. "I knew you loved me but...you really love me that much?" Ruby asked shocked. Susan slipped her nightshirt off with her fingernails and then her panties. She adored the beautiful naked girl in her hand. "You're mine to tease, discipline, raise, lick, suck on, and die for. You're my daughter" she replied with soulful eyes.

"But what I cost you..." she said. Susan brought her back to her face and sniffled between her legs. "I paid gladly" she said cutting her off. Her breath tickled the girl. "You enjoy toying with me like this don't you?" Ruby asked. Susan pulled back a bit. "You told me you were alone after your parents died. Being all alone is one thing but being alone when your surrounded by people is far worse. Worse enough I was this close to ending my own life. People I forgot I had saved me from myself. People I've toyed with too. If I'm toying with someone it means that person is irreplaceable to me" Susan replied. Ruby blushed. "I know I just showered but I smell that good?" Ruby asked. Susan blushed thinking something. "What? What's so funny?" Ruby asked. "I was about do something naughty, but it should be someone you really love that should show you those things first" Susan replied.

"You mean sex? I know all about sex" Ruby huffed. "Not if it’s a size difference. It can be...very intense" she said. "But you licked me before" Ruby said. "Out of fondness and intimacy. There's other stuff involved. Stuff that can wait till you come of age" Susan said. "I'll be of age this March. Not that faraway" Ruby said annoyed. "It can wait" Susan said. "And I want you to teach me. Someone I can trust. How's that happening if you die on a mission between now and then?" Ruby asked. She clapped her hands to her mouth realizing what she said. Susan was surprised to say the least, but it was a possibility.

"That's your greatest fear. You screamed that the other night at home" Susan muttered. There was a pause. "Later" Susan said. "But mom" Ruby whined. "Honey. I'm very excitable right now and I want you very close to me. I do this now and I will end up swallowing you alive just to keep you as close as possible with me. Honey. It...it was that bad" Susan said. Susan placed her over her heart and Ruby could feel the giant organ thumping quick and fast. Susan seemed somewhat calm but in truth was fighting another anxiety attack for her daughter's sake. Susan went ahead and placed the tiny girl on her pillow. She turned off the light and laid there watching Ruby. Susan was terrified to go back to sleep. She quietly prayed to God that is wasn't a dream. She watched the small girl snoring in her sleep. Scrunching her toes. Wriggling her nose, rapid eye movement. Even though naked, Susan's breath kept her warm. She found herself nervous about what Ruby had asked of her.

It was not uncommon for a borrower parent to do sexual things with their children. Borrowers by nature were sexual creatures that went into puberty like a hurricane and as a parent, it was their duty to instruct and open them to intimacy. There had been cases of borrowers being pets at a young age and not going through this delicate process to become psychologically imbalanced. Dirty, nasty borrowers that humped everything as humans would say. What became of some of them...was not pretty. Susan had the help of Lily in that matter and Fiona said her father when she was coming of age. Ruby, Ruby naturally asked Susan as she was the only parent she had. Susan sighed and her breath ruffled the pretty red hair of the girl and it landed over her bare breasts. She was exceptionally beautiful in the eyes of her giantess mother. So much Susan envied her. Her smooth belly, her shaved crotch and pussy all the way down to her sexy teeny little toes. Susan sucked her teeth thinking of the boys that would line up to have a crack at her one day. "Sorry boys. She's mine for now" Susan muttered licking her lips. Susan eventually fell asleep but not before kissing the girl on her exposed tummy.

Keith was deeply concerned about Hope. He knew she lied about where she had been after using iPhone locator and saw she had quickly popped over to Lancaster for about 15 minutes and then returned. She had told the truth about walking around the city for hours, but she said for the entire 14 hours that day. A glaring omission on her part. Was she curious about the outside world and wanted to see for herself? Keith thought as much but as far as he knew, that was the first time she ever lied to him. She had learned to die and to disobey him. He knew it would be foolish to think that would never happen. She was a kid after all, and all children test their boundaries eventually, but Hope was the most powerful magic user on Earth and a horny one at that. He had taught her self-control, but it was clear she was capable of doing what she wanted when she wanted. He wondered how a parent could discipline a child who could twist reality on a whim. He decided to wait and see her movements for the next day or so. If she obeyed, he would take the gentle approach. If not a sterner one. Keith would've changed that train of thought of he had seen the local news that night.

"Prison bus heading to Lancaster goes missing..."