A narnianerd/Sonny/starkat production:

Completely disoriented, Olivia realized she was lost. The skies had not yet cleared enough to could see the stars, but the rain had finally come to an end. She shivered as the cooler night air started to dry her off. A voice from her left startled her.

"Howdy ma'am."

She blinked owlishly as a man in buckskin came out of the trees. "H-hello."

"You look cold. Why don't you come with me? I have a fire in a shelter on the other side of these trees. You can warm up there." The young man smiled.

"Sure. Thanks." Olivia followed the newcomer over to his campsite and sighed in relief as the warmth of the fire replaced the cool of the night.

"Where yah headed?"

"Ditto Town. My sister and cousin are there." She bit her lip, trying to avoid saying too much. "I'm lost though. The storm blew me off course. Do you happen to know which direction I should go? What's your name? My name is Olivia. Liv for short."

Cameron smiled again. "Cameron, Cameron Far and I believe Ditto Town is in that direction." He pointed. "I'm heading there myself; it's been a while since I was there last. It'll be good to see how the town has changed." He sat back with a thoughtful look.

"Oh? Have you been there before?"

"Long ago; been up north trapping and hunt'n. Can you tell me about the town now?" Cameron began packing up his gear.

Olivia obliged, explaining the current layout of the town. From the Cup and Platter to the Inn as well as the Ditto Mansion, she mentioned some of the adventures that had happened in passing as she talked about each location. By the time she finished, her clothes had completely dried out and Cameron had the campsite packed up.

"Shall we?" He offered his hand and pulled Olivia to her feet.

"Let's," Olivia grinned. Meeting a new friend had helped to push her mission to the back of her mind for the moment and she felt like she could breathe again.

The two travelled companionably for several miles before coming upon a house, which Olivia recognized as one on the outskirts of Ditto Town. Her mission settled back upon her shoulders heavily and she was worried again.

Cameron had noticed that she had grown more pensive over the miles and was glad of the early morning light. Things that looked bleak at night tended to look better during the day. "Look, it's been a long walk; do you want to stop here? They might offer us some breakfast."

Olivia was just about to answer when Eliana and Loren came around the corner of the house, carrying gardening tools. Loren had just made a witty comment, and the two of them began laughing, but as soon as they saw Olivia and the stranger, their laugh faded, and a look of combined shock, relief, and amazement crossed their faces. "Liv!" they both exclaimed. "My dear Olivia!" continued Eliana as she dropped her shovel and rushed toward her long-absent friend with open arms.

"Loren! Eliana!" Olivia stumbled into her friend's hug and nearly collapsed in relief. She was not lost. She was nearly home. Her sister and cousin were within reach. The emotions overwhelmed her, and she started sobbing.

Eliana whispered soothingly to Olivia while Loren and Cameron looked awkwardly on, but when Olivia's sobs faded, Eliana motioned to Loren, who took Olivia from his wife's arms and carried her into the house. Eliana beckoned to the stranger. "Come on in. We can talk inside."

Cameron followed a bit mystified, as hospitality had not been something he had seen much of lately in his travels. People tended to frown on an itinerant wanderer. Besides, this situation was certainly not something he had ever expected. He followed the others inside.

"I'll get some tea on," Eliana said to Loren as he lay Olivia down on the couch and gently pulled a blanket over her. "Cried herself to sleep, poor girl," he commented, then looked up at the stranger and held out his hand, chuckling. "Unusual way to meet. I'm Loren DeHond, and this is my wife Eliana."

"Cameron," came the slightly distracted reply. "Is she going to be ok?"

"Oh, I think so," Loren replied with a glance at the sleeping woman. "Seems she is just worn out. I'd call for her sister, but I don't expect Liv to sleep long, and we do live a little ways from the main part of town. Take a seat," he offered.

"Thanks." Cameron slid his cap off and took a seat on a chair by the table. "Town sure has changed since I was here last. It didn't reach out this far."

Eliana's chuckle coincided with the clink of tea cups as she set them on the table. "I remember when I was a little girl I'd come out here in the woods and play house with my dolls. I built a little fort on this very spot and pretended it was my home." She patted Loren's shoulder lovingly. "And now it is!"

"So, what have you been up to since your last visit to town?" Loren asked Cameron with a glance at the sleeping Olivia.

Cameron told Loren an abbreviated tale of where he had come from and how he had met Olivia. As he was concluding, the kettle began whistling, and Olivia woke up.

"Ohhhh..." she moaned. "Where am... Loren!"

"Take it easy, Liv. Looks like you've had a rough time of it. Eliana's fixing some tea."

Olivia sat up slowly, put her head in her hands, and did not move until Eliana sat down next to her, put her arm around her, and pushed something warm and fragrant beneath her nose. "Here you go. This should help some." She held it there until the other woman took it.

No one spoke until the tea mugs had been drained. As Eliana got up and began to clear the tea things away, Olivia let out a long slow breath and began to unravel her tale, talking faster as she went.

"I hardly know where to begin. First, my abilities are gone. I can't time travel any longer. I don't know what's gone wrong. I have to warn my sister and Ryder. Also, while I was gone, I stumbled across information on a threat to the town. Some kind of attack using something small. It won't kill anyone. Just allow for manipulation. I have to get to town."

She stopped suddenly, and Eliana picked up on the one thing Olivia had left out. "Sweetheart, where's Rena?"

Tears flooded from Olivia's eyes. She sobbed so hard that Cameron sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her trying to keep her from hurting herself. Finally the sobs subsided enough that Cameron felt comfortable enough to back off. The depth of pain in the young mother's eyes shook everyone to their core.

"My daughter is stuck in the past," Olivia whispered so softly that the others had to strain to hear it.

Eliana, her own eyes and cheeks wet with the thought of losing her own unborn child, again sat next to the weeping woman, tenderly wrapper her arms around her, and tried to comfort her as only another mother could. Sensing the need for privacy, the men stepped outside.

Cameron drawled, "Well?"

"Word has to be gotten to Olivia's sister, Lianna, in town. I would send you, but finding her can be difficult these days. Would you like to go into town with me? I bet there's some explaining you would like!"

"Yeah, that would be good. Thank ya kindly."

Loren slipped back inside and let his wife know where they were going and the two men set out for town.

Ryder and Lianna sat their with their mouths open as Katherine shared her tales of her time in New York and the story of her marriage. She told of flying with the gargoyles over Manhattan and getting to see Molly for the first time. The others had questions for her as they went along. Finally Katherine wound down.

“Sis, I knew Gwanuig was likely to ask you to marry him.” Ryder grinned cheekily at his younger sister.

Katherine threw a pillow at him with a shriek and the threesome dissolved into laughter. It felt good just to be together again. Finally, when they could breathe without collapsing into giggles, Katherine brought up one final subject.

“Guys, I hate to ask this, but can we keep my marriage to just us?”

Lianna was startled, “What for?”

Katherine fiddled with her hair her face turning slightly red. “Gwanuig and I haven’t told his father yet. We don’t want word getting back to him before we can tell him.”

Ryder lightly slugged his sister in the arm, “Well duh we can keep it quiet. That makes sense. Better to hear it from you guys than to hear it through rumor. Have you given thought to what you are going to do now that you’re back in town?”

She glared at her brother. That question was a deliberate poke at the hesitation in her manner. His big brother radar must have picked up on it. “First I want to make rounds to see everyone. Then I want to get started in trying to figure out why our abilities seem to have gone AWOL. (Absent without leave).” She sidestepped the matter of the headaches and nannites for the moment.

Ryder was not fooled, but let it go. Lianna knew something was going on, but was waiting on the brother and sister dynamic to bring whatever the unspoken conversation was to the forefront. It was nice to see that the siblings had developed a normal relationship even without their abilities. She smiled at that as her heart gave a small squeeze. She missed Olivia.

They started swapping stories about what was going on in town as well as tracking dates for their abilities disappearing. The clock caught Lianna’s eye and she yelped. “I’m going to be late! I said I’d open up the Apothecary today and that was twenty minutes ago! It’s good to see you again Kat!” She yelled as she ran out the door.

In reality she was not going to be late. Something had occurred to her as her family had talked and she was headed for the Emporium before going in to work.

Back in the rooms, Ryder was gathering his own gear. “I’ve got to get going too. Aria will dock me pay if I’m late.”

“Why didn’t you say something before now?”

“Because I’m working a late shift.” He grinned and hugged his sister. “Where are you off to?”

“I thought I’d stop by the paper and fill Emily in on the public details and then I’ll just wander through the town.” Ryder’s raised eyebrow asked volumes. “He’s gone to check on his people. He’ll be back in a couple of days.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Just wondering. Have a good day Kathy.”

“You too Ry.”

Abby had just finished feeding her hungry daughter when the Emporium’s security system announced a guest. “I wonder who that could be?” she mused aloud, making her way to the building’s entrance with Molly still in her arms.

The door opened to reveal an old friend. “Lianna?” Abby squealed in delight. “How wonderful to see you again! It’s been too long.”

There was silence for a moment as the two friends embraced, being careful not to disturb the little one Abby carried. When they separated, Lianna asked, “May I hold her?” Abby eagerly passed the hatchling over and smiled as Lianna cooed and played with her.

Abby invited her guest in for refreshments, eager to catch up on the latest news in Ditto Town. Once seated in the Emporium’s great room, Lianna happily entertained Molly while Abby presented tea and the little chocolate cakes that Erik loved so much. “I can’t believe how much she’s grown!” Lianna remarked as little talons grasped an offered finger.

“It’s all this fresh air and sunshine,” Abby quipped – though in this case it was literally true.

“Where is Erik, by the way?” Lianna queried. “I’d like to say hello to him.”

“He’s off looking for Aria, but I’ll be sure to tell him you stopped by. While we were in New York he came up with some ideas about upgrading the computer in the stardome, and he wanted to run them by her.”

“I see. How’s he like being a father?”

“Oh, he loves it,” Abby replied, her eyes sparkling and her voice full of love and pride. “You should see him around Molly. Our human friends told us we’re going to have, in their words, ‘a spoiled little Daddy’s girl.’ I know he’s already had passing thoughts about another hatchling, though he’s not said a word about it. But we both know that’s a few years off right now.”

“So Molly’s going to have a little brother or sister eventually?”

“Absolutely! We’re looking forward to it. But please, tell me what’s happened in Ditto Town while we were away.”

The jade gargoyle listened closely as Lianna offered a brief account of recent events in town, but was astonished when she went on to say, “And I just had the most interesting conversation with Katherine and Gwanuig. Seems they had quite the adventure in another world – they were especially thrilled with their ‘gargoyle rides’ over Manhattan – not to mention they seem to have gotten married along the way.”

“You already know?” Abby finally asked.

“Sure do,” Lianna grinned.

“Saves me the trouble of telling you a story then,” Abby smiled back.

But then Lianna leaned forward conspiratorially, a mischievous expression on her face, “I think we should have a big party – cover the town with invitations but keep the purpose all very mysterious, and then turn it a celebration of their wedding.”

Lianna wasn’t surprised to see her friend’s eyes lit up at this, since Abby and her mate loved entertaining friends. In moments the two women were eagerly discussing party details, such as location, refreshments, and so on.

“I’m sure Erik will go for it too,” Abby remarked. “We can either have it here, or at the Cup and Platter…”

"So, what do you all say?"

At that Star Defender meeting, Jennifer and Shannon presented what they had discovered to the other Star Defenders.

"This is a grave matter indeed," Adrian said. "If what you say is true, then not only are they every bit as powerful as we imagine they could be, but also it is pretty clear why The Nine value them so much."

"It's clear that while the sisters themselves pose no threat to us, the people that are after them, should they manage to harness their powers, could potentially cause major damage to Ditto Town," Mike assessed.

"So what do we do?" Isaac asked. "They don't want us always hanging around to protect them..."

"They by no means need our direct protection, as they are perfectly capable of beating any of us down anyways," Jennifer said. "Our best bet is an emergency response system ready for the worst case scenario."

"You think so?" Susan asked, then turned to Victor. "What has your reconnaissance mission brought up?"

"Our team found a mysterious base some distance away that is housing suspicious activity," Victor said. "It seems to be guarded by some strange barrier, though."

"Not just any barrier," Molly added. "A psychic barrier. Just coming within a few miles of the place has flooded our brains with evil thoughts. Any attempt to infiltrate would be met with a sheer onslaught of such malicious thought waves that I don't even know if my own counter-psychic barrier would be enough to break through."

"So, that rules out any pre-emptive strike," Mike noted.

"But," Molly continued, "the very existence of a psychic barrier is very indicative... and very worrying. We know that Hannah and Amelia's powers are directly tied to their emotions. Considering that this place is using a psychic barrier, powered by strong emotions itself, it is pretty clear that this is the place most concerned with Hannah and Amelia. That said... should their powers be added on to whatever power that barrier already has..."

"...the barrier will be nigh-impenetrable," Laura finished the sentence. "Hence a 'worst-case' rescue, should that be the place where they are taken, would also be inadvisable."

"Might there be a simple way to counter the barrier? I mean, if they want to capture Hannah and Amelia, surely they have a way of getting through the barrier themselves," Mark asked.

"Normally, the way to counter a psychic barrier is to combat it with strong emotions of your own, opposite of that the barrier produces," Molly said. "As I said, I doubt my own power would be enough to counter the barrier as it is, but if Hannah and Amelia's emotional powers are as strong as Jennifer and Shannon say they are..."

"Oh, trust me, with their emotional strength, they will most certainly be able to temporarily disable the barrier for their captors," Jennifer said.

"Well, this is a fix," Mike said. "A pre-emptive strike is out, a worst-case rescue is out, and direct defense is out. What other option is there?"

"There's always..." Victor started when something on his body beeped. He took out the machine that made the noise, looked at it, and frowned. "There's always finding out through the surveillance camera installed at the suspicious base that Amelia has already gone over there on her own, broke through the barrier, and entered the base herself."

"...WHAT?!?"

It wasn’t true, of course. Aria would never dock an employee pay for being late. Her staff were dear to her and she knew if someone was late and didn’t say why they’d a) have a good reason and b) make it up later.

But Ryder said it because he was eager to get to work. The joy that now bubbled inside him needed to get out, he had to tell someone…well, he had to tell Aria. That was the truth.

There was more than one reason for telling her, as well. The first he seemed to have thus far successfully concealed. But the second was that Aria seemed to harbour some secret concern about her last meeting with Katherine. More than once she’d mentioned the last time she and Katherine had talked, but whatever she’d been about to say had trailed off and she’d never finished the thought. At first he thought it was just that she missed her, as he did, but as he got to know his employer he found that her facial expression was far too specific for a simple feeling of sadness.

Print trotted easily up to the gates, and he could hear the throb of footsteps, and cheery voices in speech, grunts, and snatches of song. Ryder’s heart did something weird but by now familiar when he heard a clear voice call out “OK, Burin, start her up!”

There was a sudden din, and then a very loud POP, and then a brief silence. A cloud of smoke wafted into the sky, and Ryder, suddenly very concerned, nearly launched himself out of the saddle. But following the silence was a roar of laughter of every shape and size, and he relaxed.

By the time he’d dismounted and led Print in through the door, Aria’s broken contraption had started spewing bubbles filled with helium. She was bent over the pump and appeared to be whacking it with a wrench.

“Morning, Aria!” He sang out as he approached. She straightened very quickly, and suddenly inhaled a bubble.

“Morning!” she squeaked, and burst into uncontrollable giggles. Ryder, already full of joy to near-bursting, nearly gave himself a hernia laughing, as did any of the rest of the crew who’d been in earshot.

When they’d sufficiently recovered, Ryder asked Aria, gaspingly, if he could talk to her in her office. She nodded, and, holding her sore stomach, lurched towards the office structure.

(It must be pointed out that, as soon as Aria’s door had shut, there was a five minute period wherein most of the Engineer’s crew attempted to repeat the helium-speech…it was more successful for some than others. One pixie had to be rescued from floating away into the great blue yonder.)

Aria eased herself into her chair and sighed blissfully. “I LOVE new inventions,” she declared. “It’s been far too long since I’ve had something so wonderfully random to work on.”

“What IS it?” Ryder asked.

“It generates helium. And that part’s working, it’s just what it does with the helium and the not creating explosions part that isn’t.”

“Why are you…”

“Generating helium? There’s a limited supply of it on this planet. What we have came from the sun and we’re depleting it, like something you’d get from a mine. So I’m trying to make helium- you know, without actual nuclear fusion.”

“Oh.” Ryder sat and pondered for a moment. He looked over at Aria, who had begun to hum, and sift through papers on her desk. “So, I have news.”

She looked up at him expectantly. “Something wrong with the new windows on the Inn Between?”

“No, actually, it’s good news. I mean, it’s great news- it’s the best news ever. Katherine’s back!” His smile grew gradually as he spoke and at the climax, Aria’s eyes flew wide and she covered her mouth. Were her eyes sparkling with tears, or was it the lighting?

“Wow. Wow! Ryder, that’s so awesome!” She jumped up from behind the desk and ran around and hugged him. “I’m so glad! But how, and when! And when are you bringing her here?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she wandered over here herself later. But if not, I’ll do it as soon as I can.” She was still hugging him, and he noticed that her hair smelled faintly of coconut. Not particularly wanting to pry himself free, he continued, “She met up with Erik and Abby in their world, actually- and it’s a bit complicated, and I’ve only heard it once- so would it be ok if I let Kat tell you when she comes?”

Aria let him go, smiled, nodded, and said “Wow!” again. “Thanks for telling me this, Ryder. …You know what, have the day off! Go hang out with your sister!”

“Oh, no, that’s ok, I mean, I will hang out with her, but she’s off getting reacquainted. She doesn’t need me tagging along. I’m happy being here…”

“Well then go clean her apartment or something. You do not need to be here today.” She gave him a confident smile and nod, and he felt…conflicted.

“I…Ok then, if you want. Thanks.” He turned to go. But Ryder’s impulsive, intuitive side suddenly hit him full bore, and he turned back.

“Aria, will you…have dinner with me tonight?”

Aria looked at him carefully, and she saw it. As an operative, she’d learned to recognize certain looks on a man’s face, and the look here was a good one. And she felt its reflection in her heart.

But there was the promise, the last thing Katherine had asked of her, in private conference, before she’d disappeared.

“Aria, promise me…this is going to be so hard on Ryder. Promise me you’ll be a sister to him, in my place?” Kat’s eyes had been downcast, tears wet on her cheeks. She was saying goodbye to someone she loved, perhaps forever, and she had been with him for less than a year. It was heartbreaking to watch.

She felt an internal hesitation, but it might be a last request of sorts- though Aria hoped this would not be the case- and she had to honour that. “I promise, Katherine. I’ll do my best.”

It hadn’t been the time to clarify what Katherine meant by that. But now, perhaps it was! Katherine was back! Aria’s mind reeled through possible outcomes to responses, and she selected the best compromise she could think of.

“Can…can I take a raincheque?” Her face was hesitant. It wasn’t what he’d hoped. But then what could you expect, dropping it on her like a bridge? You have got to slow it down, pardner! He chastised himself internally.

She saw his face fall, and rushed on. “I just can’t do it tonight. I mean, I will get back to you. Very soon, I promise, I just…I have to sort something out first before I can answer that…question. I’m so sorry, I just can’t say right now.”

“That’s ok!” Ryder said it as brightly as he could manage. “You can let me know whenever, take your time.” His heart was thumping pretty hard by this point. “I’m…gonna go find Katherine. Have a great day!”

He walked fast and didn’t look back as he left. He almost didn’t breathe until he was safely ensconced on Print’s back and a few paces into the trees.

From the keyboards of JillPole and stargazer

While Abby and Lianna conspired at the Emporium, Erik was out and about seeking his friend Aria. His connections at home led to some of that world’s best engineers, scientists, and programmers, yet there was something special about the Tireless Engineer. Perhaps it was the way she saw things, her creativity, or something else, but Erik deeply respected her opinions. Her incredible designs made the Emporium the wonderful place it was, and her work on the stardome had been the inspiration for a similar, if smaller and less grand, project back in Manhattan.

He was hoping to talk to Aria about new Emporium software. It was a pleasant change of pace for his mind- a movie that might have been entitled "Cyborgs I Have Known and Feared" was currently attempting to stage a matinee in the theatre of his brain. From the nefarious Captain D and his crew on Angora to the hopefully ficticious Borg, he was feeling pretty horrified. It was, of course, Katherine's nanite infection that was really worrying him. For a moment he imagined it, and he felt tiny metal claws skittering along his arteries and veins, and shuddered from head to toe.

Of course, at the moment he wasn’t sure where Aria might be, but the day was pleasant and his family was safe, so he didn’t mind a little extra exercise. He happened upon the Ditto Mansion first.

Upon entering his sensitive ears caught a hint of music rising from the lower levels; curious, he sought out its source. He was quite surprised to find several Ditto Town friends – Eruheran, Ryder, Lucid, and Adrian – practicing a rather haunting tune on various instruments. Not wanting to interrupt, he waited just outside the room until the song was finished and then made his entrance.

They met him enthusiastically, and with a twinkle in his eye, Adrian inquired, “Say, Erik, how’d you like to join our rock and roll group? I bet you’re musical.”

He snorted quietly. “Sorry; I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, as they say. Now Abby can sing.” He smiled broadly then at fond memories; he loved hearing his beloved sing what they’d come to call “Cymru’s Lullaby” to their little one almost as much as Molly did.

“Sorry, big guy, dudes only.” This was from Adrian, who summarily flopped onto the couch, one knee crooked over the back.

“That’s all right. When you’re ready to perform, let us know! We’ll be there. But right now I have to find Aria.”

"I'm pretty sure she's still at work at the compound," Ryder volunteered. And then turned a lovely shade of beet red for some reason. (Though Erik didn't know it, this was an Emergency Band Practice. Adrian had instituted this as protocol from the first day- anyone was allowed to call an EBP at any time, no questions asked, in case of extreme need of distraction.)

Erik thanked them and departed. As he ascended the stairs, a wistful, Celtic-influenced melody floated after him. I thought they said rock and roll...? he pondered, and then forgot about it.

Ryder's information was correct; Aria was just exiting her office as he approached, a complicated expression on her face. The old friends met and made themselves comfortable on various pieces of equipment- a lawn tractor for the gargoyle and a nearby hitching rail for the Engineer- to catch up on all the news. Aria's questioning provoked a quick summary of recent experiences in New York, which eventually segued into a discussion about possible upgrades to the stardome computer. Aria responded enthusiastically to his suggestions, once again coming up with ideas that went beyond his own imaginings.

But despite all his enthusiasm, Aria could tell something else was bothering her purple friend. She waited, hoping he would broach the subject on his own. Eventually Erik paused and gave a great sigh.

“There’s something else.” The deep voice was soft and full of concern, and Aria leaned closer to hear. “It's about Katherine.”

Her face took on a very serious expression, and she watched him intently.

“We’re thrilled to have found her- and honoured. But her headaches kept getting worse, and we asked our doctors to examine her.”

He paused and drew a deep breath. “She’s infected with nanites.” He offered no further explanation, knowing her grasp of that subject was likely better than his own.

“Any prescribed treatment or speculation about additional effects?” she asked.

“Not right now. People at home are on it, though.”

“I see.”

“I can’t help worrying about her. But there’s more: what if they suddenly become more active, more virulent, even contagious? The idea of Abby, or Molly, or anyone else for that matter, undergoing Borg-like transformations is my worst nightmare right now.”

Aria understood what he meant- he'd described the Borg months before after he’d had a nightmare about being assimilated by cybernetic beings. "I'll get right on it, Erik," she said, then sighed. "As soon as I can. I've got a lot of balls in the air at the moment. I mean, this takes high priority, but nanites are usually deactivated by either an electromagnetic pulse- we call it an EMP, they happen with atomic bombs and knock out all electrical devices, but I can make one without the bomb- or microwaves. How we'd microwave a person, I'm not yet certain...but I'm sure it's been done. My real concern is that whoever designed these made them organic or otherwise invulnerable to normal shutdown. ...Sorry, I'm rambling. I'll get people working on it now, and start tests as soon as I can get samples."

She turned and yelled. "Mithnin!" A fair-haired elf poked his head back out of the door he'd just entered. "Pull out the plans for the EMP generator, will you please? Thanks!" He nodded and went inside. "Don't worry, Erik. It will come right. It always does." She patted his shoulder, and was then startled by a buzzing in her pocket. She pulled out a communicator of some kind, then began walking away before stopping abruptly.

"I'm sorry again, Erik. I've got to take this. Another ball's dropped. Thanks for bringing this to me, though."

"Thank you for working on it! It takes a bit of the load off of my mind."

"I appreciate your confidence. Say hi to Abby and Molly for me!" And with a wave, she spun and walked away determinedly. Something evil, Erik thought, is probably in a lot of trouble right now.

Lucid couldn’t help but smile at the antics of his friend Adrian. The corners of his mouth tugged up, then sank, then tugged up again at the memory. Even a year after misplacing his memory, Lucid was still struggling with a lot of the little social graces most humans took for granted, but Adrian didn’t seem to care. Conformity was too boring and slow paced for the merman. On the other hand, it was hard for Lucid to keep up with multiple references to something Adrian called “pop culture.” Becoming part of a band steeped with references from “it” meant Lucid was always a little on the outside, but he found himself enjoying the company of the guys anyways. He laughed easier than he had even in kind company of the Banks. Maybe life was supposed to just be simple fun with people you could relate to. Lucid felt life had been something else for him before, but he hardly cared what anymore.

Lucid had also discovered he liked playing drums. Adrian had sensed potential and ordered him behind a set for a specific reason. Now Lucid found himself walking in rhythm to the stables where Champion was waiting for him... the beat was inside of him already, and the band hadn't left the basement. Common sticks suddenly became tools to create a musical pulse. Sure, Lucid was laughable, having to learn everything (or perhaps relearn?) from holding the sticks to reading music, but he wanted to get better and not let the band down. Everyone deserved to march to the beat of an adequate drum.

Pulling Champion’s saddle off the rack, Lucid clicked away to himself while his six legged stead snorted and turned his head slightly for a better view. He had to be wondering what on earth the noise his human was making meant. A loss of sanity perhaps? But sane rider or not, the horse was ready to have a good run since he spend too much time in the stables now that Lucid had a job. He understood when Lucid wiped the reigns, and he charged forward, filling Ditto Town with his the sound of his distinct canter that could only be created with two extra hooves.

Katherine had wrapped up her visit with Emily and dropped in at the Inn Between to see Boo-Kay when the first twinges of a headache hit. It was not bad at first so she swallowed one of the pills she had gotten from the doctor in Manhattan and continued on, but as the day went on it got worse.

This was the first time that a headache had struck since she had returned home and Katherine had hoped that they had faded again. She let out a soft sigh and schooled her features so that no one passing by would be able to see anything in her face.
_____________

Hugh was on his way back to the Pub from the post office when he bumped into the Ditto Rider. “Katherine! Welcome home!”

“Thanks Hugh. It is great to be back.” Katherine was genuinely pleased to see the hologram, but the desire to find a place to hide and wait out the pain was getting stronger. “How is the Cup and Platter?”

“Good. Business is constant even without certain townspeople dropping by.” Hugh’s reference to Erik’s habit for stopping in occasionally brought a smile to both of their faces.

Katherine hissed slightly as the pain switched from typical headache pain to coming in waves, “I’m making rounds saying hi to everyone, so I’d better go. I’ll drop into the C and P soon!” She waved and walked away.

Hugh watched as the young woman retreated. “I hope she’s ok. My sensors tell me something is off.”
_____________

Her pain tolerance was very high, but this was pushing her to her limits. Katherine had left Hugh and headed straight into the forest that surrounded the town. Just as it brought her to her knees with tears streaming from her eyes, she stumbled into the tiny blind that had been her destination. It was a small, open area just big enough for a human to watch the town and stay completely hidden. Some of her supplies were still there, but the pain was so intense that it was all the young woman could do to put a small travel pillow up underneath her head.

At this point, she knew that the only thing she could do was wait this out. Gwanuig! Her heart cried out. She wanted her husband, but she knew he was not due back for another two days. Little did she know that even though her bond with her sibling and cousins was gone, her bond with her husband was still intact. Gwanuig could tell that his wife was in pain and he knew what was causing it. Just before Katherine passed out, in her heart she knew that Gwanuig was coming home.

Act I Scene III

Christie walked down the streets of Ditto Town, carrying with her the shopping list and several bags laden with her prizes, those things already found in the shops of the town. All that was left was the grocery shopping, and for that she must first visit Torla at the Cup and Platter. Christie had moved in with the healer and her husband, Greya, not long after the two had been married; she occupied the apartment that had been Torla’s during the couple’s engagement. Chase had stayed with them for a while during that period, and Christie though it was fitting that she should fill in some of her brother’s roles while he was gone. Besides, it helped to have other people around. The loneliness stayed away then.

Inside the C&P (as folks called it), Torla was busy cooking up her usual requests and aiding the hologram bartender Hugh in whatever way necessary. Christie waited until there was a brief lull in the ordering of customers’ meals to call, “Torla, do you need anything else?” over the din of the common room.

A quick jerk of the head and a look that said, “I’ll see you at home” were all the woman could give in reply as she took a fresh pan of purple cornbread to a corner booth.

Knowing that it was best to duck out and finish the shopping, Christie left and found what she needed at a couple of produce stands and a small market shop which had opened recently. As she was preparing to walk back to the old house on the edge of Town, a sudden noise and a body being flung simultaneously from the door of the Inn Between stopped her. This was mostly due to the fact that the body nearly took her to the ground with it.

When the two humans had disentangled themselves from each other, Christie realized that the other person in the dirt of Ditto Town’s street was Carl, the Assassin from the School.

“Those who fail to pay the rent are doomed to be booted out!” shouted an irate, tinny voice from inside the Inn.

Carl shrugged his shoulders. “When your employers are scattered to the four winds, you tend not to have money for innkeepers’ pay, bucket-shaped or otherwise.”

Christie heard the words, but they seemed to pass through her, not sinking in or being comprehended. When Carl bent to help Christie collect her dropped packages, she slapped his hands away and snatched them up herself.

“Why are you so wary of me, Christie?”

“Because I don’t care if your did swear to serve my brother, you still worked for that awful man and helped him to do things that shouldn’t be done by anyone, least of all a human being.”

Carl hung his head. “I cannot deny it, and though you will not believe me, I am sorry for the suffering I caused the two of you.” He continued as Christie walked away with her eyes never leaving the Assassin’s face, “You’ll be happy to know I’m leaving Town. With your brother away, I have no reason to stay.”

When she was certain she was no longer in mortal danger from the man, Christie turned and walked swiftly home. She found the house empty. Greya must have been down at the Emporium talking with Erik. She put away the groceries and sank into the couch. Would their family never be free of that accursed School?

“Oh, Chase. Where are you?”

It was yet another gloomy night for Amelia. Having to deal with everything that was going on was not easy, and as if that was not enough, she had the most terrible headache at that moment.

If only I could just… turn back time somehow, she thought. Maybe to a time before Hannah and I were split…

She sat down on a bench, and saw a young woman, likely in her early 20s, sitting next to her and crying.

"What are you crying about?" Amelia asked, not so much out of concern as just out of curiosity.

The woman looked up. "I… I was rejected," she replied through her tears.

"By a guy?"

"Yes…"

"Well, I'm sure there are other guys out there."

"Yes, but… you see," the woman stammered.

"Huh… you seem to want to let it all out… fine," Amelia said, not particularly caring but not particularly in the mood to do anything else.

"The guy I was rejected by," the woman said, "was one of my best friends. Ever since middle school, we would always hang out together, help each other out in life, give each other advice on love… before I knew it, I had fallen in love with him. After two years of feeling that way, I finally got the courage to tell him… and he told me that he could never feel the same towards me. That he knew me too well to ever go out with me.

"I was heartbroken enough at his saying that… but then, just yesterday, he met this girl… she is easily the most good-looking girl I've seen, much better-looking than I am… and then, just today, I saw them kissing. He's obviously smitten with her… and it's obvious he rejected me because I was too ugly to be his girlfriend."

Amelia took a good look at the woman. "Hmm… well, I'm not one to make people feel good about how they look… but if you ask me, you're definitely prettier than the average female your age. Your friend was probably desensitized to your looks because of how long he's known you."

"Well then… it was stupid for me to fall in love with my best friend."

"Hardly," Amelia said. "Theoretically, it's probably the smartest thing you've ever done in your life: fall in love with a guy who knows you well already, has already cared for you quite a bit, and all things considered, since you've already had a history of being committed to each other, it speaks much for the stability of a relationship, especially after marriage, since at that point, your husband should be your best friend anyways."

"I guess… but he definitely doesn't care about that…"

"Yeah, seems like the kind of guy who's just interested in the rush of romance, however short that lasts. Well, if that's all he wants out of a relationship and he can't see what you, his best friend, is worth, then I'd say he's not worth your time anyways. It's pretty clear that even if he did want to go out with you, he'd just expect you to be pretty and romantic all the time, and would dump you as soon as that's gone."

"He… wouldn't really be like that… would he?"

"As he is now, yeah, he would. But hey, people change, and he might learn his lesson eventually. Still, I wouldn't wait for him. There's no saying for sure if or when that will happen. You have some other good guy friends too, right?"

"Yeah… I guess. And I could always make more such friends…"

"Maybe you could look into one of them."

"Maybe." Over the last couple of minutes, the woman's crying had gradually lessened, and had stopped completely by this point. "I guess you're right. No point in wasting my tears over him. I'll just hang out with my other guy friends and see how they are… I'm sure one of them will turn out even better than him. And if he comes crying back to me later… well, it'd be too late for him. Thanks, young miss… may I ask, what is your name?"

"Amelia," she said.

"Thank you very much, Amelia. My name is Allison. I hope we meet again."

Amelia felt no particular feelings of warmth over helping Allison; she only said what she said because she felt like saying what she wanted to say, and in fact was pretty sure that Allison would get offended at her for her words, but at the same time did not particularly mind that her words helped her instead. After all, it's up to the other person what they want to do, and she sure wasn't going to force anyone any way.

Still, she replied, "You're welcome." After thinking a bit, she asked, "By the way, what is the name of the guy who rejected you? I might feel like giving him a nice smack in the nether regions next time I see him."

Allison laughed, and told Amelia his name. Amelia just went silent for a bit.

"Do you know him?" she asked.

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just thinking of someone with a similar name. Well, it doesn't matter. Have a good day."

"You too," Allison said as she started to get up and walk away.

It couldn't be him; he's far older than she is, Amelia thought, then watched as Allison walked away.

Or, rather, that was what she was going to do, but Allison was nowhere to be seen.

Huh, strange, Amelia thought. Can she teleport or something?

Amelia also walked away from the park bench. After she had walked some distance, a piece of the bench at its edge broke off.

A narnianerd/stargazer/Sonny/starkat production

Lianna and Abby were deep in discussion about the surprise wedding shower, when Loren and Cameron arrived at the Emporium. Gently placing Molly in a playpen, the young mother went to the door; Lianna was right behind her. "Loren! How nice to see you again! How is Eliana?" Abby greeted the men with a firm handshake.

"Hello Abby, and Lianna; it's nice to see you both.” Loren returned the handshake as he stepped inside. “My wife is doing well, Abby. She inspires me with her strength, considering she's carrying a child! Please allow me to introduce Cameron. Cameron, this is Abby."

"Pleased to meet you ma'am." Cameron shook the gargoyle's hand without blinking at the fact she was not human.

Cameron's reaction to Abby set Lianna at ease regarding the stranger. When he had come in, she had instantly been on edge with someone unknown in the building. The sense of urgency radiating off of him and Loren also set her off. Somehow, she knew that whatever it was involved her and not Abby.

Loren did not leave her hanging. "Miss Lianna, your sister is at my home with my wife. She needs to speak with you as soon as possible."

Electricity ran up and down Lianna's spine. Their bond may no longer be intact, but she knew that Olivia's unexpected arrival could mean nothing good. "Let's go." She was on her feet and out the door without even saying goodbye.

The men gaped at her dust trail in amazement until Abby's laugh caused them to pick up their jaws off the floor. "Gentlemen, I suggest you hurry after her. Otherwise she'll be halfway to Loren's home before you can get out the door."

Cameron started to say farewell; Abby acknowledged this courtesy with a smile but added, "Please, hurry. I imagine we'll see each other again; besides, my mate will no doubt want to meet you. Right now, there are other, more important things."

Cameron touched the edge of his hat and followed Loren out of the Emporium.

Abby silently watched them go; for a moment she fought the temptation to grab her daughter and race after them. Her light-hearted dismissal of the men only partially masked her unease at the urgency of Loren's message. Olivia’s return would have been known ahead of time if it was a good thing. Then Molly began to whimper and Abby closed the door. They'll tell us if something's seriously wrong, she reassured herself as she picked up her little one.

Neither of the men caught up with Lianna before she reached the front door of Loren and Eliana's home. "LIV!" She followed her instincts to the living room and swept up her sister into her arms.

Olivia groaned, "Shove off, Lia." She had been sound asleep, and as it was the first time she had slept without dreams in weeks, she was grumpy at having to leave that behind. Then what she had said sank in and her tears started again.

Eliana smiled at the sight of the two sisters wrapped up in a hug, and feeling the need for privacy, went out to sweep the porch while awaiting the men. She looked up when she heard their running feet. "Lianna's here already. We should leave them for a few minutes." Loren nodded, and he and Cameron took seats on the porch, panting. The threesome waited in silence, each one reviewing in his mind the events of the day.

About thirty minutes or so had passed, and Eliana had begun tending to her plants when suddenly the peace was broken by an alarmed shriek. "LIV!" Cameron was the first into the living room, and to his astonishment, Olivia was fading from view. Her younger sister was shaking as her sister faded.

Cameron had rarely heard a voice so urgent and desperate as Olivia's was. "Lia, something's pulling me into the time stream. You have to stop this. Someway somehow. Warn the town. We are almost out of time." With that, the older sibling faded completely.

Eliana reached Lianna just as she collapsed and held the girl. Cameron and Loren looked on in shock and horror. Loren sank to the couch and put his hands to his head, trying to comprehend all that had happened this morning. Just what was going to happen next was a mystery to them all.

"Well that's... Classic Ditto Town" Cameron said for the lack of something better to say.

A Little Joe production

Not that long ago in a galaxy pretty far away...

The USS United, a class six starship was on a mission, a mission to do what? Well to go where no man had gone before. Of course that was only their primary mission. Currently they were checking up on Sector 10300.

This particular section which had been under going some serious time space distortion and they had been sent to check it out, and put a stop to it if possible, it had already sucked in several spaceships and was wrecking havoc in the system. Little did they know that they were about to fall victim as well.

“Get us out of here Remy!” Kyle yelled at his pilot "We are being sucked in, Captain, it’s over powered the hyper drive” Remy replied “BRACE YOURSELFS MEN!" Kyle yelled the USS United was being pulled into a worm which had formed off of the port bow.

Suddenly the United was not in sector 1030 anymore, in fact they weren’t even in the Milky Way Galaxy anymore. They were in the Ditto Galaxy; weaving in and out of a pile of space junk which was floating in space.

“Cole, find the nearest type I planet” he said to his navigator “Yes Sir” Cole replied to his older brother and began searching the scanners, Kyle leaned over to the intercom and pressed the button “Jimmie, what the status on the warp drive” The engineer replied “The time/space travel messed up the pumps a bit, Capt’n I’ll have e’m up in a jiffy”

“Good, Cole; report” Kyle asked, continuing his run down of the ship “I think, I have one Sir. It’s in the X section of this Galaxy, only a few light-years away” Kyle replied “Well done, Remy take us on the course that Cole has set, our hyperdrive should be up in a few moments until then, Warp five”

A few minutes later Varner walked into the bridge “I was helping Jim with the engine, we are clear for hyperdrive now” Kyle nodded to Remy and quickly the ship took off into the distance in a flash of light.

Ryana remembered very little from the next few days; her rescuers had to tell her everything. Naturally, they took her to the Rescue Center for medical treatment, but there wasn’t really much they could do for her. Physically, there was nothing wrong with either her or Evelyn, other than exhaustion. It’s a good thing that Kevin, as she now knew him, had been there; otherwise, it might have been days before they realized where the problem truly lay.

Surprisingly, a former patient was their best doctor: Mariana. Diana had gone to see her as soon as Evelyn and Ryana were settled into the Rescue Center, to tell her the news. Naturally, Mariana was ready to leave the instant she heard the news; nothing in the world would stop her from seeing her sister, not even her blindness. Much to everyone’s surprise, when she arrived, there was someone else there she knew: Kevin Davis. Unfortunately for the others’ curiosity, Kevin immediately launched into an explanation, repeating every word he’d heard Hasaré say. Of course, nowhere in there was an explanation for the others. Still, no one could complain, since that lead to their solution.

Mariana still had trouble believing Hasaré could… create an artificial bond, let alone cause so much damage with one, but she decided to try her best anyways. And that was when she made a surprising discovery: the bond wasn’t there. It was gone, aside from some side effects. Was it Ryana’s headband, they wondered? Finally, they risked it and briefly removed it… with no change. Hasaré either lied, or didn’t fully understand, how much her “cure” would do. Maybe it was because the bond was already collapsing, maybe the headband really was the cure… but in that time, it had dissipated entirely, and harmlessly.

Still, Mariana insisted on giving them some treatment, insisting that they still “shared some pieces”. In other words, the bond was gone, but some of the connections remained, connections that wouldn’t heal on their own. It took her the better part of two days to finish to her satisfaction, but her diligence was rewarded, when something happened a few minutes later….

~*~*~

Evelyn groaned and set her hand on the side of her head. Her head didn’t hurt anymore, thank goodness, but for some reason, it seemed more…well, full. Later, she felt silly for thinking that, but that was really the only word she could think of to describe it.

However, she didn’t think about it for long, as before she could properly ponder it, she opened her eyes…and for a moment or two, she thought someone was holding a mirror right up to her face. Two eyes that looked almost just like hers stared back at her, bearing a concerned expression. However, as soon as both pairs of eyes could see the other, Evelyn felt hers widen, and the other pair was filled with joy. Two arms wrapped around her, and before Evelyn quite knew what she was doing, she returned the embrace. Somehow, she knew this strange, blue-haired girl that was embracing her, and she knew her quite well. Her heart knew her entirely, but her mind was slow to catch up. However, as soon as the girl cried, “Evelyn, I can’t believe it’s you!”, Evelyn knew.

“M…Mariana!” Evelyn exclaimed, surprising herself with her own words. Her arms tightened around her sister, as if she were her lifeline. Evelyn hadn’t realized it was possible to feel so much joy at once…but it was a good feeling. Finally, they separated, and Evelyn took a good look at her face…only to puzzle herself. “But…but you don’t look any different from my memories. You should be a lot….” Evelyn stopped herself, and tried to keep herself from blushing…and wincing. Just then, many things came back to her…things she’d never been able to remember when working for Hasaré. Now that Hasaré’s manipulation was out of the picture, she knew exactly what facts had been truth, and what had been fiction.

However, before she could question it any further, she heard a groan to her right and a familiar voice comment, “But you don’t look how I remember you, Mariana. Your…your eyes; they’re fine.”

Evelyn turned, and was startled to see Ryana lying on a bed beside her. Her wings were draped lazily over the edges of the bed, and her head was barely lifted, suggesting that she also was still recovering from their recent…misadventure. However, when her eyes fell on Evelyn, the cloth mask made her expression completely unreadable. Just as she was about to assume Ryana was still trying to make up her mind about her, she felt a strong impression that Ryana was pleased to see her awake. A small smile crept along her lips.

Mariana didn’t seem to notice this, as she was too busy answering Ryana’s question: “The disease is gone, Vanessa. I told you; it would last until I resolved my feelings.” She looked at her sister, her eyes shining. “And I just did.”

Phoenix Archer winced at the use of her alias, but relaxed…until she turned and saw they weren’t alone in the room. In addition to her phoenix companions, she saw her mystery rescuer from the night before—Mr. Davis, as Hasaré had called him. The phoenixes were in their human forms, but they were disguising themselves using masks similar to hers. However, thanks to Mariana, the disguises were unneeded; Mr. Davis knew who she was. ‘Ironic.’ Still, she supposed, it wasn’t too horrible; even if Mr. Davis were to meet her alter ego, she wouldn’t mind if he knew who she was. She owed him that much. She shook off this train of thought and asked, “How long were we out?”

“A few days.” Brianna told her. Phoenix Archer’s eyes widened in shock; a few days?! But…how could it have been that long? But no…now that she thought about it, that made sense. It did feel like…it could have been that long. She had been sleeping for an awfully long time….But, wait! Then…what had happened after she had fallen unconscious?! Before she could say anything, however, Brianna read her mind (figuratively, of course) and told her, “Hasaré and her minions are in the jail, safely under the Sherriff’s eye. Took us a while to find a cell for Tanya—or whatever her name is—but I have a feeling she’s not getting out now.”

“Her name is Tasha.” A voice corrected. Phoenix Archer twirled her head to see the source, while Brianna merely shifted her eyes slightly. Mr. Davis finally was making his presence known. “And, thankfully, although they’re both closed-lipped, their men aren’t. We know everything we need to about Hasaré’s operation around Ditto Town, and it should be dust in a few weeks.”

“Good.” Phoenix Archer expected only her voice, and was startled to hear Evelyn’s as well. She turned towards the girl, whose expression clearly showed that all her positive feelings toward Hasaré were completely destroyed. Phoenix Archer turned back to the crowd and asked, “But what about Evelyn and me? Are we—?”

“Completely safe.” Diana assured her. “Mariana here has been hard at work for the last couple of days. The bond between you two is gone.” Really, at that point, all Ryana could do was smile. It was an unbelievable relief to hear those words; she’d suspected it, to some degree, but the assurance that it was over…there was nothing better. She glanced over at Evelyn, and once their eyes locked, Evelyn smiled back. Bond or no, they definitely had a lot to share that no one else there could possibly understand.

Isaac and Nerrha sat inside the garden, looking out at the flower fields. Their conversation first reached into what they had learned earlier that day.

"You really think they might have that power?" Nerrha asked.

"It's not out of the question, if what Amelia relayed to me is true," Isaac said. "She says she met up with an 'Allison' in her late teens or early twenties. I checked the town census archives; the youngest Allison that was in our town, aside from various kids under twelve, is a woman who would be in her late thirties. And she moved away a number of years ago. However, her picture from when she was 21 matches Amelia's description perfectly."

"Weird. So are you saying Amelia somehow has the power to travel through time?"

"Could be. As a rule, we Star Defenders do not mess with time-travel, but that does not rule out the possibility of someone who has the innate power of such... more so if it's involuntary. Though this... could be dangerous. If she, or Hannah if she also has this power, were to inadvertently do something in the past that could change the future... even I don't know what would happen..."

"A split-choice universe?" Nerrha suggested.

"Split-choice?"

"It's something I read about... basically, our choices in themselves form part of the basis of universes, and whenever a person has a choice, there are essentially a number of parallel universes in which the only difference is which choice that person made. Of course, since there is a universe for each choice for each person, there would be a hugely-infinite number of these universes..."

"Oh, I get it. So instead of alternate universes based on physical environmental differences..."

"...they're based on emotional-societal differences. It's a very interesting theory."

"So, if Amelia were to convince someone to make a choice different from that which they made in their actual past, then she'd just split that person into that alternate universe... or maybe... I just thought of something. What if Amelia's power isn't traveling through time, but rather, traveling through these split-choice universes?"

"I never thought of that!" Nerrha exclaimed. "That's definitely a possibility. And now that I think about it... that could explain why there are people after her! Someone must want her power in order to re-do a choice they made in the past. Having that kind of a power is something not many would pass up."

"Hmm... good point there," Isaac replied. "It's great how you're always able to complement my thoughts like that."

"Your thoughts have a habit of complementing mine, as well," Nerrha said, just slightly jarred by the sudden shift of the tone of the conversation. "I guess that just shows how good friends we've become."

"Yeah... I remember when we first met each other, right when we first got recruited into the Star Defenders. I think it'd be an understatement to say we did not get along with each other."

Nerrha nodded, remembering those old days. "It seemed that I was always yelling at you or just being plain cold to you."

"And I would always be yelling back at you. It really wasn't until that mission--the one where we rescued Jennifer and Shannon--that we started to figure out how to work together despite ourselves."

"That was the point when we started to become friends, right?" Nerrha said. "You know... even before then, it's not like I disliked you. I was still feeling resentful about my poison powers, but you would always joke about them as though they were cool... I got annoyed at you for that, but it also made me feel relieved that not everyone saw me as a freak... or, at least, the bad sort of freak."

"Yeah, and even though you were always yelling at me, at least you weren't picking on me like I had been all my life until that point... it felt more like you were my sister speaking her mind about her annoying brother."

"So that's how it is, then," Nerrha laughed. "I'm just like a sister to you, then."

"Back then, yeah," Isaac said. "Not that you aren't now, but... I think over these past years, you've become a lot more than just a regular sister to me. More like... one of those super-close sisters that's also my best friend."

"Somehow we keep coming back to this whole friendship thing," Nerrha mused. "Must have something to do with that, right?"

"Must have been," Isaac said. "Once they saw how we were starting to get along, the Star Defenders wanted us to start battling together, as battle partners. Back then, most of the most effective battle partners were either married couples or siblings, as no one really knew how to optimize a partnership between friends. We somehow agreed to it, and in the process pretty much wrote the book on friendship-based partnerships. In fact, that's how we got selected to become Head Division members."

"That, and how utterly powerful both of us had become," Nerrha added.

Isaac laughed. "I only got that strong because of your help, you know."

"Yeah.. me too."

"Wait, why are we talking about this now?" Isaac asked.

Nerrha just shrugged. "If you don't have anything else to say regarding Amelia's situation, I don't mind just chatting like this."

"No... nothing more there..."

Isaac suddenly fell silent. He could not think of anything more to say. So instead, he just looked over at Nerrha. At times, it felt that simply looking at her reminded him of their times together, of her kindness when kindness was necessary, of her courage and strength of mind at any other time. In this way, what he originally thought was a rather plain-looking female appearance now struck him as amazingly beautiful. He knew now that, inside and out, there was no other girl who could compare to the one who was sitting next to him. He knew that for a while already, but sitting next to her and just looking at her, while his own heart was beating rapidly, only made him all the more aware that he was, indeed, in love with this good friend of his, and had been in love with her for a time even he could not pinpoint the start of.

"Something wrong?" Nerrha asked, wondering why Isaac was so silent, as she turned to look at him.

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong," Isaac said, blushing slightly with a blush that was conveniently concealed by the night. "Just... thinking."

"Do I want to know?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"What kind of an answer is that?"

"A safe answer."

"You silly," Nerrha said with a laugh. Then, to Isaac's surprise, she put her hands over his, looked into his eyes, and said, "If you'd rather not tell me, that's fine, but you should tell someone. Don't let anything bottle up inside you for too long. You tend to do that a lot, and it worries me a lot."

"Thanks," Isaac said.

The two Star Defenders continued to sit there, with Nerrha's hands over Isaac's, as they looked into each other's eyes. If either of them ever had any doubts that the other did not share their own, deep feelings for the other, those doubts had completely disappeared by that moment. There was no question in either's mind that they loved each other, beyond their love for each other as friends but in no way separate from it.

And had most people been in their shoes, they would have kissed and become a couple right then and there. However, Isaac and Nerrha knew they, unlike others, could not make such a decision lightly. Not only did they have to keep focused on their current mission, but they also both answer to a higher authority, the One who has guided them all this time, no matter how lost they were. They knew that only by His timing could they start a relationship. And they both knew that that time has not arrived yet.

"Nerrha."

"Yes?"

"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"I know."

"I'm... really happy, you know," Isaac said softly. "Just being by your side... makes me happy. So I promise, when the time comes, all the waiting will be worth it... until then, though, will it be enough for me to by your side?"

"Of course," Nerrha said, tears starting to stream down her face. "Of course, that's more than enough. It's just that... even now, I'm scared. Scared that something will drive us apart, or worse... that our relationship isn't what He wants at all. What if we're not supposed to be together? What if our friendship was so important to everything the two of us had worked for, that now that something threatens to replace it..."

"It's okay," Isaac said, pulling the crying Nerrha towards him for an embrace. "I... have those same fears, too. For now, let's just offer our fears to Him... I'm sure He will lead us again, as He had always done before."

Nerrha simply stayed in his embrace, and the two remained silent for what seemed like hours. Finally, like a gentle whisper in the night, Isaac and Nerrha both heard a voice of reassurance:

Be at ease. No matter what happens between you two, the strength of your bond will surely do many good things, for this world, your own, and many other worlds beyond.

It was waking up underwater that was a bit terrifying. It only took a second or two to recover and be able to breathe, but that first second was sheer panic.

Adrian surfaced, for the fifth morning in a row, from the river that flowed through Ditto Town- where he hadn’t been when he’d gone to sleep the night before.

He knew, from discussions with Oceana, that time in the water would stall and even reverse aging for their kind, but he preferred conscious swims. This was disconcerting, and Adrian wasn’t disconcerted easily.

When he reached the bank, the merman did something he hadn’t done in five years. He went to see the doctor.

**

Ditto Town’s acquisition of an actual doctor was both more recent than it might be expected for a town of its size and technically less recent than most people knew. Dr. Ivanos had been kicking around in some form or other ever since Cymru returned from Kidron, but his time on the Dittopian StarSeeker had given him a lust for freedom, and upon landing he’d requested only to be activated a few times for special occasions- like the Davies’ wedding, for example- and medical emergencies until Aria had developed a way for him to be completely independent.

It had, for once, been a real challenge for the Tireless Engineer. Between the power requirements and the complexity of the software, her first attempt had been a backpack, which the good doctor had deemed unacceptable. But a peddler passing through Ditto Town one day had been carrying a broken piece of electronics whose potential Aria had spotted, and- to make a long, technically complicated story short- Ivanos was finally free.

The hologram had hung out his shingle near the Apothecary, where Lianna, it should be said, was quite grateful to refer those whose problems surpassed her, the DeLaverocks, and Will’s expertise with chemistry and field medicine.

**

Adrian, meanwhile, found himself opening Ivanos’ door and was surprised to hear a friendly jingle from an overhead bell. The receptionist had him fill out a form, and sit in a comfortable armchair to await the hologram’s attentions. It was…odd. Between the antlered man (whose name appeared to be Bob) sitting at a desk that he (Adrian) had very much expected to be occupied by a pleasant woman of a certain age wearing reading glasses- why he did not know- and the retirement-home chic of the lobby, he wasn’t sure what was a greater contrast with the examining room he entered after just a few minutes.

It was full of white and stainless steel, yet somehow the examining table was warm. It was, in fact, equipment stripped from the Starseeker’s medical bay. Since the ship was no longer flying, Aria felt there was no need for the tech to go to waste.

Ivanos strolled casually into the room, interrupting Adrian’s thoughts, and picked up his chart. It was for the look of the thing; he’d already uploaded all the information he had on Adrian and his species, but he’d learned from long experience that if your patient felt like you were real, they would be more comfortable.

“That is some impressive memory loss,” Ivanos said as he took a seat. “You’ve only got five years in there then?”

“Yes.”

“And the current problem is sleepwalking…and swimming, apparently.”

“Again, yes.” Adrian squirmed a little bit. He wondered, briefly, if Ivanos thought he was some kind of weirdo. And then he had a vision of Bob in the reception area, and remembered that this was Ditto Town.

“I have a couple of medications that are prescribed to humans who sleepwalk, and we can see what they do…but my knowledge of merman biology isn’t quite as extensive. I think we should try though.

“Something else you might want to consider is having someone watch you at night. The biggest concern with sleepwalking is what you might do in your sleep- and frankly, Adrian, if you were anybody else you might have drowned by now.”

“So wait, you’re prescribing a nurse?”

“How about a flatmate? Is there anyone you know who can stay with you at night?”

Adrian considered this.
**

“Luciiiiiiiid.” Adrian was back at work, and had gone into the control room on the power plant side. He was leaning on the back of Lucid’s chair and droning in his ear rather annoyingly.

“Adriaaaaaaaaan,” Lucid replied, matching the merman in tone but not taking his eyes off his work.

“Ok, so weird question, where are you staying?”

“The Inn Between, why?”

“And how do you like dealing with Boo-Kay on a regular basis?”

Lucid shrugged, still not turning around. “He’s ok. It could be worse.”

“Have you considered moving into the Mansion?”

Lucid spun his chair around. “Ok, where exactly is this going?”

**
It is conjectured that one day a Tardis and a spaceship bearing an Infinite Improbability Drive- and running at a probability of approximately 3 billion to 1- collided. Possibly in the Time Vortex. As far as anyone has been able to figure- which, as is only to be expected in such cases, isn’t very far- this is the origin of the Ditto Mansion.

As such, somewhere in its infinite rooms, there is a room that is exactly to one’s specifications. Finding it is a bit difficult, but with a happy combination of faith and ignorance of the space-time distortions that are always present in such a structure, one can usually come reasonably close.

Or in this case, two. It had a huge bedroom, a generously sized living room, and a reasonable kitchen with a huge fridge. Perfect for two bachelor guys who needed to share a room and weren’t overly interested in the finer points of gourmet cuisine. (Though Adrian was thinking of taking it up, as he was for a lot of things.)

“Thanks again for agreeing to this,” Adrian said, dumping the first pile of stuff on the floor. He was just moving down a floor, so he hadn’t put things in actual boxes.

“Yeah, well, hopefully it works out.”

“If not, you know- no hard feelings.”

“Of course.”

“So…ok, will it weird you out if I at some point swap my mattress out for a tank?”

“I…do as you please, I have no real...preferences that way. Other than the fact that if you keep sleepwalking, a tank might mean you make a drippy mess."

Adrian nodded in agreement and satisfaction. He couldn’t guarantee to himself that this was going to be fun, but it should at the very least be interesting.