Prologue

Roz sat in her office looking over the paperwork in front of her. The girl in question had been through five of her best in the last few months. Some of the monsters that went to her at night didn't make it through that night. She was an enigma and something had to be done. She hadn't had a single child under the eight lost before and she wasn't going to let this little girl be the first.

She studied everything about the girl. She need to have a complete idea on what to do before she went to see Mr. Sullivan about it. "Sully" had turned things around after the Waternoose scandal. He worked with the CDA very closely and wanted to make sure that every child was giving the right monster for the job. Looking over the file, she determined that there wasn't a monster alive that could elicit a necessary response, fear or humor. The child simply was immune to them. But, she had to find someone or something that would elicit a response.

She looked across her desk. She knew who she could call, but she couldn't do that until she met with Sully. It would be his call. If he said no, they would just destroy her door and move on. She would become one of the "Unreachables." Usually a child didn't reach that stage until eight, but just like things under Waternoose, some children were younger. But, she'd never had that. She moved monsters around to keep them active until they reached the age of eight.

She gone to such links as pulling monsters that didn't even work for MI to get a response. Such special cases were handled by the CDA and Sully personally. She wondered if this child would get escalated as such. Sighing she poured over the file one more time.

Five monsters in five months. Three houses in the same time. No reaction. One threat of quitting MI completely. She wondered if even Sully could get a reaction out of her, but Sully didn't scare any more. He just made sure that MI ran without any issues and its best possible capacity.

She was so upset about this case that she'd started handing the new cases to Celia. There was just something about this case that wasn't adding up and she was determined to figure it out. She packed up the files and called upstairs to Sully's office. After asking for a meeting, she slithered her way to the elevator and made her way to his office. She was immediately shown in.

"This must be important, Roz, if you coming straight to me with it," Sully said in greeting as he followed her into his office.

She handed the file. He opened it and looked over it. He seemed as distressed as she was about it.

"Any thoughts?"

"Yes."

"I'm not going to like it, am I?"

"I'm going to have to go outside of MI to get someone to help," Roz explained.

"A forest monster, a river monster? Give me something, Roz. I know you don't need my approval, being the lead agent of the CDA and all, but I need to know who you are bringing in," Sully told her.

"It isn't a monster per se," Roz said.

"Isn't a monster?" Sully asked as he dropped the file on his desk.

"I'm going to need to take a few days. I'll leave Celia in charge while I'm gone. But, I don't believe that there is anyone in Monstropolis that can help with this case, Sully. I've even thought about heading over to Zootopia, but I don't think that they'll work either."

"You have something in mind."

"I do."

"Should I be worried about this?"

"No," Roz said trying to assure him.

"I trust you, Roz. I hope that this doesn't cause any issues, but with them not being a monster, you're going to need clearance to bring them into the factory. I am sure that you can go through the CDA to get that, but I am not going to stop you. Whatever you need, but please don't use them on a scare floor. If you bringing something in from another realm, I don't want the other monsters to know."

"I understand that sure. Besides it's a human, I think. They just won't be from Earth. There is another realm and I'll be pulling them from there. I'll have to get her to agree to it first. I'll make sure that all the protocols are followed for them to go through the door. I'm not sure that I'll even need to bring anyone back. They have their own way of dealing with things. They may not even need the door."

"Do what you have to do, Roz. I am sanctioning this for you. I'll send out a memo if I need. You've got your time, but I expect a full report on my desk as soon as you get back to Monstropolis. And, I want an assurance that this isn't going to cause humans to visit on a regular basis."

"No, sir. Hopefully, this will be a one time thing. I'll leave right away."

"And, Roz?"

"Yes, Sully," she replied.

"Make sure that no one else finds out about this. Not even Mike or Celia. As far as I'm concerned this is official CDA business and Monsters Inc. is working with them. This has nothing to do with anything that we do at MI except for the supplying of a door, got it?"

"Got it."

"Have a nice trip, then, Roz," he told her as he handed her back the folder.

She slithered out of his office and back to the elevator. Once she was back in her office, she sent two official emails. One was to Celia, explaining that she was taking some personal time and that she'd be in charge of the new cases and intakes until she returned. She could delegate the intakes, but Celia was to maintain the new cases personally. If any problems were to arise before Roz got back, Celia was to consult with Sully on them. The second email was to the head of the CDA and to Sully. She was outlining her plan a little more and informing them that it was for the safety of Monstropolis and Monsters everywhere. She knew that Sully agreed with her assessment after reading the file. She knew that Sully backed her. She just hoped that the head of the CDA agreed with her choice in methods. She knew that she courting danger by going outside of Monstropolis, but it couldn't be helped.

She went back to her house and prepared for her journey. She knew that she would have to make the trip outside of main city of Monstropolis. She couldn't risk any of the other monsters. She packed a small bag and made her way out to the copse of trees. She made sure that she sprayed her trail with slime-b-gone so no one could follow her. She dug into the pack and pulled out a small, clear bean. She tossed it at the ground.

As she hoped that she would arrive in the correct land, she slithered forward and fell into the portal. She knew that it was a long shot that she would get them to agree to help. Crossing realms and worlds was not something in her job description, but there was definitely something about this case that just wouldn't let her let go of it. She hoped that it would be enough to convince them for help. After all, he'd come to her many, many years ago in hopes that he would find his son. She'd found him, but he'd outgrew her reach before she officially assign anyone to him. She did however give him a realm, a realm that she knew very well. He couldn't get there on his own and she wouldn't dare to let him use a door.

She found his palace relatively easily and made sure that she didn't leave too much of a trail. Her presence wouldn't be unwelcome, but she didn't want to take any chances of getting hurt while there. She knew how humans view things that they couldn't understand. And, she didn't want to become another statistic. She had a job to do and she was determined to see this through.

She made her way through the gardens and the courtyard to the main door. She wasn't surprised that it wasn't guarded. He honestly didn't need it. She knocked on the door and backed up. She waited, but while she waited, she took in his castle. It was rather big and ostentatious, but she really didn't expect anything less from him.

The door slowly opened and a golden man with strange eyes opened it.

"Yes, Dearie?"

"I've come to ask a favor."

"Oh, really?" he asked.

"You owe for finding your boy," Roz told him.

"Oh, I suppose I do. What is it that you think that dear old Rumplestiltskin can do for you? Did you lose a monster, again?"

"No. Nothing like that. We haven't had a loss since the Abominable Snowman was banished, but that was years ago. We have a problem, which I believe that you can help with," Roz replied.

"And, what would that be?"

"We have a child that is unafraid of our monsters. She also doesn't seem to care about their existence. And, without her acknowledge, the realms outside of Earth could continue to deteriorate. I know that she is but one girl our of millions of children that we use to power our realm, but if she has no imagination..."

"Then the stories will be forgotten and our land will perish as well, I know the legend. There are other children who will keep the story alive. I have no fear of one child," he stated.

"You should," Roz replied.

"Why?"

"Because she is young, much too young to be waving off monsters and such. And, if she can convince others... It becomes a ripple effect. Usually this doesn't happen until around the age of eight, but she is barely five," Roz explained to him.

"I have someone who might help you. She's angry and can be very, very temperamental. I am not sure if she'll agree to help you, but it couldn't hurt. She is actually a student of mine. And, her anger makes her a spectacular monster, even if she doesn't look the part."

"Can I meet with her?"

"I'll arrange it. Say tomorrow around noon. Until then, I'll have Belle take you to a room. I don't believe that I have to tell you to stay on the castle grounds."

"No, you don't. We still come to the children from this realm, mostly from under the bed. Doors tend be a little more tedious here."

"Well, I'm glad that I was able to arrange a new crop of children for you to use. But, you have been honest with your search for my son, so I am indebted to you. I will arrange this meeting and try to convince her to help you. I will also allow you to use my castle for your experiment."

"That won't be necessary, Rumple. I need a door and I can't do that here. I will have to take this person back with me. But, don't fret too much. I already have something set up and in mind to help them."

"As you wish, Dearie. But, do remember. Everything comes with a price."