Hey guys! I'm Grace and I'm writing this one solo. I love TUC and really hope this story turns out right. I appreciate all comments you may have. I think that's all for now. I hope you enjoy the story!

Lizzie glanced at her clock across the dark room. 4:00 AM. She sighed. She estimated she'd gotten about three hours of sleep that night. Oh well she thought as she slid out of bed and into her slippers. She could sleep in the car anyway.

Lizzie walked quietly down the hallway, careful not to wake anybody. She walked right past Gregor's door, if he couldn't sleep he wouldn't be there and if he had somehow managed to sleep she didn't want to wake him up. As she walked down the stairs she heard someone in the kitchen. She smiled, it was just like most nights.

She entered the kitchen to find Gregor sitting at the table with two glasses of hot chocolate. It was always hot chocolate, no matter how warm the night. But tonight was a cool fall night, she glanced out the window at the rolling fields and scattered trees, she loved the farm but it wasn't where she belonged.

"I knew you'd be up tonight," Gregor said, tearing Lizzie away from her thoughts.

"How could I not be?" Said Lizzie. "Tonight will be our last opportunity for this anyway."

"We're supposed to be back for summer," Gregor reminded his sister.

"Yeah, but it won't be the same then. It'll never be the same."

"You seem worried, Lizzie. What's up?"

Lizzie took a sip of the coco before answering. "I feel a little, well, guilty."

"Guilty?" Gregor said. "I know we're lying to mom and all but-"

"Not about mom, Gregor!" she sighed. "About Boots."

"Oh," said Gregor. "Lizzie, you know she doesn't remember."

"We made sure of that, didn't we! Passed it off as dreams and nightmares, and for what?"

"To keep her safe, you know that."

"Now you sound like mom!" Despite her better efforts parts of Lizzie had grown to despise her mother. Lizzie knew her mom just wanted what was best for her children, but Lizzie didn't think she knew what was best.

Gregor sighed, he wasn't altogether happy with his mother either. "I don't mean to, the fact of the matter is mom would have anyway and because of her so would dad. Trying to tell her it was real would just confuse her."

"You're right."

For a few minutes the siblings drank their hot chocolate in silence, their private thoughts wandering in expectation of the day that lay ahead.

At one point Gregor suddenly spoke. "You mentioned how tonight was the last opportunity for this. So far it hasn't gone as usual."

Lizzie laughed lightly. "Yeah, I suppose it hasn't. Back to reminiscing then. I wonder how Ripred is."

"It's strange, he's one of the ones I miss most of all despite how he treated me."

"You're like a son to him you know. He thinks of you as his responsibility, as his pup."

"I could say the same about how he feels towards you."

Lizzie smiled as she thought of her dear friend. "I miss him so much. I think this is what it felt like when dad was gone. Oh, I can't wait to see Ripred."

"I can't wait to see all of them, Ripred, Mareth, Howard... Luxa." He trailed off.

"Do you think things will be the same between you two?" Lizzie asked softly.

"I don't know. It's been six years," Gregor looked down at his almost empty cup of coco. "Who knows what she's like now, who knows if she's even.."

"We have romanticized the underland a little," Lizzie said sadly.

Gregor gave and almost bitter laugh. "Not with these scares I haven't. Not with what's happened all to many times in gym. I know how hellish it can be."

"You're right, but we do refuse to believe our friends could be hurt."

"Yeah."

"It's already half past five, I'm going to try to get some sleep."

"Me too."

They rose and washed out their cups in silence. They didn't speak until they were standing in the upstairs hallway and Lizzie whispered: "This is really happening, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Gregor said in response. "It is."