She kept her eyes squeezed shut, even though she could smell the stink of his breath on her face. She held onto her blankets as if they were armor against the monster that hovered her. Gather up every little bit of energy and courage she had, she screamed. It hurt. Her throat was raw from screaming, but she couldn't help it.

"Oh, lord, not again." Kevin cast bloodshot eyes at his wife. "What is it with her? I thought we both agreed that she wasn't to watch any more scary movies."

Beth sighed and rubbed her temples. "I know, sweetie, and if she was watching one, it was at a friend's house. I went through her collection and took everything above a 'G' rating out of there." She winced as Debby's screams grew even more frantic. "Whose turn is it to rip her closet apart and show her that there's nothing hiding in it?"

"Mine." Kevin threw back his sheets and wearily climbed out of bed. Grabbing his robe, he pulled it on as he walked. He trudged the short distance from their bedroom to Debby's. The nightmares had started three weeks ago just as Kevin and Beth returned from their honeymoon. At first the dreams were once every other night, but now it was practically non-stop. The child was exhausted, they were exhausted and the doctor they spoke with could offer no concrete advice other than she was acting out against her new father for the attentions of her mother.

Kevin knew that was hooey. Debby was sweet and loving to him, happy to have a father in her life. She loved spending time with him and he doted upon her. Jealousy, his ass.

He pushed the door open and something caught his eye. Someone was slipping into the closet, but it was too large to be Debby. He flicked on the light and frowned at the empty room.

"Debby?" He looked around and then down. There were spots on the carpet. He knelt and pressed his finger into one of them, then lifted it to his nose. The smell was stomach wrenching. They led to the closet. "I don't know what sort of trick you're pulling, kiddo, but you might as well come clean."

He went to the closet and yanked open the door. The closet stood much the same as always. A rod of clothes, neat and tidy, hung on the rack. The shoes were lined up in an even row. Say what you would about Debby, she was the youngest neat freak Kevin had ever met. His nose crinkled up at the smell that lingered. He clicked on the light and his frown deepened. The closet was obviously empty.

"Debby, where are you?" He paused and looked around the room. "Sweetheart, I'm not mad. Where are you? Debby? DEBBY!"

All irregularities will be handled by the forces controlling each dimension. Transuranic heavy elements may not be used where there is life. Medium atomic weights are available: Gold, Lead, Copper, Jet, Diamond, Radium, Sapphire, Silver and Steel. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned.

Steel paused at the end of the sidewalk and looked to the white clapboard house. It could have been more of a picture of domestic bliss if it tried. Everything was neat and tidy, with well trimmed hedges, no brown or bare spots in the grass and not a hint of discourse, unless you counted the police cars out front or the flocks of reporters who fought with each other for a better position.

Sapphire closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He's been here, Steel."

"You can sense him?"

"I can smell him. Can't you?"

Steel tried and shook his head. "Nothing, except the grass, and the… the…" He sneezed then and looked slightly startled.

"Why, Steel, I didn't know you have allergies."

"I don't." He wiped his nose with his handkerchief and tucked it back away. "How would you suggest we approach?"

A young woman came to the door and gestured to them. Exchanging a glance, they headed in her direction. There was something about the way she moved. Her hair and skin were pale, so pale in fact that they almost reflected the sun. It gave the woman a translucent appearance.

"Hello, are you from the Agency?" she asked anxiously and then looked skyward.

"Yes, we are" Sapphire answered, extending her hand. "I am Sapphire and this is my partner, Steel."

"Thank God you're here. Maybe you can explain what happened." She turned and walked towards the back of the house. "Follow me, but make sure you close and lock the gate behind you."

She led the way past those neatly trimmed hedges to an equally tidy back yard. There was a small playhouse set in the corner and a swing set. One of the swings moved quietly in the afternoon breeze. She walked to the playhouse and ran her hand along the molded plastic wall.

"We were so certain it was just a case of nerves, but how does a child vanish out of her bed? All the doors and windows were secured from the inside and there was no sign of tampering. The only thing out of place was a trail of something that led into the closet."

"Why are you here?"

"She's a gifted child. They wanted me to watch over her." She gave a hollow laugh. "Guess I didn't do a very good job."

"Who are you?" Steel asked, pointedly ignoring the pastel plastic structure. He focused upon the house instead, staring at the structure as if it would suddenly spring to life and speak to him.

"Oh, I'm Mica" She watched him for some sort of reaction, but there was none.

"You are new?" Sapphire asked. She let her hand trail over the plastic, reading the material and the echoes left behind. It was as if the very molecules of the plastic were imbued with the child's fear "She was very scared," Sapphire said, abruptly.

"Very. Her parents did what they could to abate her terror, but it had evolved to the point of where she couldn't even sleep in her own room anymore."

Why didn't they just move her into their room then?

They are humans, Steel. They don't necessarily think rationally at times. Besides from what I was told, the adults were just married and they might not have wanted the child in the room with them when they were being intimate.

Perhaps, but I suspect the outcome would have been different.

"Um, hello?" Both Elementals turned to Mica. "What do we do?"

"Nothing until we have had an opportunity to investigation the scene," Steel started to walk towards the house, but Mica grabbed his arm. He stared at the hand until she released him.

"You can't just walk in there."

Steel's response was dry and just slight sarcastic. "Oh, can't I?"

Steel proceeded to do just that, breezing past with the police and detectives with an air of authority and superiority that no one challenged him. Sapphire followed in wake, a slight smile on her lips. Mica trailed after them, a bit like a stray puppy anxious and eager to make good.

"Where is the bedroom?"

"This way." Mica slipped past them and stopped before a doorway that had been closed off with yellow 'Do not cross' tape. With a snap of his wrist, Steel knocked the tape aside and stepped into the room. He waited for the women to join him and then shut the door behind him.

Sapphire?

She closed her eyes and then pointed. "The closet, she was taken through the closet."

Mica jumped, startled. "How do you know?"

"How could you not?" Even Steel, while not as attuned as his partner could pick up the energy trail. He went straight to the closet and began emptying it of its contents.

"Are you out of your mind!" Mica sanpped. "You can't disturb anything. This is a crime scene."

"As far as I can tell the only crime committed was putting you in charge of that young girl." Steel ripped and armful of dresses from the rod and tossed them onto the bed. "Here, Sapphire. The doorway is here." He indicated a spot on the back wall of the closet.

Sapphire nodded and walked to it. She placed both hand on the wall, shut her eyes and concentrated. Debby, can you hear me? Debby, it's all right, I'm a friend. I'm going to come and bring you home. A soft whimper caught her consciousness and Sapphire smiled. Just be calm, Debby, my friend will be there soon. "Steel, she is still alive and waiting for you."

He nodded and adjusted his shoulders, preparing to make the shift from this dimension to the next. Sapphire caught his elbow and she squeezed gently. "I think perhaps a more approachable, less severe countenance would be more successful."

Steel let his head drop forward and he took a deep breath. His body shimmered and was replaced by a slender youth, his hair long and loose around his face. Tossing the hair back with a shake of his head, Steel asked, "Better?"

"Steel, you are the answer to a young girl's dream." The smile that answered her was strictly Steel's.

"I'm off." But Mica was suddenly in front of him.

"I'm coming as well."

"You are not authorized."

"I don't care, I lost her, I'm going to find her."

Steel?"

Yes?

Do not argue too much with her. It will be fine. You will need her.

The flash of a thought shot through his mind and he nodded. "Very well, but keep up. I will not be held back by you."

He stepped through the shift and onto a swamp bank, with Mica close behind him. Silvery Spanish moss hung draped in large clumps from the trees.

"Debby?" he called, looking around the immediate area. A small shape moved and Mica pointed.

"There she is!" she shouted and Steel spun on her, grabbing and pushing her down to the ground.

"What are you doing?" There was a strange glow to Mica's eyes and he shook his head as he looked up and saw a robed figure drifting closer.

"Not now, not ever. Steel took off at a dead run, doing his best to keep from sinking in the marsh, "Debby, come to me!"

"No, Debby, to me, sweetie. Don't trust him. He'll hurt you! I'm your nanny. You know me!"

"Debby, listen to me. She's the cause of your nightmares. She's the one who's bringing him to you. Look in your heart and come to me."

The young girl came out from her hiding spot and looked between the two. She glanced at the robed figure approaching and, with a cry, she raced to Steel, throwing herself into his arms. He wrapped them around her and slipped back into his own space, quickly closing the portal behind him.

He could hear Mica screaming as the Boogeyman took his rightful possession of his apprentice.

Sapphire jumped as Steel abruptly appeared with Debby clinging to him. "Steel, what happened?"

He brushed Debby's tangled hair from her face. "We are all going to live happily ever after."

"And Mica?"

"She wasn't ours. She was working for him all along, looking for a new sacrifice for the Boogieman"

"He's real, isn't he?" Debby's voice was very small.

"He is, sweetheart, but you won't need to worry about him. He's done with you." Sapphire gave the thin shoulders a squeeze. "Let's go find your mom and dad, ok?" The girl nodded and rubbed an eye. As they started to walk away, Sapphire glanced back over her shoulder at Steel. "Are you coming?"

"I'm going to make certain the portal is not going to be accessible here."

"How?"

"I will shift it to another time and place."

With a growl, the Boogieman peeked out from behind the suit of armor. Banished to a distant time and land, he was angry and ,more than that he was hungry, With another snarl, he went off in search of a new victim to torment.