Cupid: Zeus is Off His Meds Again A drama about a

by Atomdancerrr

Cupid’s family has to ask their Neighbor for help from Samuel Becket to repair the time line when Zeus goes off his meds, creates a scene & blows Cupid’s cover. We get to see both time lines, the 1 before Sam changed things & the one where he did.

Disclaimer:

The original show can be watched at Youtube and ABC has the more lighthearted remake. They are both good. For an explanation how Cupid switched hosts see, "Cupid 1.0 to 2.0 The Transfer." Write me if you want to know where two unaired scripts of the original series are at on the net. Itunes also sells the new show, Worth the trouble to pay the pittance, download and watch over and over again!

Only 4-6 degrees of separation! If any one can, please contact Rob Thomas and tell him Cupid keeps failing because he is writing it in the wrong genre! Cupid is for Thinkers and Readers not merely for recreational Watchers! He needs to write Claire's book inter-spaced with protest comments by Cupid himself plus first person point of view descriptions of their interactions with Cupid from the other characters. If he would do that he would have a best seller on his hands as K-PAX was. This always should have been a book as the original Cupid and Psyche was story by Lucian of Apuleius, "The Golden As." This was written in the second century of Christianity! Cupid and Psyche started off as a book. They need to become a book again! Almost two thousand years later and we are still writing about this "colorful not crazy" character and his beloved Psyche!

What will we be doing with Sam and Al and Doctor Who, and the Beings of Star Trek two thousand years from now?

Ten thousand?

A billion?

I bet, something! We'll probably bring them to life and because of curved space/time this has already happened!

Summery: Cupid's family has to ask their Neighbor for help from Samuel Becket to repair the time line when Zeus goes off his meds, creates a scene and blows Cupid's cover. We get to see both time lines, the one before Sam helped, and the changed time line after Sam leaped in and out.

Author's Notes

This started off a comedy. While it does have its funny moments it ended up one of the most profound Cupid stories I have ever written. It's the material folks! No matter how we try to make a sit com out of divine beings who are trapped by immortality, sorrowed by what their omnipresence reveals to them, and starved for love and validation because of our limitations and their own we end up with a drama instead of a comedy.

This is Old Cupid but based on a throwaway line from New Cupid when Trevor explains the reason for a sudden unexpected rainstorm as being, "Zeus is off his Meds Again." I wondered why Claire didn't think to ask Trevor what his grandfather was on since reactions to medication are often heredity. But she was off her game, frightened by her apartment being broken into. That line launched scores of possibilities for why Cupid is the way he is. Plus we know how "Psyche' is going to end up spending eternity; doing therapy for the gods!

Cupid: Zeus is Off His Meds Again

A Family Drama About an Unusual Family

by

Elizabeth Hensley 8-)

Dedicated to my friend Duff who for reasons weirder than Cupid's did have to 'flee across the ice.'

Early morning at Taggerty's: The Golden hour when at the break of dawn sun shining in through the windows turned the polished wood a golden color and an occasional bird song could be herd drifting in the propped open door. At this time the place has a magical, otherworldly quality to it. The bar would not be open for four more hours so Cupid really had no reason to really be there. His shift would not start for hours. The bar was as clean as it was humanly possible for the fallen god to make it. It was just he loved the place, loved the smell of fine old alcohol mixed with wood polish, floor wax, soap and Mortal-scent. Trevor Cupid Hale loved the morning hours of aloneness when he felt closest to his far, far away home on Olympus. At these times he could almost feel the presence of his extremely dysfunctional but loving family watching him, guarding him. It was this time of day he most realized they still loved him even if they had cast him down to Earth with hardly any powers other than the ability to mix the best Margaritas in all of Chicago.

But on Olympus was where his family belonged, not walking into the bar at that weird hour, wild eyed from unmediated psychosis and madder than a wet Minotaur about who knows what?

The wizened, wrinkly little guy with a scraggly beard and a walk like he owned the Universe may have simply looked like a street bum. But Trevor Cupid Hale knew better. This was Zeus himself and it was clear the old dear hadn't taken his medication in weeks!

Grandpa walked up to the bar and started thundering at his despicably disgraced grandson in rapid fire ancient Greek. It was ancient Greek that made little sense being mostly a word salad with occasional patches of loosely connected reality. But it was ancient Greek nonetheless and just to hear it warmed Cupid's heart. It was a language Trevor certainly understood. It had been his been his childhood tongue, except there was no sense to the way Grandfather was rattling it off now.

After a few minutes of scolding his miserably incompetent and worthless grandson Zeus got tired of his tirade and turned to leave, headed for who knows where, hopefully back to Olympus and forced medication if daughter Venus, (Cupid's Mom) could sneak it into his pomegranate juice again.

But alas Zeus had designs on telling Claire off first for his grandson's complete lack of progress. And Claire worked across the street from Taggerty's. So that is where Zeus headed

In horror Cupid watched his grand father dart out into traffic. It was not Zeus the god of love was worried about. It was not that grandpa was incorporeal in his current state but wherever he was the cars just simply would not be. The problem with that was that messed up the traffic pattern for all the Mortals driving.

Sure enough as the wizened, wrinkly little god calmly jaunted across the street cars screeched to a stop on their own sans breaking action by their drivers and when necessary to avoid Zeus they shifted position a few feet. Chain reactions of bumper benders dominoed up the street; Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Cupid winced.

Then he heard the sound of a scream and darted out into traffic himself. His grandfather's insanity had harmed another! Trevor followed the source of the scream and bent down to look in a car window. It was a young lady driving. She couldn't have had her license for more than a few months and she was terrified! Trevor's heart sunk with compassion. Then he realized the victim was the elderly passenger. Trevor walked round and looked in that car window and tried to open the door. The lady had not been wearing her seat belt and had a big gash and many little cuts where her forehead had impacted the windshield. She was also very dazed.

Suddenly a motorcycle tried to cut between the stopped cars and ran right into Cupid.

He was knocked down. His own head hit the pavement and then blackness.

He woke up strapped down in a hospital bed.

It took a few moments to take that all in as consciousness painfully reasserted itself. Bleary eyed he looked around, noticed the straps and then found the source of his confinement.

"Claire let me go!" He spoke to his Therapist at the foot of his bed.

Claire said, "Trevor relax! You are not being recommitted. It is just Fairview is the closest hospital plus you are a psychiatric Patient and we have the training here to handle both your mental condition and your medical condition. Once the medical condition is sufficiently improved you will be allowed to leave if your Therapist deems your mental condition sufficiently stabilized to warrant yourself not a danger to yourself or others. And I think we can call that a certainty, you being you. I promise!" Claire crossed her heart.

Trevor protested, "I have NEVER been a danger to myself or others!"

"Exactly."

"So unstrap me."

I can only do when someone is with you and I was about to leave. I have other responsibilities and we weren't sure when you were going to wake up."

"Well I'm awake now. I'm not self destructive so unstrap me!'

"I am not allowed to leave you unrestrained when alone. You are in our small medical wing of the hospital not the psychaitric section. Mental patients have bodies too that occasionally also need attention. But if we locked you back up in the psychiatric section in the harmless ward then we could unstrap you but then you'd have to be examined by a Psychiatrist before you could be released from there. Think you could pass a sanity test without lying? And I know you don't want to lie and I doubt you could get away with it. You are such a blabbermouth and gossip travels so well most everyone in Chicago knows you think you're Cupid!"

Trevor groaned and put his head back on his pillow.

"You stay here until your physical body is well enough to leave and they unstrap you and out the door you go!"

Trevor protested, Claire I'm in here for a few cuts and bruises inflicted upon me by a motorcycle not for self-mutilation. I did everything I humanly could do keep from being ran down. I wouldn't even have been in the street but I was trying to help someone."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Sorry Trevor. It's policy to keep restraints on a psychiatric Patient when he is admitted for a physical ailment to the nonpsychiatric section of the hospital unless someone is with them. '

Trevor frowned.

She added gently, "And you have a bad head bump too. We aren't sure yet how you are reacting to that. We have to keep you under observation anyway for a while for that. Any hospital would do that for anyone not just a mental patient who thinks he's an Olympian god!" she smiled at him affectionately. She had grown quite fond of Trevor.

Trevor sighed, 'you really need to let me go! NASA we have a problem! A big one! My grandfather Zeus has decided to pay us Mortals a visit and I can tell he's off his meds again."

Claire's eyes widened, 'your grandfather Zeus!"

Trevor nodded, "That is what caused the accidents. The old fool walked across the street and of course he didn't' get hit but it messed up the traffic pattern big time. Drivers weren't expecting their cars to just stop and shift position in the time space continuum a few feet all on their own to avoid hitting a jay walking god."

Claire said, "are you sure you didn't cause the accident?"

Trevor gave her an indignant stare, "I certainly did not and I think there are plenty or witnesses to that. I was responding to a scream from one of the cars when I was hit myself. By the way how is the lady?"

Claire felt a little a bit relieved Trevor at least was showing signs he could still care about something else than his latest confabulation. "I think she is in better shape than you are. They just released her. She told me to tell you 'thanks for your concern.'"

Trevor signed, "No good deed goes unpunished. Here I am back in Fairview and I really didn't do anything wrong this time not that I did much the last time. Trying to find men dates should not have had me locked 90 days anywhere much less a mental hospital when the pimp that attacked me only got 30 days in the hoosegow! And here I am almost two years later still tied up in the outpatient commitment program! Not that being required to see you is agony. I love that and benefit bit time. But those monthly blood tests aren't much fun considering I've never shown any signs whatsoever of having a substance abuse problem other than a little abuse of alcohol which I am trying to curb."

Claire nodded. He did sort of have a point about the blood tests.

"Even the cops who arrested me admitted it was the pimp who started the fight and they were just rescuing me."

Claire said thoughtfully "that comment has a meaning to it that has escaped you."

Trevor said, "Zeus is going to be a big problem! Unlike me he's fully loaded and he's half a million years older than me, and he's use to having absolute social power too. No one laughs at Zeus and treats him like a laughing stock like I've always been, both here and on Olympus. Plus he's got whatever it is I've got but he's further along in the deteariation and he hasn't had a Claire to keep him stabilized. I look at him and I see myself a half million years from now and its all I can do to keep from shitting in my pants in fear! His mental state may be my future!"

Claire tried to comfort him using a mixture of reality and fantasy just as her patient was doing with her. "Trevor, try not to worry. That will only make you worse. Maybe by the time you're his age whatever age that is there will be more medications!

Trevor groaned, "I certainly hope so! I guess I'm going to be passed down the generations from one Mortal Shrink onto the next, getting worse and worse as the eons pass. That is unless the gods allow me to grant you immortality. That way I could keep the same Shrink and you can have the fun of watching me get loonier with each passing eon. My god Claire we gods can certainly use you!" I don't think Doctor Hypocrites knows what he's doing with Zeus. After all his medical degree is 2500 years old and I don't think he keeps up with the new techniques. You certainly could do better than he is with Grand pops and with me!"

Trevor went on "it seems our family problem skipped a generation. My Mom is normal enough. I seem to take after her in my better moments. But as I age what will I be like? Grand pops wasn't always like he is now!"

Claire asked, "How about your Father?"

Trevor said, "Zeus was my mother's father, Claire.

Claire tried to comfort him even though she didn't believe a word of Trevor's family history, "Well hopefully you inherited your Father's mental health. How as his?"

Trevor shrugged, 'My Pops the god of war is violent but he shows no sign of psychoses. His is practical violence. Starting wars is his job and he does it very well. It's thinning the herd: Population control for you, cruel but necessary. He doesn't take it out on his family! He never even smacked me not once except accidentally he hit me with the door while coming inside from our garden and that was a complete accident which even I saw immediately even though I was only 300 years old at the time. That didn't cause any permanent emotional trauma even though it hurt physically for a few moments. I cried as any Toddler would and he picked me up and hugged me and apologized and so I got over it. But when he was mad at me all he had to do to make me shrink into a puddle of self esteemless goo was stare at me with those dark, angry eyes of his!"

Claire sighed, "Poor Trevor! I have a feeling you just actually just told me a real incident from your real childhood and that's a major breakthrough and how I wish I had time to pursue it! But unfortunately I really have to go. I really do! I have a suicidal I have to see in a few minutes and if I don't race out of her at top speed I'm going to be late which will make his low self esteem even worse. Trevor you behave your self and stay calm. Use those relaxation techniques I taught you. Then I'll see what I can do about having the straps removed. Now I have to go! By."

Trevor called after her, "Remember my Mom was unfaithful a lot. You know I was probably Mercury's little squirt anyway!"

Out of earshot as late as she was she took the time to talk to Isaac who was guarding at the door. Quietly she said, "The accident may have exuberated his mental condition. He is starting to have delusions and/or hallucinations about present day reality not just his confabulated past. He is also showing signs of getting agitated. I don't want to keep him strapped down for long because that might destroy or severely damage the therapeutic alliance we've both worked so hard to forge. Isaac, go in there, unstrap him for now and keep him company. Don't leave him alone for a moment! Have the other orderlies or the nurses take turns in shifts. Fortunately he's gregarious so he won't mind. Distract him! Keep him oriented on present day reality. Discuss the bar, sex, the Human condition, last night's episode of Star Trek, anything he wants to but Olympus!"

Isaac smiled, "Claire, Star Trek isn't reality!"

"No, but he likes it and it isn't Olympus. Making his mind think on starships and Aliens will draw away some of the creative fervor he is currently pushing with renewed vigor into his psychosis. I am heart broken. I thought we were making progress. In our sessions he still seems very delusional but I could tell in his normal to day interactions he was improving! He was at least getting more clever at and more willing to hide his delusions which is a sign he was becoming more aware of how bazaar they are." Claire suddenly realized she was crying. She was much too close to this Patient!

Isaac did something unprofessional too. He gave her a hug.

She relaxed and took it because she needed it.

Then She took off running.

Zeus walked into the door of Fairview and gazed around both with his physical eyes and his selective omnipresence. He could hone in on any event in the Universe, any time any point in space but that didn't mean he knew what he was looking for and especially not now in his less than all-there mental state. One Mortal looked just about like another. Just what did this Claire look like anyway? He had met her one in the park a couple of Mortal years ago. But it had been a brief meeting and he was getting old and forgetful. Where the heck was this word Doctor who was supposedly making such great progress with his problem grandson, except she wasn't or surely he would have had his one hundred couples by now. It had been two years!

Meanwhile back at the old homestead Hera and Venus searched the entire Universe using their selective omnipresence. They could look anywhere but they could only look one place at once. It is a big Universe and Zeus had a lot of hiding places.

Mars the god of war and Cupid's stern but loving Father came home then. He had been busy starting a new fracas between two factions of Goa'uld. It was going well and ten thousand of them had already been killed, a blessing for sure. If any species needed herd thinning even more than Humans it was the Goa'uld! It had been a tiring but satisfactory decade and all the god of war wanted to do was put his feet up on their beat up old couch and hone in on a Mortal to watch a little sports until super time. But alas it was not to be!

Venus said, "Dear my father is missing!"

Mars the god of war sighed the sign only a husband can sigh. "I thought you were keeping an eye on him."

Venus was indignant; "Dear I'm busy enough as it is trying to do both my work and our son's! Remember your son? The one we sent away for psychiatric care? You do remember?"

Mars sent a little thunderbolt at the cat just because he could and because he was irritated. The poor Bengal tiger spit and hissed and jumped on top of the refrigerator.

Mars said, "Of course I remember our son! Do you think I'm a blithering idiot like he is and like your father is? I'm the only male in this family who has any sanity! Hey! The Lakers just won a goal. Yay!"

Venus was not amused "Dear if you don't turn off that Mortal and pay attention to me you are going to be sleeping on the couch for the next three centuries!"

Mars turned off the Mortal and the fellow fond himself in front of the Pearly Gates a tad early. But fortunately he didn't miss one play. St Peter being male had the game on too.

"Sorry dear." Mars said repentantly. "You were saying?"

"I said my father is missing!"

"Did you check my namesake? You know he thinks those little red wagons are cute."

"No he's not watching Spirit and Opportunity on Mars."

"Did you check Disney World in Tokyo?"

"No dear. He's not there. He's not even hiding out in 'It's Small World' laughing simpatico with the Hyenas at the Universe in the African section like he did last time for two years. He's plain ordinary missing!

"Well dear he's got to be somewhere. Everybody's got to be somewhere!"

"Evidently, but where dear? WHERE?"

Mars shrugged. Why couldn't home life be as simple a starting a few wars and fracases about the Universe? He sighed.

Claire managed to convince the suicidal to give psychiatric care a chance before attempting another self-offing with the reminder that Jesus wouldn't like it if he did so. Religion was an interesting thing. She'd had several Patients who thought they were Jesus Christ and now she had a Patient who thought he was Cupid, which was definitely taking a usually good coping mechanism too far! But religious beliefs were sometimes all that separated some Folks from living a life of quiet desperation and living not at all. Belief has survival value. There was no doubt about that! Even thinking he was Cupid might have saved R T Hale's life. Turning one's mind over to a Greek god, real or unreal (whichever), definitely beat the other classical way of handling disgrace; swallowing hemlock.

She hoped the poor guy was still conscious somewhere inside of his creation, pushing buttons and pulling levers, operating Cupid like Oscar Diggs operated his Wizard. If so, certainly he was at least being amused. Cupid was a trip and a half most of the time!

Suddenly she got a call from Dr Greely, "Claire come down to the emergency room. We have a situation down here. Hurry!"

Clair took off running again

She found almost every available orderly standing round a wizened little guy who was shouting at the top of his lungs in some foreign language. She was amused and relieved to realize she recognized him. He was the same clean smelling but decrepit looking street bum she had meet in the park almost two years earlier. The man had claimed to be Trevor's grandfather and had disappeared as if my magic in the middle of a flock of speed bikers. He looked even more decrepit now. Indeed he didn't even look sane. But it was hard to tell. What was coming out of his mouth was not English.

The minute he saw her he concentrated his tirade on her. 'Claire' was the only word she recognized.

She glanced at Dr Greely

Dr Greely shouted over him, "yes we could hear that too. He obviously wanted to talk to you. You know him?"

She said, "I met him once before. He said he was Trevor's grandfather!"

A look of delight crossed Dr Greely's face. "So much for him being a Greek god! I'm almost disappointed!" He laughed to show he was joking but it was a joke that clearly had too much realty behind it.

But Claire remembered how the little guy had suddenly disappeared. She wasn't so sure! She went up to him and said, "Sir I know you can speak English!"

But no, in his present state Zeus couldn't remember how. He just kept lambasting her and everyone else in ancient Greek.

Finally she said, "Dr Greely he claimed to know Trevor, and Trevor just said something about his grandfather Zeus being loose on Earth right now and his being off his medication. It really upset me. I thought he was hallucinating which he had never done before! But obviously he really saw his grandfather and thinking he is Zeus is part of his delusion. I suggest we wheel Trevor down here and have HIM talk to his grandfather. Trevor may be delusional but he is more or less calm and cooperative. He might be able to calm his grandfather down and convince him to take medication."

Dr Greely shuttered, "we are gong to use one confirmed lunatic as a translator for another?"

Well Trevor at least has enough insight to realize he's sick even if he does think he's a Greek god and he realizes his grandfather is also sick even though he thinks he's a Greek god too!"

Dr Greely had strong opinions about the whole matter, "Oh lovely! We will tell him to tell this poor man one thing and no telling what Trevor will really be telling him!"

Claire exclaimed, "Sir you have any better suggestions?"

Dr Greely sighed and shook his head, "No, I don't! But there will be hell to pay if the rest of the family shows up and it turns out Trevor told him to go fly back to Olympus or something and he tries to jump out a window."

"Sir that's why we have wire mesh in the windows, remember?'

Claire ran back to Trevor's room and grabbed a wheelchair. "Guess what!" she exclaimed happily. "You weren't hallucinating and that's wonderful because I thought you were! Your grandfather really is here! He's ranting a mile a minute word salad in some foreign language in the emergency room and we need you to go translate and help us get him the proper care."

Trevor laughed bitterly, "That's easier said than done. Come at him with a Thorazine needle and its instant lighting bolt for whoever tries it. I hope it's not Isaac or Hector. They're my favs."

Claire sighed, "Trevor you are not a god and your grandfather is not a god either. It is interesting this delusion of yours is multigenerational. I am definitely going to have a chapter about that in my book."

Trevor warned her, "Oh yeah? Keep going the way you are going and you are going to find out and my cover as a gentle Lunatic is going to be blown and I'm not so sure I'm happy about that. Our relationship works, Claire and I really have grown to like being an adult Santa Clause a la miracle on 31st street. It is weird but it works. It might not work if you and everyone realizes what I truly am!"

"Trevor get in the chair and go speak to your grandfather."

"I can walk"!

"Really?"

Trevor got up, took step and keeled over. Isaac had to catch him.

Clare growled, "Trevor! SIT!"

"Yes dear!' And then he added, "woof!" and a panted like a Dog as they wheeled him down the hall. Then he started whining and scratching himself like a Dog.

A family coming to visit another Patient saw that and gave Claire a sympathetic look and Trevor started laughing as uninhibited as a little child.

Claire just rolled her eyes

.

Then Trevor whined for real. "How humiliating! I am still losing powers! Now I can't even stand up without getting dizzy!"

Claire sighed, "Reality time Trevor! You aren't losing powers. You just had a bump on the head that's all. You'll be back to your normal abnormality in no time. By the way what is your grandfather on?'

Trevor sighed, "I don't know how to tell you in English."

Ok. Say It in Greek, Italian or Latin. I am sure we can figure it out from that."

Trevor sighed, "It's not modem medicine, Claire. It's old medicine, not your modern new fangled stuff. It's a plant that comes from India. It is called snakeroot. That's all I know."

Claire's face brightened "It can't be that simple!'

Trevor was amazed, "What? You modern head docs know about an ancient herbal remedy?"

Claire laughed, "yes! We actually do. Indian snake plant is where we get good old-fashioned Thorazine. Your grandfather is merely on the oldest known psyche drug and we have tons of it up in the dispensary."

Trevor said 'more like new fangled Thorazine. It is going to take a lot of it! Dr. Hypocrites used to have to refine the active ingredient in Snakeroot it took five plehtrons worth of land to grow, down to the size of a cotyla to treat him. That's roughly about five boxcars full down to a cup, Claire! I'm not Mr. Spock. I can't give you any more accurate a dosage!"

Claire stared at Trevor, "I have to guess rough too Trevor as I am not familiar with those measurements but even a rough guess based on them has to be about 20000 mgs! That little guy can't possibly take that much Thorazine. That would kill a flock of Elephants."

"Claire, I don't think Elephants come in flocks. But believe me, he takes that much. You think I have a rapid metabolism? I'm only a little pipsqueak, 3000 years old. I'm not that much further along than being merely Human in many ways even before I was stripped of my powers. Like all life including the really BIG Guy who started all over again in Bethlehem due to Relativistic circling space/time we gods recapitulate our entire specie's evolution as we mature just as Human Babies do. You start off as single cells, become sponge-like, go through a Fish stage complete with gills which later become part of the neck, then become little Monkeys who have to be coaxed down out of trees, etc. We Olympians start out almost perfectly Human as Babies with just a few extra add-ons but become more and more beyond Human as we mature. As you know even in my current fallen state I can drink any Mortal under the table and I'm such a rapid metabolizer of medications it takes 15 mgs of Haloperidol and 16 megs of Risperidone just to calm me down a little bit and even that much doesn't zombify me. But Zeus is so old he would laugh at ten times that much if he were in a good mood. Your usual dose would probably just annoy him even if you can figure out how to get it into him. So yes Claire it is going to take whatever a boxcar full of snake plant refines down to. I don't know. I can't do the math because I don't know that much about it. That's where you modern head docs need to use your fancy degrees. Due to lack of omnipresence this god is out of info."

Claire said, "You say your species is us but further down your evolution? That's interesting. I didn't know you'd worked out a logical, scientific reason to explain your alleged godhood and family pantheon."

Trevor shrugged, 'yes sort of evolution. It's much more complicated than that. There is other technology at work, magical technology from your viewpoint. No time to get into it and I lack the language to do so anyway and we both lack the education. Can you tell me how AC works? But you use that every day! Contemporary English is too limited for me to explain even if I knew this stuff well enough to understand it myself. Focus on our problem. Zeus is running loose on Earth. He's off his meds and all he has to do is look at a Mortal and point and suddenly instant electro convulsive shock therapy without the muscle relaxants and anesthesia that make that experience so non-Jack Nicholson-like these days.

Claire sighed, "Trevor, I am going to trust that you actually do know what your Grandfather was on and that your only confabulation here is the amount he was on. She sighed, "Thorazine sounds like a logical choice anyway. It's cheap and the base drug we use for almost any highly disturbed patient anyway. I'll have Dr. Greely order some injections of it."

Trevor sighed, and muttered under his breath "I wasn't even listened to as usual. Ok annoy him. You'll find out!"

In the emergency room Dr Greely consulted with Claire who told him part of what Trevor had said. Then he whispered to Isaac who whipped out what all orderlies have in their pockets; a hypo full of Thorazine. He approached the decrepit looking little Psychotic who saw him coming and not crazy enough to want to be stuck with a needle furiously pointed his finger and gave Isaac a lighting bolt. Isaac crumpled to the floor and most everybody in the room screamed, except fro Trevor who had seen him do that a thousand times and Claire who would have made a good Vulcan.

But Claire did feel felt like she had entered into an episode of the Twilight zone.

Dr Greely was pompous, set in his ways and he had never liked Trevor since the fellow tricked the hospital into letting him go by "faking" sanity. But one thing Dr. Greely was not was a coward. At the risk of a lightning bolt, which would have killed him, (for he had a bad heart) Dr Greely crouched down to tend to Isaac. The man had a pulse. Good! Electricity is electricity. Maybe he would be all right, but God! Claire's most disturbed patient really is a god and we are all in a very great deal of trouble! How were they going to control disturbed gods?

Claire turned to Cupid. Yes, he WAS Cupid. But Cupid was so worried about his grandfather he hadn't even noticed the paradigm shift in the entire room's opinion of him! Instead he whined, "I do know what to do if anyone would just listen to me.'

Quietly Claire said, "CUPID we're listening."

"No one ever listens to the Lunatic! Well maybe they should!"

"CUPID we are listening!"

"I do know things you know. I may be crazy but I'm certainly far from stupid and folks ought to realize that! One of these days I'm just going to scream!"

Claire said gently, "Go ahead. It must have been awful for you, no one ever believing you about who you really are and the release of emotion would do you some good."

"Psychobabble! Psychobabble! Psychobabble! All I ever get from you is

psychobabble!"

Claire couldn't help giggling nervously. The release of emotion was good for her too. "You do realize you aren't listening to US either right now, CUPID?"

He still wasn't getting it. Then a broad grin crossed her face. She knew how to get him to listen; two years of conditioned response! She yelled, "Trevor! Doctor! Patient!"

That shut him up. He looked downwards, started squirming and prepared for his scolding, which was fine because at least now he was listening.

Gently she said, "Trevor your grandfather just threw a lightning bolt at Isaac."

Trevor shrugged, "I'm sorry! Really I am! But he's just been tasered. That's all. He'll be fine."

Yes Cupid but he shouldn't be able to do that if he were just a Mortal."

"I keep telling you we are gods! Why won't anybody ever believe me?"

Gently: "CUPID we do believe you now. And that fact must be more traumatic for you than me. Your mind is trying to block it. I can't believe you aren't getting the obvious. If your grandfather can do it that means he really is an Olympian god, and that means you must be too!" She chuckled nervously, "The fact you are both still nuts doesn't negate that."

It finally dawned on the poor god. But what Cupid felt was not relief at finally being believed, He stammered, "You always want to know what I am feeling. I am feeling like Clark Kent and his glasses just fell off in front of every one. Lois it is NOT a happy feeling!" The god looked like he was about to cry.

Clair sighed, "I actually can see that. I don't think it changes much, TREVOR you are still nuts! But you were right. Extreme homesickness is doing that to you not some traumatic buried experience I couldn't make you face." She frowned, "But it seems there is a hereditary biological component too and that worries me greatly."

A canary cat grinned appeared in Cupid/Trevor's face as the good side of the situation dawned on him. "You believe me! You really believe me!"

"Yes and what we you saying about what to do about your grandfather?"

"Oh, that. We are only gods, not THE God. Like Scotty we cannae break the laws of physics, Keptin. He just expended a great deal of energy and that's weakened him and lowered his blood sugar. He's a hungry, confused, little old man right now. Feed him."

Claire said, "I see! We could put the Thorazine in a chocolate shake just like we do for some of the folks in disturbed."

Trevor shook his head, "Oh no! Not chocolate or you'll never get rid of him! He'll be hanging around like a stray Cat!"

"Vanilla then?

Yes vanilla ought to do it, tasty enough to make him eat it but not so tasty he becomes addicted to getting his meds here. He needs to go home, Claire!"

Claire nodded vehemently, 'No kidding! We aren't set up to handle a Patient with a built in taser!

Trevor continued, "And I'm not kidding about the dosage either. Yes I know that would poison a mere Mortal, but it won't poison my Grand pops. Take it from me."

Claire sighed, "I sure hope you are right about that because I don't know how we can handle a lawsuit from Mount Olympus if we kill Zeus!"

Dr Greely had been listening and watching fascinated as Claire and "Trevor" interacted. It dawned on him he had never watched them interact before. It was also obvious they had a wonderful therapeutic bond and that might be all that would save Humanity. Like omnipotent Andrew of Twilight Zone who managed to forge a bond with a School Teacher, nothing but Trevor's trust, love and respect for his Therapist was keeping him under control. Because it was only a matter of time before he got his powers back and what if he had been angry by how Humanity had treated him?! Dr Greely shuttered. His accurate instinct about which Therapist Cupid would do best with may have been the only thing he ever did right in his life and the only thing that really mattered!

Trevor continued to talk to Claire 'I'm right. I wouldn't poison my own Grandfather Claire. You know I'm harmless!

"Trevor, are you sure?"

Cupid sighed, "So its back to Trevor again?"

Claire smiled reassuringly, "It is just I think of you as Trevor and always will. You could get your own powers back and you would still be Trevor to me!"

Cupid gave his Therapist an affectionate grin, "That's good, actually. I need friends a heck of a lot more than I need folks in awe of me, and that will always be true too, powers back or not. He smiled lovingly at Claire. "I AM right about the dosage, Claire!"

She sighed. "You know I can't prescribe meds. I'll have to convince Dr Greely."

"He believes me now so that shouldn't be too hard."

Claire sighed in exasperation. "You think not? You underestimate the human capacity for self-delusion. It's been ten whole minutes since he saw that lightening bolt. That's plenty of time to convince himself Isaac's shock was just a fluke!"

Sure enough Dr Greely didn't believe Cupid. "Claire he still might be crazy even if he is a god. His grandfather certainly is mentally impaired, plus we can't really be sure what we saw. Maybe it was just the biggest jolt of static electricity in the history of the hospital. You know it's dry and we've been getting little zaps all month. Some of the Patients are joking about the 'free shock treatment.'"

Isaac was waking up and overheard. "That wasn't static electricity!"

"Well, we need to search the Patient. He may have a hidden taser."

Isaac exclaimed, "With all due respect, sir, there is no way I'm going near him! I want to keep my job but I want to keep my life more!"

"I'll do it myself! You just lie there. You aren't in any condition.'

"Sir, your heart! You'll be killed!"

Claire glanced at Trevor actually asking for ideas. That would have been remarkable before Zeus's zap. Despite her proclamation of Trevor still being Trevor and still nuts, their relationship had subtly changed.

Trevor shrugged, "Claire he should do what we discussed earlier. Dr. Greeley at least give him as much Thorazine as you dare in a vanilla milkshake first, before you try to search him!"

Dr. Greely shrugged, 'Why not?' He got out his cell phone and called the kitchen. A nurse came a few minutes with the spiked milkshake.

Trevor said, 'Let the nurse give it to him. He responds to females with less aggression than males."

Dr. Greely nodded and thought to himself, like grandfather like grandson.'

Zeus took the milkshake and spooned and drank it down. There was hardly enough medication in it to do him one bit of good though it would have had an ordinary Human sound asleep. But being fed helped. The milkshake was sweet and the nurse was pretty and it was obvious to him crazy as he was that Trevor and his Shrink were getting along. He decided to give her one more chance with Cupid. He tossed the empty glass to the floor and left, just like that.'

Dr. Greely hating a mess stared at the broken glass.

Everyone else stared at where Cupid's grandfather had, 'beamed up.'

Then they turned and stared at Cupid.

Cupid just stared at the floor. His face was a study in agony. He said a very bad word in Greek, then in English then he said, "Damn it Claire! I did so love being a Lunatic, well most of the time. I was always playing practical jokes back home. This was the biggest, best practical joke I've ever played in my entire 3000 years and I kept it up willing or unwilling for two solid years! It's got so I could play loony in my sleep! What is going to happen to me now?'

Claire shrugged helplessly. She did not know.

Dr Greely came over then and stared at Cupid, frowning. Cupid thought he was angry at him, as usual, just for existing. But no, not this time. Instead the Psychiatrist said, "Cupid I deeply regret I didn't believe you about really being a god, but you must admit it is a hard story to swallow! Especially since we here really delusional People spout off similar wild tales all the time. I remember back some of the things you said to me that time you talked us out of using Thyroix B on you about your kind being Amoebas to the Big Guy's Blue Whale. I didn't believe you were a god back then but now that I do, this is comforting me. I have to ask, just what are your powers?''

Cupid sighed, "Right now my powers are limited to chutzpa, tenaciousness and the ability to mix drinks, remember? I told you when I was cast down my family took all my godly powers away from me. I'm in Mortal mode now except I have more memories, intuition and experience than your average Mortal. That is why I can throw darts so accurately. I just remember how to do it, that's all. That isn't magic."

"But if you had your powers or you get back your powers, what could you do? Could you grant someone eternal life?"

Cupid sighed, "I would have the ability, I would not have had the authority. It is like you and the opposite. You have the ability to bump somebody off but if you do so the cops come and haul you off. I let somebody into Olympus without the proper approval and I'm in deep shit with my family and the other gods. It would be like helping sneak a wetback across the boarder. Emigration frowns on that sort of behavior and where are we supposed to put you? We only have so much space."

Quietly Dr. Greely said, "Cupid my older sister is dieing."

Cupid swallowed, "I'm not the god to see about that. I could find her a last minute boyfriend using my extensive but still completely non-magic connections. That's about all."

'But can you partition your family to do something?"

Cupid shuttered, "Dr Greely she does NOT want to live with us! Its not for no reason I cooperate with Claire's attempts to cure me. I do need curing just not from delusions. We are dysfunctional. We fight. We aren't a happy pantheon though we do love one another and have our moments. I want to go back but that's because its HOME to me, and the comfortingly familiar purgatory I'm used to. Your sister would be much better off next door. Our Neighbor has the will, the resources, the training and the authority to help her.'

Who is your Neighbor?

Cupid shrugged, "It's the other one who started off as a cute little baby. I've always been jealous! He WAS cuter than me.

"You mean Jesus?" Dr. Greely was amazed. You mean my faith is true too?"

Cupid shrugged, "We Olympians are just a three bumps in the road in the heavenly realm. His Kingdom is huge! Have your sister talk to Him herself. I can't be a go between. NEVER use a go between. That will not work. It's not like His entrance requirements are tough. Unlike my persnickety family He'll take anyone willing to be helped. It is exactly like what you and Claire said to me and to all the mental Patients. 'I can't help you unless you let me.' Same with Him: He can't help you unless you let Him. But if you let Him He will and can help. So ask Him. Make him welcome in your operating system. Let Him debug you!"

Dr. Greely nodded, "But she'll just be in Heaven then. That's still dead to me.'

Cupid shrugged, "Temporarily. You Mortals live the life of candles. One second you are here, the next you are on your merry way to better places. So blink a few times and you'll be seeing your sister again. Look on the bright side. We are an evolutionary dead end just because our lives are so long and our need for replacements so few. That's why someday you surpass us and evolve into the Omega Point while we are still throwing thunderbolts at each other. We just can't get our act together while you efficient Humans know how to network! We end up an endangered species kept alive like Chimps and Gorillas only because of your specie's mercy. That's the Human singularity from our point of view. Of course the other Singularity is coming very soon; the day Computers are smarter than Humans."

Dr. Greely asked, "But then how can we evolve into the Omega point if computers surpass us too?

Cupid shrugged, 'wait long enough and life is going to going to get all mixed up. If you see what you would call a Robot walking down the road, unless you know them, you won't know if he or she or it has an organically produced soul or something from what the Internet is going to evolve into. You won't know if that Robot has the soul of a god, an Angel a Human, a French Poodle or is an Artificial intelligence. The same for someone who looks entirely organic; They may be cute and furry but have the operating system of Windows Ten Thousand. Robots will be soft and fluffy, or not, their choice. Humans can indwell Robots. Fictional characters will be brought to life and most anyone can chose moment by moment if they want to indwell a flesh body, a Robot or spend some time in the Internet. Everyone will have immortality by then and anyone will network together into the Omega Point if they want to. He's big already but our Neighbor is going to be HUGE!

Dr, Greely exclaimed, "Astounding! But he was just a man in Bethlehem!'

Cupid smiled, "All us gods started somewhere. Magic is but sufficiently advanced high tech. Christ gets His kingdom because He deserves it and curved space/time makes it possible. The Future is the Past. It was you Humans who gave it to Him. Science didn't do Him in. Science is the Carpentry that builds His mansions. And future Science builds our Olympus. But there are those who say the Geek who did that for us should have gotten a life instead, or gotten life." Cupid grinned, "That's kind of a little joke we tell where I come from."

Dr. Greely said, "amazing!'

Cupid said, 'I suppose so. The minute that Mortals started trying to do something about death instead of helplessly accepting it don't you think that kind of made all of that kind of unavoidable?"

Dr. Greely was absolutely amazed, "I think one of the reasons I became a Psychiatrist was in the hopes that I'd meet somebody like you someday, that one of the Crazies I would encounter really would turn out to be a real Alien or a god or Jesus Christ, or something supposedly impossible! Thank you Cupid! Meeting you is the high point of my career!"

Cupid smiled, "You're welcome, now may I make some suggestions from the point of view of having been an unhappy Mental Patient?

Dr Greely sighed, "I guess I deserve to hear them, considering."

Cupid commented, "You need to medicate all the new Patients the way you did my Grandfather all the time. Instead of coming at new Patients with inch long needles full of sedatives always offer them a milkshake first. If they won't take the milkshake offer them something else. Almost every Patient will eat eventually unless they are REALLY paranoid. And ditch the locked harmless wards! If you swung those doors wide open you'd lose some Patients true but you'd gain tons more than you'd loose. There have to be several hundred homeless just in the Chicago area alone. Many have untreated mental problems and you know it. If they didn't have to fear losing their freedom and being forcefully injected just to get help hoards of them would rush here and even more as it dawned on them you aren't lying about it."

Cupid added, "Think about it this way. The exact same thing is going on, on both sides of the street. Over here you listen to people and give them mind-altering drugs. On my side of the street we Barkeeps listen to people and we dispense just one mind-altering drug. It isn't even a very good one for treating mental illness though in sufficient quantities it will make hallucinations go away despite its horrendous side effects. That's the reason for the old saying, "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy. Thank my Grand Pops you at least don't do THOSE anymore! But even though our one drug isn't as good People come to us on their own and enjoy coming to us. But they avoid you guys like the plague, which believe me was a whole lot worse than history remembers it.' Cupid frowned, " I was THERE!"

Cupid added, "Why do they come to us freely and fear you? 1. You lock folks up. 2. You inject people and/or give them pills and pills aren't very much fun!

But 3 we run promotions and specials and have parties and karoake to get folks to come to us. We make our bars such pleasant places to just come, sit at tables, watch TV, talk and play games. It is almost exactly like the rec room in the harmless ward where exactly the same thing goes on. There really isn't much difference. But we never take away any one's freedom, and we dispense our medication in VERY tasty ways with colorful names and the patient's discretion. You COULD do the same!"

Dr Greeley nodded, "You are right about that Cupid but the problem is the ones who would come would not be the ones who could pay their bills."

Cupid gave him a look of utter disgust. "I couldn't pay either but you took me in even though I didn't need your 'kind' help. I was doing much better on my own before I got a rep as a previously locked up nut case! You set me back three months from accomplishing my goals. I was a god interrupted!"

Dr Greely sighed, "You were arrested and court ordered here for 90 days observation, and the government still pays Claire a stipend for seeing you as part if an Outpatient commitment program experiment. If People came here on their own they would be voluntary Patients and Medicaid won't pay us for them. Cupid I agree with you, it is horrendous that at just the point in time we develop the medicine and other successful techniques that really help many mentally ill People the mental hospital system is so cut back the streets and jails are our new wards. Families result to filing false Police reports to get their loved ones help!"

Cupid growled, "Which makes the statistics look like Mentally ill folks are a whole lot more violent than they really are! And that encourages more locked wards."

Dr Greely nodded, "Absolutely! You got it. How come I ever thought you were crazy?"

Cupid nodded and grinned sheepishly at Claire because she knew him better, "oh I have my moments!"

Then Cupid asked, "Can I please go home now? I mean back to Taggerty's?

Dr. Greely nodded.

Cupid said, "Claire come with me! I need you! I need you like I've never needed you before! How long do you think I have?

"What do you mean?"

"Before what just happened gets across the street."

Claire's face exploded in a display of sympathy. "Oh Trevor!" She didn't need to say the rest.

They knew.

They both knew.

Claire grabbed her cell phone and called Jaclyn. 'Jaclyn clear my schedule for the day. No make that the week. Trevor is in crisis."

"What happened? Why!'

'Because he's Cupid."

"I know he's Cupid. Why is he is crisis?'

"Because he's Cupid."

"I don't understand."

Sigh, "Jaclyn soon enough you will!'

Side by side god and Therapist crossed the busy street to Taggerty's. Cupid figured he had a good half hour or so. He wanted to be at Taggerty's his 'Gethsemane' when IT happened. He wondered would the weirdness of the news would speed up the grapevine or slow it down? Many would hesitate to tell out of fear of being disbelieved, but to others that would make it an even more appealing bit of juicy gossip: the gossip of the millennium! 'The gods are real!'

Cupid entered the bar, got up on the stage and said, "Remember folks I never lied to you. I am a god!'

Someone said gently, "Cupid we know you think so. We love you, loony god!'

Cupid tried to smile but instead he started crying. He said, "I need a hug! Any volunteers?

Several of his usual crowd did indeed volunteer, both men and women and "Trevor" worked the room going from hug to hug just as he often did. When he wasn't tending bar, being counseled by Claire, matchmaking or doing what we all have to do to maintain survival he was almost always putting on impromptu shows. Mrs Taggerty had joked there were times they almost needed to surgically remove the mic from her best Barkeeps hands!

It was one reason why the bar always was so crowded.

Trevor was burning the experience deep into his brain, savoring it, trying to remember every quantum bit of its sensation. He suspected strongly it might be the last time he was doing this. He felt like in a few minutes he was going to experience a type of death, the death of his "harmless, funny lunatic persona! His Judas was coming. He didn't' know who he or she would be. But someone would be coming across the street and what he or she would say would be the kiss of death to his status as something lovable not terrifying.

Hector walked in the door. Would it be Hector?' Cupid gazed at his favorite orderly with a "et tu brute?"look. But Hector's face showed only sorrow and sympathy. He made a zipping motion with his hand up to his lips. No. It wouldn't be Hector.

Isaac came in glanced at his friend and gave Cupid the 'shush" sign with his finger. It dawned on Cupid that amazingly he was having better luck than Jesus had, so far!

Dr. Greeley came in the bar then. Well considering the conversation they had just had surely it wouldn't be Dr. Greely!

The man had never bothered to cross the street to the bar before! He had hated Cupid for his "faking' sanity. Dr. Greeley was a man who liked order and discipline and keeping folks and things in neat little categories. Trevor Hale never could be placed in any proper file. And that grated him no end!

But apparently now the man had made a new file for Trevor under 'sick gods who need our help,' So now Dr. Greeley was perfectly OK with Trevor Cupid Hale being exactly what he truly was! Cupid smiled at that. The over organized Psychiatrist had to be the only one in-the-know, less afraid of Cupid now than he'd been before! Because once filed properly, god or not Trevor Cupid Hale was no longer a problem to Dr Greeley, just a work in progress as any Patient was. He finally had his diagnosis and lack of diagnosis had been this Shrink's only bug -a-boo! But apparently the proper filing of this new category required a trip across the street to observe the Patient in his own social milieu. That was all.

Dr Greeley took a seat and told the waitress he wanted a club soda. All he wanted to do was observe! Cupid relaxed. He could handle psychaitric observations in his sleep! He'd had two years of practice living under that microscope. The love god relaxed a little bit.

One by one, two by two or in small groups, as their shifts ended half the workers at Fairview were drifting in to Taggerty's. Word had gotten around across the street but until one of them opened his or her mouth it hadn't reached the bar crowd. Amazingly not one of them said a word! They just watched Cupid put on his show! Maybe years of professional keeping of secrets was extending to guarding a sick god's privacy too!

Trevor grabbed the Karaoke mic, stared at everyone, and sang,

"What would you think if I sang out of tune?
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm I get high with a little help from my friends"

He added, "but not from drugs folks!"

Then he kept going,

"Going to try with a little help from my friends!"

Hector and Isaac sat together and listened, knowing full well "Trevor" was singing mostly to them, the mental health professionals that had taken care of him during his commitment. In the hospital Cupid had been one of those rare Patients who had never resented being ordered around by the orderlies. Instead he had befriended them out of what was obviously severe loneliness. After all t here wasn't another one like him in the hospital. He didn't fit with the schizophrenics or the drug abusers or the depressives. He was too sane for most of the other Mental Patients and too crazy for the Normals. So even in the psyche ward Trevor stood apart and alone. Even amongst other madmen he had no 'peer group.' The other Patients found him strange in ways they were not strange and tended to shun him. The Doctors were too busy. That had left no one to be his friends but the orderlies and the nurses and he had tried to warm up to them. So they had always liked the little love god, always felt sorry for him, knew he was extremely homesick for his Mount Olympus. The fact they now knew he actually had a real Olympus to be homesick about only made it far worse! A god with no powers who really was a god was in a great deal of danger and they knew it! And they knew Cupid knew it too! He was up there on that stage trying to win everyone's love and approval one last time before everyone found out the truth! Folks loved him as a Lunatic, but the clock was ticking towards them finding out the truth!

In the end it was the media that betrayed him. Cupid had forgot about the darn security cameras at Fairview. But someone certainly hadn't! That tape of Grandpa defending his right not to be jabbed with a needle was as precious as gold to someone who needed money for his family. So someone snuck it out and sold it to the media. The midnight news came on. Cupid had always wandered if anyone paid attention to the bar TV sets other than during sports games. Apparently a few people did. The few that did elbowed their friends, shushed them and pointed in mouth-opened amazement. Someone hollered. 'Watch the TV! It's about Cupid! That got the whole room to watching.

News flash! Is there a god among us?" The bemused announcer said. This is the weirdest piece I've ever been required to say in front of a camera! It's right out of the Twilight Zone! We are about to show you footage taken from a security camera at local mental hospital Fairview Treatment Center for Emotional Wellness. A man who was speaking in only what is alleged to be Greek is seen here hurling some kind of electrical charge at orderly Isaac Hanson. It appears to be coming right out of his fingertips! He is reported to be the alleged grandfather of another mental Patient, a man who has claimed publicly for over two years to be Cupid the Greco-Roman god of love. Could this electrical discharge be a thunderbolt thrown by a real Greek god? If not, then what is it? We consulted Wikipedia. We find if this individual is the grandfather of the real Cupid, god of love this would make this individual, Zeus himself! We interviewed 'Cupid,' that is Trevor Hale right here last September airing his request for people to put pressure on Fairview not to recommit him as a religious and disability rights issue. We supported his campaign to live free due to harmlessness and competence demonstrated beyond question. But of course we thought he was delusional! But watch this video of his alleged grandfather throwing a lightning bolt and draw you own conclusions! We are also going to run it in slow motion a couple of times."

The security camera had caught it at just the right angle. There was no doubt the electric charge was coming right out of Grandpa's finger! This wasn't a hidden taser or a trick. Everyone in the room, anyone who watched the tape carefully could see that.

So the cat was out of the bag!

Isaac said. "Should they be running a piece about a mental patient and even using his real name? Isn't that a violation of privacy he could sue for?"

Hector frowned and shook his head. The minute Trevor requested in interview about his mental and legal status he became a public figure not a private one. They can say anything they want to about him and his family just like they do with Brittany Spears! Poor little god! His goose is cooked now!"

Cupid looked around the room and a chill went up his spine. The mood had definitely changed. He was used to being stared at. He LOVED to be stared at. He loved to be the center of attention, but not… like… this.

He didn't' LIKE seeing hostility and fear in folks that just a second before had been laughing with him, or at least at him!

Cupid stammered, "Remember you guys I never, never EVER lied to you! I told you right up front exactly who I am and I kept insisting and insisting and insisting it even though it made you treat me like a loony!"

That wasn't helping. The room looked even more frightened. What did they expect him to do to them? He had no powers! He'd been up front about that too.

So he added, "And that is Ok. I AM a loony! That's why my family cast me down here, to get help and to grow up. I need Claire! That was also never an act!"

That was met with mixed emotions, but at least a few in the room now looked begrudgingly sympathetic.

He continued, "I am what I am, always have been, always will. I never acted any differently than I truly am. Yes, I am Cupid but I am just as much Trevor. Do you think if Superman could have stayed back on Krypton he'd have been Superman and his folks would have been treating him with awe?" Cupid shook his head firmly, "Nope. He would just have just been Clark Kent though by a different name. I'm more Barkeep and Clown that divine deity because if I were back with my family they certainly wouldn't be worshipping me. They'd be pushing me around just as you always have. I'm used to that so please continue! I don't know any other social coping mechanisms other than letting folks push me around despite Claire trying for over two years to teach me! We've both been trying very hard but I'm probably hopeless."

Quite a few more looked sympathetic now. In fact some were grinning wryly and nodding a 'he's right' kind of nod.

Cupid smiled, "So now I have your full attention I am giving you a couple of the same divine decrees a much better God that I am, did. Rerun time folks but hey I didn't have time to prepare fresher material! Stop killing each other and 'I say to you love one another.' You didn't' listen to that better God. You certainly won't listen to crazy Cupid either, but I guess it is my responsibility to say it while I could, my divine burden. Maybe I just did just save few lives. Who knows? But I also add an addendum: Please extend that love and 'no killing' to me! Don't worship me because that wouldn't be good for my mental health and I'm not worth it. Just love me! I am lonely and frightened and lost and I want to go hooomme just as much as ET did. I have the same situation he did. I'm marooned here. I have a Gerty and I have an Elliott. Claire is my Gerty and Mrs. Taggerty is my Elliot.

Claire felt a bit surprised, "I thought you'd say I was your Elliott?"

Cupid grinned, "No you are my Gerty. You take away my dignity and dressed me in silly things, (that dinky do they made me wear at Fairview), and you make me do silly things, (play psychotherapy games), But you taught me to 'talk,' that is improved my social skills and ability to fit in and you spend a whole lot more time with me than Elliot ever could! That makes you my Gerty."

The room started chuckling. That was a very good sign.

Cupid smiled and turned to the other woman in his life, "Mrs Taggerty fed me, that is found me a job that gives me a paycheck so I can buy food and she arranged a place for me to stay. That makes her my Elliot."

Champ exclaimed. "Hey! What about me?

Cupid smiled at Champ. Roomy you're my Michael; disbelieving and gruff but you tolerate me and when I needed it you got me home, that is hauled me up the stairs that day I got good and drunk. So you do for me what Elliot's older brother, Michael did.

Champ nodded, 'fair enough."

People in the room were looking a whole lot more sympathetic than they had when The Truth sunk in. That was good! Maybe there was a chance for the first time in all of Mortal history a holy figure wouldn't end up stoned or crucified or burned at the stake! Cupid knew what he had to do. He had to do what he always did; play the clown! As long as he could keep Mortals entertained they would let him live! Come to think of it that was how he ALWAYS fit in, even back in the old homestead! The other gods had quit bullying him the minute they realized he would entertain them voluntarily.

Cupid frowned. Nothing has changed for me, nothing at all.

Cupid said to his crowd, 'I need you all, you know. Claire used to insist my thinking every song about, love was about me was merely my having, 'delusions of reference.' Well here is a song that is not about me. It is about YOU, especially Claire Bear, but really about all of you!"

He started singing Stand by me, putting his enormous heart and considerable soul into it, weaving and dancing and swinging his arms wide with intense emotion. He did everything he could to convey to his beloved Mortals that nothing had changed just because they knew a little bit more about him. He was still just as vulnerable, still needy and still just as starving for their love and acceptance as he had always been!

Oh yeah oh my darlin, stand by me!

No matter who you are!

No matter where you goooo, in life!

You gonna need somebody to stand by you!

No matter how much money you got.

Or the friends you got!

You gonna need somebody to stand by you!

'When the night has come
And the land is dark,
And that Moon is the only light we'll see.
No I won't be afraid,
Oh I won't shed one tear.
Just as long as you people gonna stand by me!

Claire got up and stood next to her Patient.

So did Hector and Isacc.

So did Mrs. Taggarty.

Then amazingly so did Dr. Greely!

Cupid continued belting it out with heart, soul and body!

So darlin' darlin' stand by me!
Oh stand by me,
Oh stand, stand , stand by me.
come on stand on me oh yeah!

When that sky that we look upon
when she tumble and fall,
When the mountain should crumble to the sea.
I won't cry, I won't cry,
No I won't shed a tear,
Just as long as you stand, stand by me!

So darlin' darlin' stand by me!
Oh stand by me!
Please stand stand by me, stand by me!

And Darlin' darlin' stand by me!
Ohhhhh stand by me,
Please stand, stand by me, stand by me!
Oh baby baby!

Suddenly a Mortal miracle! Everyone was standing and applauding!

Cupid broke into tears of joy and relief!

He wasn't the only one.

Back on Mount Olympus Cupids family was watching their problem child's sudden, new social status with vividly mixed emotions!

Weeks passed.

The hopeful start sunk into a long, ever deepening quagmire of no-progress-made.

Cupid's family watched their problem child's new dilemma and they were not happy! It was not good that suddenly Claire and most of the whole city of Chicago, indeed the entire world suddenly knew for a fact Cupid was indeed a Greek god. Their self centered, egotistical, over mischievous, socially irresponsible problem child needed the character building humiliation only Mental Patients experience by how society treats them. It was great they hadn't nailed him to a pole or hurled stones at him, as they would have a couple of thousand years ago. (Mortals were making progress!) And they had not dragged him off to, 'Area 51." And "Mulder and Scully" hadn't come into the bar! But they were treating him with respect and awe now and that was not good! And Cupid wasn't even used to that. Strangely enough he was miserable! He missed the Santa Claus tone in people's voices when they called him Cupid because there had been real love there before. Now there was only respect mixed with a little terror. Now when he did comedy people laughed out of nervousness not real laughter as if they didn't dare NOT laugh. So much of the fun was gone! And Trevor stared at his beads. Weeks had passed and not one of them had moved indicating he had made a successful True Love match since the Revelation. In fact he had made no matches at all. Apparently Mortals were willing to take love advice from a wise Lunatic who thought he was Cupid as long as they thought him actually Human! But as for taking love advice from a real god! Strangely enough they would not! They would not even open up to him!

And no one ever bought him a drink any more. Business had increased enormously right after the revelation but soon it started slacking off to levels even lower than before Cupid had become a Barkeep there. People didn't want to drink and relax and play in front of a higher power!

Which was so ironic! The higher powers were watching all the time anyway (and not with disapproval). The only difference was, now Mortals knew it.

Hera and Venus discussed it while hose-watering their olive trees. Venus said, "What a shame there is no way to just go back in time and get rid of their new knowledge. "

Hera pointed out, "There actually is a way. Our Neighbor makes use of some Mortal tech called time travel. There are Mortal beings who can do that you know, Time Lords, Dremers, etc. Humans can do that in certain periods. It is dangerous stuff so our Neighbor takes control of any such attempts and uses them for His own purposes."

Venus turned off the hose and started to coil it back up, "Think we could call Him up and ask for help? Cupid was doing so well! He isn't' even enjoying the fact Mortals know what he is now. He's actually miserable and that wasn't the purpose of his commitment to Earth. We want him helped not depressed."

Venus nodded, "I'll call Him. He's been nice to us in the past. Look how He fixed that shelf in the kitchen when it fell. He'll be willing to help. I know He will. He's just about the only Being I know who loves to help folks even more than my son does (that is when Cupid isn't being over mischievous)."

Samuel Becket has no sooner left a two week vacation along the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River National park when he found himself again coming to the aid of one Trevor Cupid Hale, god or lunatic, or both.

One second the wide blue sky and the smell of green growing things. The next the smell of aneseptic and Humanity some not so washed, and surrounded by men in white coats staring at him.

He knew. He groaned, "Another mental hospital! And again I'm a Patient. What is it lately with all the couch trips?"

Al appeared instantly a vision of purple and black with yellow polka dots. Even for Al that was weird! But his quick appearance was a blessing. "Sam just hold still and let the nice orderly inject you with nice soothing sleepy juice and your job here is just about done and don't talk or look at me. You know why."

Sam stood still and took the needle. He helped it along a bit, letting himself sink to the floor before he was actually unconscious. The Orderly caught him and soon he was laying in a bed, his hands and legs in restraints. He kept his eyes closed and let the medicine put him to sleep.

At least he was getting a nice rest.

Meanwhile back in the waiting room Zeus was confused, still psychotic and not happy about the sudden confusing scenery change!

But a beautiful Nubian walked into the shiny white room he had suddenly found himself. He smiled at her. There was nothing female Zeus wouldn't bed and the prettier they were the more attention he paid them. This one was fine example of Mortal flesh! And her presence and gentle demeanor were calming.

The Lady was smiling. She came closer with her eyes appropriately and respectfully averted and she handed him an offering of the fresh ambrosia otherwise known as ice cream. The gods have had it for billions of years. Zeus sat in the bed that had been provided for him and ate the whole bowl. Suddenly he felt very sleepy but he fought it, trying to figure out where he was. The lady bowed politely and left. She was back in a few moments with still another bowl. He ate that too. This time there was no fighting it. The bed was cool and soft and soon Zeus was inn the arms of his relative, Morpheus.

Dr. Verbena Beeks and Gushie watched the sleeping god and breathing sighs of relief." Then Beeks went in again and examined him using technology borrowed from Stargate and whistled, "He's 'fully loaded' as Trevor put it. He's basically Human, but there are some anomalies. He has four livers which explains why his kind metabolizes medicine so rapidly. There is also an extra organ in his chest similar to what an electric eel has. His DNA seems to have three strands instead of two. I don't know what that means but one strand seems to be involved in doing instant repairs, which certainly ought to extend his life span. There are many more numbers of brain-like neurons lining his gut-brain than we have down there, a layer about two inches thick and that adds up to more self awareness than we 'Mortals' have in our Skull-brain. That would make his brain down there more conscious and self aware than what he has in his skull so I can't even begin to guess at his IQ! That and those extra livers might explain the reason Ziggy was told he needed as much Thorazine as he did. Medicating him was like medicating a Hump Back Whale. Six times as much brains needed medicating."

Gushie whispered, "So we have ourselves a real god?"

Verbena corrected, "We have ourselves a real superior being, one who apparently comes from some other dimension or time line or the future, and claims to be from Mount Olympus. Maybe he is from that mountaintop in some other time line or dimension, or the future! But to call him a 'god' is pushing it. I think Trevor Hale's entire family is delusional and why would be a good thing to investigate."

Gushie shrugged, "Its like that Star Trek episode with Apollo. If the ancient Greeks kept referring to them as gods why fight it? Why not just accept the definition and rise to the occasion in every way possible? After all as Trevor has admitted many times himself there is a Big Guy over all of us and his family still has many limitations, most of them in the mental health area, obviously"

Al came back from the imaging chamber at that moment. He saw the Greek peasant dress Verbena was wearing and whistled approvingly. He checked her out and said, "wow Verbena! What you are wearing sure makes you look smart and sexy!'

Verbena smiled, "Thanks Al." Then she giggled, "I wish I could say the same for what you are wearing!"

Ziggy said, "Touche, AL!

Al groaned, "Ouch! Even the machines are ganging up on me!'

Ziggy explained, "Of course. Dr. Verbena and I are both female."

Al thought to himself, For the time being, Ziggy, you transvestite hunk of circuitry!

A couple of hours later Al walked back to the imaging chamber. Back at Fairview virtually speaking, Al stood at the foot of his restrained friend's bed. "How are you taking it, Sam?"

Sam was very groggy. He groaned.

Al smiled, "You aren't the real Patient so you don't really need all this Thorazine. We have the real Patient in the waiting room and he's a trip and a half like his grandson! The plan is go keep medicating his food and hope it doesn't take any longer to bring about the return of sanity with an Olympian as it does with Humans. We are talking three to six days here tops, we hope. Once he saines-up you should leap and he'll be back here, realizing that talking to Claire and others about his grandsons progress or lack thereof was not such a good idea after all and leave here on his own. The hospital will have a big mystery as to how a Patient escaped the hospital from isolation but other than that no harm done. Of course Trevor's grandpa disappearing may start Claire suspecting maybe her problem Patient really is a god but not to the point it would harm their relationship. In the other scenario where you didn't leap in his cover was blown and he never did get his one hundred couples united. People were too much in awe of him and he eventually had to be recalled and replanted in another host in New York. At least he ended up with another Therapist named Claire."

Sam groaned, "Too much Thorazine!" he complained.

Al nodded sympathetically, "Yeah, its wonderful stuff at the right dose but at this doze Patients are more incompetent from over-medication than from their original illness. This particular hospital isn't the greatest Sam. They like the drug kind of incompetence here. It's calmer and quieter and easier to manage than letting the Patients actually be themselves but how are they ever supposed to learn to function? Claire is the one exception. She only believes in medication when it is actually useful which it is quite often, just not at these doses. Trevor was so blessed to get her instead of the rest of these nozzles but then it is very obvious his so-called problem wasn't schizophrenia .So he could benefit from therapy and Claire is the only Psychologist here. The rest are medical Doctors. Of course while over medication isn't the best course for helping the Patients it sure saves the hospital a great deal of costs on what would have had to be spent on extra staff! Plus since their Patients seldom learn to function they get to keep them longer and that means more moola. They are being ware-housed here not treated!"

Sam shook his head and said groggily, "Not the right way!'

Al nodded, "I know Sam, I know. It's not useful in these high doses, but hang in there. When the original Patient leaps back it won't even calm him down. But we have him on the correct dose now so when that happens he'll be sane enough to just leave on his own power because he doesn't like needles."

San groaned, "Who does?" Every hour on the hour Al!"

Al grinned, prot and Robert Porter do but that's because their Shrink hypnotized them to have any medical needle stick cause a serotonin cascade. But even they don't like their sore butt later."

The door of the isolation ward opened. It was Hector with another hypo full.

Sam groaned.

Al put his finger to his lips.

"Roll over Zeus" Hector said cheerfully. "Here comes your pretty, shiny, pointy, painful little friend."

Hector was amazed when the up until then completely uncooperative Patient made an attempt to offer him his butt. "Wow! I'm used to this stuff saning up folks quickly but you are sure a rapid responder! We'll have you switched to pills in no time."

Al said, "Remember Sam. Don't speak English. Zeus is too sick right now to speak English. If you know any ancient Greek or even any modern Greek, OK. Hector won't be able to tell the difference between ancient and modern. Some of the Doctors might though."

Sam couldn't help letting out an impassioned "oouuuuch!' as the needle hit home.

Hector laughed. "That's the same in English as it is in Greek? Poor Zeusey!"

Sam mouthed "'Zeusy'?!" at Al who doubled over with laughter.

Meanwhile Claire was having the 'Doctor! Patient!' session with Trevor to beat all 'Doctor! Patient!' sessions. Trevor sat in the hot seat his eyes looking towards the floor squirming, but he wasn't really too uncomfortable. He had done this so many times he felt little fear Claire could find any chink in his god-armor.

But Claire had extra ammunition this time, "Trevor there is something I must point out to you."

With false arrogance he didn't really feel Trevor calmly asked as if Q were asking Captain Janeway, "and what might that be moi kapitan?"

Grimly Claire pointed out, "Your grandfather went under with just the normal dose of Thorazine, 300 mgs worth. If we have given him the dose you suggested it would definitely have killed him!"

Trevor got a puzzled look in his eyes. He hadn't considered that.

Claire gave him a vicious frown, "I am repeating for emphasis Trevor. Your irresponsible retreat from reality could have killed your grandfather!"

Trevor's eyes widened. He looked truly shocked and frightened. Claire could see the wheels turning towards sanity, finally!

Like a painful needle full of health restoring medicine Claire drove the point in while she could, practicing tough love with a Patient who had managed to avoid reality for far too long to the point it was taking all her persuasive skills to keep him from being recommitted by Dr Greely, "Trevor your grandfather is not a god. You are not a god! This delusion of yours is not as harmless as we both erroneously thought. Your Grandfather was almost dead because of it! You are NOT harmless and it is time to come back to reality now before you really do hurt someone. And I know you don't want to hurt someone! I know it will be hard but your real memories are in your mind somewhere and you can find them again."

Trevor gasped.

More gently Claire said, "I will be with you every step of the way. It's a journey Trevor, an adventure! Let's go on it together!"

Trevor groaned and kept staring at the floor.

Claire went over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. Gently she said, "Trevor look up. I want you to look at me."

Trevor reluctantly looked at his Therapist. She stared into his eyes trying to make the point stick. She knew how mentally slippery he was but she did not want him to EVER forget the day he almost killed his grandfather! She needed a breakthrough. He needed a breakthrough! "Trevor If I had fallen under your spell and believed that insane and I mean that literally dangerously insane dosage you recommended your grandfather would be dead!"

In a pitiful voice Trevor sobbed, "I was so sure!"

Finally the breakthrough and it had only taken two years! She smiled lovingly, "Trevor I'll help you find your way back to The Truth and I promise you I will never leave you until you are strong enough to handle reality!

Trevor continued to stare at the floor but he swallowed and reluctantly nodded. Then the tears started flowing heavily. Claire handed him a tissue and also swallowed. It should have felt good to finally succeed. But it didn't. The god-ride had been fun and she felt the magic slipping out of their relationship. Claire knew what was coming. Now that she had planted a seed of reality in "Cupid's' mind there was a very strong chance that night's dose of hard drive buffering REM sleep would bring back the real RT Hale. Tomorrow he would wake up as from what had been a very long dream and be nothing but a Bartender in an Irish bar in Chicago and Olympus would start to fade into a wonderful nightmare. Then they could start facing up to what the original nightmare had been; the death or RT Hale's beloved due to his irresponsible, Cupid-like behavior. This wasn't the fun part, but this was her job; to make such pathological fantasies fade. She didn't always like her job, but it was a good and necessary one.

Keep your eyes on the prize. Claire she told herself. She closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like when RT Hale's family and friends finally found out what happened to their missing loved one. Trevor wouldn't be alone any more! In a way he would be returning to his real Olympus. In time she could fade out of the picture because he wouldn't even need her any more.

It hurt.

It felt wonderful!

It hurt!

But it was necessary.

Claire started crying herself and Trevor saw that and despite his own pain he came over and put his arms around her. For once she didn't fight it and the two old friends embraced for a very long time comforting one another at the loss of magic.

Hera, Mars and Venus watched giggling, "Now Claire has him convinced he's just a loony."

Mars growled, "He is just a looney!'

Venus shook her head and smiled, "When Zeus leaves isolation under his own power Cupid will get his confidence back such as it is. In the mean time this period of extreme doubt will help him too. Many Mortals doubt their destiny too and his learning this feeling will increase his constantly growing compassion."

Trevor finally said, "Can I go see my Grandfather?"

Claire sighed, "Usually I would say yes, but Trevor, not this time. We have a classic folie de duce situation here. One Patient's delusions are causing delusions in another Patient. By separating the two of them usually what happens is the one with the weakest case of delusional fixation improves immensely. Because of the language barrier we can't tell if that is you or your Grandfather but simply by keeping the two of you from reinforcing each other at least one of you is going to improve immensely. Probably you, Trevor considering the breakthrough we just achieved."

Trevor actually looked angry with Claire. He started to say something, than thought the better of it, got out of his wheelchair and turned and ran out of the room.

Claire ran after him extremely worried as he left the hospital that he would fall from dizziness or try to harm himself. She watched as he headed back across the street to Taggerty's. With relief she watched him look both ways before he darted across, taking it one row of traffic at a time waiting between the lanes of cars for the next lane to have its own gap in the cars. That wasn't the safest way to cross the street but clearly he wasn't trying to kill himself and apparently his dizziness had passed. Trevor Hale was going to be all right! He was going to recover both from his collision and his psychosis!

But her elation at the breakthrough was short lived.

The next morning Claire paid a visit to Trevor's apartment. Her eyes were almost as wild as some of the Patients. "Trevor your grandfather left the hospital today. We don't know how!"

Trevor looked up from his grapefruit and coffee and grinned a wide, wide grin.

Claire continued, "He was in restraints and in isolation! How could your grandfather disappear out of a locked room! There are security cameras all over the hospital! Not one of them picked up his image and no one saw him leave. Only prot from the planet K-PAX could so something like that but I checked. Prot and his host don't even seem to be on Earth right now. However he left he left on his own!"

Trevor felt his self-confidence rising. "Claire I just went though a terrible night! I had the strangest dreams all night; nightmares of the worst sort! Dreams of a life I know I didn't live sure as I know the sky ain't orange. You did that to me with your mad talk of me not being a god! My Grandfather just had the vestigial sanity to fake that minor piddling amount of Thorazine knocking him out. When he got tired of playing his little game with you cute, widdle Mortals he left. He's mischievous. Where do you think I get that from?"

Claire sighed and frowned. There goes our breakthrough!

Gently Trevor said, "Claire I can't tell you how he did it because I lack the words in English, But I can tell you how he was able to do it. He is a god! A fully loaded god! And I am an impotent god but a god never the less. Grandpa and I may both be crazier than DQ and Elwood P Dowd and Howlin' Mad Murdock all put together but never the less I was born on and miss-raised on Olympus and how I wish I could go home!"

He stared at his Therapist and the mixed emotions that were going across her face. He smiled and said happily, " At least one of the expressions that flashed across your face was relief Claire. You'll deny it but I know what I saw! You are as happy as I am that I am what I am. WELCOME BACK CUPID!" Trevor started dancing around the apartment listening to his own internal music. Champ was trying to eat breakfast in peace. He looked at his crazy roommate who had been so quiet and subdued just the night before and just rolled his eyes.'

Claire sighed, "Oh Trevor I'm not going to even try to deny it. You believe it and sigh, it's true."

Trevor grinned, "And I know it's not because you are so hard up you need the extra moola the government pays you to talk to me twice a week."

She nodded. "No, it's not the money. I was missing the lunatic Trevor. The repentant Trevor was healthier but I'm folie deduced a bit by you myself. I really ought to turn you over to another Therapist but I fear the consequences if they lose patience with you. Drugs are such a temptation and commitment is so much safer. Because you ARE dangerous, "Cupid." You could make another bad decision any time. The next time it could be fatal. There IS a risk letting you run loose!"

Trevor said seriously and completely without his usual manic gleam, "Claire I am ever so grateful you are willing to take that risk with me and I swear on everything I hold sacred, my entire family, every rock and twig and branch and tree and speck of dirt in Olympus that I will NEVER make you regret helping me live wild and free!"

Then Trevor started singing, "Born free."

And Claire started giggling. Then she sobered up quickly, " "what am I going to do with you Trevor? Dr. Greely is getting so impatient for you to have a breakthrough!"

Trevor said, "Keep pointing out to him my Grandfather left under his own power. That'll put some doubt into his doubt."

Claire sighed, "I doubt he'll doubt his doubt much Trevor. He knows what he knows and what he knows is reality."

"Served on white bread with mayo."

Claire nodded sadly, "That's about it."

Trevor said. "Claire, lets work out a code, a gesture for in-the-flesh meetings and a code word for the telephone if you have to call me from the hospital while he is breathing down your neck. If I hear you say it or I see you sign it I know I'm to flee across the ice like Elisa from Uncle Ton's Cabin, away from Chicago as fast as I can skeedattle!"

Claire was puzzled, "What for?" Who would be 'breathing down my neck?'"

Trevor said a bit exasperated, "Duh Claire! Dr Greely and the wonderful gift he wants to give me: his magical mushrooms that bring suuucccch peace! If he says, 'I am going to commit Trevor again,' you call me right from the hospital right under his nose. Tell him you are tricking me into coming over to avoid the Orderlies having to drag me back. But use your code word and I'll know to leave quicker than a Fundamentalist being raptured. I'm going to keep a suitcase packed just in case. You most likely will never see me again but I'll call you soon as I feel it's safe. And I promise wherever I go I will seek out mental health care if I can afford it, but only on my own terms."

Claire sighed, "its not a bad idea. I never thought the day would come when a Patient's paranoia would make sense to me."

They both started sobbing.

Why couldn't folks just be free to believe, as they wanted to and live the lives they chose to live?

Author's note: If you want to see Trevor get escape, read , "Cupid Joins the Lamp." It will be up soon.

If you want to see Dr. Greeley and Dr. Frechette capture Trevor read

Cupid 1.0 to 2.0: The Transfer.

(If you want to follow Sam's adventures, my friend The Ice Menace's story "Daddy's Little Angel is where Sam leaps next.)

He was being pulled through time and space again, bright light all around. He tried to close his eyes this time to see if that would help the disorientation but it didn't. No matter what he tried dizziness made him stagger when he leaped into his next "assignment".

When his vision cleared he was looking down at white shag carpet. He saw cat images on white sneakers with pink shoelaces peeking out from under pink cords. With dread he brought his eyes slowly up to see that he was standing in front of a full-length mirror. The pink cords were accompanied by a long-sleeved pink and white turtleneck. Above that was a sweet little girl face with blue eyes surrounded by long blonde hair held back on the sides with pink barrettes. Behind him he could see an unmade child-sized canopy bed covered with stuffed animals, clothes and toys scattered all over the floor, ruffled white curtains, and cartoon characters on the walls.

His eyes focused on the image in the mirror again. "I'm a little girl! God has a very strange sense of humor." Sam Beckett told his reflection.

A distant female voice floated into the room. "Maddie, time for breakfast and daddy wants a kiss before he leaves for work."

Daddy?! Kiss?! "Oh, boy!"