Title: This Real Life - Part 2/?
Pairing: Sportacus/Stephanie
Genre: Semi-AU. Romance. Humor. Adventure. WiP
Rating: Will turn mature, eventually.
Summary: Ten years after her life in Lazytown, Stephanie thought that college was the only adventure left. But after an Rotten experiment gone bad, she finds out how wrong she could be.

The next few hours seemed like a dream to Stephanie, as she was taken inside to an ornate room and made much of by Trixie and a plump, fussy Bessie, who was dressed just as strangely, in a full, ornate gown that made her look as if she'd stepped out of a painting. Placed carefully on a pillowed pallet, Stephanie stared in amazement at the high stone ceilings and stained glass windows, accepting an offered goblet with numb fingers.

A sip of hot sweet wine made her splutter and there was more fussing then, until Bessie threw everyone from the room, 'to let the dear child get some rest.'

"Bessie," Stephanie asked, when she finally got her head together enough to speak. "What's going on?"

"Shhh, you need to sleep now, dearest. You were very upset last night and goodness, spending it in the damp and cold outdoors, that couldn't be good," Bessie said as she fluffed a pillow behind Stephanie's head, covering her with a heavy blanket, all the way up to her shoulders.

"I was here last night?" Stephanie asked carefully, trying to navigate what was obviously either a brilliant illusion or a true magical world as gently as possible. Upsetting those who lived here wouldn't do any good and if there was another Stephanie, ruining her existence -- if she actually was real -- wouldn't help anything.

Bessie laughed. "Of course you were here. Where else would you be?" She sighed, settling down in a close chair, smoothing Stephanie's blanket with her hand. "If only those foolish men hadn't been going on and on about ... well, you know. But we won't talk about that here. Now won't you close your eyes, my dear? Just for a few minutes."

There was a noise at the door and two familiar faces peeked in. "Can we come in?"

Bessie rolled her eyes, but motioned them forward. "Only for a moment, sirs."

Stephanie's eyes widened as two young men tiptoed in, two young men she knew very well. One, tall and broad-shoulder, with the same messy blonde hair falling onto his forehead as she remembered from childhood, except now it framed an angled, handsome face while his dark-haired companion had changed relatively little, except now, dressed resplendently in black velvet, he looked more like a gentleman from Hamlet or Arthur's court than her old friend from Lazytown.

"Well, you gave us a fright," said Ziggy cheerfully, plopping down on the pallet's footrest. He was dressed in loose chainmail draped over a linen shirt and rough jerkin pants, tucked into hard boots. He looked like a knight at rest and Stephanie couldn't help but gape -- the Ziggy she remembered on the day she left Lazytown had just grown into his skateboarding togs. Pulling an apple from his pocket, Ziggy took a generous bite and jerked his thumb at the other young man. "Stilgar here nearly lost count of the day's coins."

"Very funny, Sigmund," said Stingy, for that's who he was, or at least, who Stephanie remembered him to be. He bowed to her with a flourish. "I hope you are well, your Highness. I was very worried."

Ziggy laughed heartily. "It's true. He was so distracted he nearly gave a penny to the poor during the search. I almost called the physician."

Stingy or Stilgar as he was now called, looked annoyed. "You can mock all you please, Sir Sigmund, but at least my job is an important one, unlike yours which consists of little more than galloping around on your horse, waving a stick about, trying to knock other idiots off their mounts."

Chewing his apple and smiling, Ziggy raised an eyebrow at him. "Perhaps Sir Stilgar would like to trade places for a day? I'll give you the horse and the stick and I'll count his Highness's gold instead. Hmmm?"

Stilgar scowled at him. "I would but we have more than five pieces in stock. I'm not sure you can count higher than that."

Now it was Ziggy's turn to look annoyed. "Hey!"

They began to argue in earnest and Stephanie watched this exchange in a state of absolute shock. They were the same boys she knew, and yet, they were completely different and obviously had no memory of their former lives. This has to be a dream, she thought. A dream or some sort of joke, but it was far too elaborate for that and Stephanie broke out into a cold sweat. What was going on here? Surely Robbie couldn't have cooked this up ... it had to have something to do with those Mages and that book, but what?

"Gentlemen, compose yourselves," interjected another voice and Stephanie looked up to see yet one more familiar face, this one dark and handsome, but with shorter hair now and a much graver expression. "Can't you see Her Highness is in shock?"

Chastened, Ziggy and Stilgar immediately quieted. "Sorry, my Lord," said Ziggy, bowing his head. Stilgar nodded. "My lady, forgive us."

"Pixel?" Stephanie whispered, as his fingers entwined with her own. "Is that you?"

Pixel -- whom she last saw off on his way to study engineering at MIT University in America -- smiled kindly and squeezed her hand. "Who else could it be? Now, let's feel your pulse," he said, gently pinching her wrist. "Hmmm, seems all right, but you were outside all night, so who knows what kind of fever you might have suffered from. Bessie ..."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Keep an eye out for any fevers or unusual sweats and fetch me if there is anything amiss. I'm going to make a tea that should help any symptoms of exposure, but if she grows ill, it would be wise to be ready for that as well."

"That's our Pixel, ever a man of letters and potions," Ziggy exclaimed with a smile, rising and bowing to Stephanie. "Now, off to ride my horse and wave my stick about. Coming, Stilgar, oh King of Fine Maths?"

"Ignore him, my lady. He's hit his head too many times," Stilgar grumbled, but with some affection lurking in his tone. He bowed before leaving with Ziggy, both of them arguing softly the entire way out.

Taking a chance, Stephanie bit her lip and tugged on Pixel's sleeve. "Pixel, listen to me. I think ... I think you and I will need to talk later." She glanced at Bessie, who fussed quietly with the drapes on the other side of the room. "Alone."

For a second, he looked surprised, but something in her face made him only nod in reply. "I'm always at my lady's disposal." He bowed gracefully. "Now if you would sleep ..."

"Yes, sleep," Bessie insisted, hurrying over and pulling the blanket up to Stephanie's neck. "That's what you need. Close your eyes ... shh, shh ... close them," she insisted over Stephanie's weak protests. "There, that's it."

Against all odds, Stephanie began to nod off, exhausted.

When she awoke, the Bessie was gone and the shadows in the room were decidely longer. Hours had passed, and Stephanie blinked through the dusky light, watching as a tall figure came forward from the shadows -- a lithe, beautiful man the sight of whom made her throat clutch, just as it did on the day she left Lazytown, presumably forever.

He sat gingerly at her side and took her hand between his own warm ones, before kissing her fingertips lightly. "Are you better now, love?"

"I'm not sure," she whispered. "Sportacus."

TBC ...

Hmm, the plot grows wackier. ;) Reviews are appreciated, thanks to those who've commented so far.