The sun streaming in through my curtains made me wince. "Sweet wounded heavens, why is it so bright out?" I hissed and stood, wrapping my blanket tightly around me. Limping and groaning I stumbled into the kitchen and searched blindly for the glasses. "Ugh damn I'm dehydrated. My mouth tastes like detergent." Rubbing my eyes with the heel of my palm I finally cleared my eyes enough to see. "There you are you sneaky bastard." Grinning I wrapped stiff fingers around a glass and pulled it towards me, brow furrowed as I watched it slip from my hands and shatter on the counter. "Fuck." I looked around my feet trying hard to figure out where I could step to keep from bleeding. "Why the hell am I so sore?"

Sliding my foot across the floor behind me I carefully pushed several pieces of glass out of the way and eased back. "Broom, broom, where is the damnable broom?" With a yelp I stumbled backwards and fell onto the floor. "Fuck. Ow." Hissing I pulled my foot up so I could stare at the bottom of it. "I really should get shoes to wear around the house…" I grumbled and eased myself onto my hands and knees. "This is turning out to be a splendid day." Moving to my bathroom I grabbed a pair of tweezers and sat back down working the glass shards from my skin. Eventually I got them all out and bound my foot, relaxing back against cabinet. "Well it's been quite the morning hasn't it?" I asked the air and laughed pathetically. "Maybe I should get a cat or something so I'm not always talking to myself."

I snorted and pushed myself to standing. "Like I need a cat." From the other room I heard my phone buzz and with a limping gait I raced to answer it. Diving into my bed I snatched the phone from my nightstand.

"Ello?" I said rolling over on to my back.

"Dav! You're okay! I got worried when I didn't hear from you last night."

"Hey Halden. Ya, sorry to make you worry I just completely passed out when I got home and I forgot to call you."

"No worries my friend. You should join us at the bar more often. You were quite hilarious. You hold your liquor well."

I laughed and covered my eyes. "My aching brain and violently upset stomach disagree with you."

"Bah, those problems can be solved by drinking more." I could hear the laughter in Halden's voice as he spoke. "Besides the stories you told were entertaining."

I chuckled nervously, trying hard to remember what on earth I'd told everybody last night. "If you're there again tonight I'll drop by. I've got to spend at least a few hours nursing this hangover at least."

"Alright. I will see you tonight then my friend."

I was still smiling when I hung up the phone, I was glad Halden had called. It was nice to finally be getting back out there. Broad grin still plastered across my face I limped back into the hallway to grab a brush and pan before cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.

"Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me…" I hummed quietly and finished putting the last of the glass in the trash bin. Grabbing another glass I filled it with water and downed it quickly, refilling it twice before settling in the corner of the couch. Sitting there in that sunlight streaming in the window time seemed to distort. The shadows in the corner of the room twisted and for a moment there was a man there and then the image faded. "Damn- I must be more tired than I thought." I blinked a few times quickly and shook my head to try and clear it; finally I laid my head down on my arm and relaxed.

. . .

"And so then, out of absolutely no where this enormous liger comes out and rears up and I swear he's at least twelve feet long, absolutely huge, and he ever so gently grabs the meat from the trainer and gobbles it down. I swear it was the most frightening and petrifying moment of my life. Honestly if he'd wanted to he could have just jumped off the stage and mauled everyone and no one would have been able to stop him." I laughed and downed the rest of my beer. "But really there's nothing quite like a Faire."

"Another round!" Halden said and waved his hand at the waitress who smiled in return.

"Ay, keep yer pants on, I'll be right over." She hollered across the full room and disappeared back behind the counter.

"Aw be nicer to the girl Halden, it's busy as hell in here." I lightly punched him in the shoulder and stole the rest of his drink.

"For you liten bjorn, anything." Halden chuckled and tried lazily to get his drink back, letting me chug the rest of it down before he grabbed the empty glass from me. "You're so cruel to me." He said mournfully staring at what used to be his beer. "Looks like I'll just have to get another."

"I'll get the round after this one." I said laughing. "Promise."

"That sounds fair." Halden's voice drifted away and the room around me grew dark.

"Damn it, not again." I whispered, trying fearfully to get my vision back to normal. The shadow that had showed up in my house materialized near me again. "Please just stop. Please- go back to normal." I knew I was whimpering but I couldn't help myself, I could only pray that no one else could hear me.

"Stop whining you …" The shadow flickered and for a moment it looked like the man from my dreams. "I'm sorry. That was not how I wanted this to go. I cannot do this for long. It takes more power than I can access with any reliability."

I swallowed heavily and stood, the rest of the building standing still around me. "What did you do?"

"Time's just moving very slowly, everyone is fine. I only came to apologize."

"But you're not even real."

He frowned and stepped towards me until I could feel the heat coming off his body. "Do you still call me false?"

"You can't be real. You exist in my dreams." My voice was practically a whine, I wanted to reach out and touch him so badly, to prove to myself that he was in fact there, but even as I reached out his image flickered.

"I don't have much time. I'm sorry I hurt you." His hand rose to my cheek but there was no pressure in his touch.

"I don't care about that." Despite knowing that there was nothing there I moved to push his hand away. "You dismissed me, in my own dream! That's what hurt. Frankly, I don't mind a bit of pain." Where the hell did that come from- I hadn't had more than five beers… damn it.

"Forgive me…" His brow furrowed again. "I-" He disappeared and the sounds of the world rushed back into my ears making my head swim.

"Are you alright my friend?" Halden's enormous hand came to rest on my shoulder and I jumped. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

"No ghost- just thought I saw someone I knew." I flashed a bright smile and slid back into my seat.

"You've still got another three rounds to go at least." He laughed and passed me one of the beers the waitress put down in front of him.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were liquoring me up for something." I snorted and grabbed the drink taking care to only sip it slowly this time.

"Me? You wound me. I would never." The gleam in his eye said otherwise but I laughed anyway and patted his arm.

"You're a good man Halden." I said and took another long draw off my beer. "But I'll be honest, after last night I'm not sure I'm going to make it another three rounds."

"Bah, you are a strong girl you can make it at least one past this one."

"And you my friend are a terrible influence." I held the mug up and drained it, slamming it down on the table. "Hit me. If I'm going to get fucked up let's do it right."

. . .

"I… I don't remember that table being there." I said as Halden helped me into my apartment. "I- I should tie down my furniture so it doesn't move around on me."

"Liten bjorn you are drunk beyond compare." The man laughed and held me steady by the elbow as I led us to my bedroom.

"I. Yes. Yes I am. Ugh I am gunna regret this in the morning. Will you get me water? Glasses are in the, um… the cabinet by the sink, the taps fine." I eased into the bedroom, holding myself up on the dresser and reaching for the bed.

"If I let you go will you fall?" Halden looked down at me with such soft eyes that I leaned over and gave him a hug.

"Naw, I can make this leap. It's like a foot from my bed to the dresser." I let go of him and flailed in the direction of the bed again. "I. Have. Totally. Got. This." With a soft yelp I tripped on my own feet and landed face first on the mattress. "Yup, totally got it." I held a thumbs up to him and listen to him laugh as he walked back to the kitchen. "Ugh I am so going to throw up later."

"Do you want me to stay?" Halden appeared in the door again, blocking out the majority of the light behind him with his frame. "Here." He handed me the water carefully, wrapping my fingers around the glass before letting go.

"I'll be fine. Anything that happens I've done to myself." I took a sip and smiled weakly up at him. "I promise I'll text you in the morning to let you know that I haven't died."

"Alright. Try and get some rest and drink at least one more glass of water before you go to sleep."

"Yes mother." I laughed softly and swung my feet under the covers, pulling them up as I continued to sip on the water.

"If I don't hear from you I'll break in and make sure you're okay."

"Ah a true friend. Who ever thought I'd find one here. Well eve Halden."

"Goodnight, sleep well."

I listened until I heard his footsteps and the door close again, his footfalls thundering down the hall until he left the building.

"Not a sneaky man that one." I chuckled to myself and drank the water as quickly as I could, setting down the empty glass and burying myself deep in a cocoon of blankets.