Notes: I tried to post this last night but for some reason it wouldn't save. So if you're reading this than I actually suceeded. I'd like to thank kar-zid for the inspiring comments in the review section. Gave me enough of a jilt to punch out another chapter. I'm expecting a lot of comments on the last part.

Chapter Five:

Questions

The car dreadfully filled with silence. Ellie had curled up in one of Kate's sweatshirts and was listlessly humming a soft tune to herself. Despite that she was completely removed from the rest of the world, she hadn't said anything since the freakish incident in the kitchen almost an hour before. Harry watched her at every moment he could. The stop lights were kind to him, for he could sit and examine the little girl as she tiredly accompanied him in the passenger's seat.

He recalled the early days of when Kate brought the girl home. She acted in such a manner of oblivion. She was almost borderline of being catatonic but she had a better conscious than most that save her from being claimed autistic. It was mainly the talking issue, that in which she never did it. Although Harry remembered the first night that she ran up to him and clutched him by the legs, bearing a big hug before she went to bed. It was a feeling he supposed most parents got when they had babies. When the child would grab hold of the father's finger with its miniature fist or when it would respond to the sounds of its mother. It was a grand feeling that he couldn't express to anyone except Kate.

Another red light caused for him to brake again. Ellie didn't move.

After the paramedics arrived to take Danny to the nearby hospital, the police came and asked for someone to claim the car he stole. Kate had ridden with her brother leaving their daughter with Harry. She knew that he would ask the same burning questions she had. They were less than ten minutes from where Danny apparently crashed the stolen car, and he had still not said anything.

He now began to wonder of Kate's acceptance of the girl. Before she brought Ellie home to live with them, and when she was just another patient that she met on her routine rounds in the hospital. Harry worked at the high school as the head of the English department, having long abandoned his search in medicines. He realized how much he could influence kids, and they seemed to welcome him. He was young, witty, and had many admiring students of the female gender. Kate questioned him once if his chance of career options was to look out for Freddy sightings. He wanted to laugh it off, but he sometimes found himself lying awake at night curious if Freddy really had found them.

Kate was stronger than he was. She had undoubtedly forgotten the events that brought them together. She had trained her mind to block out the memories, and assume Freddy as imaginable as Santa Clause. She knew of the Dream Killer's capabilities yet managed to build a barricade in which he could never penetrate. Harry was only beginning to build such a force. Although after tonight, he was reminded of his own capabilities. Ones that he explored all the time. He could take himself into other people's dreams, best their knowledge. He often found himself admiring Kate's dreams absent mindedly. He couldn't willingly control it like he did in high school. And he knew that whenever his mind was trying to conceal inside of Ellie's, that he would be woken up with a horrified force that he didn't understand. And according to his wife Ellie didn't either.

"Are we there yet?" She murmured in the quiet car. Her humming stopped suddenly and now she was conscious again. She startled him, really jumped him out of his train of thought. Clearing his throat though Harry said, "Just a few more minutes Elle. You feeling alright?"

She stared sweetly at him, and he was reminded of the deranged look on her face during Danny's resurrection, he had to fight the urge not to shudder. Blinking, Ellie said, "I think so. Did Danny and Mommy go to the hospital?"

"Yes. We'll go meet them after we're done here."

"Where are we going?"

"Well Danny stole a car from his school and crashed it out here on the highway."

"Did he fall asleep while driving?"

Harry only nodded. He could feel her eyes gazing upon him. If he didn't know any better he seemed somewhat frightened of her. Ellie picked up on this immediately, "Are you mad at me?"

"What?" Harry turned away from the road to meet her face to face, she was stoic in her question, "Did I do a bad thing? I was only trying to help Danny. Mommy knew he was dying. You did too huh?"

"Yeah honey. He was dying. And there's no saying that he might live anyway."

She shook her head in disagreement, "But I helped him! He's still gonna die?!"

He realized he had done the same thing to her that his parents did when he was her age. They went back on their words and confused him into an innocent plea. He shouldn't have said anything. However Harry bit the bullet and explained to Ellie in a tired yet honest voice, "Honey…what you did…well I've never seen that kind of thing happen before. You saved Danny for now. But sometimes it takes more than physical attention to make someone better. He has to want to live."

"But he does. I could tell." She surely insisted. Staring at her once more Harry asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I really am." The confidence in her voice confused the child herself. She knew what she was capable of wasn't right, it wasn't natural at all. Then again, Harry wasn't mad at her for doing it. And she knew that Kate would openly thank her for saving her brother. But it wasn't natural.

"I won't do it again." She announced quietly.

Harry's face turned perplexed, "What do you mean Elle?

"It's bad Daddy. It's bad that I did it. If he was supposed to die…he should have just died."

Red light, the car slowed. Now Harry turned halfway to face her, he placed a hand under her chin and tilted her gloomy face up. Softly he said, "Ellie, you saved his life. I don't know how you did it, but your intuition told you that you had to do something. You controlled it to save him. Whatever you call it though, it's…amazing."

She weakly smiled, "They said it was ok."

"Who said it was ok?"

"My old mommy and daddy. They talked to me tonight. I almost forgot what they looked like."

"Kate said that you didn't remember your dreams."

She rolled her eyes back and forth before answering, "Not before. But tonight I remember. My Mommy and Daddy died. Did you know that? Is that why I'm with you guys?"

It was only an assumption that everyone involved with Ellie's case thought of. There was no proof of whatever happened to her real parents. But hearing Ellie officially confirm it made it plausible. Harry sighed, "We didn't know. But we didn't want you to be all alone. You are happy with us right Elle?"

She nodded shyly, "I think my real Mommy and Daddy would like you guys."

That's one good thing that's happened today, he thought.

Somewhere Upstate…

The audience had been smaller tonight than the night before. Still the reaction to the book was just as intense as it had been before. Critics asked her personally where she came up with these theories that deployed throughout the lengthy pages. She studied under the watchful eye if Harvard professors, they all found her interesting. She was a prodigy for the field of psychology. She was impressive and astounding. Everyone had a right to know, she had said.

When the hotel's alarm clock read that it was a quarter past nine, she turned off the lamp and finally closed her textbook. TV didn't serve a total purpose for her anymore, she had seen dreadful things from it. In the morning she would have to meet with her publisher and agent to arrange the day's schedule. This book tour was stretched out to only major cities in the countries. New York was her 4th stop. She had wanted to wander and explore it, yet there wouldn't be time according to those who pulled the strings. She was doing something good. So it couldn't bother her.

A copy of the book lay at the foot of the mattress. It sat in the darkness but she could see the title and description perfectly in her head. She had specifically chosen the title in dedication of her old friend who had long since passed on. She pictured the italic font words written on a slick cover for the hardback:

The Beautiful Dream

The phone rang on the tableside next to her causing her to leap in the bed. Leaning over she picked it up and held it to her ear, "Yes?"

"Hello Miss Parker, we're just confirming the wakeup call in the morning at six-thirty that you called for. Do you still wish for us to proceed?"

"Yes I'd appreciate it."

"Will do, have a wonderful evening."

She hung up with a brief thank you.

Sitting in the silent room again, she wondered how long it would take her to fall asleep. Her eyes were heavy with anxiety, yet her brain was still scattering around with the plans that she had to fulfill in the next few days. She tried to shut her eyes, but the book was still imprinted on her brain. Staring wide-eyed at the ceiling she confronted a battle that had appeared from the moment she began to dictate her acclaimed book. Who would it affect? If things are different than they were years ago, she would be safe.

"I'm still not safe." Kristen announced aloud to the silence.

No one said otherwise.