"I'VE GOT IT!"

The loud, triumphant shout rang through Headquarters like a gong, effectively jolting Fear out of his sleep. He jerked up, lifting his head from his arms, a position he had fallen asleep in, slumped against the console. He was stiff, and was pretty sure that the buttons of the console were permanently imprinted on his particles, but he felt more rested than he had been in a while. He turned his head to find that Disgust had fallen asleep as well, only she had managed to make it to the couch before she had. Her movement and moaning indicated that she had been awakened by the loud shout as well. Slowly, Fear's mind registered the source of all the noise and excitement.

Joy came barreling down the upstairs ramp, pulling the arms of a very reluctant and drowsy Anger and a droopy Sadness. "I've got it, I've got it, I'VE GOT IT!" she cheered, letting go once they reached the ground and prancing about. Her dress twirled, and her natural glow seemed almost blinding in the semi-lit room. Fear glanced up at the Viewscreen, noticing with surprise that Riley was still asleep. A dream, sickeningly cheery and whimsical, was playing. It appeared that Riley had finally had a nightmare-free night of sleep after all.

"Hooray," Anger grumped, straightening his tie with a huff. He looked ready to smash somebody's face in, though with an undercurrent of weary exhaustion. He hadn't gotten much sleep lately either, just like the rest of them. "Now would you mind TELLING US WHAT YOU'VE GOT?!" His head glowed like embers in his frustration, but Joy was too happy to notice.

"I've got a way we can help Riley!"

That caught Fear's attention, as well as Disgust's, who was now raising herself from the couch. "Really?!" He could barely contain his relief. "Oh! Oh, Joy, that's wonderful!" His heart felt like it were going to float away and carry him right along with it. All this early morning excitement was making him a little lightheaded. He scurried forward, almost afraid to hope. His hands held close to his body, he felt like a slave trembling before his master. In a way, he was a slave. A slave to his fear. And he had imprisoned Riley along with him. If Joy had the key, he was going to take it, cautiously, but desperately.

Joy beamed at her fellow Emotions, sensing all their annoyance at being awoken early flicker away. Even Anger looked slightly hopeful. "Alright, here's the plan." She pattered forward on bare feet until she stood in front of the Viewscreen, with the console at her back. Raising her arms like Moses parting the Red Sea, she proclaimed. "This is the answer!"

There was a confused silence, followed by Sadness's deep voice. "The...The Dream?"

Joy hugged herself ecstatically. "Yes!"

Disgust sent a look at the brighter Emotion's back that could have curdled cream. "That's your great idea? Dreams are part of what started this whole mess!" She crossed her arms over her chest as though her words alone had destroyed Joy's own.

"No, nononono," Joy rattled quickly, "Not Dreams, necessarily." She gave a frustrated sigh, albeit cheerfully, before explaining further. "When Riley was little, she had a wonderful imagination, right? Remember how she pretended she could fly on cousin Dan's trampoline? Or how she used to pretend that the living room floor was hot lava?"

"And she used to jump across the furniture to make it across," Anger said softly, the memory actually calming him a bit more. Those had been fun days. Riley had always been one for playing games like that. A little adventurer through and through. But, as she had grown older, that imagination had been stored away, as it is for most growing children. She had no more time for imaginary friends or make believe quests. Real life was taking over, as it was supposed to. But, despite the knowledge that things were progressing the way they should be, all the Emotions felt a twinge of sadness when they thought of it. They missed the days of make believe. And, as a result, so did Riley, from time to time. "What are you getting at, Joy?"

"Okay," she hummed, rushing over to the stash of Daydream keys stashed in the corner of Headquarters. "Remember how calm and happy Riley always was when she pretended? Well, what if we reawaken her imagination?" She held up an armful of keys, smiling brightly.

Fear felt a wave of uneasiness wash over him. "R-reawaken? B-but, Joy, Riley doesn't have time to play pretend anymore. She's twelve; she has school. Her real life is too busy to make believe."

"I'm not talking about make believe," Joy insisted, bringing her findings over to the console. "More of a type of, daydreaming. Yeah. It will all be in her head. It should calm her down, help her forget..." She paused, noticing the way Fear had flinched. Feeling sorry for him, she carefully set a hand on his shoulder, the memory of Fear and Disgust's conversation the night before coming back to her clearly. "It's not your fault, you know. But this will help Riley forget her fears about losing her parents, I'm sure of it. Please, Fear. We can't do this unless everyone is in agreement."

Fear gazed down at the floor, his stomach full of butterflies. He felt that he should say no; a warning was going off in his head, though he couldn't imagine why. What was wrong with trying to make Riley happy? Nothing. What was wrong with letting her daydream a little? Nothing. What was wrong with doing what was best for their girl? Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

Then why was he so reluctant?

A surge of self-anger flushed through him. He knew why. Because he was Fear. He was the one hurting Riley. He was the one causing all this. Not his fault? It was all his fault! Of course his natural instinct would be to refuse Joy's idea, just as his natural instinct had been to cause Riley all this emotional and mental anguish. If his instinct was what was making him do that, then how could he trust it to make the right decision now? He couldn't. And so, even though it nearly physically pained him, Fear ground out his answer.

"Let's...Let's do it."

Riley awoke slightly more rested than she had been recently. She was relieved that the usual nightmares had not plagued her, and felt a joyful sensation at that. She got dressed, brushed her hair and teeth, then climbed down the steps to the kitchen. Morning sunshine was streaming through the yellow window curtains, and the smell of bacon was an aroma that immediately informed her of just how hungry she really was. She rounded the corner at the end of the staircase, her eyes lighting up when she saw her mother cooking over the warm stove. Her eyes gleamed even more as they lighted on the form of her father, who was sitting at the table with a mug of steaming coffee, and his face firmly planted in a newspaper.

"Morning!" she chirped happily, setting herself down at the table next to her occupied parent. Busy as he was, her father sent a cheery glance over the sports column and returned her greeting.

"Morning, Monkey!"

Riley turned, looking over her shoulder. "Morning, Mom!"

"Good morning, Sweetie," Mom cooed as she started carrying their breakfast from the stove to the table. "How'd you sleep last night?" She had noticed the dark circles that had formed under Riley's eyes, but had attributed it to late nights watching television.

"Really well," Riley responded, glad to hear those very words come from herself. It felt like it had been so long...A little of her cheerfulness faded. "Do you have a...a job today, Dad?" She really hoped he didn't, but the look in his face told her before he even answered.

"Yup, sure do. I've got a meeting in the next city."

Riley felt her heart beat quicken, as the same panic from the day before rose within her. Fears started to take hold, images of many nightmares creeping in, crowding her, closing her in...but then, all at once, they stopped.

Her mind was all at once washed in a series of images that, in all honesty, she had not thought about in years. Scenes from any one of her favorite childhood movies, books, past adventures; literally a flood of happy memories and imagination. Riley's breath caught in her throat, completely intrigued. Her fear forgotten, she soaked in the unusually vivid images. They felt so refreshing. So freeing.

"Riley?...Riley?...Hey, Monkey!"

Riley jumped, her mind slamming back into her body with a jolt. "Y-yes?"

Dad was looking at her with a sense of amused confusion. "Something on your mind? You were staring into space, wide eyed! I couldn't seem to catch your attention." His smile faded slightly. "Is...Is everything alright?" His mind had flashed back to the move, and Riley's nearly running away. He had missed the signs back then. He didn't want to miss them again.

Riley, feeling a little confused herself, refocused on the world around her, giving her father a genuine smile. "Yeah..." she said slowly, her grin widening. "Yeah, I'm good." And she suddenly, quite unexpectedly, believed it.

"It worked!" Joy cried happily as the purple nightmare orbs retreated down the recall tubes, back to Long Term. "I can't believe it; it worked!"

"You didn't think it would?" Anger grouched, but he was smiling too.

Disgust began polishing her nails on her dress, a look of satisfaction clearly visible in her expression. "Did you see how those Memories fled? They can't touch her! This was a great idea, Joy." She sent Sadness a grin, which the blue Emotion returned to the best of her ability. The four were just so relieved that the plan hadn't ended in disaster, that they failed to notice their pale companion behind them.

"B-but..." Fear tried to hide the twinge of discomfort he was feeling. It was like a pinprick; a force shoving him back, mentally. It didn't hurt too much. In fact, it didn't really 'hurt' at all, it was just...unpleasant. But the experiment had been a success, and Fear was not going to let his discomfort stand in the way of Riley's happiness. Swallowing hard, he forced out a cheerful, "Things are looking up!"

"But how do we know this will work every time?" Anger spoke up, staring up at the screen suspiciously.

Joy shrugged, eyes bright. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. I mean, I'm sure it won't work for everything, but we'll just have to test our limits." She picked up a basket of daydream keys, placing them beneath the console. "We'll keep them right at hand. If any one of us is at the console, and Riley suddenly gets scared, just pop one of these in and hope for the best."

Sadness moved closer, her eyes suddenly locating Fear's position. She saw how far from the console he had moved, and he seemed a little distressed. Turning her big, moist eyes up to Joy she made a quick observation. "But...Riley has to have Fear. Remember, Joy?"

Disgust also suddenly seemed to remember her conversation with the purple Emotion the night before. Like Sadness, she quickly located where Fear was standing. "That's right. Riley needs Fear," she intoned, mostly for Fears benefit. She didn't want him sinking back into that depressive state. That had been almost more than she could stand. "We can't just shove his, and, therefore, Riley's, feelings away. You and Sadness know that better than any of us."

"And we're not," Joy acknowledged insistently, a twinge of guilt from the past hitting her square in the heart. She pointed to the wall, to the shelves of bright, colorful Memories. The last few, the newest, where a beautiful, swirling lavender. "Riley still felt Fear's input, we just...distracted her right afterward. She still feels scared, but she's not dwelling on it. That is what we wanted? Isn't it?"

There was a pause.

"Yes."

The Emotions turned at Fear's voice, slightly startled by how it sounded to their ears. It was definite, certain, something incredibly rare for him. Stiff almost. As though he was forcing himself to say it. His hands were clenched and trembling at his sides, and it was hard to tell whether he was frightened, angry, or in pain.

Anger stepped forward, an eyebrow raised. It wasn't normally in his nature to worry, but since the fears had started...since the night of the first nightmare, he had been more watchful of his coworkers. More aware of them than before. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Fear's voice was quick and hard.

"You don't sound f-"

Fear let out a sigh that interrupted his friend, and a shaky smile crept slowly into his face. "I'm fine. I'm just..." Another deep breath. "I'm just glad it's all over," he lied. Anger didn't seem convinced. In fact, he looked very doubtful, but the girls were easily deterred.

"I know," Joy wheezed, swiping a hand across her brow. "Whew! Dilemma solved!" She grinned, turning back to the screen. "Now to see how the rest of the day turns out!"

The 'rest of the day' turned out just fine. In fact, better than fine. Riley's fear was not suppressed, only distracted. Every time the terror of losing a loved one came up, the Emotions would trigger a vivid daydream. Colorful, pleasant, and sufficient, it was more than enough to do the trick. Most times they were of Riley herself, doing things that she loved. Other times they were made up characters from movies and shows Riley had enjoyed, either recently or long ago. The Emotions didn't have any control of what they were about, and started to enjoy them even more than Dream Duty. They were exciting, fun, and, sometimes, even funny. It reminded the Emotions of the days when Riley was little, when she used to play with Bing Bong.

Joy had paused at that thought, her soul seizing in a wave of sorrow. There was no way to bring that imaginary friend back. She had tried. He was gone. But she had, since then, managed to get Riley to remember Bing Bong, and therefore had kept her promise. And that was all, as well as the best, that she could do.

Only now, these imaginings were different. Unlike the games she had played as a small child, running about and talking, or laughing, loudly; in these Riley's physical body was perfectly still. As though she were frozen. Frozen, but not in fear, but a calm, almost eerie enjoyment. A world all her own. That's what it was. Riley built on it, and her Emotions let her, thrilled to see this fantastic land of fantasy that was becoming easier and easier to access. The daydreams started to morph into something more...real. A daydream, and yet, not a daydream. Riley began to be able to control the fantasies. It took a lot of concentration, but it meant that she could plan her own thoughts; thinking within thinking. It was strange, and oddly relaxing.

The Emotions found that it had a profound effect on Fear himself. Whenever he became upset, and rushed for the controls, Joy, or one of the others, would hurriedly plug in a Daydream key. Riley's vision of the real world would fade, leaving only her, her Emotions, and the place she had created out of her own imagination. A place of safety, and of isolation, but by no means lonely. Fear would all at once calm, his trembling becoming significantly less. He would look up at the Viewscreen in fascination, taking it in as though it were reality itself. Only this reality held no danger.

Here, Riley was safe.

It became an escape, for both the girl and Fear. Anger, Joy, Disgust, and Sadness were slightly apprehensive at first, shocked by how it seemed to wipe the fear out of Fear himself. But the purple Emotion only smiled, giving, what was for him, an almost careless shrug.

"I just want Riley to be happy," he had said, and left no room for argument.

And there was nothing the others could deny about that. That was their goal in every situation. To keep Riley safe, happy, growing, and whatever else they might find the need to aid her in. And so, despite the inklings of a mistake on their part, they continued to proceed with their plan. The nightmares faded. In fact, Riley no longer had any dreams...that she could remember, anyway. Sleep was a dark void, empty of the imagination that was used and exhausted by day. But it was better than the horrors of before. Slowly, Riley's uncontrollable fear of losing those she loved began to fade, only a passing thought from time to time, easily fixed by a 'trip' to her mind's creation. Something that was a load off the shoulders of all within Headquarters. All within Riley.

But, even Joy would have to admit that the results weren't always so faultless. It couldn't be an easy fix. Of course not. While the main fears diminished, new, smaller ones cropped up. Fear became edgier than usual, whenever the Daydreams weren't running. He caused new phobias in Riley. She became afraid of the dark, far more than before. She became afraid of being alone, some mutated branch of her original fear. She became afraid of being around others, strangers; preferring to stay at home, inside. This worried Joy. She had always been a very social aspect of Riley, and she loved people. Riley had always been a people person. But now, she was forcing herself to be more secluded. More quiet. But no one, either at home or at school, noticed. Riley still smiled, gagged, cried, and lost her temper just like she had always done, but when it came to her fears...they just seemed all out of wack.

The Emotions brought it up a number of times, their concern for both Riley and Fear very clear. But Fear always assured them that everything was fine. Riley was happy. The fears were there, but they no longer had an eternal grip on her. With a switch of her focus, all of that disappeared. Fear felt as though it were the only time in his life he had...never been afraid. He ignored any whispers of anxiety about the Daydreams that arose within him. He pushed them back, soothed and, in a way, almost addicted, to the calming effect of the imagination of their little girl. He assured his colleagues that all was well, and, ironically, that they shouldn't worry.

Joy simply shrugged, a beaming smile spreading across her face. "Well, you're Fear, Fear; you know what Riley needs."

And they left it at that. What else could they say? Riley was happy. Nothing seemed to be seriously wrong; nothing they couldn't handle. Days rolled into weeks; weeks rolled into months. Two years went by, and still nothing changed. But if there is one thing that you can always count on, it's change. Sometimes pleasant, and sometimes unpleasant.

But always for the good.

No, this story isn't over! Just wanted to clarify, in case I wasn't clear. As you can see, one problem has been avoided...but has another been erected in its place?

The strange phenomenon that I describe in this chapter involving Riley's imagination is, again, a part of my life's story. I have dyslexia, as I believe I have mentioned to some of you before, or you've read it on my profile. Dyslexia is very, very common. One person in every five has it; maybe even a few of you. It made it hard for me to learn to read, write, tell time, and perform any math. That, again, is common of dyslexia. But another...'side-effect' of dyslexia is what some would call 'thinking in pictures'. It's as though all the time, 24/7, I have a movie going in my head of everything I think, feel, hear, say, see, etc. Controlled and concentrated it can be used as Riley does in this chapter, which is what I did. When I was Riley's age I was so terrified of the world around me, the real world, that I created a fake one in my head. These are not just normal daydreams; it's hard to explain. Whatever I thought of was as real to me as the real, real world. And while that was wonderfully freeing, I never realized that, at the same time, I was building my very own prison.

To be continued...