He was driving on the streets of a mirror world, racing through a smoke-filled tunnel with the car's headlights turned off. There was a passenger, but the person was a stranger to him. He–or was it she?–directed him one way, then another, from oncoming traffic to blind alleys to huge shattering mirrors falling from above. The car stalled and quit just as a garbage truck advanced on them. He saw himself controlling the bigger vehicle, watched as the other Dave pushed the lever forward to lower the truck's crushing arm onto the roof of his car. He couldn't move, couldn't escape, but could only twist frantically down. His passenger had disappeared.

Tank was there, where the other's feet had been, whining in fear at the coming doom. Dave reached down for him. If they were going to die, at least he could give his dog comfort in their final moments. Tank licked his face. Somehow, everything was all right then: no more panic, no regrets, not even the will to escape. He held the one who'd been his companion since childhood, and he smiled.

Someone was calling his name. Tank? No, that couldn't be. His smile faded. The voice was familiar. He listened, concentrating, while the pressure of the roof remained an impending but never advancing threat. His world hung suspended in time.

"Dave?"

Finally, it clicked. His eyes snapped open. Becky stood there by his bed, one hand still upon the dark hair she'd just been caressing. Her smile was enough to drive away the remaining gloom of night. "Hi, Dave," she greeted him. "I'm back."

He sat up hastily "Becky! When...? How long? I didn't hear you come in."

She didn't wait for an invitation, but seated herself beside him on the bed. "We just got here a few minutes ago. It's almost morning, and we wanted to let everyone sleep until their normal wake-up time. Horvath went straight to bed, but I wanted to let you know before anyone else finds out. We haven't had much time alone lately."

"Um, yeah, right." He was still flustered, still not quite sure if all of this was real. Indeed, he couldn't shake the impression that the woman at his side was somehow an illusion. Was he still dreaming? Maybe, but he welcomed her presence just the same. He took her hand–she felt solid enough, and she felt good-and smiled. "So, how's the studio coming along? Did you find someone to manage it while you're home? You didn't say anything about it last night on the phone."

Her smile grew even wider. "I told you last week that it would be a surprise. Yeah, Horvath got someone to babysit the place. It's not for very long, though; we have to go back in a couple of days. This is just a brief visit."

"Well, okay, I guess. We'll just have to make the most of the time we have now, then. I'm glad you're back."

"Me too. I've missed you." She held his gaze for a moment until he recognized the invitation for what it was. He gave her the kiss she'd been waiting for.

He expected her to leave him then, to catch up on the sleep she'd missed to make the journey home. Instead, she kept her arms around him in a loose embrace, her head bowed to keep from meeting his eyes. Her mood was suddenly more serious. "Dave?" she began, and he knew by her tone that this was something that wouldn't wait.

"Yeah?"

"You haven't said anything about Renee."

He shifted uncomfortably. "What is there to say?"

"Are you...is she still your shadow?"

"Um, well, we still train together in the mornings..."

"That's not what I mean."

He clasped her head gently in his hands, forcing her to look directly at him. "Look, Becky, you don't have to worry about Renee. There's nothing between us, okay? She's been going into town with the others on market days, since Horvath wasn't here"–and since that night, he didn't add–"which tells me she's okay with not being around me all the time. I think, I hope, she finally decided to look for someone else. As for me, I want you, just you."

Her blue eyes were sad, and still worried despite his reassurance. "But she's here when I'm not, and she's pretty, and she's a sorcerer like you..."

"It doesn't matter," he said, but she wasn't finished.

"And she's already told me she'll do whatever you want." She blushed as she made a confession. "I didn't tell Horvath this, but...one reason I wanted to come back now, without telling you first, was...well, to make sure you weren't..."

He guessed the rest. "Cheating?" She nodded unhappily. It hurt, knowing he didn't have her complete trust. He edged away from her without thinking. "No, I haven't cheated," he told her, though the words come out harsher than he'd intended. "I don't know what your previous boyfriends were like, but I wouldn't do that." With one exception, almost, he had to admit, if only to himself.

"Oh, Dave, I'm sorry!" Now she was frightened in a different way, afraid she'd offended his honor. She buried her face in her hands.

He took pity on her. Moving in close again, he held her next to his side. "Hey, Becky, it's okay," he soothed. "I admit it's rough on me, this waiting, especially since you didn't make those other guys wait. It's a little rough on the ego, you know?"

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I was wrong." She leaned her head on his shoulders. "You deserve no less than everything I have," she went on. "I don't want to wait any more."

"Becky, are you sure? Is this a good time...?"

She nodded. "It is. Today was the last day of my period." She looked up then, and there was no doubt left of her sincerity. "I need this, too, Dave. I need to know it's really me you want. Show me."

And he did.

A loud knock on the door startled him out of sleep. "Dave! Hey, sleepyhead, get up!"

"Wha...?" Dave floundered as he worked to untangle himself from the sheets. "I'm up!" he yelled to the one who waited in the hall.

Balthazar called back, "You've got ten minutes to get yourself to class. Don't be late!"

Retreating footsteps told the apprentice that his master was going away. Dave sighed and lay back in bed. Ten minutes? That meant he'd already missed breakfast. He groaned; it was going to be a long morning without his caffeine. Why, oh why, did he have to oversleep?

Then he remembered. "Becky!" He was out of bed in an instant. She wasn't here, of course. Somewhere in the fogginess of his brain, the memory lingered of her kisses and more, the sweetness of their first time together, and her departure afterward to return to her own room to sleep. Just as it had been when she first woke him, her visit was like a dream now, a fantasy daydream come true. He hoped the others had allowed her to sleep undisturbed when they discovered that she and Horvath were back.

Unlike me, he thought wryly. I'd better get a move on if I'm gonna be on time for the lesson.

It was an odd but productive morning. Dave was still tired, earning him extra zaps from Balthazar for being unfocused. Dave wasn't about to admit the true reason for his continued inattention, particularly in front of Renee. For her part, his fellow student seemed unusually happy, even eager to devote herself more to her lesson than to him. He tried without success to match her enthusiasm.

By lunchtime, Dave's stomach was steadily growling. He'd wolfed down two roast beef sandwiches already, and was working on a third, when he noticed the empty places at the table. "Hey, where's...?" He stopped. The London pair's return was supposed to be a surprise. True, he'd expected them, or at least Horvath, to be up by now, but perhaps they'd had a more exhausting trip than he thought. If they'd left London right after the phone call last night, having already been up all day, and they didn't get in until early this morning, it stood to reason that both would still be asleep. No, he'd let them make their presence known at the time they chose.

"Where's who?" asked Chandra.

"Um..." He pointed at Maggie's vacant seat. "I was gonna ask, 'where's Maggie,' but then I remembered." He grinned in pretended embarrassment. Maggie had taken to accompanying Dr. Masters to his office in town, to serve as his assistant when she wasn't busy teaching Ben his school lessons in the garden behind the office building.

Balthazar saw through the lie immediately, but for once chose to let it pass without comment. Instead, he waited until they were on their way to the study, allowing Chandra to go on ahead. "Where's who?" he repeated to the young man who walked at his side.

"Huh?" It took Dave a second to recall, but then he gave the same answer he had earlier. "I told you, Maggie."

"You're still a bad liar, Dave."

Rats again. Dave stopped, a little exasperated, and his master followed suit. "Why can't you ever just let it be?" he demanded. Balthazar simply waited, and his apprentice finally gave in. "Well, if you must know, Becky and Horvath came back last night–er, this morning, I mean–but I wasn't going to spoil the surprise. They're probably still sleeping."

"Well, that's mighty strange," Balthazar retorted with his usual sarcasm. "You'd think Master Alvar would have noticed if the other car were back in the garage this morning."

Dave gaped, thunderstruck. "That's right! I never thought of that!" He had a sudden urge to run outside, to check the garage for himself. Was it possible that Alvar and his companions hadn't noticed, or didn't think to tell anyone if they had? It hardly seemed likely.

Balthazar shook his head. "They're not back, Dave," he said. "We can check their rooms if you want proof."

"But..." He felt like an idiot, just standing there open-mouthed. Firmly, he clamped his jaw shut, then nodded. "Yeah. If you check Horvath's room, I'll try Becky's. I'll meet you back here." He didn't want Chandra to know his probable folly.

Becky's bed was as pristine as it had been the day she left for London. There was no sign that her room had been used at all since then. Dave wandered back to the assigned rendezvous point, still stunned, not wanting to believe his own senses. She had been here, only a few hours ago...hadn't she?

Balthazar confirmed what he'd already realized was true. "Not there, Dave," he said. "Are you sure you weren't dreaming? You were sound asleep when I knocked this morning."

"I..." Now he wasn't sure. "It seemed so real..."

"What happened? What did you think happened, I should say? Did they talk to you?"

His face reddened, his embarrassment genuine this time. "Um, I only saw Becky, and...I'd rather not say what happened."

"Ah." His master nodded, and Dave inwardly cursed: why did Balthazar have to read his mind so well?

The older man smiled, which only made the younger more abashed. "Come on," the teacher instructed. "Let's not keep Chandra waiting any longer. I won't mention this conversation if you don't"

Again, Dave marveled. He'd underestimated Balthazar again. "Thanks," he muttered, and they continued on their way to the study. Sometimes, it wasn't so bad to have a friend who could read your mind.

The final phone call came in the last week of August. "Tomorrow?" Dave asked again, just to be sure. "You're coming home tomorrow?"

"Yep." Becky sounded tired but satisfied. "We've got the staff in place. It reminds me a little of the radio station where I worked before, only now I'll be able to hear musicians live."

"Oh, good. That's cool."

"Yes, it is," she agreed. "It's like a dream come true for me, Dave. You've got to come for a tour sometime."

"Sure."

"Dave? You don't sound very excited. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He shrugged, even though she couldn't see it. "I was just hoping you'd be...well, more excited about seeing me again. I've missed you a lot."

"I miss you, too," she replied, but it seemed to Dave that it was an automatic response. "You're just not the only passion I have in my life. I thought you knew that."

"Yeah, I do, but..."

"We'll talk about it later, when I get back, okay?"

"Okay" He couldn't think of anything else to say, so he handed the phone back to Balthazar.

"I give up." Chandra slapped her palm down on the study desk, and Dave jumped in his chair. "You're just not into it tonight, are you?" she accused him. "I've had to repeat half of everything I said to you, and you're not giving anything back."

"Sorry," he answered. "I guess you're right."

"This is your project, remember," she went on. "If you're not going to work on it, then I might as well call it a night. I do have other things I could be doing, you know."

He sighed. "Yeah. I'm a little distracted."

"I can tell."

"Well, go ahead, then. You might as well go do something else. I'm totally useless tonight. Thanks for putting up with me this long."

She nodded. "You've forgotten how to control your emotions, I see. You didn't have enough Morganian training. Well, that's all right. Your girl probably likes you better this way, anyhow."

"I don't know, Chandra. I don't really know what she likes."

The former Morganian had no reply. However, she knew someone who probably did. She went to give Balthazar a message.

The master sorcerer sank into a red leather chair in a corner of the study. "Whew," he began, and his tone backed up his words. "That girl is pushing me to the limit, Dave. She seems to be trying to cram those two days of missed lessons in with the other four. I don't know if her goal is to impress Horvath when he picks up his teaching duties again, or if she just wants to catch up with you."

"Probably both," Dave sourly replied. He didn't want to talk about Renee, or training, or anything else. "You didn't have to come here, you know."

"Why, did you want to sulk here alone all night?"

"I'm not sulking!"

"Then what do you call it?" His apprentice glared, only to be met with a stubborn stare right back. Balthazar wasn't going to be dismissed quite so easily.

"I'm...I'm thinking," was the only answer Dave could supply.

"About tomorrow?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So, 'thinking' isn't going to solve anything. It's Becky, isn't it? You're afraid you're going to lose her, that she's not going to want you anymore."

Dave closed his eyes rather than let his master see the truth of it. Even that wasn't good enough. With both elbows planted on the desk, he hid his face in his hands.

The question was soft but shocking. "Do you love her?"

The response was instant, and not soft at all. "Of course I do!" Dave was glaring again. "What kind of a question is that?" He waited for a reply that didn't come. Slowly, the anger receded, and the doubts began. He remembered a night not so long ago...

"Ye dinna love her, Dave," Renee had said to him. "Ye canna love her. She's jus' a human."

Was it true? Was he so far removed from the world of humanity that the differences had become too great? Becky would always be vulnerable, always a potential target for sorcerer mischief just to get to him. That wasn't fair to her; and, he had to admit to himself, it was a handicap to him, as well. Wouldn't they both be better off if they went their separate ways?

"Do you love her?" Balthazar had asked. Maybe it was time for an honest answer. "I don't know," Dave finally confessed. "I think so. I mean, she's been practically a goddess to me since I was a kid. She was my unattainable idol, and...she kind of still is, in a way. I still want her like you wouldn't believe."

"Oh, I might believe," the other man countered. "I know about unattainable." They shared a knowing grin. Yes, Balthazar knew.

Dave relaxed just a little. Maybe, just maybe, he was glad that his master had come tonight. "Could you tell me...?" He faltered, then dared to ask, "How do you know when you love someone? How do you know if it's real?"

"Good question," his teacher said. "Infatuation is easy enough to recognize. Your goddess can do no wrong. You worship the ground she walks on, practically. She could ask you to do the craziest, stupidest things, and you'd do them in a heartbeat. You're like a puppy dog eager to please his master. That's your unattainable idol.

'Lust is easy, too. You want her, yeah, sometimes to the point of obsession. You might even have...ahem...certain types of dreams about her."

Dave saw no need to respond. They both knew to what the man was referring.

"Which leaves love. It's not co-dependance, it's not an addiction, it's not just a warm fuzzy feeling."

"So what is it?"

"Love is an action," his master told him. "Continuing action, to be more precise. It's knowing all the flaws in the other person and accepting them anyway. Don't expect to change the flaws if she doesn't want to change. Remember, she's accepting you and all your flaws, too. Love means forgiveness, as many times as necessary, even when you don't think she deserves it." He cut off Dave's instinctive protest. "Yes, you will have arguments, and yes, you will think she's just too stubborn to admit that you were right. She thinks the same about you."

Dave decided to shut up and just listen. "What else?" he encouraged.

"Well, I read somewhere.." Balthazar smiled, remembering. "Love is patient, love is kind, it's humble and considerate and selfless. It doesn't envy. Love holds no record of wrongs. Love is slow to anger and quick to forgive, and it never ends. Does any of that sound familiar?"

"Oh, come on, Balthazar. Don't start quoting the Bible at me now. You're starting to sound like Maggie."

"Hey, you asked. That description's held up pretty well over the years, you know?"

"Whatever. So basically, what you're saying is, you just suck it up, no matter what she does, right?"

"Not quite. The two of you are supposed to be in this together. Yes, it can mean you're willing to sacrifice everything for her, but if she doesn't feel the same way, then your relationship isn't going to work. You might have to let her go...and that's love too, by the way."

"Wow, you make it sound like love is no fun at all. You're making me depressed, actually, even more than I was already."

"Sorry, Dave. It's really not depressing, though; it's just serious business, that's all. When you share your life with another person–I mean really intimate sharing–knowing she's not going to reject you for being who you are, that's an incredible feeling. It's freeing. It's good. It's good to know you're not alone, that you matter to someone, and you get as much joy from pleasing her as you do from anything else in the world."

He was speaking from his own experience with Veronica, Dave could see. Yes, the Blakes were an example of love worth emulating. Slowly, he brought the subject back to himself and Becky. "So...I guess I won't know if it's really love until Becky and I know each other better. Then, if we still want to stick it out, that's a step in the right direction."

"Mm-hmm. I think you've already taken a few steps, though. She didn't have to come with us through the wormhole."

"True." Yes, she would have faced the wrath of the Feds if she'd stayed, and probably had her reputation ruined even if she didn't end up in jail, but still...

"And once we were through, she didn't have to come with us here to England."

"True again." Although she probably didn't see much of an alternative. Better to stick with your friends in a foreign country than to stay all alone in your own. The time difference would have made even America seem like a different country, anyway.

"Stop doubting, Dave," Balthazar ordered. "You're on firmer footing than you realize. She's stayed with us...with you...this long. There's no reason to think she's going to change her mind now. Talk to her. Ask her. And if, after all that, you decide you want to spend the rest of your lives together, that's when you start talking marriage."

"And babies."

"Yeah." Balthazar gave a huge grin. "And babies."

The travelers returned to a celebration. After more than two months in London, a welcome-home party was an appropriate way to bring them back into the fold. From the feast and then cake and champagne in the dining room, they moved to the music room to continue the festivities with dance. Ben, having never experienced a party before, enjoyed it more than anyone else, but no one was disappointed. Horvath delighted his five-month-old godchild with colorful toys and plush stuffed animals he'd bought for her in town. A small orchestra composed of estate staff members played for them all, and they danced well into the night.

The children, of course, thinned out the crowd when their bedtime required them to leave. Maggie took her son away to bed, which left Alvar without a partner. The doctor joined Balthazar by the fireplace, where the other man was also newly solo. "It's good to have a full house again," Alvar commented.

"Even if it's only temporary," his adopted son replied. "Next week, you'll be back to a half-house."

"Don't remind me."

Balthazar smiled. "You'll get used to it soon enough. We're only a half-hour carriage ride away. Meanwhile, you still have Maggie here. You've been spending a lot of time together, I notice."

"Yes." Alvar didn't comment further, but he was clearly thinking more.

"So, is there something you want to tell me?"

His master smiled back at him. "Not yet," he said. "Soon, perhaps, but not quite yet."

"I'm happy for you."

That elicited a chuckle from the older man. "I thought mind-reading was supposed to be only one way, from master to apprentice."

"Hey, I'm not an elite for nothing."

"Well, then, you'd better watch out. Your own apprentice is a Prime. He's going to start reading your mind one of these days, too." Alvar clapped his companion on the shoulder. "I think I'll call it a night now. Work tomorrow."

"Good night, Master."

"Good night, Balthazar. Tell Veronica for me, too, will you? I'll tell Maggie myself."

Dave and Becky were the only couple left. Everyone else had gone off to bed by this time; everyone but Renee, that is. Even the orchestra was finished, for the servants had other duties awaiting them come morning.

Renee's demeanor had changed since the last time Becky had seen her. "You seem happier," the blonde observed. "Are you feeling more like part of the family now?"

"Aye, I suppose," the younger girl responded. "Least, it dinna matter to me so much now."

"Oh? Why's that?"

Renee's green eyes seemed to glisten-with a secret, or with the effects of too much champagne, Becky couldn't tell–and her lips curled upward. "I followed your advice," she said. "I was patient, and I found my Mr. Right."

"Really?" Becky was surprised but excited at the news. "Who is he?" It wasn't Dave, she was relieved to conclude: the other girl no longer showed any undue interest in him.

"You'll see," was the mysterious reply. "Everybody will see, in time. I'll make sure you all get a chance to meet him." With that, Renee left the young couple alone.

Puzzled, Becky turned to her beau. "Dave? Do you have any idea what she means?"

He shrugged, as lost as she. "I have no idea." Then he took her in his arms and kissed her, a long and loving kiss that felt good even when it ended. "Alone at last," he explained.

She couldn't help but smile. "Yes."

He remembered his doubts and questions from the previous night. Now was as good a time as any to reveal them to his lady. "Becky, I've been thinking," he started, "about us, and our future. Together? You do want us to stay together, right?"

Her smile vanished. "Of course I do, Dave. Why would you think I didn't?"

"Well, I know how much this studio means to you..."

She shook her head. "Dave, I expected better of you."

"Huh?"

"You're supposed to be a physics genius, right? You know, one of those super-smart guys that make the rest of us look like morons. Heck, you've made me feel like a moron even before I knew you were a sorcerer."

"I'm sorry..."

She waved him off. "The point is, how come a smart guy like you can't figure out something as obvious as what I want?"

"Um, because you're a woman?"

"Besides that, I mean."

"I dunno. Maybe you should just tell me. What is it you want?"

Becky sighed and shook her head again. "David Stutler, I never thought I'd have to say it. All right, then." She reached up and clasped her hands behind his neck. "Girlfriend. Definitely girlfriend. And someday, Mrs. David Stutler."