AN: I really like this chapter! There's action and some of my favourite characters get a proper introduction here. Looking back, I think this is where the quality of this fic starts to improve, so I hope you enjoy it too!

"Hi, I'm Lord Chronos." The fairy's mouth moved, but his voice sounded telepathic. "Lady Greenwich is also acceptable."

Blue quickly composed himself. "Um, okay. If you don't mind, we're just going to—"

"I mind." Lord Chronos's eyes glowed blue, and the door shut behind them.

Blue breathed. "Can't we negotiate?"

"I really didn't expect the crown prince to be so headstrong," Lord Chronos mused, fluttering up from his throne. "Then again, I never had enough timelines to create an accurate prediction. But you always seemed so submissive, just like mommy." The fairy looked up, his eyes half closed. "How's mommy doing, by the way?"

Vera shuddered. Lord Chronos smirked.

"We just want to get my mom and uncle back where they belong," Blue tried again. "Please. Just let them go home."

"There are much easier ways to accomplish that," Lord Chronos said, his voice alit with incredulity. "You could have just gotten a knife or something. It's not like your father doesn't have any lying around."

Blue clenched his fists. "That's cruel."

"And you're soft. Honestly, I wish I could just go back and fix all the mistakes Shady made with this family, but we've made so much progress elsewhere…" His face clouded in disdain.

Kyle put a hand on Blue's shoulder. "Okay, look. Vera and I just want to get out of here. It sounds like you've all got a lot going on, but the two of us don't have anything to do with it, seeing as we're from a completely different universe called reality, all right? You don't need us here, so we'll just go—"

Lord Chronos laughed. "Ha! First of all, don't talk like you know anything about the universe, because you don't. Second, of course you're important, otherwise you wouldn't be coming here every time you nod off to dreamland, got it? The king stationed here has mental health problems, and you zombies are supposed to be making him better." He finished by raising his eyebrow.

"Seriously, what's with the zombie thing?" Kyle muttered.

Lord Chronos stared. "Ehh? Nobody told you?"

Kyle blinked.

"You're dead! Well, not you, but the you who used that body, anyway. You're only here to make it act like the original. Reanimated corpses, Shady's invention. I think it's easier to just go with 'zombies', though." The fairy flipped around in the air, a knowing smile gracing his face.

"What—"

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you, Uncle Kyle," Blue said, "but Dad didn't think you'd take it too well if you found out that he brought you back to life."

"Don't worry, though, we'll get you and Mom back to heaven really soon!" Emmy piped up.

Kyle sighed. "Seriously? I'm not dead."

"Well, not anymore—"

"I'm not dead!" Kyle said. "I didn't come from heaven!"

"Obviously not," Emmy said. "There are too many problems where you live."

Kyle opened his mouth. "Back me up here?" he asked Vera.

Vera shook her head. "I don't know what to believe anymore."

"This is cute and all," Lord Chronos said, "but I'm still not letting you go anywhere."

"Then I'll fight you!" Blue clenched his fists.

"Really? You may be a prodigy, kiddo, but you're kind of outmatched." The fairy grinned, his smile carving an intense indent in his cheek.

Blue shook his head. "No, we're even. I've got allies, and you're definitely a grass type."

Lord Chronos narrowed his large eyes. His black eyelids gave him a surprisingly intimidating mask. "That may be true, but I'm also a psychic. Haven't you ever heard of brains over brawn?" His eyes shone blue again.

"It doesn't matter. You can't hurt us, because we're too important, but we can hurt you. So let us take the teleporter, or get burned!" Blue's fists ignited.

"Ugh," Lord Chronos said. "None of this stupid rebellion crap would be happening if Shady put me in charge of this family." He flew over to one of the walls and tapped it twice, causing it to flip over and reveal what looked like an intercom. Lord Chronos held down a button and spoke again.

"Yo, Shady. They're up here. Zombies and kids. Bring King Downer with you."

"Argh!" Blue shot a swirl of flames at the fairy, who ducked out of the way just in time. The flames hit the intercom, which twisted into a mess of charred, black plastic. "Help me out!"

Kyle blinked. He… he really wasn't good at battling…!

"Emmy!"

Emmy darted out and sent a Flamethrower at Lord Chronos. The pixie managed to dodge it, his facial expression turning harsher by the second.

"Not a good idea, you two."

Blue growled. "Cover me, I need a quick rest!" He nodded at Emmy.

Emmy spat some more fire at Lord Chronos, which grazed his feet as he flew away from it. "I don't think so. No healing!"

For a split second, the room seemed to go stark gray, and Blue stumbled over, coughing. "I—"

"It's called Heal Block, and it's a psychic technique." Lord Chronos's face scrunched up. "Of course, Shady wouldn't have had you train against psychics, would he? It's just like him to completely ignore his defenses."

Blue glared. Kyle did too, and stood up straighter. "Okay, this is going too far—"

An excruciating, burning headache suddenly overcame him, and he fell to the ground, crying out. Out of the corner of his eye he could make out Vera falling, too, and from the sounds of it, so had Blue and Emmy. It was like hundreds of tiny glass shards were boring their way into his skull, one by one, and then sprouting anew and repeating the process. After what seemed like an eternity, the pain stopped, and Kyle sat up, his breathing heavy.

"Future Sight," Lord Chronos said calmly.

"You weren't supposed to hurt us," Blue seethed.

"I didn't, really. The pain was all in your head." The fairy smiled. "But if you'd like, I can settle this with a Perish Song."

Blue shuddered.

"It looks like I won't need to, though. Daddy's here." The fairy glanced to the side.

Much like how Blue had materialized in the secret passageway, the overlord emerged from a blank segment of the walls, his eyebrows contorted in confusion. Behind him slithered in the despicable shadow creature from the portraits, his blue eye jittering from behind his crimson, jaw-like ornament.

Overlord frowned, staring at Blue, then Vera, then at Lord Chronos. "What are they doing in here?"

"The crown prince decided to disobey his superiors," Lord Chronos said in amusement. "Can you believe it? He was going to bust the zombies out of here!"

"What? But that's not—" Overlord shot a concerned glance towards his son. "He wouldn't do something like that!"

Lord Shade swept around the king. "He was talking to the prisoner yesterday."

Everyone in the room except Lord Chronos shivered.

Lord Shade eyed the room, coming to a stop once he saw the broken intercom. "Did the crown prince also cause this damage?"

The fairy nodded. "Uh huh."

The shadow snickered. "Nice work."

"Like that matters now." Lord Chronos rolled his eyes. "We have no place for a traitor in our army!"

"So we break him." Lord Shade's voice was almost bored.

"Hold on," Overlord said. "There's no need for that! He's probably just… acting out, because his mother is having trouble remembering him and his uncle's—"

"Quiet," both the lords said in unison.

The overlord's voice died immediately and he stepped back, crossed his arms and looked down. Kyle almost felt sorry for him.

Lord Chronos glared at Blue. "Do you really think that he's worth it?"

Lord Shade nodded. "If we're attacking sooner rather than later, yes."

The fairy pursed his lips. "Fine."

Blue's fists clenched in his lap. His sister huddled beside him, attempting to give him some form of comfort. Kyle just watched them, wishing that he had the knowledge or skill to just do something, to help them.

"Overlord of the Orréan Deserts, why don't you return your brother to his cell?" Lord Shade said.

Overlord looked up. "Of course, my lord. What about…" he trailed off, blinking at Vera.

"I think we'll keep her here for just a little bit," Lord Chronos said.

Vera's eyes widened, terrified. Overlord winced.

"Yes, my lord," he muttered, and he walked over to Kyle, yanking him up by the arm. Kyle stumbled with him through the wall and into a different passage, still too fatigued from the Future Sight attack to put up a struggle. Instead, he opted to glare at the back of Overlord's head.

"You're really going to let them do that?" Kyle asked, his voice low. His feet screamed at him for walking across the bumpy surface of the passage, pleading to rest just a little longer. He had done an awful lot of moving around in the last hour, and he wouldn't be surprised if he had developed more than a few blisters.

The overlord shook his head. "He'll be fine. I've been through worse, and so have you."

"He's your son," Kyle said, emphasizing the words, "and in case you didn't notice, you left your six-year-old daughter and your wife in there, too!"

Overlord turned around, yanked Kyle closer and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. "If they disobeyed, then it's what they deserve. Their blood relation to me has nothing to do with that. And my wife…" He drew in a sharp breath. "My wife is very confused right now, and if the lords think that she's better off in their hands, then I trust them."

"You do not," Kyle growled. "I saw the look on your face."

Overlord narrowed his eyes. "I was merely surprised."

"Were you surprised when you told her you loved her?" Kyle said.

His grip loosened, and Kyle took the opportunity to wrench himself away. He stepped back a few paces, readying himself into a battle ready stance and hoping that Overlord would at least take him somewhat seriously. He had only ever managed to beat Kevin once, but with any luck, he'd be able to do it again. The king glared at him, his eyes icy.

"Look," Kyle said, his breathing steady, "maybe this is just a dream, or maybe somebody's slipping me acid, I don't even care anymore. But I've seen you, when you really care about someone. I know you. And I think, if you ever want to live with yourself… You've got to go back in there and stop them from breaking your son. Okay?"

The flame on Overlord's tail flared. "They're only helping him become stronger."

"And how many times did they feed you that lie before you believed it?" Kyle said.

Overlord cringed. He had to be getting through, however little. "You're remembering?"

Kyle scoffed. "I'm using my eyes! But if dead me or whatever told you that before, then maybe you should have listened!"

"Who told you all this?" Overlord snapped, stepping closer. "Blue? Vera?"

Kyle stepped back. "Certainly not you. You couldn't have mentioned it, though? Oh, hey Kyle, just so you know, I brought you back to life? Y'know, even though I never died, but whatever, let's just forget about that part for now!"

"Your memories were gone!" Overlord wrung his hands.

"So you decided to just throw me in jail and forget about it?" Kyle laughed, tail flicking.

"Why don't you try convincing someone they're dead – it's really easy when they insist that they're alive!" Overlord snarled.

"That's just it, you didn't even try, did you?" Kyle growled. "Oh, but you told Vera, because she's your wife, and deserves to know way more than I do. I— I don't even know what I'm arguing here! All I know is that if you're not turning around and saving your family, then I am."

He turned, intending to make a break for it back into the room, but Overlord's lightning reflexes caught his arm again. Kyle's side slammed into the wall, and he could have sworn that even though he didn't hear anything crack, something did. His torso seared in pain as he felt Overlord lean over him, his grip tight.

"I am not letting you die again, Ky," Overlord whispered. "Since you've forgotten, I'll remind you: that's the lord in there, the one who taught us everything we know. There's also the other lord, who's a psychic. Now, please tell me how that matchup sounds favourable for you."

Kyle breathed. "I've had fights with people who've tried to kill me before. I know how to cover my weaknesses. I— I can stall—"

It wasn't like he had much to lose here. Maybe it was naïveté, or maybe it was the fearless rush of adrenaline he was getting from recent events, he wasn't sure. He had to fight. Absolutely. Otherwise…

"Don't hurt yourself," Overlord said. "Just calm down, and it'll be okay. How about— how about I put you in a room instead of back in the cell? And we can talk again, and I'll tell you everything I told Vera, okay?"

Otherwise what was he doing? Dealing with nightmarish thoughts of regret for the rest of his life? He already did enough of that while he was awake. He didn't need anything that happened here to haunt him, too. Blue and Emmy didn't deserve that.

He sighed. As far as opportunities went, now was as good as it was going to get.

"Okay." Kyle relaxed his shoulders.

Overlord stood up straight. "Good. Come on." He loosened his grip.

Kyle whirled around, clocking the overlord with a Mach Punch to the head much like his brother had done to him two days ago. The king was caught off guard and stumbled back a few steps, giving Kyle a chance to back step towards the lord's chamber. Overlord recovered too quickly, however, and he lunged forward with a punch of his own. Kyle shrunk against the side of the wall, ducking away while ignoring his protesting side, and found himself staring down his dream-brother in the hallway, exactly where he started.

…Damn it. He really wasn't good at this.

"Your breathing's heavy," Overlord said.

Kyle swallowed. His chest was rising rather erratically, but it was nowhere near as bad as it would usually be. He blinked. No scars, no punctured lung. Maybe he had a better chance than he thought.

"Don't make me knock you out," Overlord said. He looked legitimately worried that he would have to.

Kyle responded by cracking his knuckles (which he hated himself, but he figured it would annoy not-Kevin more). Overlord growled.

"You can't hit me." Kyle backed up a little bit. If he could play the fight the same way as the time he'd won a few years ago, that was his best bet.

Overlord rolled his eyes. "You're being very childish right now."

"Whatever. I'm not stopping." Kyle inched back some more.

"Fine," Overlord said, his voice dark.

Without warning, Overlord sent another fist Kyle's way, which Kyle narrowly avoided by jumping back. Kyle countered by using the walls as a tool to propel himself forward, aiming for Overlord's shoulder. Overlord twisted, causing Kyle to miss and hit part of the cloak instead, rendering his attack useless. Overlord flicked his tail, and a ring of fire encircled them. There were only a few feet to manoeuvre around in, now.

…Except there wasn't?

"I can walk through fire, you idiot," Kyle said.

"You're the idiot, this is Fire Spin!" Overlord snapped.

Kyle wasn't sure what that meant, but he was pretty confident that the fire still wouldn't hurt him all that much. He backed into it, the flames licking weakly at his fur. His heel hit something invisible, though, and he realized Overlord was right. It was like he was a magnet being repelled from beyond the flames.

All right, then. Fighting in close quarters would be perfect for Close Combat. He started with a low kick to try and knock Overlord off balance, with the intention of leading into two consecutive jabs somewhere on his upper body. Either Overlord was good at predicting or Kyle had moved too obviously, however, since he was promptly blocked and spun into a hold that didn't let him move his arms. Kyle swore.

"You're misguided, Ky. I can hit you, and I will. Just give up before you get hurt," Overlord said.

Desperate, Kyle lashed his tail out, setting fire to Overlord's cloak. Overlord was distracted for a split second, allowing Kyle to spin their positions around again so that he was the one pinning his brother. Feeling quite proud of himself for accomplishing a move like that, Kyle smirked.

"You're underestimating me, Kev. I think I know a little more than I did when I died."

Just like with Little's paternity, if everyone was insisting that he had died, he figured he may as well roll with it. It seemed to work, anyway, since Overlord was trembling. All right. He had this. He just needed to not mess it up. And lie a little. Maybe a lot.

Kyle gulped. If he could pull this off, he'd buy Stella coffee and cupcakes for the rest of his life.

"Hey, Kev, do you know what it's like to be wrenched away from the afterlife?" Kyle said, using the sharper voice he had that Stella sometimes described as a touch too scary. "It's not very fun. Kinda messes with your mental state a bit."

"Ky—"

"I'm not done," Kyle said. "That green guy in there said some things that jogged my memory a little. Said that Lord Shade's the one who brought me back. He's the one who put me through all this pain. Vera, too. Can you believe that? After how we went?"

Kyle could only imagine how he had supposedly died, but judging by Overlord's face, it hadn't been that nice. "I thought… you weren't remembering?"

"Believe me, I was trying not to," Kyle said. "But I guess some things are too painful to forget. I think I should pay him back for it."

"You can't, Ky," Overlord said quietly. "I don't want to see you die again."

Kyle faltered. "I… I won't, if you help."

The king's eyes were cold, sad, and defeated.

"Let me rest in peace, Kev," Kyle said, going back to his normal voice. "Please."

Vera screamed.

Overlord let out a noise that sounded like a mix between a held breath and a dry sob. Seizing his chance, Kyle pulled Overlord towards the fiery boundary blocking off their section of the hall.

"If you care about us at all…" Kyle began.

"They'll kill me," Overlord finished.

Kyle blinked.

"If I care about y— If I care about anyone…" Overlord said, his eyes turned towards the ground. "If I show weakness, I won't be useful to them anymore. They'll… they'll just take Blue and Emmy like they took me and you…"

Kyle growled. "So you're more scared of losing your own life than you are for your kids?"

"That's not— The lord likes Blue," Overlord whispered.

"Yeah, well, I'll bet he liked you too," Kyle muttered.

Overlord scrunched his eyes, and the flames around them disappeared. Kyle frowned, looking from Overlord to the hallway, then back again.

"Just make it look like you beat me," Overlord said.

"How disgustingly cowardly of you," Kyle said, feeling the sudden urge to throw up. He let go of Overlord roughly, and a quick, panicked thought ran through his mind – Overlord could very easily fake him out at that moment, why did Kyle trust him?! But the seconds passed and Overlord remained in his position. Kyle took a breath. Maybe the ruthless really could have moments of mercy.

Then he remembered Chuno and shook his head, striding forward. Overlord didn't follow.

He reached the void that separated the hallway from the chamber without incident, but before he went through, he faltered. He couldn't just walk in, could he? Surely, the second he emerged, he'd be attacked again, and if he was attacked again, he'd definitely be knocked out. It was kind of surprising that the Future Sight attack hadn't knocked him out, actually…

Hold on, there had to be a reason for that. This was one of those things that if Kevin saw it, he'd go on a two minute lecture on how to strategically overcome it. But Kyle was no battler, and he had been very, very lucky that Overlord wasn't in a very good state of mind back there. So, then…

He glanced behind him. Overlord was gone. Kyle bit his lip. What had he said?

One of them… One of them was a psychic. Chronos. But the Future Sight hadn't knocked Kyle out. That meant… That had to mean that despite being in a position of power, he was not very physically strong. And he made up for it by dodging and being strategic. Kind of like… Kind of like how Kyle was himself, actually. And Kyle knew that he went down so long as someone could hit him, hard.

Then there was the other one. The shadow. He had to be either ghost or dark type, right? But… only one of them was weak to fighting, so he had to be careful. Kevin had said that a long time ago, when they were younger. But which one was it? Ghost or dark?

One would go down in one hit, and one was possibly immune to most of his attacks. He could try and Flamethrower them both, but Kyle doubted he was strong enough for that to work. So he was stuck, and he knew it, but… Both of their backs were probably turned away from the entrance. And if he was going to gamble anyway, Kyle figured he might as well swallow his fear and fight. For Blue's sake. And Emmy's. And Vera's.

"Here goes," he said to himself, rolling his eyes at his own rashness.

Slowly, he slipped back into the room, stepping lightly as to not make a sound. Remarkably, the lords' backs were turned away from him. His eyes widened at his own luck. He glanced around them and caught Emmy's eye, and watched her seemingly bite her tongue to stop herself from saying anything. Oh god.

Emmy's eyes darted quickly to her left several times, and Kyle followed her line of sight to see Blue tending to Vera. She was huddled over with her head in her hands, and Kyle figured that the scream must have been caused by another Future Sight.

"The concept of family is really not necessary for our goals," Lord Shade said. "I had no mother myself, you see, nor have I ever longed for one."

"That's too bad." Blue looked up. His eyes caught Kyle's, but he didn't visibly react. "I'm sure if you'd had a mom, you'd realize how much you need her."

"All I have ever needed is power. And that is also all you need. That is all you will learn to want, soon enough."

Kyle's mouth was a thin line. Maybe if Blue distracted them he could—

Lord Chronos jolted. "Someone's behind yo—"

Emmy spat a flame at the fairy, who flew higher to avoid it, twisting around to see Kyle. As soon as he turned, however, Blue threw a fistful of fire at his back and hit one of his wings. Before Kyle could take the chance to do anything himself, Lord Shade had already melted into the floor. Instead, Kyle rushed over to Blue and Vera.

"Are you okay—"

"Don't talk, fight!" Blue ordered, punching the ground by Kyle's feet. The floor rippled briefly before turning back to normal.

"He can appear anywhere, so don't let your guard down!" Blue got to his feet. He shot another series of flames at Lord Chronos, who was struggling to fly again.

Kyle blinked rapidly, his mind blanking. He had no plan, his hands were shaking, and the only thing he could get himself to do was help Vera up. She latched onto his arm and almost pulled him down with her, but Kyle managed to hoist her up as she staggered.

"We should probably get out of here," Kyle said, noticing the various portals and clocks again.

"But which one—"

Emmy shrieked as a shadowy arm whipped out from the wall and grabbed her. Blue slammed his fist at the wall, but the arm's grip held tight.

"Cunning!" Lord Shade said from within the wall, almost joyously. "To think that whiny little Kyle could actually be useful in a fight! I hope you realize that you're playing with legendaries, though!"

"Let her go!" Blue shouted.

Lord Shade chuckled. "Cel, knock 'em all dead with your song, will you?"

"If I must." A dirty glare clouded Lord Chronos's face.

"D-don't you even think about that!" Vera shouted. "If you're so legendary, then you shouldn't have to resort to cheap tricks to win!"

Kyle stared at her, dumbfounded.

"You're fighting a nine-year-old boy, for heaven's sake! Do you really want to admit that you're having trouble beating a child?" she said.

Lord Chronos blinked, then his eyes flashed again. "You want to make it personal, sweetheart?"

"The hell are you doing?" Kyle muttered, backing up.

Vera's arm came up to his for support. "Um, it's called 'Taunt', I think…"

Leaves materialized around Lord Chronos, and Kyle recognized the move as one of Kari's favourites, Leaf Storm. But that wouldn't do much to fire types, would it?

"Really, Cel? You fell for that?" Lord Shade said, his despicable voice the closest to casual that it would ever be. "Don't be an idiot, that move takes a lot out of you."

"I— There's nothing else!" Lord Chronos's tiny fists shook. "I have to wait for—!"

He was cut off by a solid, fiery punch from behind. Blue watched the fairy slam into the wall and fall, motionless. The corners of Blue's mouth twitched upwards for a split second as he soaked in his victory before he turned to Vera and mouthed the words 'thanks, Mom'. He whirled back around and stared down the wall where Emmy was still pinned, trying desperately to pry herself away from Lord Shade's grip.

"Don't be an idiot, my lord," Blue spat. "It's three against one, and we've got the type advantage."

"And I've got your sister," the lord said. "You're very strong, Blue, and I'm quite impressed with what you've been able to accomplish during training, but unless you want to be the reason she dies, I suggest you stop fighting right now."

Kyle grimaced. Hostage situations were never good, and this one… Emmy was terrified, and Blue was probably exhausted from all the fighting he had done. But they were so close…!

They stumbled; the floor seemed unsteady. Suddenly, the lord's arm vanished, and Emmy dropped to the ground, free. She scrambled over to Blue, jumping into his arms. Kyle blinked.

"What just happened?" he asked, staring at the wall Lord Shade had just vanished from.

"I think the room moved," Vera said.

Good god.

Vera cringed, holding her head again. Kyle steadied her. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, that was that psychic move," Vera said, her voice very weak. She sent a dirty look to Lord Chronos's unconscious body. "I guess it still works even when they're not able to fight."

"Lord Chronos won't hurt you any more." Blue's voice was firm. "I'll make sure of that."

As if to prove his word, Blue walked over to the fairy and nudged him with his foot. Satisfied with the lack of movement, Blue hoisted Lord Chronos over his shoulder and carried him over to the wall of portals. He frowned for a second before tossing the lord into one of the darker-looking ones. He then brushed his hands together, done.

"Good idea," Emmy said.

"But what if that was the one that goes back home?" Vera asked quietly. Blue's shoulders dropped.

"They're labelled if you look close," Emmy said.

She pointed to a small etching in the wall. Blue peered at it. "Dimension One, UTC negative two, Kyogre. Um…"

"That's… a time zone, isn't it?" Kyle said. "Uh, we're nine hours ahead or something like that…"

"Plus nine…" Blue scanned the wall. "Maybe… that one?"

He pointed to a particularly bright blue portal. Kyle shrugged.

"What else does it say?" he asked.

"Dimension Three, UTC positive nine, Heatran," Blue read.

"That's the fire spirit thing that lives under Stark Mountain, isn't it?" Kyle said, bemused.

"But what does Dimension Three mean?" Vera asked.

Blue bit his lip. "I don't see any other ones that say Heatran," he said.

Kyle sighed. "Then that's our best bet. If it does take us to Stark, I can lead the way back to HQ. And I can call a Pidgeot for you, I guess." He glanced at Vera.

"Oh, um, thank you," she said.

"We're going with you," Blue said. "Even if it's not heaven, it's got to be better than here."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. It is."

Blue smiled. "See you on the other side, then."

Emmy climbed onto her brother's shoulders, and the two of them hopped into the pool of blue light. Kyle raised an eyebrow and started to make his way into it himself, but Vera tugged at his arm, stopping him.

"That was pretty crazy, huh?" A breathless laugh escaped her.

Kyle shrugged. "Yeah, it's up there."

Vera beamed. "I really appreciate what you did for me."

Kyle stared. "Uh, I really didn't do much…"

"You came back, and gave Blue the chance he needed to win," Vera said. "That was pretty important, if you ask me."

Her fingers trailed across his arm. Whoa, wait—

"If you're not busy, you know, when we get back, maybe we could— I mean, for our son's sake…"

Actually…?!

She took a deep breath. "Maybe just, start over, and try again the proper way? It's just, you're really incredible…"

Her fingers grazed his neck and he shuddered. Her eyes went wide, and she pulled her hand back as if she'd been burned.

"Look, I— Let's talk about that later, okay? Right now I just want to go home."

She nodded, looking away. "Right. I… right."

He swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped into the portal, with nothing left to lose—

And he was spinning, twisting in circles. He'd lost his grip on Vera and he was plummeting down a deep, blue spiral, and he wondered in his delusion why the hell he'd thought that walking right into some unknown substance was a good idea, and he—

He blinked and he was back on his couch, curled into a little ball with his tail wrapped around his legs.

Stella looked up from beside him. "Oh, hey, sleepyhead."