Last time: Polly received a phone call from her estranged ex-husband Nigel. Nigel explained that he recognised the creatures appearing in America and knew of someone who might know what was happening. He and Polly put their differences aside and went to collect Lizzy, Mickey and Natalie. Annabella and Janey were later rescued by Lizzy. Together the group drove into the city. There is no sign of any people on the streets (though some were spotted hiding in homes.) The gang began to walk to the university, where Nigel's friend was waiting for them, but they were attacked by a witch who smelt 'elf' on Lizzy and Natalie. Before the witch could attack them, the elves (including Mina, the blonde haired elf, and Titus, the dark-skinned Roman child) appeared and tore the witch apart as punishment from Freyr and Freya for practising magic. The gang ran on, and bumped into Fred. Initially Fred is cold and even cruel, but after some pleading by Lizzy, he recognises Natalie and remembers his role as her imaginary friend. To Lizzy's horror, he does not remember her at all.

And now...

"Wait a minute," cried Janey, "this guy is Fred? This guy? Seriously?" she looked about her wildly, "he looks...he looks like just a normal human! I thought he was some magical thing! Y'know, like a little gremlin or something!" She suddenly blushed as she remembered that day in the office when she had pushed him out on the wheelie chair. Had she been speaking to his lap? Oh god...

She turned to Lizzy, who was standing in stupefied by her own feelings of misery, "why didn't you tell me he was a man!" She shrieked.

Lizzy looked at her blankly. Janey shook her shoulders, "I spoke to his penis you dolt! Oh god, I'm embarrassed myself in front of your imaginary friend..."

"I am magical, for your information," smirked Fred, ignoring most of Janey's rant, "not 'imaginary.' I'm Drop Dead Fred, and I can do the sort of stuff you losers could only dream about!" He sniffed Natalie suddenly and added, "You smell funny Nit-Head."

"The scary old witch said that I was an elf," grinned the little girl in a clear, confident and loud voice. Mickey gaped, looking hurt and amazed at once. Natalie rarely spoke to him, and when she had it was quiet and reserved.

"That's weird, maybe it's because you're with me so much." Fred continued not noticing the wide-eyed adults around him, "ha-ha, I'm making you stink!"

"That means you stink too Fred!"

"I do and I don't care!"

"Ok, I'm done with this," Polly held up her hands in annoyance, "this thing already ruined my daughter and ruined my life in so many ways I can't see how having him hear making stupid conversation with a small girl is going to make things better for us. Nigel, please just take us to your friend already!"

"Yeah sure," answered Nigel vaguely, staring at Fred in wonder, "please, Mr Fred, come with us."

Fred nodded, though he seemed a little put off by having Nigel speak directly to him. Holding Natalie close and trundled along behind the rest of the group, he and Natalie talking animatedly in a childish manner the entire time.

"It'll be useful having him with us," he murmured to Polly, who looked scandalised at her ex-husband inviting the creature. "We've seen what damage these elves can do, and that there are other monsters here like the witch. We've essentially got a tame elf on our side; I think it'd be best to keep him with us."

"I would hardly call him tame, but fine," she bit back, "however if a witch or any other thing comes for us, I'm literally going to throw him at them and run to save myself. He can survive on his own."She looked behind her to Lizzy, and then further back to Fred and Natalie at the rear. Her eyes narrowed as she looked back forward, "he's just what I expected, loud, annoying and obnoxious. He turned Lizzy away from me, twice!"

"You ruined the relationship yourself!" snarled Nigel.

"What would you know? You left! Fred undermined me, and so did you. I was always made to be the bad guy, when all I tried to do was my best. I didn't want her being weird."

"She wasn't..."

"Yes she was!" Polly hissed, "she was and don't deny it. That boy Mickey was her only real friend. Having Fred made her strange, he was a curse but everyone acts like he was a blessing. I can't stand it, it's like I'm the only sane person in a nut-house!"

Nigel disagreed with her, but decided to follow his old way of dealing with her by ignoring her ranting and keeping his mouth shut. Once Polly believed something it was very difficult, if not impossible to change her mind. As long as she wasn't going to get rid of Fred, Nigel could put up with her hatred of him.

Meanwhile, Mickey sidled up next to Lizzy, who was focusing her mournful gaze onto the ground.

"So...that's Fred huh?"

"Oh, yeah..."

"He's..." Mickey looked back at the red-head chattering away to his excitable child, "He's great with Natalie. She's not been like that with anyone for years...even me...she...she hasn't talked to me like that in years."

Lizzy, suddenly realising Mickey's feelings reached out and took his hand. "She loves you Mickey, no one will ever replace you as her dad. It's just, Fred is like her. He acts her age and he gets her humour in a way no adult could. That's all. But when she out-grows Fred, and she will, you'll still be there for her. Fred will go away eventually, but you're her constant."

Mickey squeezed her hand back in gratitude before continuing, "I'm surprised by him though. He isn't what I expected. I mean, I knew what he would look like because I saw him in the mirror that time, though-" he was going to add that he never expected Fred to be as good-looking as he was, but decided that would sound weird so instead said, "I always imagined Fred would be jolly. But he isn't friendly at all. I mean he's actually pretty hostile, I can't believe he was your childhood friend, you are so sweet."

Lizzy smiled, "I think maybe he said and did all the bad stuff I secretly thought about; it's like he indulged my angry side. I've told you before, that wildness about me you liked wasn't really me at all. It was Fred. He was sort of Ying to my Yang."

"And what about those other elves?" he pushed, looking increasingly concerned, "you saw what they did to that witch. Fred's one of those things! I dunno, you make him sound like a mischievous child, and I always bought that, but...but... I'm a little nervous around this guy Lizzy! I mean I don't want to say that I agree with your mother, but maybe she did have a point. What if he is dangerous?" Mickey gulped, "what if he does try to steal Natalie away from me?"

"Fred's not evil," Lizzy said wearily, "he's just anti-social and weird. He doesn't like adults very much I don't think. He doesn't remember me and so look how he's talking to me now. I've never had that from him before. I mean we argued a lot, but I've never been dismissed by him. It hurts..." Mickey let go of her hand, causing her to look at him and notice that he looked angry and frustrated again. "What? What is it? What did I say wrong Mickey?"

"Lizzy, do you think your old friendship with a...a... man-child, is as important as my daughter possibly being stolen, or liking a sociopath more than me?" He brushed a hand through his hair the stress of the relationship and the last couple of days bearing down upon him. "Jesus Lizzy, I care about you, I love you, I do, but you're so self-centred-"

"I didn't mean for it to come out that way!" she cried, "I didn't mean it like that. I was just...I was just sharing with you. I care about Natalie and I-"

"And yet you just brushed off my fears like they were nothing. Oh he isn't dangerous, he isn't evil? Have you noticed his clothes? He's covered in blood and dirt! Who knows what he was doing before you kicked his brain into remembering Natalie? He was also destroying that car a few minutes ago. What if there were people inside it? That means he could have hurt or killed them as well, just like how his friend ripped apart and ate that old lady back there!

"Yes I know she was a witch but it hardly makes it less frightening. But you just brush off that fear and start going on about how much you miss him and how much it hurts that he doesn't talk to you in the same way!" he paused before adding, "What kind of relationship did you two have anyway?"

"What? Where is this coming from?" They stopped walking and Lizzy crossed her arms, "what are you accusing me of now?"

"Look at him Lizzy! When you used to talk about him, I always imagined him as this cute little hobbit thing with a mischievous grin, but that's not it at all. He's a grown adult, and he's..." Mickey blushed, feeling stupid for saying what he was thinking but deciding not to ignore it like before but to just say it, "and he's good looking, despite the goofy hair and clothes, you two met as adults, so maybe you like him as something more than an old childhood friend."

He looked at his small girlfriend to see her gaping at him in disgust. Shaking her head, Lizzy stormed ahead to join her mother and father. Mickey gulped and considered going after her but Janey suddenly tapped him on the back.

"We heard you both arguing," She said, Annabella at her side, "are you guys ok?"

Mickey nodded and forced a smile, "yeah, we're ok; I just don't think Lizzy is as invested in us as I am."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, me too..."

Annabella, seeing the Janey and Mickey staring at each other with mutual feelings of affection, smiled softly before running ahead to join the Cronins. Better leave them alone. It was a shame on Lizzy of course, as Annabella knew her husband had left her previously, but that led her to believe that maybe Lizzy didn't take care of her lovers well enough. Janey deserved someone kind of sweet-natured anyway.

At the furthest end of the line was Fred walking along side Natalie, the little girl allowing a skip in her step now and then. Despite the horrors she had witnessed and the destruction all around her, she now had Fred, and that made everything much better. She felt as if a terrible weight had been lifted from her and she could finally be happy again.

"Why are you smiling Fred?"

"Because I can hear that I am making people jealous with my amazingness," he said smirking, "but who cares. Where are we going?"

"To see some guy," she sighed, "I don't really know. Adults don't tell you much. But I got salt to scare the monsters and sugar to make the nice ones happy."

"Well done Nit-Head!" he cheered her.

"We're kinda far away from everyone else; shouldn't we go closer to them? Now they can see you, you can meet my dad! And Lizzy, she says you knew her when you were little!"

"I don't remember her," said Fred tonelessly, "I don't care. I like you Natalie. It's all about you. Let's keep away from them. All they do is argue and backstab each other anyway. "

"But they're nice!" she insisted.

"No adults are nice Nit-Head, not really."

"My dad is," she insisted, "and so is Lizzy."

"Well, if they are so nice why are they hurting each other's feelings now?"

Natalie looked behind her to see that they were no longer walking together, that Lizzy was walking with her mom, dad and the tall, blonde lady, but her father was now walking with Janey.

"Did they have an argument?"

"Yep," Fred said in a matter-of-fact tone, "but don't worry, we'll never argue. I never argue with children, children are too awesome."

Natalie took a hold of his hand and kissed it quickly, causing him to make disgusted noises, but Natalie just giggled. Ok, so her dad and Lizzy were fighting. Maybe Fred was right, parents just argued a lot. As long as they stayed together and she had Fred though...then none of that mattered.

"Fred," she began.

"Yeah...?"

"Why did you give me the necklace?"

"What necklace?"

She leaned forward and tugged out the dark emerald necklace to show him. Fred touched it curiously but as soon as his fingers brushed against the talisman, he hissed and pulled his fingers away. A strange look came over his face, making Natalie frown.

"Mmm, hmm, yep..." he said insensibly, "aaah...hmmm...I'm not sure why I gave that to you... Errr, it hasn't been playing up has it?"

"Some weird stuff happened. I flew up in the air. The wind picked me up. Some lady said it was the necklace's fault."

Fred was silent for a little while, a rare occurrence, but finally said, "Well, just keep it for now. Ok? Just keep it hidden. But don't worry; you'll be safe now that I'm here." He then sniggered for a little while in a disturbingly childish manner.

Natalie decided to drop the subject, her thoughts focused on trying to work out what exactly was going on. Adults were bad at telling kids the truth and for the first time, she wondered if Fred was as guilty as the rest of them for being secretive.

Would Fred do something that put her in danger?

She couldn't imagine that he would- at least not on purpose. The monster in her room had tried to take the necklace, but it had forced it away. Perhaps the necklace was protection?

This led her to another burning question.

"Fred? Why did you go away for so long?"

"When?"

"After you told me to put stuff in front of my closet, you disappeared for ages afterwards, where were you?"

Fred paused for a moment, trying to think back. He didn't have a good memory; his mind was fragmented and broken, but Natalie sounded so upset, and it made him sad to think he might have let her down by abandoning her, albeit temporarily.

He remembered standing with the others in Otherworld. He remembered that the skies were not blue- they were black. He remembered a cavern...and little pixies...he remembered stamping on them...he saw the Twins...as children and then as adults...the giant black throne with a white haired goddess upon it...

"Nerthus?" said Natalie suddenly, waking from his thoughts, "what's a Nerthus?"

"Did I say that?"

She nodded.

"Ah...well I don't know. Ignore me," he shook his head, "I'm sorry, it's too hard. I'll try to remember Nit-head, but right now I don't know."He looked around at the adults milling about him and the ruins of the city. "I don't really know why any of this is happening."

Natalie frowned at him. He seemed strange. It wasn't completely unusual for Fred to have blips of adult-like awareness, moments where he would see and talk to her as an adult would a child. But he always reverted back to type.

However, this time, before Fred could brush off his grown-up persona, the ground beneath them all began to tremble.

"Oh god!" shrieked Polly, "what now?!"

Annabella looked up and saw in an alleyway the writhing of black, oily, shadow-like tentacles. She let out a horrific scream that ripped her throat.

Fred suddenly laughed maniacally, the laugh tinged with fear and madness, "not 'oh god', more like 'oh goddess!'"

A.N.- A massive thank you to all the reviews and support I've received in the last few months. I'd also like to apologise for the lateness of the up-date. I was struggling with the story, and then, just as interest began to peak for it, I suddenly lost all inspiration. I knew what I wanted to write, but it wasn't coming out correctly. Anyway, I've re-read the story, re-read my initial plot ideas and watched the film again all to push myself into continuing the story. I hope you all liked it. Please review if you have any thoughts or theories, or pm me if you have any concerns or queries.