Claire opened her eyes slowly. Bright sunlight bombarded her, causing her to close them again quickly. She moaned softly, the effects of her drinking the night before catching up to her. It had been so nice to lose herself for one night, she didn't care. Today she would stay in bed all day if she needed to. She had no where else to go, nothing else to do. It was at that moment that she felt the movement next to her. Trying to clear her head she opened her eyes. The man, the bartender was still sound asleep. Claire looked around the room, she was not in her room at the Inn. She had spent the night in Hayden, the bartender's bedroom. His house was attached to the bar. What had caused her to act so impulsively? Perhaps it had been his kindness. He had been so kind to her. He had listened to her. When was the last time a man had truly listened to her? She couldn't remember. Harrison certainly had not taken the time to listen to her. Their marriage had been more out of convienience and need for companionship. Neither of them had truly loved the other. Claire felt herself shudder. Why had she allowed herself to get into bed with this man? He wasn't bad looking, in fact he was quite handsome in a rugged sort of way. But this? This was foolishness. Certainly Molly would find out and she would hear an earful from Molly. Although she had to admit they would be an improvement over the silent treatment she was getting from her daughter now. Claire eased herself out of the bed, being careful not to wake the slumbering man. Carefully she grabbed her clothes and slipped into the bathroom.

She was astonished at the woman she saw staring back at her in the mirror. Mascara smudged her eyes in dark circles. Her face was pale, devoid of any color, save the pinkish stain of her lipstick from the night before. Her hair was haphazardly sticking up in places. She rummaged through the drawer and found a comb. She brought it up her hair, quickly dispelling some of the tangled mess. It felt odd being here. Claire got dressed, and eased her way out of the bathroom. The man still asleep. She tiptoed across the bedroom. Taking one final glance at the man, she left.

Hayden instantly opened his eyes the minute the bedrrom door closed. He had been awake since she started getting out of bed. It was clear to him that she wanted to make a clean getaway, and with what happened last night, he owed that to her at least. Claire had stayed well past closing time, and he had finally offered her his arm to walk her to the Inn. Instead of taking his arm, she had thrown her slim body against his, and locked him in a long passionate kiss. He wasn't sure why he hadn't stopped her. She was clearly drunk, and he knew that he was taking advantage of the situation. Even as she was kissing him he had a clear enough head to know that. But it had been so long since he had felt the touch of a woman, and when he tried to gently pull her away, she clung on tighter. It made him think of his wife, the way she would kiss him passionately. How in love they had been, but she had died so many years before, leaving him to raise their daughter Kathy. Since she died, he hadn't looked for any companionship. Last night the culimination of all his lonely nights finally settled in.

He gave her a few more minutes to leave the house completely, before he rose out of bed. He grabbed a pair of loose jeans and shoved them on and headed for the kitchen, he needed coffee.

Kathy stood in the kitchen, she was just starting the coffee pot. Hayden smiled. His daughter was a goddess send sometimes. She was his whole world. When she turned to look at him, he saw the knowing look in her eyes and something else lurking behind them. What was that look? Was it disapproval? Hayden couldn't tell because at that moment, Kathy turned around.

"Coffee will be ready in a few minutes," she stated cheerily. There was nothing in her voice that indicated she was upset. But that was Kathy. She was always cheerful and friendly. Even if you did something that she didn't agree with, she would greet you with a smile. He loved that about her. "Have a good night?"

"Yeah," Hayden replied, he could hear the teasing in her voice now. Perhaps he had imagined the disappointment he had seen earlier. But still he decided to tread carefully.

"Good," Kathy replied. "It's about time you got back out there." She didn't say anything more. Instead she started making breakfast. It was their morning tradition and he loved it. He knew one day that his daughter would find someone to marry and then this tradition would be broken, but for now, he was going to enjoy it.

"I wouldn't call last night getting back out there," Hayden quipped,

"What would you call it then?" Kathy mused.

"I'm sure she'd call it a mistake." Kathy's forehead crinkled. She would do this often when she was not satisfied with an answer he'd given her.

"I don't recall asking you what she'd think," Kathy insisted. "I asked you what you think." A pause, Hayden was not sure how to answer that question.

"Honestly, I don't know," he finally breathed out, because he didn't know what it was. It wasn't exactly a one night stand, the town was too small for something like that, but it certainly had the feel of one. He turned instead to his daughter and plastered a cherry smile on his face. "What's for breakfast?" Kathy gave him an unreadable look before smiling back.

"Pancakes!" She answered, matching the cheeriness in his voice.


Fear gripped Molly as she made her way to Harmonica Town. She knew without any doubt that Ozari had Chase. Wizard was the only person she could think about that would help her. Yesterday saying goodbye to him on the dock as she was headed for Toucan Island seemed like ages ago. She was exhausted from getting very little sleep the night before. While on the path to town she ran into Selena. She had almost forgotten about the conversation she had with the dancer the night before.

"Is my mother really worried about me?" Selena asked timidly. This was very unusual for the way Selena typically acted. She looked almost ashamed.

"Yes," Molly answered. She could see the girl blinking back tears. Molly suddenly felt bad for her. It must be rough for a girl who ran away from her parents to wonder about what her parents thought about her.

"Honestly, I thought she would hate me for leaving the island," Selena admitted. She pulled an envelope out of her pocket. "Will you give this letter to her for me?" Molly stared at the envelope for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, I will bring it to her," Molly informed.

"Thank you," Selena whispered. With that she turned and walked away. Molly held the letter in her hand. It would have to wait. Finding Chase was the most important thing right now. She would go to Toucan Island once she knew he was safe at home.

Wizard could feel her coming even before she entered his house. She could feel the worry in her heart. He felt so connected with her now, but he also knew her heart was not his. It belonged to another. He didn't need his crystal ball to tell him that. He had never felt so miserable in his entire life. He waited at his desk for Molly, she came bursting in the door.

"Ozari has him!" She shouted. He could see that she was struggling to hold back the tears. "Ozari has Chase!" Tears were streaming down her face now. Wizard felt his heart breaking at the right of them. He wanted to tell her that Chase would be okay, but he couldn't.

"We will find him," he answered. Molly didn't seem to hear him. She appeared to be staring at something behind him. Wizard whirled around, but before he could react he was hit with a blast of coldness, then darkness enveloped him.