When dawn came, we still weren't in the Tundras yet, but we were getting close. After we got out of the more populated areas, I decided that speed laws were for noobs and pressed the gas pedal to the floor, so we made much better time than we would have otherwise. Later research told me it should have taken closer to forty hours to get there, but in the end it took closer to thirty. That's just what happens when you hit a good 110 miles per hour (which would have been, uhh… 177 kilometers per hour, I think) for ten or more hours of the trip, I guess.

I drove until nearly ten in the morning, at which point Lindsey and Rudy were awake and Rudy was ready to take over the rest of the trip. I was more than willing to let him as I started to get drowsy and had to suppress yawns.

So we pulled over long enough for me to get in the back with Rajan, who had stayed up with me, and as soon as Rudy was strapped in we were off again, with him taking a page from my book and putting the pedal to the metal. I curled into one of the seats, and Rajan did the same while Lindsey kept to the tech, trying desperately not to look at the speedometer or the scenery flashing by faster than you could look at it.

Rajan fell asleep before I did, tail twitching up onto the seat and the top of my hand.

I pulled my hand away, curling my own tail up around my waist. And then I buried my face in it and tried to breathe slowly. Eventually, an old deep breathing technique dragged me off into dreamland, and I appreciated it.

I knew immediately that this time, I was not Jacey.

In front of me was what appeared to be a shrine for Rioichi Cooper, candles burning lowly. As I blinked a little and dragged my eyes over the rest of the photos and found it was more a shrine to the rest of the Cooper clan than just Rioichi. And based on the view I had of the shrine, I could guess I was kneeling before it. The lack of hard floor under my legs implied I was on a cushion.

"Sly?"

The sound of Carmelita's voice made my body turn, lips pulling into a smile at the sight of her. "Hey, foxy lady." I greeted, somewhat teasingly, "How's work?"

The words were uncomfortable on my tongue, but they came out of Sly's mouth with practiced ease. That's to be expected for someone who appeared to be married to the woman he was flirting at. But that was my grandma.

She smiled at the teasing, but not very brightly. "Oh, it's going well enough. And yours?"

Smile dropping, I cocked my head to the side, "Are you okay, babe?"

Again, the words were uncomfortable on my tongue.

Carmelita seemed to hesitate, chewing her bottom lip and fidgeting in a very un-Carmelita way. She was always so much more confident than this. Was something wrong?

Finally, sighing, she shook her head and said, softly, "Sly, I'm… I'm pregnant."

Shock was the first thing to register. It was almost strong enough to knock me right out of the dream… Probably would have been if Sly wasn't just as surprised as I was.

"Really?" I asked, "You're… You're not pulling my leg?"

She shook her head again, hesitance and discomfort easily turning into something closer to sadness. But it swiftly turned into surprise when my lips turned up in a face-splitting grin.

Then, it faded into something like pleased confusion.

"This is wonderful," I stated as I got to my feet, and all the confusion melted away.

She smiled in return, though it wasn't as intense as mine was, and I pulled her into a tight embrace. Soon enough she was returning it full force.

And the love was uncomfortable enough for me, was overwhelming enough for me, that I was pushed out of Sly's body and just sort of floated off to the side. Just… Floated and watched the scene unfold. They hugged for some time, which wasn't so uncomfortable when I wasn't receiving everything Sly was feeling in that moment―then it was just kinda cute. Hooray, happy couple! You know?

Then, pulling back a bit, they kissed.

And then they kissed deeply.

And I watched, frankly kind of disgusted (because that was my grandparents) until they finally broke apart to smile at each other.

I slid back into first person not entirely of my own volition, but before anything else weird or uncomfortable could happen, the dream began to fade and everything seemed to slow down.

The warm familiarity of sharing with Jacey was a welcome change from the mushy scene I had just witnessed.

For probably the millionth time, I was watching the sun set over Paris. It was as beautiful as it always was, and I had learned not to question how it was never any less stunning than it was the first time. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, after all.

This time, I was not alone up here. At my left was no doubt Damien―who else?―and to my right a somewhat aging Sly. He wasn't elderly, not quite. But he was definitely getting old. His face-fur was more silver than gray, black rings fading into a dark gray instead, and there was the knowledge of ages in those eyes.

"I think I finally understand why you love this view so much," Damien commented, smiling.

I nodded along, having expected this. At my side, Sly smiled in approval. He seemed to almost be supervising us, for some reason. I chose not to dig too far into it, though I knew I could. Jacey's mind was familiar enough by now I could dig up her whole life story and live it out in a dream if I wanted , but instead I took what came to me.

When the sun finally sank below the horizon and the city lights flickered on, Damien seemed… Frankly, kind of dazzled. His eyes were wide and pleased, hand twitching toward mine on several occasions. I just grinned and half-watched him as I looked at the city as well.

Eventually, however, we seemed to sense the need to leave and began to do so. Damien went the safe route, down the fire escape and then off through the streets―like the sensible guy he was. Sly and I went over the rooftops.

My father (my grandfather) followed right at my heels with more grace than his age probably should have allowed. I wasn't concerned, though. If anyone could make the trip home it was him. He wasn't old enough that I needed to worry he would fall.

But…

Then he did.

He curled in on himself, seeming pained, halfway across a gap between buildings.

And he plummeted downward.

"Dad!" I sat up quickly, reaching for him.

But then my surroundings processed.

Rajan was stirring slightly in the seat next to me, and we were absolutely alone in the van.

For lack of any better ideas for lulling him back to sleep, I reached out to scratch behind one of his ears. He purred loudly and curled up tighter, dropping right back off.

As soon as he did, I curled back up myself, fully intending to go back to sleep myself. As unsettling as it was to wake up alone in the van with Rajan, I figured it couldn't be that dangerous. I'd have woken up if there was any kind of scuffling. So it was just a matter of falling asleep.

It was getting… Fairly chilly for me. Not cold yet, just sort of chilly―which told me that Rajan and the others were probably cold. And they'd only get colder the closer we got to the Tundras. I had a thick enough coat to keep me from getting more than just kind of chilly, and if I pulled my jacket on I'd be golden.

Still, I wasn't immune to the occasional cold chill that was more due to nerves than to the actual cold, and I shuddered.

And a moment later, an arm like a steel band wrapped around me. Rajan curled protectively around my back, and I couldn't see him well enough to tell if he was awake or not. I chose to roll with it, shuffling just a little closer―even if I didn't necessarily need the warmth, he could benefit from mine.

Soon enough, I fell back asleep.

I didn't have any more dreams, thankfully. And I was vaguely aware, at some point, of the sounds of the van doors opening and closing, and the van turning back on. Some time after that, the feeling of a cover being draped over us. Rajan didn't so much as stir, and I could feel a draft coming through it. So I groggily pulled it tighter and tucked it around him the best I could before falling back to sleep.

Lindsey woke us at nightfall.