There had been an amazing storm through which the captain didn't think his crew would make it through but they all had. Neverthless, the day had passed very slowly for Sinbad who could only think about one thing: his next night session with Malika. He was more than curious to find out what that amazing little girl had in store for him. She knew how to help him open his heart, she'd help him find Maeve and Dim-Dim. His heart raced at the thought of Maeve. He would be able to see Maeve again, to hold her and maybe even kiss her (if she let him).

The night finally came and Sinbad went back to Malika's cabin. As the previous nights, he found her in the same spot on her bed, in the same position and just like the last night, she turned to him expectantly when he walked in the room. Everything was silent on the ship except for the occasional wave hitting it.

Malika motioned to him to sit down beside him. He did as he was told, his legs suddenly weak.

"Are you ready?" the child asked him.

"I'm ready."

"I really have a feeling we will go a bit further tonight, especially if you did your homework."

Sinbad nodded even though he wasn't quite sure which homework she was talking about.

"Would you sit like me, please?" Malika asked him. "Legs crossed, hands on your knees."

Sinbad did as he was told. It felt weird to be following someone else's orders for once and Sinbad wondered if that was how his crew felt whenever he told them what to do. But what felt even weirder to him was following a child's orders. He tried to imagine how his crew would react if he would suddenly put Malika in charge of the ship. He tried his best not to laugh at the thought.

"Let's start from where we left off last night. I want you to tell me how you feel about Maeve?"

Sinbad took a deep breath. There would be no sort-of's tonight.

"I love her. I love her with all my heart."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Malika smiled.

"The next step will be a bit harder so you'll really need to concentrate. Have you ever meditated?"

"No." Sinbad admitted almost shamefully.

"Meditation is a great way to relax. My dad used to make me to do it all the time back in the village. You know, when I got too excited. It seems easy but it's not as it seems. You need to close your eyes and try not to think about anything."

Sinbad did as he was told. He closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind. She had been right. It was difficult. Every time he thought he wasn't thinking, he would start thinking again. He sighed in frustration.

"Malika, it's not working."

"I told you it was going to be hard. Try again. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Forget that I'm even here."

Minutes passed by and soon turned into an hour. Sinbad tried his best not to get frustrated but this was getting annoying. Finally, he felt his mind go blank. It had finally worked. He felt all of the muscles in his body decontract and he felt like he was barely breathing.

"Now, Sinbad, I want you to concentrate on memories."

Her voice was soft and quiet. She was whispering.

"Try to think of all the things that has happened to the two of you."

As if they had been waiting for ages, memories came pouring through his mind. Just like a very quick clip of snapshots, he saw the first time he met her, the feeling he felt when Dim-Dim ahd told him her wounds were as deep as his, when Vincenzo had turned her into a statue, how he hadfelt when he had first seen her in a dress, the giant goat, Dermott, the Vorgon, the night she fell overboard. All the images flew in his mind. Then he remembered the small things: the way she made him feel when they were together, the stomach-flipping he felt every time he would look into her eyes and even the way her hair flew in the wind.

Malika smiled. She could tell by his expression that it was working. She closed her eyes herself and concentrated on penetrating his thoughts. It was harder than she had expected and had to try several times before she actually succeeded. The third step was now completed. Two more and they would be done. Malika got excited.

Sinbad, listen to me. Stop reminiscing for a second.

The memory in Sinbad's mind froze.

Pick one memory, the less fuzzy one. Concentrate on really remembering. Remember as much as you can about her. Try to get a clear picture of her in your mind.

Sinbad did as he was told. He decided to take the memory of the first time they met. He remembered how tall she had seemed standing over him, how her red long curly hair was flowing in the wind, her eyes, her lips, her face, her clothes. Everything. But there was something he couldn't quite remember: her beauty.

It suddenly became really windy in the cabin. The spell was starting to work but it still wasn't enough.

It's not clear enough, Sinbad. You have to remember more than that.

I can't.

Yes, you can. I know you can. I did it and I was only three years old at the moment. You're an adult. If I can do it, so can you. Remember HER.

I'm trying.

Try harder.

He tried harder but it still wasn't working. He was getting frustrated. He would never be able to remember her beauty. It had been too long since he had seen her. He didn't think he would ever remember how beautiful she truly was.

Don't get mad or the spell won't work.

Malika took Sinbad's hand in hers.

Remember HER.

The image hit him like a huge tidal wave. He saw it, what made her beautiful in his eyes. It wasn't her face, it wasn't her hair although her looks did help a lot. It was more who she was. It was her stubborness, her jealousy, the know-it-all attitude she sometimes had, her nurturing nature, her independence, her courage. She was an extraordinary woman and Sinbad had never gotten a chance to really tell her.

Then it happened. Sinbad felt as though he had been lifted off the ground and been thrown into a warphole. He felt himself spinning, so much that he began to feel nauseous. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to ignore the movement.

It stopped as suddenly as it had started and when Sinbad opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a garden. Where were they? He turned to face Malika, who was standing beside him.

"Welcome to your heart, Sinbad." Malika announced proudly as she looked around.

"What? We're in my heart?"

Sinbad was surprised.

"Yes. This is a special place in your heart where you keep all of the people you care most about, both the living and the dead."

"But Maeve isn't dead, right?" Sinbad asked, suddenly scared.

He wasn't sure he could handle the truth of her being dead, especially after thinking and convincing himself that he could still save her.

"You could say she is but you could say she isn't. It all depends on what you choose to believe."

Sinbad nodded, still a bit unsure.

"If we're in my heart, how come you're here too?"

"You let me in your heart tonight, Sinbad. That's why I'm here with you."

She smiled at her captain.

"Besides, you would need me to come back from here." She added on a amused tone.

Sinbad chuckled.

"What do we do now?"

"Let's go for a walk and see who we might meet."

They walked around for what seemed to be an eternity and Sinbad wondered how big was his heart. When he had asked Malika, she had simply told him that it depended on each person and that since she didn't know him that much, she couldn't tell how big his actually was. Sinbad decided that it all depended on how kind a person truly was and Sinbad felt guilty. His heart had probably shrunken since Maeve had disappeared.

As they walked, Sinbad met up with a lot of people from his past: lost friends, lost family members including his own parents and even lost crew members. Everybody who Sinbad had cared about were here and he was more than happy to see them all again. If only he had known about this place before, he would have came more often. Sinbad noticed that Maeve and Dim-Dim were nowhere to be found. They kept walking. Maybe they'd see them eventually.

The gardens were really beautiful, so full of flowers, trees, butterflies, birds and small animals. The sky was blue and cloudless, the sun was shinning bright. Sinbad breathed in deeply.

"It's so beautiful here." He said.

"It's not always." Malika replied, as her eyes distractidely followed a squirrel running a tree.

"What do you mean?" Sinbad asked, intrigued.

"Whenever you are sad or aching, this place turns very cloudy and rainy. When Maeve did, your heart became very stormy. It rained for months and the place even flooded."

"Who told you?"

"Maeve."

"But you said earlier that she hadn't died."

"Sorry, I didn't choose my words wisely. When Maeve disappeared, this place was very stormy. Dim-Dim also said..."

"You spoke to Dim-Dim?" Sinbad said, cutting her off. She had spoken to Dim-Dim?

"Only once." Malika replied, defensively. "He was present with Maeve one night. Nice man. I would really like to meet him."

Finally, they came to a halt in front of a mirror. Water ran through it instead of glass, the sun reflecting on its wave. Sinbad squinted.

Sinbad looked at Malika and smiled at her. He turned around and crossed to the other side.

He crossed on the other side to find it empty. Nobody was here except for the occasional bird or animal who had gotten lost on their way. He had been about to turn around when a noise caught his attention. Looking around, he spotted someone sitting on a big rock, far away in the distance. He couldn't quite make out who it was though he had a faint idea. His heart started to beat faster as he started walking towards the rock.

As he got closer, the person grew clearer. He immediately recognixed her. He began jogging. As thought the person had been expecting him, it got up. He was so close yet he felt so far away. The person took a few tentative steps and in a second, Sinbad was at her height. He took her hand. It felt warm.

"Hi." Maeve said, softly, her eyes never leaving his.

"Hi." He replied as softly, not letting go of her hand.

"It took you a long time to look into your heart." She said, grinning. "Was it because you hadn't know where you had last left it? Like say, perhard, on one of those girls' nighstands?"

"What girls?" Sinbad asked, letting go of her hand but knowing fully well what girls she was talking about.

"The ones you've been sleeping with over the last few years."

"Oh Maeve, come on. It was all in the line of duty."

"Sure it was."

"What? It was."

"Uh-huh?"

Sinbad only smiled. He was too happy to carry on that argument.

"I'm so happy to see you."

"The feeling is mutual."

They looked at each other for a while.

"Come on. Malika is waiting for us." Maeve said, taking a hold of Sinbad's hand.

The couple walked back to the other side of the mirror to find Malika still waiting for them, laying on her back and looking at the sky. Her eyes fell on them the second they appeared at her side and she stood up. Malika led them back to the spot where she and Sinbad had landed.

As they walked, Sinbad casted glances at Maeve. He couldn't believe that she was actually standing beside him. He had missed her so much and now she was with him, her hand in his, as they walked in silence.

Sensing his gaze, Maeve turned her head. Their eyes locked and they both smiled.

Malika stopped in her tracks, followed by Sinbad and Maeve. The three of them turned to face one another.

"This is the final step, Sinbad. It's the easiest yet the hardest one of all. You got to let go of Maeve."

Sinbad tried his best not to chuckle. Malika was right for one thing: this was going to be the easiest one of all. His optimistic look on the situation changed but when Sinbad tried to let go of Maeve's hand but was unable to succeed. It felt like their hand had been glued together.

"I can't let go." Sinbad said, puzzled.

Malika giggled.

"Of coutse you can't let go. You got to want to let go."

"What?" Sinbad asked, surprised. "How can I do that?"

"Just try."

He tried again, unsuccessfully.

"I can't."

"Sinbad." Maeve said, desperately. "It's the only way you can save us. Let go of me... please."

She looked into his eyes.

"You got to let me go."

Her tone was sharp. He'd have to listen to her. His heart ached.

"I love you, Maeve."

He felt her stiffen a little.

"I know you do." Maeve replied, knowingly.

Sinbad tried to free his hand. It work. He closed his eyes. He couldn't bare to look at her again. He felt like his heart had been torn from him, thrown on the ground and stepped on. He felt the wind raise and he knew it was going rain. He wanted to leave this place and never come back. He wanted to...

"Sinbad!"

Sinbad opened his eyes. He was back in his cabin.

See you in Chapter 5.