Long time (since I got married), no update (I am sorry for that), but you know what they say: Better later than never. I was joking a year ago that this story will have been finished when I finish university and it might be the case :D

Normal POV

Cathy's house

Elton and Cal were sitting in the kitchen, sipping tea and gazing out of the window. It could be a normal evening if it was not for their blonde cousin who was throwing a tantrum in her bedroom upstairs.

"Poor Cathy, if Danny told her about that one evening, it must hurt like hell," stated Cal compassionately.

Elton sensed an unsaid question from his cousin's utterance. After all, who else apart from him would know what made Cathy so mad? "I would love to know what is going on in her mind, yet I am not able to read it. Something is blocking her thoughts. On top of that, I don't think that she would normally be capable of feeling such wrath that it destroys things in her proximity, it must be all connected to that unfortunate situation they are in."

"Do you think such a strong emotion could kill?"

Elton let out a sigh. "I can't tell... Look on the bright side though - unless she decides to abort the baby, she is out of risk, they can't get her."

Callum frowned at him while thinking it through. "Why? Could you elaborate on that?"

"Well, they took just one soul each time, didn't they? I think that if they could and were able to take more, they definitely would."

Cal gasped at that realization. "And since Cathy is pregnant... they can't hurt her fatally. Why didn't we think of this sooner?"

"You don't see behind the corner. Taking her rage and disillusion into consideration, I bet she is decided to actually undergo that operation."

"Did she consider keeping the baby if Danny was by her side?" Asked Cal. The other cousin nodded.

"The thing is... if we manage to "save" Cathy this way, it is like putting a kick-me sign on already injured and thus weakened Sam. She will be such easy prey that those bastards won't even have to try."

Cal took his time to ponder. "I believe in Sam. I still believe that we will come up with a plan of breaking that algorithm. Cathy's pregnancy is one thing they did not expect and I am sure we will find more ways of being a step further. If Sam can hurt people in her dreams, perhaps she could hurt the aliens as well."

"Poor girl, she has to fight even when she is sleeping... As I think about it more, how about we tell Chris and Sam to conceive and call it a day, huh? Can you imagine those aliens' faces after finding out that they won't eat a soul this decade?" Elton said with a laugh.

His cousin's face brightened. "If our theory is right it could solve the whole situation. Unless the guys are in danger as well."

Their tea party was interrupted by the sound of a doorbell followed by loud and frantic knocking. Both alien cousins decided to find out who the intruder was together. After they opened the door and saw who it was, their initial relief was replaced by denial.

"No... I don't believe that your only motivation to come here was to win Sam's heart over." Grunted Elton at Danny after reading his mind and thus seeing his motives.

*Hey Elton, do not mess it up with your big mouth! This is our chance to save Cathy. What is more, Sam is the only sane person, she must have had her reasons to promise him that, and I am certain her reasons were identical to ours.* (A/N: Cal's thoughts which could be sent to other people are marked with asterisks)

Danny hesitated for a while. "Uhm... I don't want Cathy to be sad, because Sam doesn't want it. She asked me to smooth it out."

Elton was taken aback by how dumb his answer sounded. Even though Danny was not the sharpest tool in the shed, he was not a dummy. "Mmm. You are right. The only way to Sam's heart is through Cathy's heart."

*You love her, trust me. Go upstairs and show her more love than you would show Sam!* Cal targeted his thoughts to clueless Danny for a change.

The scarred teenager raised his eyebrow while being visibly confused by the thought that suddenly penetrated his mind and walked inside. He headed to the staircase and went upstairs without uttering a single word.

"Wow, I am impressed. It is probably the first time that I see you in action." Elton made sure to praise Cal for his abilities after Danny got out of earshot.

The blonde boy shrugged his shoulders. "Let's hope that it was enough to convince him and that our baby daddy is not smarter than we think he is."

Danny went into Cathy's room without knocking. He was not ready to see what he saw. Her room looked diametrically different from what he remembered it to be like. The pink wallpaper was torn to pieces, some furniture was upside down, there was a huge crack in the mirror, and Cathy's various possessions were in unusual places, on top of that, some of her stuffed animals had been decapitated.

Cathy was in her underwear, eyes widened in anger as she was seeing red, hair tousled, she was shaking and grumbling. When she noticed him by the door she took a flowerpot and threw it in his direction with a loud grunt. Danny dodged it by ducking. "Aren't you a fierce girl! I ain't saying that I don't deserve it though."

"Of course you deserve it! Heads should roll for what you've done to me!"

He took a look around and saw the heads of plushies and dolls actually rolling on the carpeted floor. "I get that you hit the ceiling but still, could you calm down for a few minutes and listen to what I want to say, for a change?"

"For a change? As if you ever wanted to open up to me! I would have listened if you had something to say to change the state of our affairs."

Cathy did not lower her voice a bit and Danny raised his in reaction. "I was scared! I wasn't used to confiding in someone, I wasn't used to being emotional. Being in a serious relationship was as new for me as it was for you. Communication was our problem more than anything else. We simply couldn't get on the same wavelength as I needed space and you needed devotion, yet neither of us was aware of the needs of the other. However..."

The blonde girl finally calmed down a little. She sat on her bed curious to know what he will say.

Danny took a deep breath. "... not all couples have to be on the same wavelength, not all couples are pure soulmates that were meant to be together from the very start. We didn't need to worry about it as long as we were happy together, despite being literally from different planets. You've always been a lovable weirdo and I've always been a troublemaker with a heart of gold, we should have known that the conventional earthling relationship isn't for us."

She crossed her arms and frowned at him. "And what do you suggest then? Should I go back to Rapsodia and be with a Rapsodian?"

Danny sat next to her, as her wrath started getting under control. He was not scared of her hurting him. "No, no, no. That wasn't my point at all. I was trying to say that we needn't worry that our relationship wasn't "normal" because neither are we. Every couple should come up with their own rules to make their relationship fit their needs. Our relationship was never meant to be a symbiosis nor a harmony, it was an adventure, and until we started searching for problems that did not matter and occur to us but to the others, we were happy that way."

"I see that Sam infected you with a bit of her maturity and common sense. Love her for a bit longer and you'll be organizing a fundraising event to help the hungry whales."

"I could never keep up with her, I would only drag her down for the sight of short-lived temptations. She needs Chris... he's a helpless romantic, he's shy and obedient, utterly devoted to his loved one. I could never be like him..." Danny pulled himself up short for a split second. He was surprised with his coming back to himself. "But you gotta agree with me that I am far more exciting and arousing."

Cathy shook her head in disbelief. "I was not the one who fell in love with someone else, you don't have to remind me of your qualities and... assets."

Danny had been pondering upon it for a while until he started thinking out loud. "Perhaps I wasn't really in love with her after all. It was just an attraction and a derangement of senses. I hardly ever think anything through and I shoot before I ask. If I took my time to get through that blurry tunnel vision of mine, many things wouldn't happen the way they did."

Cathy turned her head in the opposite direction and gazed out of the window. She stated with a dreamy look: "Yes, if you had used your brain more frequently and opened up to me a bit sooner, things might have been completely different."

"Do you think it is too late for love?" He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently, causing her to face him again. "And by love, I mean the most adventurous and crazy ride you can imagine with someone you will love to hate, or rather hate to love, as the conventional loving for the sake of love isn't for us. Common love isn't our thing, we created something special, something ethereal, and we can have that again."

"I really do hate you. And what is more, I truly love you as well. Is that even possible to be that torn, to feel this way towards one person?"

Danny grimaced. "Well, what did I tell you? I am special, talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique - and so are you." (A/N: Any AHS and Lady Gaga fans here? :D)

Cathy giggled at his list of compliments. "So what now? How do we get out of this mess?"

"Long story short we'll be happy till death do us apart and that little faith growing inside of you will have the craziest parents she could ever dream of."

The future mother felt tears going down her cheeks as well as her lips forming a smile and she could not help doing either. "Who told you about it?"

"Sam did." He remained silent for a second. "Just for the record, she found out only today and told me to deal with it like a grown-up man. I am glad that I have a few months to get ready for that role." He concluded with a laugh.

"You have more than a year to deal with it, will that be enough?"

Danny raised his eyebrows. "I... I know that I have never been great at sciences, but isn't that -"

Cathy interrupted him before he could end the sentence. "We are different species, thus the pregnancy will last longer. I am in the third month, fifteen more to go."

He gasped. "Wow. That makes the whole situation easier for us. We've got plenty of time to prepare and find our way back to each other." He smiled wide. "I'm so happy. It will be amazing."

"Really?" Cathy whispered as if she hadn't heard him properly. He nodded and gave her a peck on the cheek.

...

On the other side of town, under the tree

"Your coming here was not a coincidence, I am sure you are trying to resist." Whispered Sam sadly. She was shaking for two reasons. It was a cold night and she was wearing just a dress with a thin jacket over it and secondly, her hand hurt. She was exhausted and alone, on the verge of becoming helpless. What she needed at that moment was to sink herself in bedsheets, pupate like a caterpillar, hibernate, heal, and wake up like a butterfly. That or to rise like a phoenix out of the ashes.

"You wanted to be taken back to roots, my lovely hacker, and I can take you there. Just to warn you though: the rabbit hole goes quite deep and I need you to fall asleep here and now." (A/N: Chris left a note for Sam written in binary code in the last chapter.)

He set his sight on her despite not being entirely convinced. "That sounds quite scary. Are you going to try hypnosis on me, or what?"

Sam uttered a loud sigh. She came to fight for him, not to give him up, so she closed her eyes and concentrated on her words. "I understand that when familiar turns strange and your mind gets restless, it is never quite the same again. Right now, I may seem to you like a pretty girl that you have no connection with and absolutely no reason to trust her. Still, you wanted proof, a memory, and I can provide you that. The only thing I am asking of you then is to trust me, even if it was just tonight. Could you do that?"

She leaned in closer to him. He remained as he was except for resting against the tree while sitting on the ground. Falling asleep unguarded in the dead of the night was dangerous. Chris had one big advantage though - he was not aware of Sam's plan and thus he did not worry as much as she did. Her plan could backfire nastily, it could make the situation even worse. When she put her head on his shoulder and felt his warmth and scent that was so familiar to her, she closed her eyes and remained hopeful - for him, for them.

When the long-haired brunette opened her eyes, she was pleased to see that the sun was up. She had exactly that day, exactly that scene in her mind. She was standing by the very tree she fell asleep under and saw little children playing games in distance. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, and the air felt warmer, and yet her hands were cold and her skin was pricking from coolness. She knew why. Her body was not present for real, it was just her mind wandering in the realm of dreams. On the other hand, why not stand under the warm sun for a little longer to make her body physically better and warmer in the real world, where she left it?

She came there for a specific reason, to remind her husband of that specific memory. Sam turned around with hope to see his face. He was there, but she did not expect to see him as... a six-year-old.

He was such a small and cute freckled boy. But that means... Oh no. She thought to herself.

"Are you alright, Sammy?" He asked while smiling at her. He seemed a bit concerned at the same time, as she was staring at him in slight horror.

What happens in my dreams has an impact on the future and the present state of affairs. If I am dreaming of the event in the past that had actually happened, I better make sure to not mess it up. If I scare him now, I might wake up without a husband and a best friend by my side.

"Oh, God..." She gasped loudly. She covered her mouth with her now smaller hand. He was starring at her completely clueless. "Are you sick? Should I tell the teacher that you don't feel well?"

"No..." she stopped herself mid-sentence to correct herself, "well, I would rather be home than here. Could you... go there with me?" But did we really go home? I can't remember, I was not on a verge of a mental breakdown when this happened for real.

"I will just go and tell the teacher that I will walk my wife home." Before he could go in that direction she reached for his hand and stopped him. "Please don't. She would not let us and I need you. Let's sneak away." At least we are "married" already.

"Won't we get in trouble for it?" He said quietly. Sam realized that she was holding his hand with no intention to let go. For the first time in the past weeks, she saw him staring at her dreamily and treating her like an actual wife of his, even though it was in a completely innocent and naive way.

"Don't worry. If we get in trouble, I will say it was my idea and I will take full responsibility for it." She gave him a reassuring smile. At that very moment, she ascertained that she could control the outcome of the situation. Even if their kindergarten stampede caused them problems, the little Sam would most likely cover the little Chris either way. Not to mention that the big married Sam was trying to win her husband over, and showing him this type of devotion and affection might make him trust her again.

Her suggestion convinced little Chris of walking his "wife" home, as he put it himself a minute ago. They sneaked discreetly out of the kindergarten premises without anyone noticing them. They proceeded to run down the street to hide at Sam's house. She was certain that no one was home at that time simply because... old habits die hard.

I am quite curious to see what happens next, as this is not how it happened in the first place. It is crazy how much could be gained and lost during this seemingly careless and innocent running away of two six-year-olds that just got married and exchanged their childish vows. It is both a curse and a blessing to be able to rewind these days from the first person point of view. Chris is such a cute cinnamon roll that I have to keep myself back from pinching his cheeks.

Sam recalled that the keys used to be hidden under the flower pot on the porch and opened the door herself. She did not see a single soul in there, so she continued upstairs into her room. It struck her by surprise how different the house looked from its state 12 years later. It was a trip down memory lane that she did not plan at first. The nostalgia breathing from that early 2000s family house was something she enjoyed nevertheless. Sam closed the door behind them right after they entered her old room.

Holy guacamole, this is crazy. I am dreaming and yet, at the same time, I am standing here in flesh in my child shell. I am not even shivering anymore.

She passed the mirror and could not resist the urge to inspect herself a little. She was a cute daisy fresh girl with two long braids wearing a pinafore dress in the most ridiculous color one could imagine. She couldn't help but smile at herself. The whole experience was moving her so far, it was not just the escape from the kindergarten, but also the escape from the sad reality of the world of adults and threats. Seeing the person she loved as a little dumpling again was the icing on the cake.

The now younger brunette could have been daydreaming the whole day, spending it with someone who loved her by building forts, drawing, and dancing. The blue thing about it was that she was not a child anymore and the wicked thing about it was that in the alternative history, her shell and soul would continue living as if Sam from the future had never been there. Sam from the future, however, will have to go back to where she belongs, to a world where she was misunderstood, underappreciated, underloved, and where everything was falling on her head.

A creepy thought came to her mind. What if other supernatural forces mess with my life in the present without my knowledge, just as I am rewriting history right here, right now? When I told Chris that once the familiar turns strange, it is never quite the same again, I did not expect it to strike me instead of him. He is not with me now physically nor mentally, he will just wake up with this one memory embedded in his mind. Perhaps it is about time to make a move.

"Chris, I wanted to tell you that..." She walked away from the mirror to be closer to him. "No matter what the other kids say, you are great, smart, funny, and kind. You are better than you think. Be sure that whenever you feel down and insecure, I will always be by your side to support you and to raise your spirits."

He was surprised to hear all the heart-warming words from his childhood friend. His response was to hug her tight. "Thank you, Sammy, I will be there for you too."

"I am sure that we will get married for real when we are older and we will be best friends for life." She felt like crying after saying that. Their dream became a reality only 12 years later, and it was infected shortly after by another type of reality, the outer one.

"And we will have a bubble tea machine!" Added Chris enthusiastically. Sam found his wish funny as it followed their wedding talk. Men and boys... old or young, all they think about is food. I just hope that when I wake up, I won't have that tea thingy in my kitchen...

Her stream of consciousness was interrupted abruptly by an intruder. Someone walked into the room.

"Sam, Chris, what are you doing here, shouldn't you be at pre-school?"

Sam froze in a way that even her blood was close to stopping circulating through her body. She was absolutely terrified to look up, as it would be like seeing a ghost.

Chris decided to answer for her. "Hello, Mrs. O'Hara. Sam got sick and asked me to walk her home. We are sorry that we left without telling the teacher."

"I see... I will call the teacher to inform her about it, don't worry. Sammy really looks sick." Heather O'Hara was the exact copy of her daughter, but bigger. She had long dark hair, hazel, almost golden eyes, long lashes, dark caramel skin tone, and a slightly athletic but still feminine build. "Sweetie, are you in pain? What is the matter, you look as if you were about to faint! I have never seen you like this."

"I am scared for her, will she get better?" Poor Sam was gazing at the two people who were worried for her - one of them was a grown-up in her world that forgot about her, and the other one had been dead and thus missing in her life for the past 10 years. It was rather hard to process, she was actually about to blackout.

What if I will stay here and continue living like a little girl? I would eventually grow up and perhaps I could prevent mom's accident...

"Mom, I got married to Chris today and I am SURE that you will see me marrying him one day for real." She stated quietly.

Her mom smiled at her in the most precious way. "I am sure I will, sweetie. I wouldn't miss it for anything in this world." She caressed her daughter's hair while saying that.

Sam smiled back and closed her eyes. Suddenly everything was black.

...

"For how long?" Asked John anxiously.

"I am not sure. What I know for sure is that we fell asleep outside under that tree and woke up here, in our house. How did we get here? I have trouble believing that we are a couple of sleepwalkers." Answered Chris chaotically. He was confused for many reasons.

"Sam must have transferred you here in her dream just by the strength of her will, isn't that cool?"

"It is cool indeed, but she does not seem conscious to me, does she to you?" Said his older brother rather ironically.

"I woke her up yesterday just by shaking her... You are right, it does not work this time."

"Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?"

John opened his eyes wide. "Are you crazy? This is alien magic, what would we tell the doctors? That her soul got stuck in Metrix? I hope that we would get a doctor that chose the red pill as well!"

"What are we going to do then? We have to bring her back, her soul is somewhere midway in limbo at the moment."

John shook his head. "I have no idea..."

Oh, that Groove! She finally writes something heart-warming and somehow positive and she has to spoil it with yet another problem... My question is: If you had the ability to time travel and influence the outcome of your dreams would you use it? And what is more, would you be able to return to reality afterward?

Thank you for reading this story and of course, reviews are appreciated and cherished.

Groove xoxo