XXX

Marshall is sitting in a darkened interrogation room as the General and the Soldier look down on him from across a table. "So he contacts me," he continues with big arm motions, "while I'm on the dig site and offers me a cool three million if I managed to somehow slip him the book. He said he had this lost clue that would help me find it before anyone else could. I managed to slip away a lot of moments and started digging in the spot."

"Where does Stevens come into this?" the Soldier asks, almost bored with this dramatic retelling.

"He just approached me one day- said he had his reasons. He knew our mysterious employer as well. I just let him tag along because he was so smart. I never imagined the weasel was a double agent who'd take the book for himself. I've contacted people from my past… but they've had no luck. I can't even get the employer on the phone anymore." At this the General can't help but chuckle. Both look at him.

"I see. You were the fall man."

"Excuse me?" The General leans over the desk towards an indignant Marshall.

"He set you up. You were never employed by anyone but him. You just helped him find what he was looking for."He turns to the Soldier. "Find this guy at any cost. He's much craftier than we thought. But first, lock him up for theft of government property." Marshall is handcuffed as he is forced to his feet and struggles.

"Excuse me?! I helped you!" he shouts as the General starts to leave.

"Like I said, fall man. Who am I to argue with his master plan?"

XXX

Hannah Frost is dresses to impress as she stares intently at her computer. It seems to be going through things rather rapidly before coming to a halt. She sighs and begins typing when suddenly a rattling echoes throughout the room. She turns to see the file cabinet next to Lori's desk rattling. She jumps to her feet and tries to pull is open only to realize Lori still keeps it locked. Desperate, she looks at the schedule on the wall. "Biology lab," she says before taking off out of the room as a glow erupts from the cabinet.

XXX

So follow me down

(Lori stands with the book)
Where to?
Outta this town

(Charlie examines his map)
With you
Girl, you're movin way

(Hannah is typing away at her computer)
Too slow

So follow me down
Which way?
Down, down, down
I'll show you around
Okay
There's a place we gotta go

(The Disney Encyclopedia begins to glow. Lori sighs)

Follow me, follow me

(Lori, Hannah, and Charlie are running through the preserve, freezing once on each of their faces)
Fa la la la la

Follow me, follow me

Fa la la la la

(Lori comes to a halt and both crash into her, sending them all to the ground)

Lori Disney? (Not Likely!)

Episode 8: I Believe

XXX

Lori Fitzgerald, in her typical casual ensemble complete with sneakers, exits the Science Building and observes the other side which is currently under construction. She nearly crashes into a waiting Hannah. One looks at Hannah's expression and her face falls. "Already? It's been three days," she grumbles and keeps walking.

Hannah rolls her eyes and follows. "Well I'm sorry, but apparently you haven't learned every life lesson imaginable yet. Maybe after this one you'll be done."

"Somebody's grumpy today."

Hannah sighs. "I've just been having some setbacks with getting into Disney. This is going to take more time and effort than I almost have to give."

"You could maybe talk to Charlie-"

"That won't be necessary," Hannah cuts her off. She takes a deep breath and regains composure. "I just needed to vent a little right there. I'm fine."

"I'd be more than happy too," a voice sounds from behind them. They both turn around as Charlie Prescott falls into stride, cutting between the two of them. He smiles at Lori. "I knew you'd be getting out of lab so I came to meet you."

Hannah's eyes narrow. "Again, I appreciate the offer, but-"

"She accepts!" Lori finishes. "Alright, homework loads?"

"Done and ready to rock and roll," Charlie quips triumphant. Hannah hesitates but nods as well.

"It can wait until tomorrow. I'll go check the usual places."

"I can do that. I know where all of them are," Charlie offers. Lori halts, already annoyed by the both of them.

"You both go do it. Charlie check the gym, Hannah the cafeteria and the library. Meet me in the preserve if you have no luck. Now I'm going to grab the book." She runs off towards the dorms.

"Alright, everything back to the way it was," Charlie whoops.

"Except for the fact that I'm here now," Hannah counters. "So at least now we'll have a better grasp on the movies."

"I don't think we were doing so badly before."

"Oh no, I'm sure it was great. But we did get Snow White and Hercules back in record time." They both regard one another a moment.

"How about we both just do our jobs?" Charlie finally offers.

"That sounds pretty good to me." They split up and walk away, obviously peeved at one another.

XXX

Lori is walking through the preserve at about six or so with her flashlight. Charlie comes running up to her. "How's it going?" he asks, instantly grabbing the map from her and pointing his flashlight with hers for extra light.

"Nothing yet. Mentally working on what I need to learn though," Lori answers casually.

"So… question."

"It must be really important if you're waiting for me to turn it down before you say it," she snarks at him. He just continues.

"We're not friends."

"Absolutely."

"But is Hannah your friend?" This causes Lori to stop and look at him.

"Look, she's my roommate. That's like a hellish cross between a friend and a sister that is somehow neither." Charlie breaks out into a huge smile as she goes back to searching.

"Good. That's fine." Hannah comes sprinting up, overjoyed.

"Bingo! Folks, we won't have to comb through this preserve today!" They start following her as she leads them back."I was in the library and I heard this group complaining about some bug that has flown into the upperclassmen dorms. I went and checked it out."

"Who is it?" Charlie asks.

"The one the only- Tinkerbell," Hannah cheers.

"Hey! Even I know who she is!" Lori, however, looks less than amused.

"Ugh! She's probably the one Disney character I flat out hate. In fact, she's last on my list of Disney characters." Hannah just looks at her.

"Really? She's like the mascot?" This confuses Charlie, who puts his hand in the air.

"Question- I thought that was Mickey Mouse?" Hannah can't help but shoot him a glare. "I'm serious." Lori seems to be ignoring both of them.

"She's a spoiled brat with an attitude who gets played for all the "sassy" merchandise. The Disney embodiment of magic is a fairy who attempted to have a young girl shot out of the sky!" she rages.

"Well, someone reads into things," Hannah counters.

"That's what we typically do to Disney when we grow up." They arrive at the upperclassmen building. "Let's just get this over with." They enter the dorm and can't help but hide their shock at the scale of the place.

"It's so… big," Charlie whispers. He waves his arms up and down. "I'm not touching a wall right now."

"And it's so… new and smells nice," Lori adds. "This is just weird."

"I know. It takes a minute to adjust to the brilliance," Hannah consoles. "She's in the basement." They start down the stairs to the left of the entryway, Charlie and Lori still taking everything in.

"Wait!" Lori orders, finally getting a grip. "Someone should stay up and keep an eye out." Hannah and Charlie both look at one another coldly.

"You should do it. You're smaller- less likely to be noticed," Hannah begins.

"But you blend in much better than I do," Charlie adds.

"But I would like to go with Lori," she says, trying to appear sweet still.0

"So would I," he counters, his tone getting harsher.

"I found Tinkerbell in the first place."

"I found out about all of this first." The two move closer until they're toe to toe, any hint of civility removed from their voices.

"I'm her age!"

"I'm a boy genius!"

"I'm a girl! Biological similarities!" she shouts, gesturing to her chest.

"I'm a boy! No drama!" he shouts, pointing to his head.

"I know Disney!"

"I know logic!"

Lori finally steps in. "I know that I have a headache. Charlie, be a man and go up there."

"Fine," he grumbles. He heads back up as Hannah and Lori descend into the basement.

"Thank you," Hannah says, back to her normal self. Lori rolls her eyes.

"Don't mention it. I'm serious- don't or I will send you up there with him," she says in her final tone. They arrive at the bottom and walk down the hallway in silence.

"Why was the cabinet locked?" Hannah asks suddenly.

"Excuse me?"

"I know now. You don't have to hide the book anymore. I could have brought it to you. It's like… you don't trust me." Lori turns to face her, eyes narrowed.

"Listen up because I only have the energy to do this once. I'm tolerating you because for some reason you are supposed to be here. But all my previous statements still stand," she lectures and begins counting off on her fingers. "We are not friends. I do not want to be. I don't want you anywhere in my business, especially since you've been having Tyler over."

"He's a good guy! It's been rough for him- all this with Victoria- which is all your fault by the way." They are both cut off as they hear the twinkling of bells. They turn slowly and see Tinkerbell sitting on a doorknob resting. "Allow me," Hannah offers. She walks over and towers over the small, confused fairy. "Tinkerbell, we-"She is promptly spooked and flies off. "Wait!"

"Follow her!" Lori shouts. They chase her back up the stairs. "Charlie! Charlie!" They arrive just in time to see her fly out the door of the dorm as Charlie chases her. He watches her zip off before returning to the two of them.

"What happened?"

"I scared her," Hannah admits, embarrassed.

Lori just stands frustrated in contemplation. "Well… this is just great. Now we have no clue where she could be. This cannot get any worse."

"What are you three doing here? This is for upperclassmen only," a voice says from down the hall behind her.

"Obviously it can." She turns around and gives a fake smile to Ben Prescott. "We actually came to see you."

Ben looks skeptical. "Really… why?" They all freeze for a beat before Hannah smiles.

"Charlie is unharmed! Ta-da!" she says, pushing him forward. Ben just stares at her.

"I can see that…"

Lori claps her hands. "Alright. Well then, our work here is done." They brush past him for the door. "Just when I think your ties cannot get any worse…"

"Hey, this was a gift from my Grandma!"

XXX

Lori sits awkwardly at her desk typing a paper. She hears knocking on the door. She walks to it and opens it to find Charlie, looking a little depressed. "Hey, I'm going over to meet Hannah- thought I'd say hi."

"Well, you seem really enthusiastic," she notes.

"I stayed up late watching Peter Pan last night. You're right. She is a brat- another thing we both agree on," he says coyly.

Lori gives a chuckle. "Go help Hannah, Romeo."

"I'm only doing this for you. She is infuriating."

"Ah, she can't be that bad," Lori dismisses.

This opens the floodgates. "She thinks she's the best person for all this just because she knows some code and is better at Disney stuff than I am. It… it gets on my nerves."

"Just… go in with an open mind. She might just be having a hard time fitting in. She is going to be a super big help though."

"Of course you say that about her," he mutters. Lori just looks at him, serious. "I'll try," he finally complies. She shuts the door with a nod and he takes a deep breath.

XXX

Hannah sits in a nice dress in the lounge on her computer. She eats an apple and just stares at the screen in frustration. Charlie comes in a moment later and sits as far from her as he can on the couch. "How's progress?" he asks.

"You wouldn't understand," she dismisses. "It's complicated computer stuff and though you are a boy genius you are not a computer genius."

"I'm just trying to help you. There's no need to be like that."

"Fine- I'm attempting to hack into the Disney database but there are so many passwords and codes I have to get through. Decrypting it is just taking forever."

"You could do it manually." Hannah gives a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, that would take me my entire college career. Besides, after what happened in the library Lori's getting pretty antsy."

"Why do you think she got the book? I mean we could say destiny, but it somehow had to get to her from someone," Charlie asks, trying to switch the topic.

"I've got a theory or two. I don't know how good they are though."

"Same here. Maybe we could compare… if you can keep up," he digs.

"What so you can take all the credit? Lori would probably just hand it all to you anyway?"

"We are pretty close," he admits. This sets Hannah off.

"You're not even her friend."

"Well, you're her hellish cross of a friend and a sister."

"Watch your language!"

"Okay Mom!"

XXX

Lori is sitting in her room pouring over some homework when Hannah storms in. "I don't know how you dealt with him! He's impossible!" she rages, setting her computer on her desk.

"I don't think he's that bad. I tolerate him to an absurd degree."

"He's being so immature!"

Lori just gives her a look. "Well, he's thirteen. What'd you expect?"

"I expected him to behave like a decent human being."

"I don't get it. You two liked each other. You were nicer to him than I was. Where does this hatred come pouring from? You're usually annoyingly perky and happy. It's really annoying."

Hannah crosses her arms. "I'm not behaving any different," she pouts.

"Oh yeah. You haven't listed a single fact for Peter Pan for me today. Usually I can't get you to shut up about this stuff." This takes Hannah off guard.

"Well… I… he's…"

Lori smiles, smug. "I thought so. Just suck it up. He's part of the package now. We're either going through with this the three of us or you can just go back to sitting at home doing your homework. Just… figure out what you want."

This pushes Hannah's buttons. "So why won't you ever say the same thing to him? I can be removed from the equation but you're a package deal? What's that smile for?"

Lori shakes her head. "Oh, I just figured out the lesson that has to be learned. Oh boy, this is going to be an easy one for me."

"Well…"

"Oh, I dare not spoil it for you. You should figure it out for yourself." This is just about the final straw.

"Whatever. I'm going to visit Tyler." She leaves, slamming the door.

"Have fun. Don't talk to strangers!" After a moment, she lets out a long groan. "I don't know if I can tolerate this much longer." Suddenly, she hears tapping at the window. She turns to see Tinkerbell standing on the windowsill.

"Well, it looks like you knew where you needed to go." She nods, bells tinkling. "You traced the magic." Another nod. She opens the window and Tink crosses her arms and taps her foot. "Hey, I'd love to get rid of you. It would make me ecstatic. But we have to wait for my two companions to figure out they're acting like you at your finest." She glares at Lori. "Oh, it's the truth and you know it."

They sit for a moment in silence. Lori suddenly has an idea. "There might just be a way to speed this up. I'm going to need your help though." Tink gives her a look as if to ask her if she's serious. "Hey, it'll make you my second-to-last favorite Disney character." Lori puts her hand out the window and after a moment Tink reluctantly hops in. "Now you'd better behave or I will make this hand into a fist." Tinkling sounds. "Oh, I am serious."

XXX

Hannah and Charlie sprint into the library to find Lori waiting at a computer. They both give each other a look before turning to her. "Where is she?" Hannah asks.

"I knew you would find her!"

Lori smiles. "Yes, my endless supply of undercover sources has told me she is indeed in this library. I do have some bad news though." She wheels out a suitcase from next to her. "I have to run to Canada- family emergency. My mom should be here any minute."

"Oh no, what happened?" Hannah asks, concerned.

"Family emergency. Unless you marry me or my emotionally deformed cousin you are not a member of my family," Lori artfully dodges with her usual attitude.

"I'll marry you," Charlie offers enthusiastic.

Lori doesn't even waste a breath on this. "I will be back as soon as I can." She hands Charlie the book. "You two have to find her. I don't think the book will work without me, but hey it's worth a try."

"What if it doesn't?" Hannah asks, skeptical.

"Then you'll just have to hold down the fort until I get back. Take care," she waves cheerfully and makes a quick exit. The two watch her go.

"Ten dollars she's just going to the café for ice cream," Charlie finally whispers to her.

"Ah, I think she might just go back to the room and watch a movie," Hannah offers.

"Seriously, we're geniuses. Did she really think that fooled us?" he says, starting to laugh. Soon Hannah joins and they chuckle for a long moment before growing cross again. "I'll look upstairs."

"Yeah. Go for it." They split up. "She'll give you all the credit anyway."

XXX

Charlie comes to the study room upstairs from before and finds it locked. He notices a note taped to it. He picks it up and skims it before going to Hannah, who is combing shelves, and hands it to her.

She begins to read. "'Dear people, I have locked myself in this room and refuse to come out until you two have answered the following three questions. Knock on the door and shout them into the study room where I am. I will then undo the lock and come out willingly. Love, Tinkerbell'" She gives a groan.

"She really planned this out."

"Let's just get this team-building exercise over with." They both go to the door and Hannah flips the note over. "' Can you name one thing you respect about one another?' You go first," she says hastily.

Charlie gives a small smile and knocks on the door. "I respect that Hannah manages to put up with living with Lori. I don't know if even I could do that."

Hannah looks at him confused. "You offered to marry her earlier."

"I'd live at the beach house." This makes her laugh. She knocks on the door.

"I respect Charlie's persistence, even in the face of odds that are a million to one."

"I'm shooting for the one with her. Next question?" Hannah looks back at the paper.

"'Why are you jealous of one another?'" They both freeze on this. Hannah smiles at him "That's the lesson isn't it? We, the geniuses, couldn't figure that out."

"We have been pretty busy being awful to one another."

"I know. I'm sorry," she blurts. "It's just; I've been trying real hard to fit in with this. I mean I want to be part of this. Things were finally working when you just came running back in to steal her attention again. I mean, she obviously likes you more than me."

"No, she likes you more. You can do things with a computer and know so much about Disney that I don't."

"You two are so in sync it's infuriating!" They both stare at one another.

"I think Lori had to know the person who gave her the book," Charlie offers.

"That's one of my thoughts too!" Hannah exclaims happily.

"I really would like to help you with that hacking stuff, even if it is just providing company. Friends are good."

"I'd like that." His face suddenly falls. "What?" she asks concerned.

"We forgot to knock," he whines.

She quickly knocks on the door. "We were both Tinkerbell's. I don't think we need to repeat the rest. 'Three: Who's the director of The Avengers?' She can be so random." She knocks. "Joss Whedon."

The lock clicks. "And there we go."

"We make a pretty good team," Hannah says, throwing open the door.

XXX

Lori walks into the lounge and finds the two drawing on a white board together. Tinkerbell sits on the table, impatient. She smiles to herself. "You are a genius." She comes up to the two of them. "My mom-"

"How was the movie?" Charlie asks, cutting her off.

"Or the ice cream?"

"Actually, I went and took the ice cream back to the room and watched The Dark Knight. So you both win. And since it seems like things have worked out with my companions- "She picks up the book, and flips through the pages until a poem glows. "Right on cue!"

Hannah whispers to Charlie, "She's going to be so smug about this for a long time."

"Hey, we'll survive her together."

"Alright, Tinkerbell," Lori begins, "as promised you are now ahead of Thumper on my hated list."

"Wait, Thumper?" Hannah asks, bewildered.

"It is a long complicated story of my childhood. Let's send you back to Neverland."

"I thought it was Never Neverland," Charlie inquires.

"Whatever! That was always so confusing! I'll try, because I finally believe. I'll try, because now she has to leave." There is the usual burst of light and she vanishes to twinkling. "Tell that to your mother, you pixie!" Hannah stands up and walks over to beside her.

"Well, it looks like we took care of that one… as a team." Charlie joins on the other side.

"I'd say its official."

"Sure it is. Now, who'd like to do something fun?" The two look at her as she opens hand to reveal pixie dust.

"No way!" they both exclaim.

"Hey," Lori says as she opens the window, "there had to be a perk to this job somewhere."

XXX

The trio lets out a whoop as they zoom overhead through the darkness of the forest preserve. As Charlie and Hannah come up with tricks Lori just flips to her back and takes in the night sky, happy. Eventually, the three land at the Trinity sign and begin walking.

"So we came up with a few theories for how you got the book." Hannah strikes up a conversation.

"I'm listening."

Charlie waves his arms dramatically. "Get this: you're secretly related to Walt Disney. You're Lori Disney!"

"Not likely," she scoffs. "Hey, who's up for some ice cream at the café? I usually avoid social events with my companions, but today seemed special."

"I'd love to!" Charlie shouts. Hannah is about to agree when she notices a message on her phone and frowns.

"Tyler. He's says it's urgent. Rain-check?"

"Sure." They watch as she runs off, both a little disappointed.

XXX

Lori is back in the room finishing her pint of chocolate on her bed when Hannah runs in practically jumping up and down. "Where's the fire?" she asks sarcastically.

"He asked me out! He asked me out! I have a date with Tyler Friday night! He finally asked me!"

"Wasn't he like dating Victoria a few weeks ago?"

"He was going to break up with her anyway after he met me. Oh, this is so wonderful. Tomorrow I'll have to go buy an outfit. My first date!" She dances to the bathroom as Lori drops a spoonful on her cover.

"All that work I put into the two of them and just like magic it'll all be over. Thanks Tinkerbell. I think this means she's bumped down to last again." She gets up to grab some paper towels when the book rattles in filing cabinet. "I didn't mean it like that!"

XXX

Tune in next week as Hannah grapples with some important choices and learns that life is really nothing better than a drive.