Lori Fitzgerald is making her way through the preserve- light jacket necessary in the September air. Her flashlight scans through the trees in front of her through the darkness of a Tuesday night and the book is tucked under her arm. In front of her is Charlie Prescott, leading with his map. She is followed by the rest of her Companions- Ben Prescott, Michael Harms, Hannah Frost, and finally Kaity Klingbeil.

Kaity is deliberately bringing up the rear, walking slower so she can almost observe everyone as they carry on with the efficiency of having done this may times before. Hannah hops over a tree root with her crutches, and turns immediately to off her hand to their newest member.

Kaity looks at the hand before forcing a polite smile. "If you can get over it in crutches, I'm pretty sure I can. Thank you though," she adds, stepping over the root.

"Glad to be of service," Hannah says, oblivious.

Charlie leads them on an abrupt right to avoid the large hole. "It feels like forever since we've been in here," he comments to Lori.

"I'd much rather have kept it that way," Lori says a little nervously as her flashlight scans the darkness. "I don't like it at all. Everybody stay close." Everyone consciously shifts closer to Kaity- her merely sighing.

"What do we do if we don't find anything?" she asks.

Michael halts, looking her over. "Are you getting tired? I could take her back if-"

She gives an even more forced smile. "I was just speaking in the hypothetical. Trust me, I'm fine. But you will be the first to know if that changes."

Charlie turns to her, walking backwards. "Usually we just come out the next day and look again. It can happen. We do miss things." He almost trips and Lori quickly steadies him.

"Unfortunately I will be unavailable tomorrow so I'd really like to get this wrapped up."

"Really?" Ben notes, curious. "And we haven't heard of this?"

"Not all of you need to know every piece of my business. In fact, everyone but my best friend should be left in the dark." Kaity crashes into Ben as he stares at Lori and falls.

"I'm so sorry," Ben gushes.

She turns her nose up at him, obviously still pissed at him. "I'm fine. I'm fine." She looks to everyone else looking at her of offering hands. "I'm okay. Can I please get a little…?" They abruptly back off.

"Can I ask what you're doing tomorrow?" Michael tries after they all get going again.

Lori laughs so Charlie nudges her. "Can I?"

This shocks Hannah. "You don't know already?" Charlie shakes his head. "How does Charlie not know already? He knows what you had for breakfast last week Thursday."

Lori is starting to become quite annoyed and it shows. "Can we just keep looking?"

"French toast with an apple and sweet tea," Charlie whispers to Hannah.

"Maybe you have a date?" Ben jeers, not serious in the least. He starts laughing and everyone but an observing Kaity joins.

Lori clenches her fist, turning on them. "As a matter of fact I do!" she shouts, quieting their attitudes. "Can we please get to work now?"

"Wait a minute!" Hannah interjects, excited. "Who is it?! When did you finally become interested in somebody?!"

"None of your business," Lori growls. She notices Charlie's upset and elbows him. "We'll talk later," she promises, causing him to smile.

"I figured we would." They keep walking and Kaity can't help but notice they left Ben standing behind them, absolutely fuming at what he's heard.

She instantly puts it together and walks back to give him a harsh punch on the shoulder. "Tough luck, Bill." She goes to catch up as he gives her a glare but soon follows as well, still very upset.

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

(Michael grabs the first aid kit from a cabinet)
Which way?
Down, down, down

(Ben looks at his phone and sighs, adjusting his tie)
I'll show you around

(Kaity is drawing pictures of the group absently in her dorm room)
Okay
There's a place we gotta go

(The Disney Encyclopedia begins to glow. Lori sighs)

Follow me, follow me

(Lori, Charlie, Hannah, Michael, Ben, and Kaity 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 the others crash into her, sending them all to the ground)

Lori Disney? (Not Likely!)

Episode Six: Now It's in My Head

XXX

Later that evening, Ben is pacing his bedroom floor. Charlie and Michael sit at their respective desks studying, paying him no mind.

"How could she have a date?" he rants to himself. "I mean… I thought we were- but we weren't technically- but she hinted that she still had feelings- I mean I still have them for her- was she just stringing me along- but she wouldn't do that- at least I think she wouldn't- but who else could she possibly…"

Michael glances up, trying to lighten the mood. "Okay, Prescott, you've worn the rug down enough. I think you need to sit." He talks to Charlie under his breath, "You hid the chocolate and candy right?" Charlie nods. "Sit down and just breathe, Prescott. You are way past overreacting at this point. Logically, you have absolutely no details about the situation."

"How would you like it if Hannah just suddenly had a date?" Ben counters.

"That's different," Michael stammers, blushing. "She's in no place for a relationship right now. Besides, I've moved on." Ben gives him a disbelieving look. "I am now going to just keep dwelling on her and what could have been. And theoretically, if Lori does have a date perhaps you should do the same."

Ben shakes his head. "I don't have to move on. We're going to be together! Aurora told me Giselle said it!"

Michael shrugs. "I'm just saying with all this drama you might want to consider it. I don't want you to spend the next two years pining after the one who got away."

"I think the both of you are lying to yourselves," Charlie finally comments, earning their attention. "Doctor- you love Hannah. You've got a lot of time before that even starts to fade. You missed your first chance and you're still hoping you might get a second deep down. Ben- you keep bleating on and on about fate and this Giselle thing. But unless she's in the forest preserve right now it's not happening."

"And how about you?" Ben questions. "You've been in love with Lori for like a year if I recall."

Charlie doesn't let this faze him, remaining perfectly calm. "But I pushed that aside so she could be happy. And this summer I realized I'd never want that. She's my best friend and I'm quite happy with that. I wouldn't change anything about it."

Michael can see he really means it. "Yeah. He's showing me what moved on looks like, and I'm definitely not there."

"But you have no idea about this date either," Ben questions his younger brother.

Charlie shrugs. "I'm not worried about it. She doesn't keep things from me for very long. I have no doubt she was going to tell me."

"Yeah, still no sign of cracking," Michael concludes. "He's moved on. Maybe we could learn from him."

"I don't have to!" Ben shouts, beginning to pace once again.

XXX

The next afternoon, Kaity exits her classroom only to nearly run into a waiting Hannah. "Well, this is a surprise," she says pleasantly enough.

Hannah gives one of her biggest smiles. "I just wanted to let you know we're meeting at the lounge around seven. Lori has her "date" supposedly tonight so Michael and I will be coordinating things."

Kaity nods and tries to leave, but Hannah blocks her. "Okay. Thank you for letting me know…"

"So how are you feeling today?"

Kaity is clearly doing her best to remain pleasant. "I'm fine… if you'll excuse me…"

"Because if you're having an up day and a down day you can absolutely tell me and we will work through it."

Kaity gives a long sigh. "Today's a normal day and I'd really like to keep it that way," she says through gritted teeth.

Hannah continues, oblivious. "Because if you ever want to take a night off or need a break-"

"I don't. I have another class in five minutes so…"

Hannah finally moves back. "Of course. Have a great day." She abruptly goes to hug her but Kaity immediately backs off.

"Knock it off!" she snaps. "I'm trying to be really patient and polite because obviously this is new to all of us. But the hovering and the checking isn't making me more comfortable. It's making me less with every passing second."

"There's no need to lose your temper," Hannah says defensively and a little offended.

"I'm not," Kaity warns. "I'm actually really proud of how well I'm holding my emotions together with all this coddling. You haven't seen me lose my temper and I pray to God you never do. So I'm politely asking you to knock it off and back off." She pushes past her and practically runs away.

XXX

At six-thirty that evening, Hannah and Michael are both sitting in the lounge. "All I did was try and be nice and welcoming," Hannah recounts of earlier. "She didn't have to snap at me like that. It's so hard to juggle emotions with her."

Michael sighs, knowing this was going to be an issue. "And it's not going to be any easier," he admits. "I don't know what Lores was- that's a lie. I completely understand her decision and we promised to respect it. If anything, she'll take herself down and realize this isn't for her."

"What are we going to do with her today though? She hates all of us," Hannah reminds him.

Michael gives her a smile. "We stick her with the person we have on reserve for when people hate everyone else." At that moment, Ben and Charlie enter from upstairs. "Charlie, you have Kaity," he announces.

"I don't know," Charlie says, uncomfortable at the decision. "What if-?"

Hannah gives him a pat on the back. "You'll be fine. Just make sure she's emotionally stable and if she gets tired take her home. Hopefully she won't lose her temper at a fourteen year old. Then she's really beyond saving."

"I'm sure she'll do just fine," Ben offers. "Let's get going. You two can meet us there when she arrives." The three head out and Charlie waits for Kaity to arrive- which she does only a few minutes later.

"And I thought I was early," she mumbles.

He smiles at her. "Hi. You're with me." She nods and the two head out- walking in awkward silence. "Okay, I'm just going to be upfront and honest. How do you want me to treat you?"

This catches Kaity off guard. "Excuse me?"

"I think I should treat you like a normal person even though I'm a little hesitant and worried I'm going to break you," Charlie admits frankly. "But Hannah and Michael are acting like I have to carry you around. I'd ask Lori, but clearly she's not here. So what do you want from me? Because I will do absolutely everything I can to make sure you're happy here."

"Wow." Kaity reflects for a moment. "Well, I want you to treat me like you'd treat Hannah or Michael or Lori."

"I'm sorry but I can't treat anyone the way I treat Lori. It would be betraying the code of the best friend." Kaity rolls her eyes at this. "But now I know. So let's do this. I won't ask how you're doing or if you're tired because I am going to assume you're fine."

This finally puts Kaity at ease enough to smile. "I appreciate it. Can we make a stop first?" He looks at her, a little concerned. "I was going to tell everyone, but I heard some rumors about the Science Building."

Charlie alters their path. "Should I text them?"

"We'll wait until we're sure."

They walk for a minute before he thinks of something. "What's your favorite color? Mine's yellow."

"As an artist, I try not to prefer one color over another. I see the best in all of them." She flinches at her answer as soon as it's out.

This however makes him beam. "That's so cool. I don't really see things that way, but your brain must be a really interesting place."

He realizes what he's said, but she merely smirks. "You have no idea." He starts laughing at this as they arrive. "So I heard some Science students mention something weird with the fish tank. I'm never in here though, so I wouldn't know."

"Well, this is my home away from home. I'll show you the ropes." They climb up the stairs, him leading the way. "They're still building an addition on the other side," he narrates as she observes the tools scattered about. "It's supposed to be done by the end of the year. But we have an aquarium and greenhouse over here." He scans his card at a door on the second floor and they enter the darkened room surrounded by plants. One wall in completely occupied by a giant fish tank. "Hello? Anyone here?"

"I don't think so," a cheery voice answers. "At least not that I remember."

"That wasn't me and that wasn't you," Kaity observes, switching on the light. They look at the fish tank to see all of them in a corner except one whom the obviously recognize. "I think we found who we're looking for."

"Who? Where?" the fish asks, scanning the room before noticing them. "Do I know you?"

"This one might be tricky," Charlie whispers.

"Tricky?" the fish asks. "That's not my name… at least I'm pretty sure it's not. Hmm… who am I?"

"Dory," Kaity answers.

The fish sticks her fin out. "Well it's nice to meet you Dory. I'm… oh what was it again?"

"No. You're Dory," Charlie tries to correct.

Dory does a flip. "Oh. Well that makes more sense. It would be silly if we were both named Dory." She takes a beat before looking confused. "Remind me, where am I again?"

XXX

Lori enters the Science building a while later, book under her arm, with Hannah and Michael behind her. "In her defense, did you perhaps provoke her?" she questions the two, who have been complaining on the way there.

"I was just being nice to her," Hannah defends as they start up the stairs, her struggling on her crutches. "How was the date though?" she questions.

Lori rolls her eyes but answers. "It was actually pretty boring. All we did was look over Freud."

They both take a second before Michael puts it together. "It was a study date."

"Yeah," Lori says as if it was obvious. "If you thought it was anything else, than it was you who blew it out of proportion."

Hannah can only roll her eyes at her roommate's cleverness. "She's got us there," she admits. They enter the aquarium to find Charlie and Kaity standing in front of the aquarium.

"No. No. I'm Charlie and she's Kaity. We've already done this," Charlie moans.

"Who've we got?" Lori questions. They move aside to reveal Dory.

"I knew someone else was here!" Dory exclaims before looking at Charlie. "Who are you again?"

Lori rolls her eyes. "Well, this one's going to be fun."

"How was your date?" Kaity inquires.

Lori ruffles Charlie's hair. "It was my usual study session. It was what they got for prying."

"I should have known!" he exclaims. "You're brilliant!"

Dory puts her fin to her chest, proud. "Why thank you! I speak whale, you know."

"I am well aware," Lori says, stopping her before she starts. "Alright, Kaity does your condition cause you to suffer from short term memory loss?"

"Lori!" Hannah exclaims in shock.

Kaity merely smirks, appreciating the humor. "Not that I'm aware of. Sorry it couldn't be that easy."

Lori contemplates. "Hmm… I wonder…"

"Perhaps it has to do with lying about dates?" Hannah says a little harshly.

Lori shakes her head. "That makes no sense. She couldn't remember a date, let alone lie. And don't get me started on that Dory and Marlin nonsense. He'd have to remind her they're dating like every five minutes."

"People actually ship that?" Hannah asks.

"They ship everything on the internet," Lori laments, still lost on what to do with Dory. "Well, we'll have to keep at this one and see if we figure anything out."

Kaity notices Michael and Hannah have their eyes locked on her. "May I be excused?" she questions politely.

"Of course," Lori dismisses with a smile. "Good work."

"Thanks boss!" she salutes before heading out.

Hannah coughs into her hand. "Kissass."

"I don't hear you!" Charlie shouts, covering his ears comedically. "Don't ruin my innocent ears!"

XXX

Michael arrives back at their dorm to find Ben heading out the door. "Where are you off to?" he asks casually.

Ben clenches his fists. "I'm off to give Lori a piece of my mind." Michael starts after him abruptly.

"That's not the best idea," he warns.

Ben is clearly fuming as he practically jumps down the stairs. "No. I don't appreciate her leading me on and I'm going to tell her that."

Michael is panicking. "You may be jumping to conclusions. Let me just say-"

"Listen, you told me to move on. Maybe this is what I need for that."

"But, why listen to me?" Michael says, desperate. "Charlie was right. I still love Hannah even more than when this whole Kenny mess started. I don't want to move on. So I am not the one to be giving advice." They arrive at her door. Michael is begging now. "Please… just-"He knocks. "And you're screwed," he sighs, defeated. Lori opens the door and smiles.

"Hey. Come on-"

"How was your date?!" Ben shouts directly into her face.

Lori tries to keep her cool. "It was fine. We made some real progress."

"Ben-"Michael tries, standing awkwardly between the two.

"I hope it was fine," Ben continues, anger pouring out. "I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed as much as you have playing with me like a sick and twisted-"

"Whoa. Where is this coming from?" Lori asks, lost.

"I was under the insinuation that we were on the path to getting together- at least from the signals I'd been gathering from you- like the hand holding and the cheering me up. But now I find out it was all just a ploy while you were off working your magic on some other guy we don't even get the decency to know the name of?! It's an insult!"

Lori finally gets it and her anger soon matches his. "It was a study date!" Michael flinches at how harsh her words are.

"Further- what?" Ben derails.

Lori folds her arms. "We meet in the library every week before a test. I'm helping him with Psychology since I got a 5 on my AP test and didn't even have to take it. I offered back when I met him last year in the training room."

"Why didn't you say that?" Ben demands.

"Because he doesn't want the whole school fluttering around saying things about him. I can respect that. It was you who jumped to conclusions!" she counters.

"Oh boy," Michael sighs, seeing this is heading sour fast.

"You should have still told me!" Ben shouts at her.

"It was none of your business!" she shouts back.

"You are my business! Especially if we're ever going to be in a relationship!"

"At this rate I don't know if I want to be!" This seems to suck the air out of the room and Michael looks really uncomfortable.

"I should… I should go." He practically takes off running as the two just stare each other down.

"What…?" Ben finally asks.

"I'm sick of this," Lori admits. "All we do is fight."

"We do not."

"See?!" Lori says, proving her point. "The only way I know there's anything between us is when we argue. That's when I feel the… heat? And it's starting to frustrate me more than anything."

This sobers Ben up. "Well, what can we do to fix this?"

She sighs, kicking the carpet. "I honestly don't know. I'd just like to say how insulted I am this time around. I made some assumptions and you rightly called me out on them. I would never lead you on and I feel like if we don't know these basic things about one another… I don't know." She starts to close her door, a little lost. "I don't know if Giselle can save this." She shuts her door and he just looks miserable before walking off to the stairs.

XXX

The next day, Lori and Charlie sit eating a lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup in the alcove next to the library. "So you had no problem with her?" Lori concludes.

"I actually think she's pretty cool," Charlie disagrees. "She has a good sense of humor and is really honest. I asked her how she wanted to be treated and she told me. Hannah and the Doctor made it seem all complicated, but really it's not that hard."

"So our problem lies in our old members, not our new one," Lori says thoughtfully before taking a contemplative bite.

Charlie shakes his head. "They just don't know how to treat her. I think we all need to sit down and have a talk about this stuff. She needs to know what's expected of her and they need to adjust to having her around."

"What would I do without you?"

"I think we've covered that quite a few times." She laughs. "But that's okay. I know that when you say that it also means thank you. You just of course say it in your own awesome way." She ruffles his hair.

"You're getting taller," she notes.

"I'm never too tall for you to do that though. Just remember that."

They sit for a beat before she speaks up. "I was going to tell you it was only the study date. I promise."

"Just be sure to let me know when it is a real date. I want to screen them- make sure they're good enough for you. That's a best friend job." He extends his hand, and Lori doesn't hesitate in shaking it.

"And who am I to deny that of my best friend? I will be sure to run him by you before even considering dating him."

"Good." He looks at the time on his phone and hastily rises. "Oh, we should get to class." She rises and they start off, tossing their food in the trash. "We can't keep having these heart-to-hearts before classes or one of these days we'll end up late."

"I feel the conversation is worth it. I wouldn't mind."

XXX

Kaity sticks around struggling on a sculpture after class. Lori knocks on the door and enters. She goes white. "Oh no. Listen; please don't get rid of me yet. I promise-"

Lori puts her hands up. "I'm not getting rid of you. I wouldn't do that to you." Kaity sighs in relief as she hops on a stool. "I just think we need to talk in some more detail about all of this. It was cruel of me to just throw you into the deep end. I'm still working on this whole leader thing as if you can't tell."

"Okay," Kaity agrees, still nervous.

"And just so you are aware you are not the only one getting this talk. We are going to have a Companion meeting this afternoon. I know they've been having some problems too. This is not all on you."

Kaity finally starts to breathe, sitting across from her. "I appreciate that. I was pretty rude to her though. I tend to react before I think."

Lori nods. "Exactly. And we're going to have to work on that. Because I'm not going to let your disorder make excuses for you. You will have to treat everyone with respect, even if it is a valley. The last thing I need is internal issues."

Kaity also nods in agreement. "I'll apologize to Hannah."

"I can tell you really want this," Lori observes.

"It's starting to be more than anything else."

"Then this is most important," Lori begins. "I need you to be completely honest with me about everything. I need to know about the peaks. I need to know about the valleys. If there's something I can do to make all of this easier I can't do it unless you let me know. Because from this moment out I'm going to treat you as if you're just another Companion like I know you want. But that means you have to let me know if that changes."

Kaity extends her hand. "I swear it." Lori shakes it with a smile and rises, Kaity returning to her project.

"I'll text you about later," Lori promises, heading out.

"I think you're doing a great job, by the way," Kaity calls after her. "I'd follow you anywhere because I think you're a pretty good leader."

Lori smiles, embarrassed and in disagreement. "Thank you. It's not true, but I appreciate it."

XXX

Lori and the Companions are all gathered on a picnic blanket in front of Dory in the fish tank, eating pints of ice cream.

"So I'd just like to say that I'm sorry, Hannah," Kaity finishes meekly, glancing at Lori for support. "As I'm sure you can imagine I get emotional pretty easy."

Hannah gives a real smile. "I accept your apology. That was really big of you."

"So let's get some things straight," Lori cuts in. "Kaity is here and she's staying. Everyone here is going to treat her like another one of the boys. I know it won't be overnight, but we're all going to do our best. And she also requests no spontaneous hugs- she's not a fan. She's a part of this now."

"Absolutely," Hannah agrees.

"Understood," Michael follows, a little more hesitant.

Ben clears his throat and adjusts his tie. "And while we're apologizing, Lori-"

"Just forget it," Lori cuts in, dismissive and not welcoming his apology.

"Oh, I always do," Dory adds helpfully. "But try not to let it get you down."

"I'd think that would be pretty awful though," Charlie comments.

Dory shrugs. "See I used to think of it that way. But then I realized it forces me to live in the present instead of the past, because of course I don't know what happened. I have to just…"

"Keep swimming?" Kaity offers.

Dory nods, digging that. "Yeah. Say… I really like that. It almost seems like it could be a song. I'll have to try really hard to remember that one." She shuts her eyes in concentration.

Kaity sees everyone looking at her. "I painted something with that on it. I keep it on my desk."

"What color is it?" Charlie asks.

"Blue- one of my favorites," she jokes and the two smile.

"And I do hope my memory gets better one day, honestly," Dory admits. "But that's just another thing to keep swimming to. I really like that." Ben notices Lori looking at him, unreadable expression on her face.

"I'm still sorry," he mouths.

Lori sighs. "I know," she mouths, pulling out the book. Neither notice Hannah has observed this whole conversation and is quite baffled. Lori opens to the glowing poem. "Are you ready to head home, Dory?"

"You mean this isn't it?" Dory asks sincerely.

Lori just shakes her head, knowing there's no point in arguing. "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming What do we do- we swim" She vanishes and Lori shuts the book, satisfied. "I feel like they could've just sent us a Robinson and caused less grief."

Kaity nods. "Keep moving forward?" She notices looks again. "That one's painted right under it."

"I have to come visit your room sometime! It sounds amazing!" Hannah concludes, surprised and excited.

"My door's always open- literally," Kaity says, annoyed. "I have to live with the RA and she always keeps the door open. She's trying to make me more social so she can seem like a hero to my parents. Speaking of, I should go check in with her." She rises. "I'll see everyone later."

"Have a great night!" Charlie waves with a smile. The others wave as well, making her beam as she exits.

XXX

The next evening, Michael is stocking the cabinets of the training room when the soccer team enters. One taps him on the shoulder- a tall, bulky guy with clipped blonde hair and light blue eyes.

"Michael is it possible I could get an ice bag please… if you're not too busy of course," he asks politely.

Michael heads to the ice machine. "Coming right up. How'd practice go?"

"Perfect. I've been having a real awesome day. I aced my big Psych exam." Michael starts to wrap it on his calf. "You're good friends with Lori right?" Michael nods. "Thank her for me."

"Lori?" he questions.

"She's my tutor," he admits shyly. "Don't tell anyone though. It'd be pretty humiliating if the captain of the soccer team was so stupid he needed a tutor."

Michael finishes and pats his shoulder. "I wouldn't think that. But I'll tell her that. There you go, Shawn."

He examines it and gives a thumbs-up. "Thanks. You're the best. Have a great night."

"You too." He observes Shawn Zimmerman as he exits. "She could probably do worse," he notes, returning to the cabinets. He opens one and notices a few sedative needles. He contemplates for a moment. "It might be good to…" He heads into the office. "Hey, is it possible I could borrow some supplies for a first aid kit of sorts. It would be good for a one-day doctor to have."

"Sure," Jen agrees. "Just make me up a list of what you take."

"We have an old backpack you could use," Sara adds, kicking it next to her. He nods and grabs the old, tattered, brown backpack before going through the cabinets to fill it with bandages, tape, and finally that sedative needle.

He examines his full backpack, hoisting it onto his shoulders. "This should work," he concludes with a smile. "Why didn't I think of this sooner?"

XXX

Tune in next week as Kaity faces her first valley since she's become a Companion, Hannah catches up on a few things, and Lori and Ben make a decision on what to do with their relationship