"Kaity," a voice whispers, making Kaity Klingbeil blink her sleepy eyes open. She is in her bed a little past two in the morning with Rachel Ellis snoozing away in her own bed across the room. "Kaity," she hears again, sitting up at how desperate they sound. She looks around the room, only to go pure white when she sees her desk.
"You… can't… you're not-"
"But I am Kaity," Caleb Dean says from where he's sitting at her desk staring at her. "I thought I'd pay you a visit. Remind you what happened to me." He twists his head and makes a cracking sound, laughing manically. "Just like that."
Kaity is practically hyperventilating as she throws off the covers and hops out of bed. She edges around the room, as far from him as possible. "No. You're just my brain. You're here instead of the other me."
"She sends her regards," he laughs. "She wanted so desperately to be here but I felt I should take this one on. I was always selfless like that."
"You were," she agrees, reaching Rachel's bed and shaking her roommate awake. As Rachel is sitting up Caleb suddenly rises and makes his way towards Kaity as his expression becomes furious.
"Yeah, and you all took advantage of that! I am dead because the group of you didn't save me! Didn't even think to go back for me! I died saving your boyfriend because you couldn't! I died because you were weak!" he spits, now directly in front of her. She shrinks back against the wall as Rachel comes to her senses. She turns in the direction of her roommate's panicked breathing concerned.
"Kaity? What's going on? What's wrong?"
"I'M DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU KAITY! BECAUSE OF ALL OF YOU! AND I AM NEVER GOING TO LET YOU FORGET IT!" Kaity clamps her hands over her ears and starts crying now, loud sobs that allow Rachel to hear and kneel next to her.
"Kaity?! Kaity, you need to talk to me! What can I do?! Kaity?!"
"Just the two of us," Caleb sings before bursting into spine-tingling laughter again. Finally, Kaity can't take it anymore and throws herself at him. Obviously she goes right through and he vanishes, leaving her curled up on the floor crying her eyes out.
Rachel has no idea what to do, but reaches on the dresser for her phone. "I'm calling Ben. I'm getting him down here right now." She moves towards her roommate and finds her hand, clasping it tight. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. It wasn't real." Someone picks up. "Ben? I think she was hallucinating. She's pretty shaken. Sounds good. I'll stay here and you text me when you're back." She hangs up and holds Kaity's hand tighter. "He's getting the car. We're going to take you to the hospital."
Kaity's sobbing doesn't slow in the slightest. "I'm here," Rachel comforts her. "I'm not going to let anything get you, okay? I promise. It's going to be okay."
"No. It's really not." Kaity sees Caleb is back at her desk again, covered in blood and debris with his hands in his lap as he stares down at her. She just squeezes her eyes shut and clenches Rachel's hand as tightly as she can, petrified by the sight of him.
XXX
So follow me down
Lori stands with the glowing Disney Encyclopedia. She sighs and pulls out her phone.
Where to?
Outta this town
Charlie examines his map and grabs his flashlight.
With you
Girl, you're movin way
Hannah is typing away at her computer.
Too slow
So follow me down
Michael grabs his first aid backpack and throws it on his shoulders.
Which way?
Rachel is performing on stage when her phone rumbles in her boot.
Down, down, down
Ben looks at his phone, adjusting his tie.
I'll show you around
Kaity is drawing pictures of the group absently in her dorm room.
Okay
Andrew runs out the door, nearly tripping, removing his magician's cap from his head.
There's a place we gotta go
Finch puts the two fingers to her temple and her eyes glaze over.
Follow me, follow me
Lori, Charlie, Hannah, Michael, Ben, Kaity, Finch, Rachel, and Andrew 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 Two: A Laugh Can Be a Very Powerful Thing
XXX
Later that morning, a Friday, Lori Fitzgerald and Hannah Frost make their way back to the room to grab things for class. "She's doing worse," Lori makes note of her observation sadly. "Usually she's stubborn as anything when she's in the hospital. She barely said a word to us the entire visit."
"It's bad this time," Hannah agrees. "She won't even tell Ben what she sees which says something right there. He's frantically worried, but we just need to take it a day at a time. We've been through this. We know how to support her. And we will be there for her like always."
"Sounds like a campaign speech in progress," Lori jokes, earning a smirk. "I'm just messing with you. You know that right? I support you fully with this. It's a great idea and an excellent hobby. I seriously think you can win with how much everybody on campus likes you- outside computer club of course." Hannah seems to get over her nerves a bit and lets out a laugh. "You just need to tell the others so you can have their votes as well."
"With all of us these days, it should account for like half the school." She opens the door only to grind to a halt, happy mood completely dissipating, and clench the doorknob much harder than necessary.
"What's wrong?" he roommate asks, confused. Hannah just stares and Lori peers in the doorway only to have her eyes narrow dramatically. Sitting on their couch is a woman with cropped blonde hair and a black uniform, looking wholly too comfortable. But on either side of her stand all too familiar men standing at attention. Lori Fitzgerald folds her arms and steps into the room.
"You have one minute to get out of here before I call campus security," she threatens in her scariest voice. The woman merely smirks. "You think I don't mean it, but I wouldn't call my bluff these days. I know who you are and I don't want to hear one word of your bullshit." The woman continues to look amused and Lori pulls out her phone and starts dialing.
"I knew I should expect anger," she finally says in a very soft and cool accented voice, "but I never expected you to have such fire. Especially after what our cameras showed you faced this summer." She rises and looks at Hannah who is still at the door, but Lori moves to block her.
"You're right I'm furious," Lori growls. "And how dare you bring that us in my dorm when you guys are the reason it happened! Higgins promised to help us! We went in there expecting DIZ to have our backs for once in their miserable lives!" Even one of the soldiers flinches at her intensity. "But you never showed up! And now Caleb Dean is dead! He is dead and it is all your fault because it was your plan! You put us in danger and then you left us! You abandoned us when we needed you!"
The woman finally stands up, looking empathetic. She moves to look at Hannah once again. "I'm sorry for you loss-"
"No!" Lori cuts her off, getting right up to her. "You don't get to tell her that! You don't get to talk to her after what you put her through!" She turns to her roommate, instantly becoming softer. "You can go get your stuff, Hannah. They'll be out of here in a minute." Hannah nods and ducks into the bedroom as Lori turns back to the woman. "I'm never going to trust you," she lays it out. "There is nothing you will say or do that will change that. I will never heed your advice and I will fight until the very last breath in my body before I even let you see the book." She holds the phone up to her ear. "Campus security? This is Lori Fitzgerald. Some people broke into-"
"We're going," the woman concedes, hands out. Lori hangs up the phone and holds the door open. She starts for the door, the two men behind her. "For what it's worth, Higgins never told me about the phone call. That was his decision and we never knew until it was too late."
Lori just glares. "I'm sorry but for what it's worth, I don't believe a damn word you're saying."
"We are not going anywhere though. We have returned to our base in the basement of Groote Hall. I was assigned to protect you and I will do just that." She holds out a card. "In case you need anything. Just say Commander Abbot and I will be there in a heartbeat." Lori just stares at her, doesn't even look at it. "I'm glad to see the dragon did not take your fire." She takes back the card and heads out the door. "And I really am sorry about-"
Lori slams it before she can finish. "Don't care," she says simply before heading back to the bedroom. Hannah is on her bed, typing away madly at her computer. "Please tell me-"
"You stalled them long enough," Hannah smiles. "I not only am in their system, but her phone as well. I will dig through this with Finch's help and get back to you with anything useful." She closes her computer, hops down, and grabs her books from her desk. Lori grabs her books as well. "Nobody's going to be happy about this."
"No. They won't. But I think I made our stance pretty clear and the others will agree. I want nothing to do with Commander Dracula and her army. Maybe we can even manage to chase them off- send Finch in or something."
Hannah lets out a guffaw. "You waste no times on the nicknames, do you?"
"It's a skill," Lori shrugs and the two head out to begin their day. They walk in silence for a moment before Hannah speaks up.
"Thanks for-"
"Don't even mention it," Lori cuts her off. "It was the right thing to do. She of all people does not get to say that to you. To any of us really but especially not to you."
Hannah nods in agreement. "I hope you believe what you said though. It was their fault for setting us up, not yours. You did everything you could. We all did." She stares at her roommate, who seems like she half believes that. "I'm going to enjoy relating that scene to everyone though, because you were awesome. Oh, Charlie's going to be so mad he wasn't there to see it. He loves seeing Intense Lori. It makes him so proud of you- his little baby growing up and taking on the bad guys." Lori laughs but cannot argue the point, knowing it to be true.
XXX
At lunch, Hannah is grabbing some macaroni and cheese to-go as she has another class she needs to get to. She grabs a drink in a plastic cup and gives a wave to the lunch table on her way out where Lori sits with Michael Harms and Charlie Prescott at the moment. Just as she is about to exit the lobby on the cafeteria a voice catches her attention.
"Hannah Frost?" She turns to see a girl with dark red hair that goes to her shoulders and a face with very sharp features. She is wearing a button-up sweater with khakis- looking somehow casual and formal at the same time. "You are Hannah Frost, correct?"
"Yes," Hannah nods. "But I have to get to class. I'm sorry-"
"It won't take a minute," the girl promises. "I'm very efficient." She takes a step closer. "I noticed you were running for Student Council President and wondered if you had given any consideration to you Vice President?"
Hannah can instantly see where the girl is going. "Honestly, I haven't yet. But I think I'd ask one of my friends before I ask a complete stranger," she shrugs.
"It makes sense," the girl agrees. "Most of them are well-liked and hit different demographics. Michael Harms and Andrew Parker would be your best bets. But the problem is none of them have experience in terms of helping run a school. They have nothing to add to your campaign. I, on the other hand, do. I know this school inside and out. I have ideas and I have strategies. I've done this before."
"Then why aren't you running?" Hannah can't help but ask.
"Personal reasons," the girl dismisses. "I want to be onboard in a helper capacity. I looked over the candidates. You seem like the one I'd want leading this school- a dreamer. So I'm offering you my assistance and my loyalty. To use a metaphor I believe you will appreciate… I want to be the Roy to your Walt." Hannah takes this girl in, not quite sure what to make of her and her non nonsense manner. She sighs. "I figure you want some time to think it over. Unnecessary but I suppose desired." There is suddenly a crash in the janitor's closet behind her that grabs several students' attention.
"Well, that was unexpected," a voice lisps from inside. The girl instantly turns back, not wasting her time. Hannah, meanwhile, recognizes the voice instantly. "I suppose I should-"Clanging echoes again, this time louder. Hannah is off as the door starts to open, putting her back against it. "Hey!"
Jess is just staring at her, perplexed. Hannah leans against the door as whoever is in there struggles. "I'm with Lori Fitzgerald. I'm one of her Companions." The struggling stops. "Now it's not safe to walk out of there just yet. I will text her and she will be here in a few minutes to take you to our dorm room. So just stay put for. Okay, Roger?"
"Whatever you need!" the voice tells her grandly. "Any Companion of Lori's is a Companion of mine. I'll try to stay quiet and-"Clanging sounds along with a cry. "Oh, birds!"
Hannah sighs and steps away from the door, seeing the girl is still just standing there. "Charlie's in there- hiding. You know him and Lori. They like to play their silly games." She stands awkwardly for a minute typing away on her phone as the redhead just stares. Finally the red-head sighs-looking at her watch.
"Since you're late to your class, do you have a decision yet? I hate to bring this up, but leaders are expected to be quick and decisive." There is a clang from the closet. "Is he alright in there?"
"Let's do it!" Hannah says suddenly, extending her hand. "Let's make you my Vice President." The girl nods as if she fully expected this.
"You made the right choice." She hands her a slip of paper. "This is my number. Text me and we can get to work this weekend." She turns to exit.
"Wait!" Hannah calls after her. "I don't even know my Vice President's name at this point."
"Jessica," she says quickly. "But you can call me Jess." With that, she is out the door. Hannah casts one last look at the closet before going in the other direction with a relieved sigh, tucking the slip of paper in her pocket.
Moments later, Lori emerges from the cafeteria with Michael and Charlie- who head out the door to scope things out. They head right to the closet and she knocks on it. "Roger? You still in there?"
"Yes I am," the voice informs her. "I have been staying perfectly quiet while I wait for Lori Fitzgerald. I'm really excited to meet her. I've heard a lot of things about her." Charlie and Michael come back in, giving her the thumbs up. "Do you think she's nice? I wonder how tall she is. I wonder if-"
"Well, you don't have to wonder anymore," she smiles, throwing the door open. Roger Rabbit emerges and stares up at her. "Hi. I'm Lori Fitzgerald. This is Charlie and Michael." He just stares. "Are-are you okay?" He then passes out and falls to the floor. "Well, that was unexpected."
"It seems you're pretty famous in Book World," Michael jokes. "Try not to let it go to your head that the supposed fictional characters of our childhood are star struck by you." He picks Roger up. "Let's get him to your room." The trio heads out and down the path.
"He's going to be quite a handful," Charlie tells his best friend. "He's going to keep you entertained tonight."
"I can handle it," Lori shrugs. "I actually love this movie and am looking forward to talking to him… when he has the ability to talk to me." As they enter the building, Roger opens his eyes and stares up at her. "Welcome back to the land of the living, buddy."
"Buddy? Lori Fitzgerald called me buddy," he swoons again. The three of them can only laugh as they continue down the hallway to her dorm room.
"I've never seen Roger Rabbit," Charlie tells them. "Is it good?"
"More like fantastic!" Lori corrects. "I know what we're doing this weekend. You're almost sixteen. You're old enough. You in, Doctor?"
He smiles at the two of them. "Always. It will be an excellent cap to the weekend of you kicking DIZ off campus once and for all."
"Amen!" Lori agrees. "Commander Dracula had better watch out, because I'm about to shove her in the sunlight."
XXX
That evening, Ben Prescott is sitting beside Kaity as she sleeps in her hospital bed. He is clearly very worried, hand running through her hair gently. "Oh Kaity," he mutters quietly. "What has got you so scared?"
"Knock knock." He turns to see Michael Harms standing in the doorway. His friend steps in and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Prescott. How are you holding up?"
He sighs. "I'm doing alright as can be. She's been sleeping all day but keeps having nightmares." Michael gives the shoulder a squeeze. "I just wish there was more I could do for her. It seems really bad this time."
"Well, I brought some contraband." Michael opens up his backpack to reveal a chocolate cake. "I know it's her favorite from the cafeteria so Lori and Rachel distracted them at dinner while Charlie and I made a run for it. It was hard to smuggle it here, but as long as the nurse gets a slice she said she'd look the other way about it." He sets it on the table along with some plates and forks.
"How're things back home with everyone?" Ben inquires. "And we'll get back to the fact that my baby brother is now stealing cakes."
"Everything's fine," Michael promises. "We had Roger Rabbit come, but we're handling that alright. He's tucked up safe and sound in the guest room. And unfortunately DIZ decided to rear its ugly head again." He can see Ben instantly tense in his wheelchair. "Don't worry. From what Hannah and Lori have said, she didn't even give this new girl, Commander Dracula, the time of day. She threw her out the door and plans on chasing them off campus first chance she gets."
"Good," Ben nods. "The last thing we need to deal with is those yellow-bellied cowards." He raises an eyebrow. "Commander Dracula?"
"She has an accent so Lori went to work, Prescott. She also apparently tried to say Higgins acted on his own. Hannah found proof that's not true to throw back in her face. She even had the nerve to try to apologize to her for Caleb."
"She didn't?!"
"Lori put a real quick stop to that though. Wouldn't let her get the sentence out." He looks at his watch. "Speaking of, they should be sneaking up here in a minute for a cake party." Ben gives him a look. "Lighten up. Your brother won't turn to petty crime anytime soon. With how much we pay as a group for tuition, the school an afford us to sneak a cake." He looks at the sleeping Kaity and frowns. "Maybe having everyone here will help her."
"I hope so. I'm about ready to tell her parents to come down, despite the fact she'll hate me forever." Charlie enters sneakily at that moment followed by the rest of the gang: Hannah, Finch Hale, Rachel, Andrew Parker, and Lori bringing up the rear with a dramatic roll. "Hey guys," he greets his friends, giving Hannah and Lori hugs.
"How's-"
Screaming suddenly sounds through the room, causing everyone to jump. Kaity is crying out at the top of her lungs and instantly everyone is around her as Ben tries to shake her awake. "Kaity?! Kaity?! Wake up! It's only a dream!"
"STOP!" she shouts, tossing and turning. "CALEB STOP!" She shoots up, eyes suddenly open, and pants in the room now so silent you could hear a pin drop. She takes a minute to get her bearing, noticing everyone looking at her with sadness and horror.
"It's Caleb," Andrew finally speaks up with such sympathy in his voice. "You're hallucinating Caleb." Kaity tries to steady her breathing, noticing Caleb sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. She just puts her head in her hands as he stares at her.
"It's like he's haunting me," Kaity despairs, tears in her eyes as she looks at her friends. "Just following me around and staring at me. Reminding me he's not here anymore. It's terrifying." She takes a deep breath to steady herself. Ben immediately has her tiny hand in his. "But then I have to remember it's not Caleb- it's my stupid brain making things up. Caleb was a good guy-my friend. He wouldn't haunt and torment me. He has too many awesome things going on wherever he is to stay here and quite frankly he would never be that big of a dick."
The version of him in the chair glowers, but then leans back and crosses his arms. "Say what you want. But I'm not going anywhere. Family doesn't abandon each other in their time of need, right?"
Hannah instantly has her arms around her tiny friend. "Oh, Kaity. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. You can talk to us about anything though. Maybe talking will make it better." Caleb laughs from the corner.
"And to think one of the reasons I dated her was because I thought she was smart. Stupid b-"
"Stop!" Kaity clamps her hands over her ears and Hannah pulls back, confused. She just stares at what to them in an empty chair. "Just stop! I'm sorry for what happened to you, but I can't take this. Please leave me alone. Please." She breaks down sobbing and pushes even Ben away from her. Lori can't take it anymore and ducks into the hallway without anyone noticing. Nobody except Andrew, who follows her the second he see her go. He finds her across the hallway, slumped against the wall.
"I did this to her," Lori laments to him. "I brought him into our lives and-"
"Hey," he chastises her as he takes a seat by her side. "I know you've had this talk a lot of time with a lot of people the past few months. That was on DIZ and Maleficent. And this is on Kaity's brain. You can't take responsibility for her being bipolar, Fitz. That one is certainly not on you."
"But did you see her in there? She's in agony. I don't know how to save her from this. What if she's never the same again?"
"Fitz, you're putting yourself in agony. It has been a day- a really bad day. But tomorrow is another one for her. And it may take a few days, but she will find something to smile about. We will move past this and eventually get our Kaity back. She just needs her support system and time to break through this. But I have absolute faith that she will."
"How can you still be like that after what we just saw?" she lashes out, almost annoyed.
"It's because of what I saw in there I have to be like this," he explains. "Nothing is ever going to hit you in the gut harder than life. It will punch and punch until it brings you forever down… down forever. But you just have to keep standing up and make today better than yesterday." He sits for a moment. "Like how I'm trying to make you feel better after completely flipping out on you. I probably scared you to death and I'm sorry for that."
"You're not a germaphobe Andrew," she accuses. He opens his mouth but she cuts him off. "You wouldn't have put your coat on me if you were." She rises. "For some reason you don't like to be touched and you lie about it. Every day you lie to everyone around you and hide behind this bullshit happy fantasy world you've constructed." He looks like she's struck him, but then is on his feet himself.
"It's not an act," he meets her anger. "It is who I am. And I know what you're doing. So I need you to stop and consider the fact that you're trying to hurt me to make yourself feel better before you actually do. Because it is really hard for me to trust people and I don't know if you can reverse the damage once you do it. So think about what you're saying before you say it because you're better than that is every way."
Lori just stares at him a long moment before her face falls. "Oh my God. That was awful. I was just absolutely awful to you. I'm sorry. I didn't-I didn't want to say it like that. I'm sorry Andy. I'm so-"
"I know," he shrugs before heading back towards the room. "You can do better tomorrow." With that, he ducks into the room. Lori takes a long minute, mentally beating herself up, before she heads in to. Michael is cutting the cake and Kaity seems terrified but more stable than she was before. She walks over and takes an offered plate from Michael, joining her friends in eating in a tentative and worried silence. Kaity realizes she needs to start the conversation; everyone is tuned in to her, but just can't bring herself to do it and picks at her cake instead.
XXX
Later that evening, Commander Abbot sits at her new desk with a smile on that face. That smile drops when it is Finch who enters the office with her steeliest expression, folder under her arm. She steps forward and throws it on the table. "I was expecting Lori Fitzgerald," she says simply.
"Lori Fitzgerald had elected myself, Finch Hale, to handle all negotiations with you and the group known as DIZ. She feels her opinions have been made crystal clear."
Abbot decides to go another way, leaning forward. "We both know that's not your real name."
Finch plays along, leaning forward as well. "I assure you it is." She opens the folder. "This e-mail details a conversation between you and Higgins pertaining to his decision to not enter the plan he had helped form in dealing with Maleficent. You thank him and say it was the best thing to do. It is dated before the event occurred. There are also several messages in here detailing plans to eliminate Lori Fitzgerald from the equation when it comes to the book." She closes the folder to see Abbot looks completely dumbfounded. "We have played this game with your organization before. And we also have been underestimated before. Ask Commander Lucas how that worked out with him, especially since it was your idea to let him loose."
Abbot is still trying to recover as Finch rises. "There's nothing I can say to appeal to the program you used to be, is there?"
"No, because I am Finch Hale. My loyalty lies with my family as does all of their. You will not break us or bend us. We are united against you. You can stay and try as you desire, but we want nothing to do with you. It would be your best interest to leave as you will be ignored anyway. " She heads to the door but pauses. "I was the one who watched Caleb Dean die after I jumped over the ledge trying to save him. I will have to live with that the rest of my life. Just as you will have to live with the guilt of helping it come to pass. But I have a family to get me through it. You seem to have nothing at all. I pity you." With that, she leaves.
Abbot sits back in her chair, hands running through her hair. "They said it would be rough, but Higgins wasn't kidding." She picks up her phone and dials. "Richards? I need your department to get on the ball. We need a new angle if we're even going to stand a chance. Even our own asset turned against us at this point. Thank you." She hangs up the phone and puts her head in her hands. "I might actually start rooting for her at this rate."
After a moment though, she looks completely composed and starts scribbling on a piece of paper. 'Everything going to plan. Keep to written communication from here on out. They're listening. Proceed to ready for Step Two.'
XXX
The next afternoon Hannah is on the floor with Michael and Roger. She is putting together a series of posters that Roger is dumping practically a whole container of glitter on each. She wipes her forehead and smiles a brilliant smile as she holds one up. "These look perfect guys. Each one's a little different. Nobody on campus is going to be able to miss them."
"Expression through art is my specialty," Roger agrees as he stares at it. He pulls one from the finished pile. "I painted this one with my ear!"
Hannah laughs. "I think that one might go outside the door because it's my favorite." She gathers the stack up and divides it in half. "You sure you want to waste your Sunday hanging these up?"
"Hannah, nothing would make me happier then helping you out," Michael takes it with a smile. "I'm glad you asked me to help you out. This was a fun way to spend a rainy day- better than seeing her at the hospital. Ben says she isn't doing much better."
"I'm planning on going by once Lori gets back. Spread us out a bit. Plus someone has to look after the rabbit." Roger just laughs and waves his hand. "We made the mistake of giving him coffee this morning and had to fix all the furniture in the guest room."
"Usually it just happens when I drink the drink," Roger explains. "My heart still must be all over the place since meeting Lori. I still have to get her autograph for Jessica. We're both big fans of hers. She even played Lori in a cartoon once."
"They've made plays of Lori?" Hannah asks in disbelief.
"Of course," Roger explains. "I played the romantic lead opposite her of course- fir the part like my glove," he tugs at his glove. "I don't think I should say who though. It would ruin the mystery and my buddy Eddie needs mysteries to make his living. I wouldn't want to put him out of a job."
"Who played me?" Michael can't help but ask. Hannah nods with the same question.
"Why Baby Herman of course! One of the hippos from Fantasia played you Hannah." Both of them look less flattered with their choices, giving each other a look. "I was also the director and did the casting myself. Mickey himself came to see it- said it was a very faithful production."
"I would love to know more about this, but I need to go do some studying," Michael rises to his feet. "I will have these up first thing in the morning." Hannah rises and hugs him in thanks before he heads out. She takes a beat to put away the supplies before Andrew knocks. "Hey Andrew. Lori's-"
"At the hospital. I figured." He steps into the room with a smile. "I actually came to see if I could borrow Roger. I have an idea that I need his help with." Roger rises to his feet in an instant.
"Of course. I have all the time in the world for my pal Andy."
He flinches. "Andrew, please, if that's okay. Lori's the only one class who that… sorry, who calls me that. Thank though. Thanks Hannah. The posters look great. You have my vote." Hannah gives him a thumbs-up and smiles.
Roger rolls his eyes as he follows him out. "Of course. How could I forget that detail? I wrote the play after all." Hannah watches the door after they leave for a moment in thought before going back to cleaning up. A minute later there's a knock at the door. "It's open!"
Jess appears a moment later. "I came to discuss- what the hell are those?" She grabs a poster and Hannah crosses her arm proudly.
"I made them myself with my friends. Pretty great, right?"
"If you're trying to win an election in high school maybe," Jess disagrees. She takes a deep breath. "That's okay though. That's why I'm here. We need something simpler, uniform. They need to have the same message throughout and… I'm sorry but glitter?"
Hannah frowns. "We worked really hard on these."
"And they're really cute," Jess says as if she only wants to pacify her. "But this isn't what your campaign needs to say to campus. I have a program in my computer. I'm sure we could cook something better up in a couple of hours." She pulls out her laptop and sees Hannah still looks upset. "I'm sorry, but you picked me to shoot straight with you. That's what I'm doing." She looks at the pile. "They really were nice though. And I'm glad you had friends to help you and had a nice afternoon. I'd hold onto them. They might be worth something someday."
Hannah takes a minute before gesturing to her bed. "They already are. But I see your point. What did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking we keep it classy like your clothes. Red and blue is overdone so what if we adjust to purple, green, and brown. Stands out and screams sophisticated." She starts clicking around and Hannah quickly finds herself being drawn in and helping select options.
XXX
Roger and Andrew are in his and Michael's bedroom laughing up a storm. Andrew removes a red wig from his head and stuffs it in a full suitcase. "So you think we should do it?"
"Absolutely," Roger agrees. "It's going to be the biggest hit of the whole production. I never realized what a great sense of humor we have."
"I try," he shrugs. There is a knock at the door and a moment later Finch enters. "Hey, Finch. What can you do today…? I do for you today?"
"I wanted to apologize actually," Finch begins. "I just came back from my conversation with Commander Abbot and I felt a need to discuss some of my past behavior with you." She goes over to his desk and pulls a small black device from behind one of his pictures. "I was requested to keep an eye on you at the behest of-"
"Ben. I know," he smiles gently. "I saw that the day you put it there."
"You do not seem angry as you should be given my deception," she can't help but comment.
"That's because it's okay. You were doing what you thought would look out for Fitz. I can never fault that for anyone… anyone for that. I had nothing to hide, even when you followed me around. You're unfortunately not the ninja you think you are. But it looks like you came around."
"I did," she agrees. "I realized I needed to place trust in you as a Companion and my friend. I need to be better than what Commander Abbot thought me to be. I will speak to Ben Prescott about my thoughts once he returns. But I trust you fully Andrew Parker."
"That means a lot Finch," he smiles. "You can stick around if you want. I want to run something by you Roger and I worked on."
"Ooh, a preview! Allow me to get into character!" Roger holds a skull aloft and thinks deeply as Finch can't help but smile.
"That sounds great."
"Awesome! Have a seat." He gestures to his desk chair. "We've got a show for you." With that, he pulls a fedora on his head. "And…"
"Action!" Roger calls with enthusiasm, the two of them just feeding off one another's energy. Finch takes her seat and settles back to enjoy the show.
XXX
The next morning, Michael in in the gym taping up one of the glittering poster with a smile once he had is straight. He is about to head to his next stop when he hears footsteps running to the poster. "Oh my God. This is awful." He hears someone rip it down and instantly turns around to see Jess has ripped the poster off.
"Hey," he shouts after her. "What are you-"
She takes him in snatches the stack from him. "You're the idiot who's been hanging these up. I've had to go everywhere fixing your thick-headed mistake." She holds up a very streamlined simple poster in the colors the two had discussed. "Let me break this down for you since you seem slow. These are the posters we're using. This is what I get for working with her friends."
"Excuse me, but who exactly are you?" Michael manages, clearly frustrated and confused.
"Keep up. I'm Jess, her Vice President and the person who actually wants her to succeed. Now if you can pull your head out of your ass and use teamwork then head to the theatre. I have the rest of the gym." He just stares at her in disbelief. "Does this look like the theatre? Seriously? Do I need to talk slower? I thought you were supposed to be smart."
He puts both hands up, stepping back from her. "Okay crazy. I'm going." He starts down the hallway, still reeling from what just happened. "Where did she dig you up? Soviet Russia?"
"I heard that," she calls after him. "Way to be immature." She rolls her eyes and looks at the glittering poster with a sigh. She then starts up the stairs, coming to a halt after a moment of thought. "I might have just been rude." She then shakes it off and keeps walking. "No time to dwell on it though. These won't hang themselves."
XXX
Kaity and Caleb are having a staring contest with one another. She has bags under her eyes and looks absolutely drained. "Go away," she growls for what must be the millionth time.
"Make me," he says through narrowed eyes. She is only distracted by Andrew entering the hospital room with a suitcase he sets on the rolling table. She tries to be polite and smile.
"Andrew, I'm not really in the mood-"
"I know," he guesses. "But I want to help you. And there's only one way I really know how. So how about we try to make today better than yesterday? Give me one shot." She gives the faintest of nods and he pulls a hat from the suitcase. "But no show would be complete without a beautiful assistant." He reaches in and pulls out Roger Rabbit, who extends his arms grandly. "And now, Roger Rabbit-"
"And Andrew Human present-"
"Roger Rabbit: Abridged!" Andrew pulls out a small sign with that written in crayon plus a crude drawing of the two of them too. Kaity can't help but have a hint of a smile that is immediately stopped by Caleb coming up next to her. When she turns her attention back Andrew is now in a bowler hat and has an exaggerated frown. "My name is Eddie Valiant… and a Toon killed my brother. It has left me bitter and drunk with no prospect for the future."
Roger jumps up from where he was ducking behind the bed and Andrew ducks down. "And I'm Roger Rabbit- huge Toon star and married to the love of my life. But my head is not in the game as I shoot a commercial with my good friend Baby Herman." Andrew comes back up, now wearing a baby hat and shaking a rattle.
Kaity can't help it. She just starts laughing. It's loud and clear for the both of them to hear. Andrew and Roger smile at one another before continuing. Kaity watches with her hands covering her mouth when she suddenly notices Caleb is laughing as well. He seems like the version of him she knew, at peace and kind-hearted. It seems to put her just a little bit at ease.
"And there was his wife Jessica Rabbit!" Andrew is now wearing a red wig and lipstick, shirt stuffed with something. Kaity nearly falls off the bed as he starts the song. "Why don't you get out of here? Bring me some money too"
"I can certainly say he doesn't quite have her looks," Roger laments. "But I am an actor and I- dance break!"
"Dance break!" Soon the two jump into a choreographed tap number and Kaity is laughing so hard she is crying. She turns to Caleb as if to say something only to notice he's now gone. She almost looks sad as she turns back, but is quickly taken back in with the show.
XXX
Rachel is waiting outside a classroom when Robert and Karen Rowell head out. Robert catches sight of her and pulls his twin sister over to talk to her. "Hey, Finch is doing her usual round of after class grilling of the teacher. Just letting you know she might be a few minutes."
Rachel rolls her eyes. "Of course she is. I'm trying to teach her how to let stuff go, but progress has been slow."
"Ah, Dr. Hastert deserves it. He isn't the best teacher by a mile and could use being kept on his toes."
"We wouldn't be surviving if it wasn't for her," Karen agrees. "She's absolutely brilliant."
"She's certainly one-of-a-kind," Rachel agrees. "Seriously, thanks for letting me know though. Otherwise I would have thought I missed her and started wandering the hallways and probably fallen down a flight of stairs." Karen looks a little taken aback at this, but Robert starts laughing. Rachel tunes into this with a smile.
"Please tell me the play this year is a comedy, because your timing is perfect!"
She smiles. "It's a little bit of everything actually. We're doing Our Town. You should consider it because we could always use more guys. Finch is planning on auditioning too. She's really good."
"I'm good at what?" Finch asks as she exits, linking arms with her best friend.
"I'll tell you when you're older. Bye guys." Karen and Robert say their goodbyes, him with a lingering look at Finch, before heading off in the opposite direction. Rachel instantly pulls her friend closer. "You have to tell me, is Robert cute? Because he sounds cute."
"That doesn't seem like a quality I can properly assess," Finch apologizes.
"That's okay. I'll let my imagination do its work," Rachel sighs. "I might have to come pick you up from this class more often."
Finch is completely lost. "Why?"
"Again, I'll tell you when you're older."
XXX
Lori and Ben are heading down the hospital hallway towards the room after grabbing lunch- her pushing him. "Thanks for lunch. I guess it was good to clear my head a bit and-"
They both stop at the sound of laughter- laughter they both recognize. She starts pushing him at a run and comes to a stop in the doorway at the sight of Andrew wearing googly eye goggles in confusion with Roger wearing a bowler hat. "And then the Dip got all over Doc Brown!" Roger exclaims, throwing a full bottle of water at him.
"I've never heard her laugh like that," Ben whispers to Lori, baffled and perhaps a bit jealous. Lori just takes it all in, amazed.
"Roger, you were supposed to throw the content- never mind." Andrew starts crying and falls under the bed, changing outfits and coming back up as Jessica. "Oh Roger. When we get home I'll bake you a carrot cake." He ducks down and Roger tosses him the hat so he could be Eddie. The two just stare, both at him and Kaity who is beside herself with laughter to the point she is clutching her side. He hops back up. "And Eddie was no longer grumpy at heart." He and Roger face one another and he goes in for the kiss as in the movie, making Lori herself laugh from the doorway.
"The End!" Roger shouts, throwing confetti from the suitcase. Kaity applauds grandly as the two of them bow for her. Andrew then holds out the empty hat. Roger jumps off the table and does a dive into it. "Hold on! Something's stuck in here!" Andrew looks down confused.
"What?" Roger's hand sticks out holding a Roger Rabbit plush toy. "Would you look at that?" He takes it from the hand and presents it to Kaity. She takes it with a watery smile. "It was hard to find but we managed. He signed the foot so it's invaluable." She just holds it to her.
"Thank you. Thank you much. No one has ever put on a show for me before… that must have taken a lot of work."
"You were worth every second," he smiles at her, packing things up. "I just wanted to make today better than yesterday for you."
"Well, you certainly did. Now we can work on getting me out of here." He points at her triumphantly.
"Now that's the Kaity I know and love." He taps the suitcase. "I have to get him back to school before he suffocates, but I promise I will be back. Then we can make tomorrow even better than today."
"I don't know if that's possible, but we'll try." With that, he heads out and finally sees the two in the doorway. He just bows to the two of them and starts down the hallway. Lori pushes Ben into the room next to Kaity before making the decision to go after him.
"I'll be back!" She runs and sees him in the elevator. "Wait!" He holds the door open and she just makes it in.
"What can I do for you today, Fitz?" he asks politely though slightly guarded.
"I just… I'm fighting the urge to tackle you in a hug right now." He takes a step back, uncomfortable at just her words. "I'll restrain myself though. What you did though… I just can't…" He can tell she needs a moment and hits the button to stop the elevator. "I'm so sorry I said those things about you even if I didn't mean them at the time. You are this guy- this beacon of light that just makes everyone better by knowing you."
"I wouldn't go that far, Fitz," Andrew humbles himself. "I was just doing what anyone would done have… have done." Lori shakes her head.
"No. You were doing something only Andy Parker could have thought of with that gold heart of his. And I will never doubt that part of you again- even in my pissiest of moods." He just smiles at her before scratching the back of his head.
"About the germaphobe thing-"
"No," Lori cuts him off. "It's… I'm okay with not knowing. I am never going to force you to tell me something personal about yourself. That comes with time and trust. I will never push you or bring up that issue ever again. It is there for you when you're ready because I want you to be comfortable talking about it more than I want to know." She hits the button to start the elevator again. "I'll be here for you. Because I think the last great thing Caleb did for me was make sure the others and I had you as a Companion to get us through everything with a smile on our faces."
It reaches the floor and he exits, turning to wave to her as she pushes the button to go back up. Even after she waves back and the door closes he stills stands there staring after her a minute before shaking his head clear and heading for the main doors with a huge smile on his face.
XXX
That evening, Kaity is playing with her stuffed Roger Rabbit as Ben packs up his book. "Call me if you need anything. Or if you have any nightmares. No matter what time it is."
She kisses him as he leans in. "I will. But I think I'll be okay tonight." He starts rolling out the door. "How are you adjusting to the wheels on campus?"
"It's kind of rough," he admits. "There are not nearly enough ramps on campus to get into some of the buildings. I mean there might be one but it's on the other side of the way I came or my class and… it just gets frustrating having to split off from everyone to go to the other entrance."
"You should talk to someone about that," Kaity suggests. "Put those four years on campus to use and shake things up." She suddenly seems to think of something. "Hey, aren't Student Council elections in a couple of weeks?" He nods. "I'm just saying I would make a very fetching First Lady."
He smiles at that, seriously thinking about it. "That sounds like a great idea. I'll sign up first thing tomorrow." He starts to wheel out, but stops again. "I love you."
"I love you too, Mr. President." He laughs and heads out, leaving her to settle back with her Roger in her arms, finally at peace.
XXX
"Okay so I have the signed picture of us together, the signed picture of just you, the signed picture for Eddie to hang in our/his office since I helped you, and the signed picture for Jessica," Roger looks over his inventory in his pockets. Hannah and Lori just watch him from the couch of the living area in their dorm. "I think that should be-"
"I want you to have this too," Hannah cuts in, handing him a signed copy of one of the poster she made. "Since I'll have your signed copy in our room. I just thought it would be poetic." He smiles and takes it, holding it to him with tears in his eyes.
"I will treasure it forever," he promises, hugging her. He then turns to Lori, wiping his eyes with his ears. "It was-"
"Trust me," Lori gives a watery smile, "I know exactly how you feel." The two of them hug for a long minute, both soaking in the last of their time together. "I won't forget you ever, especially with what you did for Kaity."
"Ah, Andrew deserves all the credit. I just lent him my directorial experience." Lori opens the book to a glowing poem. "I'm putting on a production of Howl's Moving Castle later this month… if you guys are in the area at the time. I'd save seats just for you."
"We'll see what we can do," Lori promises before turning her attention to the poem. "Life is really only what you make it Stand right up and show them you can take it"
Roger gives a last wave they both reciprocate before vanishing in a burst of light. The two of them lean back and take a moment before Hannah speaks up. "I so want to see that play now."
"I know! It sounds amazing!"
XXX
Tune in next week as Lori is put through a very intense ordeal at the hands of a villain and her Companions must this time be the ones who need to step in and save her… if they can find her that is.