Disclaimer, the usual

The next morning, dorothy awoke before everyone else. She felt wide awake, given the time, 3:30 in the morning. As she quietly went down stairs, toto and pockets quietly woke up and followed after her. dorothy smiled and walked to the kitchen, both of them jumped up on her lap as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"dorothy, how come you haven't taken the slippers from their box?" Pockets asked.

"mainly to avoid questions, I mean, in Kansas, no one finds it unusual, but here, the last thing I need are questions." Dorothy whispered.

Toto immediately growled and jumped out of Dorothy's lap. Immediately pockets followed shortly behind. Within a few minutes they were both back carrying the shoe box on their backs.

"oh come on you two, really?" dorothy whispered.

"they've been vibrating in the box if you haven't noticed." Toto said.

"I know, I've been ignoring it." Dorothy said taking the box from them and opening it.

Taking the slippers from the box, she immediately began to feel them emanating their energy. They felt as if they were displeased with her, either for not having the scepter, or for just not using them.

"I thought I heard your animals awake, where'd you get those?" Zeb asked walking into the kitchen.

"It's a rather, well, I'll explain later." She said.

Zeb chuckled and walked over to her. dorothy sighed and slid the slippers on, immediately they stopped vibrating and emanating energy, happy to be back where they belonged

"strange." Zeb said.

"What is?" Dorothy asked.

"the moment you put those on, it felt as if a surge of energy just left the room." Zeb said with a yawn.

"in fairness, it is early." Dorothy said.

"fair, anyways, in a week, hopefully, dad and uncle bill can get out of their casts and start therapy, they both seem quite miserable just being in beds all day." Zeb said pulling up a chair.

Dorothy sighed and stretched a bit before a question came to her mind. She began wondering how toto and pockets managed to get the shoebox down the stairs without dropping it. though the first answer that popped into her mind was Madeline. Though she immediately shrugged it off before she began to think too deeply into it. as the clock struck four, aunt Melinda came into the kitchen and found them.

"Oh, you two are already awake." She said walking over to the fridge.

"I've been up for the last half hour, I don't know how long Zeb has been awake." Dorothy said.

"probably just as long" Zeb said yawing again

Melinda chuckled and began working on breakfast. Dorothy sighed once again and then leaned back in the chair. She began to wonder how alex was fairing this morning.

Meanwhile back in Kansas.

Alex had woken up early as well, he was laying on his bed, humming to himself, they had to start practicing for the fair in a few months. though he wished it was sooner as he really missed dorothy. Talking to her through a mirror, or over the phone or radio was one thing, being with her was quite another. Without dorothy around he felt rather alone, and empty, as if he was incomplete.

"you know, just laying around isn't going to make time tick by any faster." Madeline said appearing in the room.

"Madeline, what are you doing here?" alex asked

"I'm bored, and I really didn't want to bother Glinda." Madeline said.

"so, logically, you come and bother me instead?" alex asked.

"that's basically the gist of it." Madeline said sighing

"Madeline, I appreciate the thought, but would you mind leaving me alone for now, we can talk later at practice." Alex said

"sure." She said vanishing on the spot.

Alex sighed and got up, walking over to his desk, he sat down and began tapping out a rhythm with some pencils he had on hand. And as the hours ticked ahead eventually he found himself walking next to Ellie and Aislynn on their way to school.

"so, any idea what number you guys are doing for the fair when you go?" Aislynn asked.

"Madeline said she'd tell us at this afternoons practice. Oh hey, it's Trot and Betsy." Alex said.

"Hey, can we walk with you guys?" Trot asked

"oh, of course, you really don't need to ask, you guys are our friends." Ellie said.

"we know, but it's only polite to ask." Betsy said.

"you know, I really miss having dorothy around." Ellie said.

"Never thought I'd hear you admit it." Alex said.

"Oh, shut up." Ellie said.

"Anyways, It's a test day, that's a worse thing to worry about." Aislynn said.

"oh heck, I forgot about that." Alex said

"I feel like if we didn't have ace around, we'd all be lost." Ellie said

"thanks, oh, there's donna and Kelly." Aislynn said as they caught up to them.

"So, its test day today, y'all nervous?" Donna asked.

"I'm not" Aislynn said.

"well that's a given ace, you are the smartest girl in school." Alex said.

"alex?" Donna asked

"no, I'm not nervous, the only think I really worry about is dorothy." Alex said.

"thing." Aislynn said.

"beg pardon?" alex asked.

"you said the only think you worry about, its thing." Aislynn said.

"Ace, you know how much sleep I lose worrying about dorothy all the time?" Alex asked.

"I imagine a lot, but still." Aislynn said.

"Okay, let's not dwell on this subject, it's boring." Betsy said.

" I agree" Donna said

"me too." Kelly said finally speaking up

"anyways, on another note, any of you up for a trip to Oz this weekend?" Ellie asked.

"Maybe after practice, why?" alex asked.

"well, Glinda thinks Ozma needs some more company, and since dorothy isn't available, may as well keep her company, I mean we do have a long weekend coming up, and I've got nothing better to do." Ellie said.

"I'd have to ask my parents, and trot would have to ask her mother." Betsy said.

"and our parents are finally coming home again." Donna said.

"I'll go, my parents don't mind." Alex said.

"I guess I'll come as well." Aislynn said.

"Well, I'll let Glinda know later." Ellie said taking out a pad and writing a note for herself.

As they reached the school, alex sighed and parted ways with the others and headed to his uncles office. When he got there he sat down at a table where his tests were already waiting.

Back in California.

Dorothy and Zeb eventually found themselves in the barn doing the chores.

"Dorothy, can you grab me that hammer over there on the rain barrel?" Zeb asked.

Dorothy nodded and walked over to the rain barrel, picking up the hammer she walked over to him.

"loose horseshoe?" dorothy asked.

"yep, it's almost time to replace them again, but I try to make them last as long as I can, one or two more rides though, and that will be the end of these." Zeb said sighing.

"Zeb? Dorothy?' came Lorretta's voice as she poked her head into the barn.

"yep, we're in here." Dorothy said turning to look at her.

"you know, dorothy, I have to ask, since you put on those shiny shoes this morning, you haven't taken them off, and I'm only just noticed that you haven't gotten a speck of dirt on them." Zeb said.

"Oh, wow, nice shoes, where did you get them?" Lorretta asked as she and joe walked in.

"It's a long story." Dorothy said.

"Boyfriend?" Joe asked.

"let's go with that, saves a rather long explanation and zeb pay attention to your work, Jim looks like he's about ready to kick you." Dorothy said

"oh I'll kick him if he doesn't finish the job in a minute." Jim said to her.

Zeb sighed and went back to his work. After he had finished he stood up and looked Jim in the face.

"oh don't look at me like that." Zeb said

"he seems miffed with you." Dorothy said sitting down on an overturned bucket.

"well he did just stand there holding Jim's hoof for a full minute." Lorretta said.

'I know, but still" dorothy said

"Anyways, Lorretta what brings you and joe here?" Zeb asked.

"we needed something to do, no chores today." Joe said.

Dorothy sighed and got up from her seat. Walking over to the ladder to the hayloft she climbed up and sat on the hayloft with her feet hanging over the edge.

"so, we just finished out chores, what now?" dorothy asked.

"I don't know, honestly, I've never seen the ranch this orderly before, normally there's always work to be done, but since you've arrived, things have been getting done much faster." Zeb said.

"Well in fairness, your uncle and father aren't really young anymore Zebediah, and your father has always had that limp for as long as I've known him." Lorretta said.

" Did he ever tell you how he got that limp?" zeb asked.

"no, not that I recall." Lorretta said.

"oh, it's a funny story, it happened the day after I was born, my father was trying to control a mule, and as far as he's ever told me…he was kicked by the mule, and according uncle bill, it was pretty." Zeb said.

"bet your father tells it better." Joe said.

"that's all he'll tell me, he's says he'll go into detail, when I'm older." Zeb said.

"Which in adult talk, means next to never." Dorothy said.

"uh yep." Zeb said with a sigh.

"you know, I have this earthquake survival kit if you guys want me to go get it?" Joe offered.

"what?" Lorretta asked.

"oh this guy in Tuscan, he sells survival kits for all types of natural disasters, save for volcanos since those aren't common around any parts." Joe said.

"what's in the kit?" Lorretta asked.

"helmet, flashlight, batteries, a packet of crackers, a bottle of water, some distilled water, and a small first aid kit, and I added a rather long coil of rope." Joe said.

"wait, you two are living, in the same house, and you didn't know Lorretta?" Zeb asked.

"nope, never really bothered to ask, actually is that what was in that rather large cardboard box your uncle was carrying?" Lorretta asked

"yep." Joe replied.

"alright, well, hey dorothy, got anything interesting to say?" zeb asked.

"Not really, but are earthquakes liable to happen here?" Dorothy asked.

"Sometimes." Lorretta said.

"I've felt earthquakes before, did some damage to a lot nice china." Dorothy said recalling the time the jester set an earthquake on china country.

"must have been like a bull in a china shop." Zeb said,

"like one poked with a hot branding iron" dorothy said

"ouch, was it your aunts?" zeb asked.

"no it was a friends, that was fun watching the clean-up." Dorothy said.

"the worse things about earthquakes around here is that in the fields, sinkholes can open, I once got caught in one." Lorretta said.

"Oh yea, I remember that." Zeb said.

"I do to, you had to tie a rope to Jim to lift me out" Lorretta said.

"I'd personally would have tried to climb out, but knowing my luck, I'd end up injured." Joe said.

"I did try, and I did get injured sprained wrist, twisted ankle, and a broken nose." Lorretta said.

"So that's how that happened?" Joe asked in a surprised tone.

"yep, I never told you the story because I was worried you would go off on the whole, you should move back to Arizona speech" Lorretta said.

"yea…I would have." Joe said sighing.

"well anyways, the mail man also delivered this order to our ranch by accident, Friday, zeb, you're gonna need to take the buggy into town and pick up a Bill Wheedles and a Mr. Griffiths, and take them and their bags to the train station." Lorretta said handing him a card.

"why didn't you mention this earlier?" he asked.

" I got a bit distracted." She replied looking up at dorothy.

"hey don't try to pin this on me." Dorothy said

"dorothy in honesty those shiny shoes of yours are quite distracting, they're beautiful but distracting." Zeb said looking up at her now as well.

"sorry, that's why I had them hidden in a shoe box, once I start wearing them it's rather difficult for me to take them off, I'm rather attached to them." Dorothy said trying to sound convincing as possible.

"Dorothy, you don't need to lie, I mean they're beautiful shoes." Lorretta said walking over to her.

Dorothy immediately pulled her feet up on instinct, knowing that Lorretta would receive a rather nasty shock if she got to close to them. She then stretched laid down on the haybale that she constantly frequented and sighed.

"you know there really isn't a more comfortable place to spend a warm and sunny day than hayloft." Dorothy said trying to change the subject.

"I'd have to agree but that's the only bale of hay up there, and it only gets changed, what, twice a month?" Lorretta asked.

"3 times this month." Zeb said

"didn't you set that bale up so that you could sleep up there on days like this?" Joe asked turning to Zeb.

"what? Oh, yes, that was like a year ago, joe." Zeb said.

"I can't remember your reason, but didn't there used to be a window up there that sunlight used to be able to shine through?" Joe asked.

"Yea, it was broken by an earthquake this past summer, scared Jim half to death." Zeb said.

"Ah." Joe said.

"yep." Zeb said getting up and grabbing the brush that was hanging on a peg near him.

He then began brushing Jim's coat, which Jim seemed content with. Not a word was exchanged between any of them as this was going on, as dorothy watched from her spot, she began to feel a bit drowsy, and soon began drifting in an out of consciousness.

"hey dorothy, you feelin' alright?" Zeb asked.

"huh? Wha? Oh, just a bit drowsy." Dorothy said.

"you should take a nap." Lorretta suggested.

"no, no, I'll be fine." Dorothy said.

"you sure?" Zeb asked.

"I hope so." She replied sighing.

"Not very reassuring." Joe said

"Well, sorry." Dorothy said.

"Joe, leave my cousin alone, if she says she'll be fine, then just believe her." Zeb said.

"yes sir." Joe said.

Dorothy smiled and grabbed a rope hanging from the rafters and swung down from the hay loft.

"Dorothy don't do that, I'm not even allowed to do that, my dad would have a fit if he even saw one of us doing that." Zeb said

"doing what?" Auntie Melina asked walking in with a plate of sandwiches.

"swingin' down from the hayloft on that rope." Dorothy said.

"Oh dorothy, doll, don't do that, your mother once broke her arm pullin' a stunt like that, and your father chipped a tooth once smacking face first into a beam." She said handing around the plate.

"what if she doesn't listen in do it anyways?" zeb asked.

"Well, I dunno, her mother and father were rather big on being, once had visions of traveling the world before finally agreeing on settling down and starting a family." Melinda said.

Dorothy said nothing. She simply sighed and took a sandwich from the plate. She began to wonder how alex was doing.

Meanwhile in Kansas

As the school day ended alex found his brain feeling like mush from the tests, knowing he'd have to take more the next day didn't help either. As he walked up his drive he found Madeline sitting on the porch.

"tough day?" she asked.

"tests are easy, but my brain feels completely fried." Alex said.

"pity they go on for another week." Madeline said.

"yep…" was alex could say

"what's it like?" she asked

"starts as test day…goes to test week, leaves most kids feeling completely fried and never wanting to pick up another pencil till finals." Alex said.

"glad dorothy wasn't here for it, but it finally explains why sometimes around this time of year I feel completely fried." Madeline said

"yep, by the way, how's dorothy doing?" Alex asked.

"She's thinking about you right now, but otherwise, she's fine, a tad bored, but fine otherwise." Madeline said

"well, Madeline, can you give me about an hour to rest before practice?" Alex asked.

"Sure, I'll keep an eye on things, I'll see you in an hour or so." She said.

And with that, she promptly vanished.