Disclaimer, the usual

Early the next morning, before the sun had started to rise, alex awoke to find dorothy already awake and sitting in front of him. Just sort of watching him. He raised his head to make eye contact with her and licked her face. This resulted in a giggle out of her. She pressed a finger to her lips and got up. He followed, as they quietly slipped out, the scepter floating silently after them.

"you look so peaceful when you sleep like that." She whispered.

"you always look peaceful when you sleep." Alex responded

"you would know, I've never seen myself sleeping from the outside, Maddie usually finds uncomfortable positions to nod off in." dorothy said sighing.

"well, let's not dwell on that, don't want her turning up and making us jump." Alex said.

"you'd figure we'd be used to it by now." Dorothy said.

"she's not a conventional person, she isn't really bound to our rules, you know that, its been explained various different ways." Alex said as they came to a rather large rather odd-looking pool

It was completely still even though there was a breeze blowing through the sanctuary. Its water looked crystal clear and seemed to sparkle in the fading darkness. The pool was huge, spanning at least the length of the pool in emerald city. Dorothy smiled as they Looked into it, at their reflections, alex would have smiled if he could have.

"it's not too bad, being a wolf, I am starving though." He said.

"you could have eaten, we offered to help you." Dorothy replied giggling.

"I know, I just kept getting frustrated and didn't want to accidentally bite one of you, the beast seems to flourish in my irritation." Alex replied.

"then don't let him win." Zinnia said walking up behind them, "I see you found the reflecting pool, great place for a swim to be honest, some mornings it's what I come here to do." She went on.

The two of them turned, zinnia was now dressed in white as opposed to red. Fayth immediately appeared next to her in a similar outfit.

"white is ceremonial." She said

Dorothy and alex nodded.

"this is actually where the transformation will be taking place as luck would have it." zinnia said smiling, "happy birthday by the way Ms. Gale." She added.

"Thank you." Dorothy said as she looked to see Madeline coming up the path.

"everyone else is awake and ready." Madeline said.

"then as soon as the light rises then we can begin, are you ready?" Fayth asked curiously.

"as I'll ever be." Dorothy said smiling.

As they waited and the sky began to light up, everyone got into their positions. Each member of the tribunal took a place in the water forming a circle. Having alex stand in the center of the circle. He looked and saw his family, dorothy, Aislynn, Madeline, jack, Alyssa and Terrance standing at the edge of the pool. Marsinta then came forward with a golden goblet filled with a swirling, glimmering gold liquid.

"fair word of warning, it does taste terrible, but its what mother nature gave us for this, dark magic can only be combated by white if you use a little dark magic along side it." Benton said.

"what is it?" Alex asked curiously, cautiously sniffing the stuff.

"It'll prepare your body and mind for the transformation, now if wouldn't mind opening your mouth?" Marsinta asked.

Alex nodded and complied. immediately the foul-tasting liquid was poured into his mouth. He felt compelled to spit it out but found that he couldn't as he swallowed it all. Immediately he felt a new fire seem to light inside him. He could hear the beast waking up again, ready to fight.

"Ms. Gale, if you would?" Benton said.

Dorothy waded into the water, the scepter following closely behind. In her hands was a large, black leather collar, hanging from which, was jewel where one might put a name tag. As dorothy got to him, she leaned forward and whispered.

"you ready?" she asked.

"only if you are." Alex replied.

Dorothy nodded and smiled, as Marsinta returned to her place. The twelve members of the tribunal each raised a hand, which began glowing. Dorothy placed the collar around Alex's neck and fastened it into place. Immediately all twelve tribunal members began chanting in an odd language dorothy had never heard before.

"Fairy language, clever." Madeline said chuckling.

"do you know how to translate it?" she heard Aislynn ask.

"fraid not, try asking Ozma, she might know." She replied.

Immediately the collar's jewel began glowing, dorothy took a step back, the scepter now glowing extremely bright. Quickly he was enveloped in light as beams of energy flew from the hands of the twelve. He howled a loud, pained howl. Dorothy wanted to look away but found herself compelled to keep watching.

"it's working!" Benton said, as they all started chanting louder.

However, in his head, he was back in the field, the best at his throat once again.

"You really think, I would let you go?" he asked pinning alex down.

Alex struggled, he knew that look in the beast's eye, the desire to be someone, to do something. He used to have it himself, he couldn't fight the beast, not now. He punched the beast in the face causing him to him to release his throat. Alex used this moment to push the beast off of him and pin him down, by the arms.

"I'm not doing this for my benefit, don't you understand?" Alex asked, "I'm doing it for them, for her." He said

"we're always doing it for her, but what about us, can't we do something for ourselves?" he asked.

"we can do stuff for ourselves! But not if it hurts dorothy, and not today!" Alex said.

"we teased her for years, we bullied her, for a laugh." The beast said struggling.

"to get her attention, and it worked, I buried you, you are the part of me that I hate." Alex shouted.

"then why fight me?" the beast asked.

"Because I won't let you hurt her, not now, not ever!" alex shouted.

Back in the pond alex was struggling, howling.

"NO! NO! NO!" alex shouted, his voice getting lower.

"The beast is fighting back, come on boy you can do it!" Benton shouted.

"come on alex, please!" dorothy said.

He was struggling the beast's strength was wavering though.

"we wouldn't do this to her, you know that, not on her birthday of all days!" alex shouted.

"and you think if you win, I'll sleep forever?" the beast asked, pushing alex and winding back on top.

Alex thought about this for a moment, from what he had pieced together, what he had been through, he honestly doubted the beast would fully return to sleep. He would have to fight for control, likely now and forever. He kneed the beast in the stomach and wound up back on top.

"I won't play this game with you, please, just go back for now, I know I can't repress you forever, but we do it for them, for her, or not at all." Alex said sternly.

The beast looked alex in the eyes, his face fell, a look in his eyes that he hadn't seen in years. Not even in the mirror.

"Let me see her then, one time through these eyes." The beast said.

In his eyes, he could see sorrow, the beast knew he had lost, they had lost. But he wasn't going to stay down.

"I'll give you, a few moments." Alex replied.

The beast nodded.

"see you, on the other side." He said, starting to laugh.

Suddenly alex felt the fire consume him again. He could feel the beast coming forward. His body transforming. Every bone in his body morphing. He felt once more like he was on fire. He could hear his own howling become screaming as his body morphed. There was a bright flash and he found himself watching, through one eye as the beast watched through the other.

As the howling morphed into screaming, dorothy clenched and ground her teeth, she could see Annabella peeking back at the sight. His father shielding his own eyes from the light coming off alex. When he fell over, and the light cleared, she struggled through the water over to him. His hair was receding rapidly, his nails were as well. But his face was still covered. Is hands and face were still glowing. She cupped his face in her hands and lifted it to get a look at him. She was met with the yellow eyes and the grin of the beast. Despite how he looked, she could still see a lot of alex in him. He began to chuckle, before screaming again causing dorothy to jump back, lose her footing, and fall soaking herself in the pool. as the face twisted into a scowl alex came forth. In a moment the process was done. The eyes returned to normal.

Before them, in a now tattered and torn outfit. Alex blinked as the light faded he quickly scrambled to his feet.

"mirror, I need a mirror!" he shouted.

Madeline waded into the pool, not seeming to care about her outfit. Producing a hand mirror for him. Looking at himself he could see the remnants of the beast fading. He could see the scratch marks from the time in the forest. His teeth remained sharp though, in a manner similar to Hawkeye's, he would just have to get used to it. his hair now had a streak of grey going across it. however, as he smiled the reflection twisted and distorted into that of the beast. He immediately dropped the mirror before turning his attention to dorothy and helping her to her feet.

"is it done, is it over?" Dorothy asked placing a hand on his cheek.

"I'm afraid, its far from being over." Benton said walking up to them.

The rest of the Teaks, jack, Alyssa and Terrance all waded over to them.

"the beast wont sleep forever, he could emerge at any time, cause problems." Alex said.

"correct, if you get too frustrated, angry, or just aren't expecting, the beast can burst forth, try to take control, you may have won this battle, but the war still rages, and its one you'll mostly have to fight alone." Benton said.

"He won't fight it alone, we'll be there to support him." Mrs. Teak said.

"come on alex, let's get you changed, then you can eat, then you two can do whatever it is you were originally going to do." Zinnia said beckoning them over.

"what will happen, what will he erm I do, Benton, when the beast bursts forth?" Alex said playing with the gem on the collar.

"what ever he wants basically, everyone has a darkness lurking inside them, me and my demon worked out a mutual relationship eventually, instead of fighting myself I let him do it, he gets a thrill from it that I never did." Benton said.

"But at any time, in violent outburst?" alex asked.

"the beast is stubborn we know that, you put up one heck of a fight." Benton said placing a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"he wanted to see her, through his own eyes, that was the only thing he wanted before he went dormant." Alex said, "but…" he added taking Dorothy's hand and squeezing it tight.

"but?" Mr. teak asked.

Alex shook his head, letting go of Dorothy's hand. He took a step back from them. If he went home, it just increased the odds that either he would get hurt, or he would hurt them. One act holding more weight.

"with the beast able to cause more harm than I ever personally could, I can't go back to Kansas." Alex said, "not like this, not without full control." He said sighing.

"alex, don't talk like that, we'll get through this, we always do, you have to come home with us." Dorothy started to say before alex cut her off.

"dorothy, please, dad, mom, all of you, listen to me, you don't know what the beast can do, he is literally, my own antithesis, he has my moral compass but chooses to ignore it, he chased Finley for days through the forest without stopping once, I could have hurt one of our friends, the biggest difference between here and home is that without magic I cant kill anyone." Alex said sighing

The three teaks shared a glance, they knew he was right. They knew he would be more of a danger at home than he would be here. Tin man and lion were strong than alex, and most likely the beast. But they didn't want to admit it. dorothy didn't want to either, she knew in her heart though that he was telling the truth, the look in the beast's face, that wasn't one that would go over well in their small town. Aislynn however finally waded over, cutting in.

"he's right you know, if he goes back, and the beast takes hold, he could very quickly find himself on the wrong end of a gun." Aislynn said.

"Ace don't say things like that!" dorothy shouted only to have Mr. teak silence her by cupping his hand over her mouth.

"dorothy, I know it your birthday and everything, but let them speak." Mr. teak said.

"my point, ace." Alex said sighing, "Ozma has offered us permanent residency in emerald city before, I'll have to take her up on it, at least they'll be able help keep me under control when you guys aren't around." He added.

"but what about your lessons? Your schooling?" Aislynn asked curiously,

"of course, you'd be concerned about that part, I can always sit in on Ozma's lessons with the professor." Alex replied.

"and I'll always be around, I can keep a close eye on him." Madeline said.

Dorothy pulled Mr. teak's hand away from her mouth and took Alex's in her own. Looking him in the eyes. she could see his sadness, it hurt him to say this. He didn't want to have to do this. They had seen him fight, he was capable with his sword, they knew what he was capable of if he turned his abilities to do harm. The three remaining teaks shared a glance.

"is that what you want?" Mr. teak asked his son.

"if it keeps you all safe, then yes." Alex said nodded

Dorothy sighed, of course life couldn't be simple. She embraced him. The scepter pinging in disappointment. Alex looked over to it.

"and I'm going to need to talk to you later." He said addressing the scepter.

"well, after that, if you are insistent on not changing, we must send you all back to where you belong." Benton said.

"well, we'll see you guys this afternoon, right?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"We'll be back in emerald city by night fall." Alex said smiling.

"you actually have a plan?" Dorothy asked surprised.

"not at all, but I also don't know where we're liable to end up." Alex said chuckling.

Dorothy smiled, holding her hand out for the scepter. It immediately flew to it.

"we'll see you two when you're done then." Mr. teak said.

"we'll talk about it more tomorrow." Alex said sighing.

Mr. teak nodded, taking his wife's hand.

"brother, please be good." Annabella said sighing.

"I'll do my best." Alex said smiling at her.

At that moment Marsinta snapped her fingers, dorothy had braced herself for the usual sensations but was surprised that they didn't come.

"odd, apparently you two have unfinished business here." Zinnia said arching an eyebrow.

Alex sighed and removed the collar.

"I assume once I'm ready to take the wolf on again I just smash the crystal?" alex asked.

"it'll only break when you're ready, but what could you still have here keeping you here?" Fayth asked.

"perhaps something still at the apartment?" zinnia asked.

Dorothy and alex shared a glance. Before wading out of the water. It was barely passed 6 in the morning now they still had the whole day for them. They shrugged as they all walked to the apartment. It had been mostly cleared now as it didn't really need to support anyone. But on a small table inside were two items, Alex's sword, and his watch.

"your clothing, or rather the clothing she borrowed from you will have returned to where it belongs." Marsinta said.

"I don't see why the sword didn't, nor the watch." Zinnia said.

"because he won't go anywhere without either." Dorothy said walking in, picking them up, and handing them to alex.

"the sword is Nome made, I recognize the craftsmanship." Halvor said.

"thank you for noticing." Alex said strapping it to his waist before checking the watch and putting it in his pocket.

"she kept that close to her you know, didn't let it leave her side, that burnt up old thing." Zinnia said.

"but if you two are ready, we're going to try again." Marsinta said.

Immediately she snapped her fingers, a gust of wind whipped around them and suddenly they found themselves back in the guest bedroom of castle garrison the scepter pinging excitedly. Everything just as she had left it.

"well, let's say you and I change first then we'll work out what we're going to do with the rest of the day? Sound like a plan?" alex asked walking over to the wardrobe.

"seems like a plan." Dorothy said nodding.

"oh good, you two are back." Came the jester's voice as he poked his head in the door.