Later that evening everyone had gathered in the kitchen in to discuss the matter. And everyone agreed that just moving everyone to one place seemed like a pretty good idea in concept but at the same time a rather bad one.
"putting on your eggs in one basket may seem like a good idea so that no one can take them." Jon foreman said, "Provided no one goes and steals the entire basket."
It would paint a target and create something that the other two imps could not resist, but as the stakes were now a bit more dangerous, they would surely play with their cards close to their chests. The youngest imp eventually conceded to this argument and came up with a few more points. One of them being not so very useful, was to have Aislynn, Trot, and Zeb to go back to down during the day, and go to school before people started asking more questions. Which was one of Alex's concerns. Another was to bring Dorothy, Annabella, and Eliza to the Emerald city. This was met with reluctance from Mr. and Mrs. teak who wanted to keep Annabella close to them for her own safety, however Alex and The Beast both argued that they could easily protect her. With the Imp providing help, if need be, both Dorothy and Madeline could be return to the Manor at any point. No one was really sure how things came to pass, or how everyone was convinced to agree, but by the time the moon was beginning to rise Dorothy, Annabella, and Eliza found themselves sitting in the throne room of the emerald city.
Dorothy had insisted that given the circumstances, Ozma use hers and Alex's room for sleeping quarters until something could be done with the barrier. Alex and the Beast didn't do much in the way of sleeping to begin with, and she herself wasn't going to get much sleep either with the constant changing of shape between herself and her double. After going through Alex's mind for any questions as well as that of the Beast, the imp did chime in one thing.
"Short jumps, such as between here and any of the quadrants of Oz should be safe for you and your double, but nothing farther than that." The young imp said smiling, "also I have provided a tiny bit of assistance, in my own way." She added teasingly.
"how so?" Both Alex and the beast asked curiously
"If I told you, then my sisters could find out about it, but I promise you it will help." The imp replied before vanishing.
This left them a little bit puzzled, but it was no real matter and whatever the help was. It wasn't harming anyone. Now though, Alex found himself with the beast standing by the river, looking up at the sky. Dorothy wasn't with them nor was Annabella.
"to think, it was out here where we actually attracted their attention." Alex said with a sigh.
"but we can't really blame ourselves though, how were we to know?" The beast asked curiously.
"We couldn't have known there was no way to." Alex asked turning to the beast, "What got you into a sensible frame of mind?" he added curiously, his face falling into a rather sober expression.
"the two of them, Dorothy and Annabella, if we aren't careful, they could wind up stuck like that for a lot longer than is needed, and neither of us want that." He replied going through his pockets.
"we aren't doing this for ourselves, at the end of the day, whether in separate bodies or sharing the same one, we haven't the choice but to be one." Alex said turning to him.
"we do it for them, to keep them safe, to protect them the best we can." The beast replied pulling their collar from his pocket and holding it up, the gem was now glowing "Neither of us would anything to harm Dorothy, nor would we ever think of causing harm to Annabella."
"they are our world, our best friends, and our family." Alex replied with a smile, "you've been in my head, and it's paying off"
"We will always be an uneasy alliance, as I will always be everything you repress." The beast said offering him the collar, "but the last time we quarreled in our heads it was do it for her or not at all. But I no longer think that is accurate, we don't just do it for, our choice to stay was for all of them, not just Dorothy. We do it for Them or not at all." He said
Alex nodded and reached out to take the collar from him. The jewel was glowing, which as far as either of them were concerned it had never done before. They were both certain that it meant they could break it, and gain the wolf shape back. But he hesitated. The beast was right, and what they had established over this very confusing set of events was that they needed each other.
"we're two sides of the same coin." Alex said
"Opposing each other in some ways but assisting in others." The beast said grinning back, "I don't think either of us will ever truly see eye to eye."
"but nothing is going to be accomplished with us at each other's throats, there is a lot at stake now and we have to keep under control, we can play on each other's strengths, assist where we can and work on what we can't." Alex said sighing
"but like Benton with his inner struggle, we can work together, for Annabella, for our Family, and for Dorothy." The beast said,
Unknown to them, Dorothy had been sitting on the grass the scepter floating behind her, she had been watching them from safe distance as to not be noticed, but still close enough to hear. She watched and listened as the two discussed their own personal bond. The conclusion being mad that though they were different they were the same in so many respects. She watched as the two of them both took hold of the gem on the collar and worked together to break it.
"we do it for them." They both said, "together."
When the jewel on the collar was shattered, they both were enveloped in a bright golden light. After a few moments the glow subsided and the two were still standing there, but now Benton was stood next to them. However, someone else had appeared as well, Dorothy found she was no longer alone where she stood, and next to her was the girl they had met the day Polly had arrived. She looked Dorothy in the eyes and placed a finger to lips to signal for her to keep quiet. She could barely remember the girl personally, but she knew she was important. Was today one of those important days that she had to ensure everything went right? She wasn't sure, all she knew was that the girl was here, next to her, and despite the fact that she knew almost nothing about her, she found herself trusting the girl completely on her judgements. They watched in silence and Benton explained to the two how transforming into the shape of the wolf worked. And soon they were in the body of the large grey wolf. And quickly back to their natural shape. They straightened up, straightened their cuffs, and stood there listening to Benton. Dorothy stole a glance at the girl next to her. There was something off about her, something she recognized but couldn't quite place. The fact that the first memory of her was rather fuzzy was part of it, but there was something about her that she was attracted to, a point that seemed to draw them all together. It felt odd but convenient that this seemed to be one of the days where things had to go exactly as they are now for the timeline to be kept perfect. She soon however found Madeline climbing onto her lap and looking over at the girl.
"Any idea who she is?" Madeline asked with a light whisper.
"Hush Mads, I'm trying to listen." The girl said in a rather harsh whisper.
"But you aren't even interacting, just observing." Madeline replied
"yes, that is what I do in this situation, but this is a rather touching and touchy moment." The girl responded.
"but who exactly are you, we know you're from our future, I get that, I know Glinda knows you from some point in her past, but who are you?" Madeline asked curiously.
"you'll all find out eventually, I'm sorry but I can't tell you now." She replied.
"But why?" Dorothy asked in a whisper.
"because, if she did it could really mess things up in the future allegedly, a rule I've never quite understood as we will barely remember this encounter anyways." Madeline said looking up and shutting her eyes.
"Well, I can tell you this with authority, you two are about to swap." The girl said turning and reaching over, taking Madeline from Dorothy's lap and setting her on the grass.
Immediately on cue Dorothy began to hiccup. And within moments she was sitting on the grass in the shape of the kitten while Madeline was standing in front of her.
"Well, that's information you could've gotten from, well me at the very least." Madeline said with a sharp whisper.
The girl looked at Madeline and grinned for a moment. Dorothy wasn't sure why but that grin both mildly disturbed her but reassured her at the same time.
"it's not easy you know, but they're almost done over there, and then I must depart again, but if they both see me for too long, they'll be affected by temporal amnesia in the same way you two will and with this situation that cannot happen." She added getting to her feet and checking the pocket watch that seemed to serve as her credentials.
"but why you?" Madeline asked curiously, "and more importantly why here and now?"
"because this is a part of the path that I had to ensure goes down without a hitch, time in flux there's no guaranteeing what will happen, I don't know why it has to be me that does it, but I have to, because I know it has to happen, you will remember that I turned up, but neither of you will remember the extent of this conversation, until the time comes around for me to be sent here in the first place." She replied shutting the watch, "Don't worry though, this isn't the last time you'll see me, we will meet again."
"Never trust a time traveler, especially one who is set on stabilizing the timeline." Madeline said firmly, "they will have to lie to you in order to ensure everything happens just as they know them too."
"yep, rule one of time travel." She replied taking out the blue bound journal opening it, and scribbling something into it then closing it with a bit of a chuckle,
"what's so funny?" Madeline asked trying to sneak a glance at It before it shut, she couldn't.
"small joke, you wouldn't get it, you'd have to be there, though I know you personally won't be." She replied, "and with that, I bid you good night" she added
And with that, it took them a moment or two to realize she was gone. Looking curiously around as they were quickly approached by Alex, the beast and Benton. And suddenly found themselves equally confused. But unknown to any of them, MMadeline was searching her own memory, for any gaps, because she had the odd nagging sensation that she had met that girl one other time before.
