Then next morning found Alex, The Beast, and Eliza back in the library of the western castle. Alex had just been hit in the face with a book and was now nursing a bloodied nose. They were looking for a solution to Dorothy and Madeline's transformation.

"Anything?" Eliza asked picking up a book she hadn't looked through yet and skimmed it.

"Um, not really." The beast replied.

"We left the scepter with Dorothy, and I'm rather beginning to wish we hadn't." Alex said tilting his can't forward slightly.

"You left it with her for some added protection, besides you're the one who says we cant use magic for everything." Eliza said looking up from her book.

"True as that maybe, three heads are better than one, though I'd rather not get blood on everything," Alex said.

Eliza rolled her eyes and turned to the beast.

"I know why everyone else calls you that, but considering you two have come to some kind of mutual agreement." Eliza said arching an eyebrow, "is it still appropriate to call you The Beast?" she added curiously.

"No." they replied in unison,

"But I think its rather fitting, as I am most useful as brawn while still having quite a bit of brain to it." The beast replied.

"why not go with…I dunno, your full first name?" Eliza suggested.

"What?" the two of them asked curiously, "Alexander?"

"yes." Eliza said nodding.

The two of them shared a glance. They hadn't thought of that idea. They didn't like their full name. this idea also didn't work if they were in the same room. As everyone in the family called him by alexander when he did something wrong, as families tend to do,

"We'll, think it over." They said in unison.

"do a lot of thinking." Eliza said, "I think it may be useful if you turn it into a full distinction between you two, and maybe even a rather confusing one."

"look, Eliza, its not that we disagree with you." Alex said taking a clean handkerchief from his pocket and dabbing his nose,

"in the words of Madeline, you're two sides of the same coin." Eliza said sighing, "if you're going to work together through this then you need less self-esteem lowering, and more of an understanding."

"but." was as far as either of them got before getting cut off by Eliza.

"You two have agreed to work together for them, Annabella, Dorothy, and I can only assume I fall there somewhere as a member of the family." Eliza started, " you two are in each other's head. Dorothy and Maddie know how to work with one another they have that kind of understanding even though their connection is only one way. You two have it both ways, though while in the same body you must lie dormant, you two have something here and I would highly suggest you make something of it."

The two of them shared a glance, then turned back to her. She wasn't specifically speaking wrong. They were working together now, and through these circumstances were in a kind of agreement. They could transform into the wolf, the gem on the collar had shattered. But there was still a hole in the logic

"wouldn't it get confusing?" Alex asked curiously, "to refer to him as Alexander and me as Alex" He added

"It's still better than calling him the beast?" Eliza argued once again,

"Liza, it's not that we disagree with you." Alex said checking his nose again, before picking up a book and going through it.

"but we should really be the ones to decide how we go about this, what you want to call us is your choice and your choice alone." The beast said looking up at her, "what you call us, what Annabella calls us, and even what Dorothy calls us are your guys own choices at the end of the day, please let us have ours."

"I…" she faltered, usually she would remind him that she asked him not to call her Liza, but she couldn't deny that they had a point.

She didn't like being called Liza because she liked the 'E' sound at the beginning of her name. Liza just seemed too short to her, and rather unappealing. But like what they said to her, what name they chose to use, at the end of the day was their choice. Sure, she didn't approve, she still barely believed in the fact that they changed. But somehow, there was something there she had never witnessed before.

"Eliza, I know you're just trying to help, and like I said, we'll think it over." The beast said reassuringly

Alex however, didn't add anything to that part of the conversation this time. He was too concentrated with his reading.

Meanwhile in the Emerald city.

Dorothy and Madeline were in the throne room with Ozma and Polly, Annabella sitting rather comfortably on the throne Dorothy usually occupied. They had been watching the conversation betweeen the three of them in the crystal ball. Dorothy was seated on the floor in the body of a kitten while Madeline was pacing about, as if lost in a long and far away thought.

"Hey." She eventually said smiling, "Dorothy, do you mind if I call you Dot?" She added curiously.

"Where did that come from?" Ozma asked giggling.

"some time ago I started trying to come up with a pet name I could use for Dorothy." Madeline said, leaning against the throne, "couldn't think of a decent one so, I'm deciding to go with a nickname." She said smiling.

Dorothy thought about this for a moment. She wasn't a really big fan of the name, but it wasn't the first time anyone had called her Dot either. Evanora had done so, she was aware of that. And El Gato at the village usually called her it. she wasn't fond of people for it, but it didn't hurt anyone.

"if you really want to." Dorothy said, not sounding very sure what to make of this, "even if I say no, you're going to call me it anyways."

Madeline smiled, then began hiccupping. Within moments Dorothy and Madeline had swapped situations, with Dorothy now standing and pacing, and Madeline sitting and watching. Ozma and Polly both shared a giggle. Dorothy sighed and walked over to a small table where Ellie had left her magic lunchbox. Pulling a wax paper wrapped sandwich from it, she tossed one to Ozma, and one to Polly. Grabbing one for herself, she walked over to Annabella. It was a plain ham sandwich, nothing on it that wouldn't agree with a wolf as far as she was aware, and offered her some of the ham from it.

"I know Eliza is only try to help with matters, but genuinely, for everything that she and Alex agree on, like two more things they disagree on turn up in the conversation." Madeline said stretching out.

Meanwhile at Diggs manor.

Imp-Etuous was still trying to think of something that could draw mother nature's attention. She had spent most of the last few days writing down calculations that, in theory could bind a spell, but in practice would probably do nothing to help. She occasionally went through Aislynn's mind but she seemed to be at just as much of a loss.

"Any ideas?" The Young imp asked curiously, "ones that we haven't come up with?"

"Not particularly, apart from messing with the weather, which as you have stated, you cant do." Aislynn said sighing,

"and it can't be done in my presence either, but me leaving would only bring the wrath down on you." The young imp added, going through Aislynn's mind once more

There was one other thought in there, not a plan, but just an unconscious thought that she knew Aislynn was only mildly aware of. Something floating around her mind that just seemed to bob up to the surface every now and again. It gave her an idea, but she would have to save it for later, it would be a last resort.

Okay yes, short chapter, sorry, the next one will be longer, I assure you.