Tieran was still sitting on the floor trying to figure out how the kitten had managed to walk through the wall, when a key turned in the lock and the door opened. Caereh stood on the other side and beckoned for him to come with her.

Tieran sighed and thought, "Here I go again."

She did not bother blinding him this time, either forgetting her earlier concern or not needing the special treatment for the scene she had built up in her mind. They ended up in the throne room again, by a more direct route than Tieran remembered taking before.

Hadrian was already in the throne room, seated on the throne, when they entered. Caereh confronted him immediately.

"What are you doing? You're not hindering them enough. They're almost here and you're not stopping them."

"I'm not stopping them?" Hadrian rose from the throne without Caereh noticing, allowing Tieran to take a seat in it. "It's your Labyrinth, your game, remember?"

"But you're the one with the magic." Caereh whined, then realized her mistake almost as soon as she said it.

Hadrian was not going to let that slip by unremarked. "Really? How nice of you to finally admit it. Anything else you'd like to own up to?"

Caereh backed away from Hadrian as he sauntered toward her. "No other admissions? Still I think this is worth a commemoration of some sort, don't you?" he asked Tieran, glancing over his shoulder at him seated in the throne, but not waiting for an answer as he continued to advance on Caereh.

"Yes, I think so," he answered himself. "Where are you going?" he asked Caereh.

She paused at the rim of the pit in the center of the room, mouth working noiselessly as she tried to think of an explanation or a diversion.

Hadrian ignored his own question and returned to more interesting territory now that he had halted her retreat. "What about a plaque? Hmm? There's just room for a nice sized one over the throne there. See?" he said turning to study the space then demonstrating by placing a plaque on the wall just above Tieran's head. "And what shall we put on it?"

He had just begun considering the phrasing when a cat leapt to the back of the throne. His pale tail waved delicately as he found his balance, then curled around his feet as he sat primly on the curve. Tieran ignored the black cat's hiss as it fled from his lap and the room and considered the kitten with what he hoped was bland disinterest.

"What is that?"

Good, Caereh was trying to control the conversation again. Caereh he could bluff. He did not care to try it with Hadrian yet. "It looks to be a cat... or perhaps a kitten. Yes, definitely a kitten. Too small for a cat," Tieran said and turned to look at Caereh innocently.

"You seem to attract them," Hadrian said. "Where did it come from?"

"Some people are just that way," Tieran answered nonchalantly as his kitten jumped down to his lap and rubbed against him. "It must have been around. Did you see when it came in?"

"No, it was not 'around.' That cat is not part of the program. You know that as well as I do."

"What do you mean? Of course it's part of the program. It has to be," Caereh exclaimed.

"Don't be stupid," Hadrian told her. "Look at it." Hadrian snatched the kitten from Tieran's lap and held it up by the scruff of its neck. "This cat is real flesh and bone. I want to know what it's doing here and how it got here – and I think he knows. Don't you?"

Tieran met his gaze and answered, "I have no idea how that kitten got here."

"You're expecting me to believe that this mangy, fleabitten excuse for half a cat just showed up here by itself?"

The excuse for half a cat reached out and deliberately slapped Hadrian across his left cheek, leaving three parallel, glowing cuts on the cheekbone under his eye.

"I'd say he doesn't much like your description," Caereh said, amused that the tables had turned and Hadrian was the one under attack now, even if she was not the one attacking.

Hadrian looked up from the energy left on his hand after reflexively touching his face where the kitten had disrupted the animation. The light from the cuts glittered in his green eyes as he said, "You find it amusing? Here. You hold it." He threw the kitten at Caereh. The kitten, sensing what was coming, twisted and got in a parting shot, leaving several more gashes on Hadrian's hand before flying through the air.

As Hadrian vanished to nurse his wounded face and pride, Caereh sidestepped the flying feline. The kitten landed at her feet, calmly picked itself up and dusted itself off. Caereh stood watching it put its fur back in place, wondering what she was supposed to do with it now.

Settling the last tuft of fur to his satisfaction, the kitten looked around for the next activity. No goblins to avoid, no chickens to harass, not even that other odd cat to investigate. Finally his gaze settled on Caereh still standing in front of him. Boots. He had never tried them before.

.….

"Okay. The kitten's gone. I hope he distracts them like you want," Cara said. "Now what's this big plan of yours?"

"Arten'barad said she knew a way to get across. Is it your plan or hers?" Alia asked.

"Hers," Jareth admitted as he pulled the dragon from under his hair and set her on a low branch.

"It is simple really. I will change size and fly you across."

"And they won't notice the sudden appearance of a large dragon?" Alia asked doubtfully.

"That is what the distraction was for. And I will not need to be very large. You do not weigh very much in your present states and could weigh even less if necessary."

"What do you mean?"

"You are holographic images made by the computer, but controlled by your minds. You weigh as much as you think you should."

"In that case, perhaps we'd be best off trying to do this ourselves first," Jareth suggested. "If we can believe that we weigh less, we can believe that we get across the Bog without touching it. The less outside interference Caereh and Hadrian can claim to disqualify us when we reach the castle, the better."

"Easy for you to say," Cara protested. "You've got experience believing in odd and impossible things. Alia and I haven't."

"Try believing it's a simple transport from one place to another, like you've done before, and I'll take you across. If that doesn't work we'll follow Arten'barad's plan. The less talking about it we do, the easier it will be for you."

"Then let's get started. I guess I'll go first," Alia said. "If I can't do it Cara won't be able to either."

"Why not?" Cara demanded, stung by the questioning of her abilities.

"Just because I've transported more than you. If I can't remember and believe, then it doesn't seem likely you would."

"We'll see about that."

"If you two are done we can do this any time," Jareth interrupted. "How do you usually travel?" he asked Alia as she stepped up to him.

"Well, I close my eyes and we used to hold hands, but now, um, we..." she trailed off and began to blush.

"I see. And you keep quiet," he directed at Cara as she grinned at Alia's expense. "If you'll remember, you were in a not so innocent position a few minutes ago."

"We don't do anything like that." Alia was horrified. "What if he got too distracted and forgot where we were going?"

"Good point." He looked at Cara significantly. "Now that that has been cleared up, shall we give it a try?"

Alia nodded and they easily made the move from one side to the other. Jareth returned to bring Cara over as Arten'barad darted across to join Alia.

Cara closed her eyes and tried to remember the last time she had transported anywhere and imagine doing it again. Images of Alia and Jareth traveling from one side to the other appeared in her mind. "That's not helping any," she thought as she shoved the image away to try concentrating on believing again.

After a few moments more she opened her eyes and said, "It's not working."

"I had noticed," Jareth answered flatly.

"What's wrong?" Alia called from across the Bog.

"I can't even remember being transported, let alone believe that's what I'm doing now."

"Unless you do, we may as well be rooted here. There is no way I can move you until you let me."

"What about some sort of distraction? Catch her off guard?" Alia suggested

"It might work, but what would distract her?"

"She looked pretty distracted when you two arrived earlier."

"I was not! I was trying to breathe," Cara protested.

"Now, now, Alia. No teasing from you either," Jareth admonished then suddenly grabbed Cara and tossed her over his shoulder to carry her over the Bog.

"Distraction enough?" he asked when he put her down.

"Yeah, I guess," Cara answered, still a little stunned from the sudden move.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," Alia said.

"Good idea," Cara agreed.

.….

There was not much conversation as they walked along. They all knew that they still had some distance to travel and little time to do it in. Cara's thoughts turned to recent events, Jareth's kiss, of course, being the most memorable.

"Distracted?" she thought with a mental snort. "I wasn't distracted. Like I said, I was just having trouble breathing. And I was disoriented from being plopped down in the middle of the Bog. He had nothing to do with it. It didn't even start off all that great."

She had to admit that it ended up pretty well, though. She could almost understand what his List saw in him after that. The way he had turned that on, whatever it was, had been pretty impressive.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jareth asked her, startling her out of her thoughts. He had dropped in behind her after helping her and Alia up the last steep slope, leaving Alia to lead them along the path. "What are you thinking so seriously about?"

Cara ducked a branch and tried to think up something fast. Nothing came. "Um, nothing in particular. Why?"

"I thought you might want to discuss that kiss. The look on your face the first time – you looked as though you expected me to hurt you. What did you think I was going to do to you?"

"I don't know. I don't remember." Cara wanted more than anything right now to just drop this subject.

"Any other comments or critiques you would like to make?"

"Do you make a habit of this kiss-and-tell sort of thing?"

"No, but I do feel I am entitled to something after that initial reaction."

"Well, I'm a little surprised that I felt any reaction at all. We're just computer animation after all. I didn't think we'd be programmed for that sort of stuff."

"Of course you felt something. What did you think this program was for?"

"What do you mean? I thought it was a virtual reality game she was going to make millions off of, of course."

"And she just happens to keep a fully operational version of it in her home? One that may even be better equipped than the official version? I doubt it."

"So she likes to play the game. She developed and paid for it. I think she's entitled not to settle for a second rate copy."

"True. But I've been thinking about this as we walk and I think I know exactly what she used this personal copy of the 'game' for and I don't believe it was anything so innocent as you are thinking."

"Ow!" Cara slapped her upper arm.

"What is it?"

"Something bit me." She rubbed at her arm. "She's got bugs in here, too. Heehee! Bugs in her programming," Cara giggled at her pun and staggered as she kept walking.

Alia turned around at Cara's laughter just in time to see her stumble over a nonexistent tree root and fall in a heap.

"What happened?" Alia asked Jareth as he bent over Cara.

"She said something bit her," Jareth answered as Cara giggled happily on the mossy ground between them.

"What? An insect?"

"That's what she –" He stopped mid sentence to slap at his neck. He pulled his hand away and held a tiny splinter.

"A dart," commented Arten'barad, examining it from where she clung on Alia's shoulder.

"You think that's what got her?"

Jareth nodded then sat down heavily as he lost his balance. He leaned against a nearby tree trunk. "It seems that our brownie friends from the maze have woodland cousins."

"Now what do I do?" she asked, then slapped the back of her hand as something stung her there.

"Join the fun. 'Snot bad," Jareth slurred with a smile.

Alia wavered where she stood, then sat down before she fell. "Someone should tell Tieran," she said as she lay down to stop the ground spinning out from under her.

Arten'barad crept from Alia's shoulder as the three animated bodies shimmered and disappeared.