Kit was numb with disbelief. His brain couldn't seem to process the fact that Nita was gone. Ever since he had become a wizard, Nita had been his pillar of strength, his partner, his best friend. He loved her more than anyone in the world, and until a few days ago, he would have sworn up and down that she felt the same way about him. But now...everything was different. Kit had thought he'd known Nita better than anyone, but he never would have predicted that she would break up with him. And now she was missing. Kit was terrified that she'd been taken by the shadow creatures that had attacked him, and Ponch seemed to think that it was likely. But the other possibility scared him too. What if Nita hadn't been kidnapped? What if she'd just...run away?

"Kit?" said Dairine hesitantly, interrupting his reverie, "we should get going."

Kit looked up at the girl standing before him. "Right," he said, still lost in thoughts of her sister.

Dairine seemed to grasp this. She knelt down in front of Kit, who was sitting on the sofa of the Callahan living room. She took his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "I know it's hard," said Dairine simply. "I know. But we will find her. And when we do, you guys will work out whatever problems you're having-" Kit shot her a surprised look, and she raised her eyebrow at him, as if daring him to deny it, "-because you're meant to be. Me and Roshaun...we're a question mark. But you and Nita are the real deal, and I'll be damned if I think you're going to let a little adolescent angst stand in the way of that."

Kit was lost for words. Dairine didn't seem to need them. She gave him a friendly smile and a punch on the shoulder, then said, "C'mon. Tom and Carl are waiting. Let's go save my sister's butt once again."

She set off without one look back. Kit lingered for a moment. "Out of the frying pan, into the fire," he muttered. And then he went after Dairine.

Nita and Ronan were learning something about their mysterious hosts. They didn't want their hostages to die. At least not yet. Because a few minutes after Ronan and Nita's last candle went out, a hole in the ceiling opened up and two burlaps sacks were shoved through. The trapdoor promptly closed before Nita and Ronan had time to do say, "What the hell?"

Curious, they opened the sacks. In one, they found two blankets, a fresh shirt for Ronan, and a new nightgown for Nita. The material was soft but durable and warm, and the garments fit perfectly. Nita and Ronan discovered that the other sack held a large quantity of bread, cheese, and a canteen of something that seemed, based on the smell, to be wine. Needless to say, Ronan and Nita were more than a little confused.

"Poison?" Nita suggested, examining a piece of bread.

Ronan shrugged. "There are easier ways to kill us."

Nita smiled. "Exactly what I was thinking," she said mischievously, and took a large swig of the wine. To Ronan's horror, she then clutched her stomach and slumped to the side, unconscious.

"Nita!" he cried, scrambling to her side. He turned her over onto her back and shook her limp body. "Wake up!"

Nita giggled and opened her eyes. "Gotcha!" she said, grinning.

Ronan turned away to hide the fact that he was hurt by her prank. Nita figured this out on her own, however, and said gently, "I was only teasing. I'm sorry. Here, have some wine."

Ronan gave her a reproving look, but took the canteen from her. "What the hell," he said, and took a long draught.

"That's the spirit!" laughed Nita. She'd never drunk before in her life, but the combination of seeing her old flame and still being alive left her feeling reckless. "Save some for me, now!"

Together Ronan and Nita drank the entire canteen. Feeling rather ridiculous, the two teenagers sang their way through every camp song they knew, teaching each other the lyrics as they went. The combination of Irish and American campfire songs sung off tune with many gaps and humming substituted for the more challenging lyrics, struck them as the funniest thing they'd ever heard. They collapsed laughing on the blanket they'd laid out on the floor.

Nita was suddenly aware of how close they were to each other, her face only inches from Ronan's. Suddenly, she wasn't laughing anymore. Her heart was beating like a frightened rabbits, wild excitement, confusion, and warning signals all competing for the top spot on her priority list. And suddenly, she didn't care. She was going to have what she wanted. This was the only thought that made any sense in her mind, and she chose to act on it. Leaning forward slightly, she kissed Ronan on the lips.