When Kit next opened his eyes, he was lying flat on his back in the middle of a clearing. The sky above him was darkening quickly, but he could still discern the outlines of evergreens silhouetted against the deep blue crescendo of the heavens. He could feel pine needles beneath him, and the wind wove a musical tapestry through the branches. His surroundings were imbued with a subtle shimmer, as if they didn't fully belong to the world of things you could see and touch. For one wild moment Kit thought he'd died and gone to Timeheart, but that was impossible. The lighting was off, for one thing. For another, Nita wasn't here.

Shaking off his strange and inexplicable thoughts, Kit sat up to find his companions looking just as surprised and disoriented as himself, with the exception of Dairine, who was scowling.

"I don't like this place," she declared. Kit winced at the volume of her voice. Roshuan looked equally unhappy. This surprised Kit because he couldn't remember them ever agreeing on anything before. He glanced at Alyra and saw that she looked both dazed and captivated. Kit could only imagine that the expression was mirrored on his face. The shapes of the trees, the color of the sky, all held him rapt.

Ponch barked suddenly, startling him out of his reverie. This way, he said, and trotted northwest in a brisk, decisive fashion. Kit jogged after him, and the rest of the group followed, with a minimum of disgruntled comments from Dairine.

After about fifteen minutes the trees began to thin, and Kit could make out the outline of what appeared to be crude straw-and-mud huts through the thick branches. Ponch slowed, his nose sniffing the air wildly. Kit didn't understand what was going on until a moment later, when the most wonderful smell he could imagine reached his nostrils. It was both salty and tangy at the same time, sweet and irresistible, and lacerated with the heady scent of wood smoke. For a brief moment Kit wondered if the shadow creatures were carnivores that lured their prey in with beautiful scenery and delicious food. Unable to shake off the idea, Kit started to articulate a question –

There is no danger…here. Ponch pre-empted him. Kit noticed the distracted sound of his thought as well as the slight pause before "here" and knew that Ponch was close to unraveling the mystery.

With that in mind, Kit stepped out boldly from under the cover of the trees and came face to face with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Nita awoke to the sound of familiar voices, including one that she loved best of all. For a moment she was convinced that she was still dreaming, and snuggled further into her warm bed. Please let me go back to sleep, she begged her subconscious. It's been so long since I had a good dream…

"Where is she? I want to see her. Now! I have to see – I have to make sure –

Nita sat bolt upright and rubbed her eyes, hard, forcing herself back to consciousness. There was no mistaking particular irritation for a dream – her mind would never willingly re-create it. At the moment, however, it was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard.

Nita threw off the blanket someone – probably Andrea – had thoughtfully thrown over her and ran outside, her feet bare and her hair wild. There was Kit, running his hand through his hair in that exasperated way of his, in a heated conversation with Dameon When he saw her, his face ran the gammit of emotion, but the most prominent was profound relief.

Laughing, Nita ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, but briefly, setting her gently but firmly on her own unsteady feet before she had the chance to protest. It was only then that Nita registered the presence of Dairine, Roshuan, a pretty blond girl she didn't know, and, of course, Ponch. Dairine looked suspicious, but that was nothing new, it was pretty much her only expression besides one of superiority. What was new was the identical expression in Roshaun's eyes. Nita remembered the thing about couples starting to look alike and laughed again before stepping forward to embrace her little sister.

Taken off guard, Dairine stiffened, then relaxed when she realized the hug was a sign of affection rather than an assault on her person. She awkwardly patted Nita on the back a few times, and then Nit let go, not wanting to embarrass her too much.

"Nice to see you, Runt," she joked, playfully punching her sister on the shoulder. To Nita's surprise, Darine's face broke into a wide grin. "Same here," she replied, and Nita knew she meant it.

"This is all very touching," the blond girl spoke up suddenly, "but is someone going to explain what has happened here?" Taking a closer look at her, Nita could see that she was unquestionably lovely, with pale blue eyes and a willowy build. Her hair was a shade or two lighter than Roshaun's, but there was no question that they were related in some way. They held themselves with the same impeccable posture and spoke with in the same haughty manner, as if the world owed them something. But then again, Nita realized, the world did owe them something –

Nita was startled out of her thoughts by Ronan stumbling out of the hut she'd just exited, his eyes still heavy with sleep. He blinked once, twice, then staggered backward in shock.

"What the hell…?"

"That seems to be a popular question," Dameon interjected smoothly. Nita gave a start, having half-forgotten his presence. "Which would you like first, food or answers?"

"Answers!" demanded everyone but Ponch, who simply yawned sleepily and said, Food. I've already got all the answers.

A/N: Okay, so I lied. The end isn't really in sight. But this should make you happy! And you KNOW the best way to make it last longer is to review…;)