"Scrooged?" Mac swallowed. "Is it really that bad?"

"Mac, we know about the pills. We know what you've been saving them for." Meg said, her eyes betraying her tears. "So we have to do this, okay?"

Mac looked down at her sleeping body. She looked upset.

"Okay." She said softly. "Let's go."

Lynn smiled as she watched the monitor. "Now!" She called out.

And all through the astral people began to move. They turned huge gears made of cloud and small, tight steam-valves made of stone that caused volcanoes to plume the world over.

It took a hundred souls, working in unison, to finally make it happen. But then it began to happen!

Stars jolted and jarred from their positions and began to tumble backwards through the sky and the spirit world.

Soon it was all a blur – all space was filled with light and streams of movement – and then… It shattered!

As the light retreated it seemed to leave behind the details of the past, such as planets, stars, galaxies and souls.

But for Mac and Meg it was instantaneous.

"That was it?" Mac blinked, looking around.

Meg smiled lightly. "Look around. It's your room, isn't it?"

And Mac looked, much to her horror and embarrassment… It was her room. Absolutely swimming in home made Christmas decorations.

Mac eyed a flock of origami birds that hung in perpetual flight on the small tree she had crammed in to the corner. "I was going to make a thousand of these…" She reached out to touch one but stopped at the last moment and spun to face Meg. "I changed my mind. I don't want to do this."

Meg gave her a look of unparalleled compassion. "Oh, Mac… Everyone says that at this point. It's even in the manual."

"They make you read a manual?" Mac blinked twice.

"And go to seminars." Meg nodded.

Sheriff Lamb had simply stepped in to the elevator without looking. By the time he had spun around and presses the penthouse button he had processed what he had just seen.

Lamb looked over his shoulder. "Eli Navarro and Dick Casablancas."

"That's good." Said an all too drunk Dick who was fighting to stay awake and upright in the corner. "Now, can you remember your own name?"

Eli laughed despite himself and drew Lamb's attention. "And what about you Eli? I hear you're pushing a mop out at Hearst. What are you doing in the fanciest hotel in town?"

Eli smiled. "Maybe I'm slumming."

Dick chuckled, took one long deep breath… And passed out on his feet.

Eli saw him falling and jumped in to catch him. He managed to hook him around the waist as dick folded himself in half and began to snore loudly.

Eli could barely keep the taller boy from falling.

Lamb smiled wryly as the door opened and he went to walk away.

Weevil cleared his throat and Lamb stopped in his tracks. "Do you think you could help me with him?" Eli asked as though it wasn't obvious.

Lamb exhaled in a mockingly slow exasperation. "Yeah, fine. But this counts as your Christmas present."

Eli rolled his eyes. "Thanks!" He mocked. "It's just what I wanted!"

Logan knew the knock was unfamiliar and so he peered through the peephole. And there wad Dick Casablancas, hanging almost limp between Weevil and Lamb.

Logan opened the door with a jolt and his mind raced for explanations but could find none. "What the hell did he do?" Logan asked, looking between Lamb and Weevil.

Weevil smiled.

"I'm not here about your drunken room-mate. I don't suppose Veronica Mars is here, is she?" Lamb pressed.

"No." Logan shook his head. "Things are… complicated."

"Well, they're about to get more complicated." Lamb passed Logan a card. "Call me if you see her and be sure and let her know that The E-String Strangler escaped from jail and we believe he's headed to Neptune."

"Headed?" Logan asked. "Or already here?"

"Could be either." Lamb admitted. "No one's seen Veronica in almost 24 hours." He passed another card to a concerned looking Weevil. "Let someone know, if you hear from her."

Lamb took three steps for the door when his phone rang. "What? No. Slow down. Wait. WALLACE!"

He sighed and hung up.

"What is it Sheriff?" Eli asked cautiously.

"The Fenell boy just found The Mars' dog, Back-Up, outside their home. The dog had a bloody piece of pants-leg in his mouth."