It was late by the time Kevin pulled back inside his garage. He felt the hours in the soreness of his muscles and the heaviness of his eyes. As he shifted the Camaro into park, he shook his head in absolute disgust. Wasn't he a little young to feel so tired? He was a strapping man of nearly twenty three. Coming home after one in the morning was supposed to be part of his daily routine. With a flick of his wrist, he shut off the car and pulled the ring of keys from the ignition, stepping out and up from the muscle car with the fluidity of someone who had been doing it practically all their life. He slammed it shut behind him, even as he pulled his last cigarette from the pocket of his jeans. Kevin lit it and took a deep drag, letting the smoke languish in his lungs as he flipped the garage door switch. Its monotonous and loud humming followed him to the opposite side of the garage where a singular door led to the upstairs, adjoining apartment.

The stairs seemed obscenely long tonight. He cursed as he tripped in the dim light, dropping his cigarette once. He tried to catch it, only to burn himself, but retrieved it off the stained carpeting before it could even singe the fibers. The rest of the way to the door he inspected the red mark on his palm with a cynical snort. There were worse ways to end the night, he tried to console himself. Ben could have wanted to spend the night in order to get a jump start in the morning. Kevin had actually prepared a plethora of reasons why the younger man should return to his own home for the night, but thankfully had not had to voice any of them. Ben had commanded quietly that Kevin drop him off at his parents' house and told him he would call in the morning.

Meanwhile, Kevin was left to wonder what he was going to do about all of the people who had scheduled appointments for the upcoming weeks. He wasn't hurting for money at the moment, but the idea of turning away so much business made him sour. It wasn't all about the cash. It was also about his reputation. He had worked hard to build up a name for himself in town. He rolled his eyes to the ceiling and silently lamented his desire for Plumber work. Now that it had fallen into his lap, he'd rather it hadn't.

Kevin stopped just short of the door knob, teetering slightly on the landing as he contemplated exactly what he was doing. He remembered the girl who was missing, how she had been missing from his life for years, and of her own will. When they were kids, she had him wrapped so tightly around her little finger he was surprised that there had been anything left of him. He would have done anything for her. He would have died for her and never asked why. And now, she was nothing more than some ill-timed assignment. For a moment, it seemed ludicrous that he should feel that way after all they had been through. And then, as if a light had turned on in his mind, he saw her as he had the day she walked out of his life forever and couldn't help but question if, the tables had been turned and he was the one who had mysteriously vanished, she would be so willing to jump back into a life and role she hated?

He entered the apartment quietly, hoping not to awaken his mother, who would no doubt be in bed. The deadbolt clicked loudly in the dark and Kevin resisted the urge to hush it. He turned, toeing off his shoes into the pile, when he noticed the kitchen light spilling out from around the corner. He walked out of the mud room, a frown pulling at his features, and reached out for the light switch situated just beneath the top cabinet. His mother had stopped leaving lights on for him years ago. Just as he wondered what would restart her behavior, he caught sight of her sitting with her back to him at the dining table.

He had always thought of his mother as a demure woman, but as he grew, he realized just how deceptive her looks were. She was small of stature and thin, but not to the point of worry. Her face was heart shaped, her eyes wide-set and large, rich hazelnuts beneath sparse lashes and thin eyebrows. Kevin, when he could bear to look at their family photos again, could see her in his own face. While he had certainly inherited his father's strong jaw and muscular physique, he knew without a doubt that his eyes and the slight hook of his nose were gifts from her. Apparently, his coarse and stubborn attitude were also attributes he could thank her for. They had clashed more than once since moving back in with each other and Kevin learned just how strong a force his mother could be.

She shifted in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, and turning her head ever so slightly, she motioned for him to come in and have a seat.

"Ma, you should be sleeping. You have to work in the morning." He admonished softly. Kevin came around the other side of the table and pulled up the other chair. The dark circles under her eyes worried him but she waved away his concern wordlessly. Reaching out, she plucked the cigarette from his mouth and put it between her own lips.

"I thought I told you to quit these."

"Yeah, like seven years ago."

"You haven't been out this late for awhile. Want to tell me what's going on?" She blew a thin stream of smoke up into the air above their heads. Out of the corner of his eye, Kevin watched the furling curls disappear. He leaned back into the wooden chair, running his fingers down the length of his long upper thighs. "I saw the Tennyson boy earlier."

"Ben stopped in. He's in town, figured he'd say hello."

"Kevin, you're a terrible liar." The statement held no malice, but there was a familiar glint in her dark eyes that he knew all too well. He squirmed uncomfortably in front of her, feeling like a kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"He wanted me to help him out with something. Plumber stuff. What does it matter?" She didn't respond immediately. Taking another puff of the cigarette, she let her eyes lose their focus as she stared off at the kitchen wall. After a moment, she came back to the table, shaking her head slightly and pursing her small, thin lips.

"That girl is missing. His cousin, Max's granddaughter."

"How did you know?"

"Everybody knows. Or at least everybody who pays attention. You've been elbows-deep in car parts for the better part of the month." She pointed out. Kevin leaned forward, his eyes narrowing.

"So you've known and you didn't tell me?" He asked incredulously. His mother shrugged dismissively at first. When Kevin didn't seem to accept her answer, she threw her arms up in exasperation.

"You don't want to get mixed up with her again."

"I'm not mixing up with anyone. I told Ben I'd help him. That's it. Once we find her, I'm done." Kevin said forcefully. He stood up, no longer able to simply sit, and strode into the kitchen.

"Kevin, look at me. Kevin...Kevin!" She stood up quickly, throwing the still smoking cigarette onto the linoleum with such force that the burning ash separated from the paper. The little ember bounced and rolled a few inches away. She ignored its dying form as she walked over to her son, placing her ropy hands on his wide shoulders, and looking earnestly up into his stormy face.

"I can't believe you didn't say anything..."

"Listen to me. Just listen for a moment, okay? You wanted to be a Plumber. I let it happen, even after all I went through with your father. Then you met this girl. I kept my mouth shut because you were happy, but I almost lost you again when she decided you weren't good enough anymore. I'm not going to sit here and watch you do that to yourself again." She ended firmly. Kevin felt his jaw clench involuntarily. He wasn't angry with what his mother had voiced. However, there was no denying her words had hit a spot inside of him that was still sore. He calmed himself before looking down at her, reaching up to remove her hands.

"Ma, this isn't a some sort of catch up dinner. Something bad has happened to Gwen, and..." He paused while trying to find the right words, "And I owe it to Ben for all he's done for me to help him find her." His mother raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She didn't argue, though, instead choosing to give him one last pointed look before turning away. She padded over to where she had thrown the cigarette, scooped the filter and the ember off the linoleum in a few swipes, then headed for the hallway leading to their bedrooms.

"Just remember that when you find her." He watched her figure meld into the dark shadows, waiting until she had shut the door of her bedroom behind her, before finally allowing his body to relax. Visibly deflating, Kevin resisted the urge to take a beer with him into his room. Instead, he stole a twinkie from the cupboard and flipped the light off. He navigated the darkness with ease, slipping through his door quickly and quietly.

His mother's words continued to plague him, following him into his large closet where he stripped off his dirty clothes. He ran his hands over the back of his neck trying to wipe them and the grime away, to no avail. There was the most uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he yanked his old lounge pants out of a pile of discarded fabric. He almost didn't want to fall asleep. Who knew what the morning would hold? After all, when he awoke almost 24 hours ago, he couldn't have dreamed he would end his day doing detective work with Ben Tennyson, or that Gwen, who he had always imagined flitting around campus in a tight sweater vest and wire rims, was no longer walking any place they knew of.

Finally, Kevin couldn't stand thinking about any of it anymore. He threw the twinkie onto his nightstand and landed spread-eagle on his mattress. Before he could even try to cover himself with his messy sheets, he was asleep on his pillow.

It seemed like only a moment later that he opened his eyes. He blinked groggily a few times, trying to remember where the time went, when he suddenly felt something cold and hard beneath his face. Muscles springing into action, he pushed himself up onto his knees, looking around with wide eyes as he realized dumbly that he wasn't in his room anymore.

The hallway had been beautiful once, cultivated and enriched by their relationship and love for one another. Now that they had fallen apart, it had done the same. Gigantic chunks of the ceiling were missing, littered around on the tile floor like haphazardly flung boulders. Every so often, smaller pieces tumbled to their doom, clattering against the ceramic. One of the pillars had fallen from it pedestal. It lay propped into a corner, a sad and forgotten monolithic corpse. Kevin pulled his hair back in shock as he stood and turned to view the room in full. That's when he spotted the door.

It was his, he was sure of it, though the memories he had were hazy at best. It loomed over him in the dank gloom but he wasn't frightened. He reached out with a single finger and touched the silver doorknob, surprised at its coldness. Then, he raised his eyes to the higher expanse, shivering when he saw four long gashes into the wood. Squinting, he stretched to touch one when a sharp, cold wind hit him in the back and someone whispered his name.

"Gwen?" He spun around expecting to see her, his heart pounding in his chest. There was no one there. He took a step or two forward, calling her name again. A strange desire overcame him as he searched behind the pillars and the darkened corners of the room. The more he thought about it, the more he knew it was her voice. He could never forget the way she said his name. Never. When he found nothing, his actions became frantic. She was here somewhere. He had to find her. Suddenly, nothing else mattered but seeing her again, knowing she was alive.

Again, he heard his name in that breathy voice. This time there was no doubt it came from the darkened end of the hallway. Without thinking, he barreled towards the exit. He was just about to cross the threshold when something caught him in his midsection. It knocked into him so hard his vision went dark. He felt himself flying backwards, waiting to feel the cold wall against his back, when he heard the knob of his doorway click and he flew through the open frame.

The next instant, he was in his bed, a familiar ache seeping into his ribcage even as he struggled to free himself from his sweating sheets. A searing pain gripped him and he glanced down to see an ugly blue and purple mark forming just above his belly button. Rolling over onto his back, he experimentally pressed down upon it, only to hiss at the blooming wave of agony that spread out from its epicenter. Throwing his hands over his face, he tried to catch his breath and figure out how he could have forgotten about the hallway and its end.

"Please tell me this isn't all we're doing tonight." The sweet, sharp scent of her perfume hit him immediately, even over the pungent odor of the engine he was working on. A smile tugged on the corners of his mouth when, a moment later, her arms slipped around his neck and the smooth side of her face rubbed against his own. He eyed the engine critically, grabbing a nearby rag to wipe away much of the thick grease on his fingers.

"What? Rebuilding an old muscle car engine not fun enough for ya?" He quipped. She sighed dramatically and reached up to gently tousle his hair.

"No, its what I've always imagined doing on my Saturday nights. Honestly though, we are doing something else or I'm going home." She threatened gently. Kevin laughed out loud. He stood up, removing her arms from his frame, and threw the rag into a small bin beside his work bench.

"Alright. What did my girl have in mind? A movie?" Gwen scrunched her nose in thought. She clasped her hands behind her back, pulling the fabric of her loose shirt dress across her narrow frame.

"Its a little late now. We wouldn't make it to any of them."

"I suppose. Maybe the Mr. Smoothie?" He didn't have to wait for a response. She shot him a rather expressive glare. He chuckled warily and held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, bad suggestion. Let's see. I've got my mom's rental card. We could go and rent some movies, make some popcorn, and just, uh, hang out in my room." He waggled his eyebrows at her. She snorted, but the dismissive noise wasn't enough to diminish the blush that had bloomed upon her cheeks. Kevin smirked and walked over to kiss her forehead, then her lips. She lingered against his mouth for a second or so before pulling away.

"Actually, I did have something I wanted to try." His heart missed a beat for a moment and he coughed in response to the sudden thudding in his chest. She looked at him quizzically as he sputtered for a moment or so. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing! I mean, what...what was it?" Gwen remained perplexed until she caught sight of his flushed face. Then, as if something clicked, she backed away from him, shaking her head quickly.

"No! Nothing like that!"

"Oh. I, uh..." He turned away from her feeling embarrassed. Trying to recover, Kevin began to clean up around the engine sitting on its stand. "I knew that. Continue." Gwen smiled slightly. She walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling the hem of her dress beneath her as she lowered herself onto the cushion. Elegantly, she threw her left leg over the other, and leaned into the back of the couch. She didn't speak, instead choosing to pick at the clear polish on her well-kept nails. After a few minutes of silence, Kevin turned to see what was keeping her. Her green eyes were watching him carefully.

"I've had a little bit of spare time these last couple of weeks, so I've been spending it trying to learn a little more about myself."

"Okay." He motioned for her to go on. She bit her lip and dropped her gaze back to her nails.

"There isn't a lot of literature available on Anodites, but I've got a lot of magic and spell books. I've been going down the list seeing which ones I can accomplish without reciting the incantations and what not. There's this one I've wanted to try but I need a bit of help."

"You're not going to turn me into a frog or a newt or anything like that, are you?" Kevin asked. Gwen laughed, a sound that always made him feel better, and uncrossed her legs before sitting forward on the couch.

"No, no. No transformation spells. It's actually a pretty simple idea. Come here and sit."

"But I'm all dirty." He protested, but Gwen was taking no prisoners. Reaching out a hand, a glowing pink sphere encompassed her fingers and shot out a thin line towards his wrist. The pink mana wrapped around his arm and began to tug him towards her. It felt warm against his skin, but intangible, like a sudden, specific gust of summer wind. He allowed himself to be dragged over and he plopped down beside her without any complaint. "I'm here. What are you gonna do to me?"

"Technically, nothing. The only thing I'll be touching is your mind."

"My mind? You're going to touch my mind?" Kevin asked incredulously. She rolled her eyes flippantly, scooting closer so she could place her hands on either side of his head. He eyed them warily as her eyes began to glow pink.

"Yes. See, the spell I found is able to form a Connection between two minds, to enable instant communication no matter what. Its a complicated incantation, requiring a lot of different items and ingredients, but I think I've figured out a simpler way. From my reading, the Connection seems to be an intersection of mana flow and-"

"And since you can manipulate mana, you think you can make it without all the magic mumbo jumbo." He finished for her. Gwen smiled widely.

"Precisely. Now, just relax and close your eyes. This might be a bit uncomfortable at first, but only because you're not used to having your mind probed."

"Why couldn't we have just gone to my room?" He sighed, but obeyed and closed his eyes. Almost instantly, he felt a strange squeezing sensation in his temples, as if he was in an airplane that had just taken off. She was right; it was uncomfortable. As the seconds went by, the squeezing increased until he wasn't sure he could take it anymore. Then, without warning, the darkness behind his lids exploded into a white light and he cried out when he suddenly felt himself drop onto a cold, hard floor. "Gwen? Gwen!"

"It's fine, Kevin. Open your eyes." He did as he was told, squinting a bit in the light. As his eyes adjusted, he looked around in amazement. Before him stood Gwen, dressed the same as she had been in the garage, except now, instead of just her eyes glowing, her entire body radiated pink light. They were in some sort of arched, marble hallway, with resplendent pillars and a tiled floor. Kevin looked down at his reflection, noticing that he too was glowing.

"Where are we?"

"This is a manifestation of the Connection I just made. Turn around." It took him a little while to regain his bearings. When he was confident he could stand and pivot without falling or throwing up, he did so, only to teeter backwards in surprise. A massive wooden door was floating just behind him. He thought he even saw it wiggle slightly and moved farther away from it just in case. Gwen laughed softly in reaction to his demeanor. "Don't be afraid. It won't fall on you."

"So what will it do? It can't open, there aren't any hinges." He pointed out.

"That's because it doesn't need hinges. This door leads into your mind." She moved over to stand in front of it, touching its surface experimentally.

"I have never seen a door like that in my life." Kevin protested. He crossed his bulky arms over his chest and glared at it. The whole thing seemed fishy to him. Gwen waved him over with a reassuring grin. Slowly, he stepped forward until he was close enough to see his shadowy outline in the wooden gleam.

"You wouldn't have had to. Your subconscious made this for you. Its beautiful." She murmured, running both hands over it. When she moved to grasp the silver knob, an acute tingle raced up his spine and he shivered slightly. Gwen, looking sheepish, released it and backed away.

"Sorry. I got a little carried away."

"I don't mind." He replied truthfully. It wasn't a bad feeling. He frowned slightly and moved forward to touch the door, his door. "So where's yours?" She pointed towards the end of the lavish hallway, where it curved into a fading darkness.

"Farther back. The entrance to my mind is...a little more elaborate."

"Oh?" Kevin let his finger run over the door knob before craning his neck to look at Gwen. She was calmly walking around the area, the clicking of her heels on the tile tracking her progress. Out of thin air, a comfortable couch appeared and she fell back into its soft cushions.

"Not that your entrance isn't impressive. I've just had more time to cultivate my mental environment. Also, since I'm the one initiating the Connection, we automatically arrive here; right in front of your doorway. It worked exactly like I thought it would."

"So this means that we can talk whenever we want, right?"

"Well, its a little one sided. You've never really done any meditation or mind manipulation, so it would be difficult for you to access this place by yourself. I would probably have to be the one to start every time. But, to answer your question directly, yes." Kevin smiled devilishly, hiding the smirk from Gwen as he turned back to his door.

"And we can talk here?"

"We can do whatever we want-" She stopped mid sentence, eyes widening as Kevin turned and gave her a meaningful look. She started to say something else when Kevin closed the distance quickly and kissed her. Her protests died a horrible death in her throat as she leaned into his attentions.

"What about our bodies in the garage?" He mumbled against her as he reversed their places, replacing her back on his lap. Gwen struggled for a moment to find her words as he ran his broads hand up and down her back.

"When we go back, it will be like no time has passed at all."

"Why didn't you mention this thing sooner? We'll never have to worry about being walked in on ever again!" He said excitedly, stretching up to plant a kiss on her cheek again. Gwen laughed happily, allowing him to plant a few more on her jaw and neck, before pushing him back into the couch. She kissed his nose sweetly, but then gave him a somber look.

"This isn't a playground, Kevin. The Connection we just made is a link between our minds."

"Sounds hot." He muttered distractedly. His gaze had wondered down to where the neckline of Gwen's dress was hanging open. She sat up and slapped him softly on the side of the head.

"I'm being serious."

"So am I. Wanna come into my mind and have a little fun?" Gwen glared at him. She lifted herself off his lap, her eyes glowing pink, and turned towards the darkened hallway. "Where are you going? Gwen? Come on, I'm sorry. I'll stop fooling around." He chased after her and grabbed her wrist. The contact made her stop. She twisted towards him, snuggling into his broad chest as he wrapped his arms around her small body.

"There's another reason I wanted to do this, other than to say I could." She whispered into the fabric of his shirt. Kevin craned his neck trying to get a view of her face.

"Yeah?"

"Its because no matter where we are, or what has happened to us, we're still close to each other." She raised her head and smiled up at him. Kevin felt his insides begin to melt as he unknowingly returned her display of happiness. Could there be anything more perfect about the girl in his arms? He didn't think so. With a tenderness he never knew he had, Kevin cupped the sides of Gwen's porcelain face and captured her lips with his own. He couldn't voice his feelings as well as she could, but he could make them known regardless. Without another utterance, he drew her back towards the couch and back down onto his lap.

a/n: well, this was definitely a long one. i guess it makes up for the shorter ones i've been posting. plus, it might be awhile until i get a chance to get another chapter up because i'll be going back to school soon and what not. by no means does that mean i'm giving up on this story. i want to thank everyone whos' been reviewing and reading. i hope you guys are happy with this and i'll try not to make you suffer too long.:D