Sleep came easily for him that night; despite the millions of confusing emotions he could have been obsessing over regarding DG, his mind was somehow content in the knowledge that no danger was present. Things felt right, somehow.

But as easily as slumber claimed him he was entering a dream unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

He slowly became aware of the grass beneath him, could feel the dew-slicked blades beneath his fingers. Warm rays of morning sunlight passed through leaves overhead to reach him, flickering as the wind played at the trees. There was water nearby; he could hear the faintest sounds of waves lapping at a shore. Birds were chirping quietly as he opened his eyes and found himself in an impossibly bright and misty realm.

He sat up slowly, looking around in astonishment and wondering how he'd come to be in this place. He heard laughter to his side and spun toward the sound, not seeing anything at first but not trusting his eyes. More giggling, this time behind him caused him to turn; he only caught the sight of wild blonde hair as it disappeared behind one of the trees.

"What the…." He breathed, his head tilted to the side as he ventured toward whatever was hiding, stopping dead in his tracks as the stark naked girl peeked out at him from behind the trunk of a tree.

He blinked several times in confusion.

She looked like…

"Alisha?" He asked, his brows drawn together in bewilderment as he approached the girl cautiously.

"Hun ta cahaul lethui…amori de ka chia…" The girl breathed in a language that sounded like a song, smiling at him and laughing mischievously before darting away.

Wyatt's eyes widened in surprise at what he could have sworn were a pair of wings on the girl's back.

He looked around himself, shocked to spot another Alisha lookalike sprinting in the same direction as the other, this one wearing a sheer white dress as opposed to nothing at all. She stopped and smiled at him, waiving for him to follow before racing off again.

Yeah. Those were wings alright.

He climbed the hill slowly, reaching the top and standing beyond shocked as he looked out at the far shores of the Calabrian Isle…this would have taken weeks to reach from Finaqua…

He recognized the mountain range looming in the distance…but the cities were not where they should have been. Untouched wilderness stretched in all directions as far as the eye could see…and to his complete shock there were…things…flying above the tree line.

No, not things…

Women.

Like birds they were hovering and diving, hundreds of them looking just as the first two he'd seen, baring uncanny resemblance to that little troublemaker…

What kind of a hell had he wandered into where there were thousands of winged Alishas running loose to torment him?

But there were others, as well. Some of them had red hair so bright it looked like fire, others with dark brown, all of them seemed to be excited about his presence and were motioning to him, calling him toward what looked to be a temple on the shore.

He had to lean on a tree to keep himself from falling over in shock, only to have something touch his hand and cause him to spin in surprise. Another blonde one, she was wearing that same knowing smile as she nodded to him and reached out for his hand. He didn't know what else to do but let her have it, trying to ignore her total lack of clothing as she led him down to the beach below.

They approached the smooth stone building and he found himself troubled by its size despite the lack of any modern looking means of construction. This was…which meant he was in…

No. That couldn't be right.

But it was…somehow…

This temple would have been thousands of annuals old judging by its design…but there was no temple at the Calabrian Isle…at least not at the present time.

There hadn't been one in…

So…did that mean he was somehow in the past?

That would mean the language these creatures were speaking…was the ancient language?

He looked over at the sprite that was urging him forward and she nodded and smiled as if hearing his thoughts. Troubling thing was he had a feeling she really had. The girl tugged his hand and led him up the stairs, releasing her grip on him and pointing at the entryway.

Wyatt stared at her in awe for a moment longer, his eyes finally wandering up the building where several other of the blondes were clinging to the stone in a manner that defied gravity, wearing nothing but their wild hair and smiles.

He shook his head and looked back at the girl in front of him, inclining his head to her. "Thank you…" He said softly, unsure of why he was saying it in the first place. She might have just led him to his death for all he knew.

The wings on her back fluttered happily and she inclined her head back to him. "Na shuilla tien…" She breathed, again pointing for him to enter the temple.

Taking a deep breath he finally forced himself to venture within, pushing a door that stood nearly three stories tall and finding the interior awash in white light.

There were whispers in the fog that surrounded him as the door closed, voices speaking that same language that he couldn't understand…but one word was easily recognizable.

"Nura." He said aloud in time with the whispers.

As if responding to his call the fog cleared. Standing before him was the first white light of the OZ, the Queen before there was even a royal bloodline. Wyatt was rendered speechless as she studied him.

She smiled at him, a beautiful smile that left him instantly breathless; the intensity of the magic that was flowing from her brought him to his knees with tears in his eyes. She was so ethereal that it was almost painful to look upon her.

Her dark hair framed an impossibly gorgeous face, pulled back in a manner that was simple and natural in its elegance. Her dress was entirely see through, its material hugging her body and pooling at her feet, symbols were stitched into the gown where it reached the floor, he recognized them as the symbol he'd just given DG, the symbol of the Charge. Her sleeves were hanging to the floor as she stared into his eyes and reached out for his hand.

She spoke to him in a voice that could have made all the angels in heaven cry, her words unfamiliar yet somehow translated in his mind as he took her hand.

"Brave one…you are here to be judged…" She whispered as her other hand cradled his cheek lovingly. "You are of kindness and valor, of honesty and heart, of honor above all else. I see you would fight for her even with your dying breath, and be happy for the chance to give it. You are most worthy of this gift bestowed upon you; you have my protection, my power to aid you in your hour of greatest need so that you may protect your true love. She belongs to you and no other now." Nura breathed and he couldn't keep the tears from his eyes. Her voice was too much to bear, so perfect that it left him weak.

The fog that had been held at bay enveloped them, leaving him to cover his eyes and weep as her hand slipped from his grasp.

He felt like he'd just been touched by a goddess, as if her magic was coursing through his veins, her love filling his lungs with each breath he took.

There were fingers on his hands now, urging him to look at her. He vaguely wondered what apparition would greet him this time. A winged, nude Alisha? Another goddess to judge his worth?

But the blue eyes that awaited him left him in complete awe. DG stared down at him adoringly, kneeling on the ground before him and cradling his face in her hands.

She didn't know why he was crying or where they were, it seemed like she'd been summoned to this place somehow…and now she knew why. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words that fell from her lips were not her own.

"Sha den neh isa ca'adi." She whispered, her voice entwined with Nura's as she spoke both in the dream and in the safety of her bed as she slept.

Wyatt looked up at her as he held her hands at his face. "Sha den neh isa ca'adi." He replied, the voice of Othniel echoing with his in this world as well as his own.

For you are my one love, they'd said.

DG leaned closer to him, staring him in the eyes as he finally succumbed to his desire and pulled her to him, kissing her mouth hungrily as he rolled her onto her back.

She moaned in sweet release at his touch, running her hands through his hair as he began kissing his way across her jaw and down to the nape of her neck. She was wearing a gown like Nura's he found, the gown of the Charge, its material so soft that he feared he would destroy it.

He couldn't bring himself to tear it, instead letting his lips wander over her body as he inched down the length of her, stopping with his mouth above her breast and letting the heat of his breath torture her nipple through the tissue-thin fabric.

She trembled beneath him, moaning and rolling her head to the side, her hands caressing his neck before he was finally out of reach.

With his hands under the fabric he slid them over her feet, her calves….her knees…her thighs as she mewed for more…

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

Someone was pounding on the door…

Wyatt sat up straight in the bed, his eyes wide and horrified at the realization that it was all a dream, looking around and finding not a trace of her. He moaned in abject devastation feeling his entire body already halfway toward a much needed release that was now being denied.

"Noooooo…." He groaned as he flopped back down on the bed, covering his face with a pillow as he tried to slow his breathing.

"Dad? Hey, Dad!" Jeb called from the other side of the door.

Wyatt wondered whether his son would understand if he knocked him out for this.

"Go away!" Wyatt called back from under the pillow, parts of him now literally in pain at the sudden denial of DG's touch.

"You're supposed to be on guard. It's like noon already, you ever gonna wake up?" Jeb said in annoyance and Wyatt could only grunt in response. Jeb shook his head out in the hallway, yelling at the closed door. "Fine, I'll take your shift until you get up – you're lucky she's sleeping in late as hell, too or else you'd owe me big time!" He called before turning on his heel and heading to DG's quarters.

Wyatt's brows drew at that, but he was in far too much anguish to give it further thought. Whether he was flying solo or not he was going to have to do something about it at this point. He climbed from the bed and stalked to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.