Disclaimer: I do not own The Riddles of Epsilon.

Jess was sitting in her room, on her bed, with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Maybe it's the lack of sleep, she thought, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for what she had seen. Maybe I've been sitting here this whole time and I just fell asleep. Maybe it was all a dream. She wasn't sure she believed that, but it still soothed her enough to stretch her legs out in front of her. I really should get some rest tonight. And Epsilon's back, he emailed me, it must be safe. She slid down under her blanket and rolled onto her side. Just a little nap, at least…

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The gorgeous meadow had never scared Jess so much as it did that night. Not that the meadow had changed much. The only difference was that it was empty; Matthias was nowhere to be seen. Jess sat in a soft patch of gently waving grass. She wanted to stand, but found she couldn't do more than turn her head to look around. The silence was just about to drive her insane when her ears were assaulted by the thundering crash of the waterfall.

"You've been avoiding me." The voice was quiet in her ear, but when she turned her head to face the speaker, no one was there.

"M-Matthias?" she stuttered.

"Why have you stopped visiting me?" his voice whispered in her other ear.

"Where are you?" Jess' voice was trembling.

"I missed you, Jess." The noise of the waterfall faded until all she could hear was his soft voice. She turned her head to look behind her, where the voice had come from, and saw Matthias standing there, face full of sorrow.

"Why can't I move?" Jess asked, avoiding his eyes.

"That is not my doing," he replied, stepping closer to her.

"Then whose?"

"Your friend."

"Epsilon?" Jess asked, surprised.

"Yes."

"But why? I don't like this!" Jess was feeling like she was trapped in a nightmare, unable to run, or even lift a finger.

Matthias was standing in front of her, now, forcing her eyes up to his. "Let me help you," he said.

Jess hesitated, Epsilon's warning flashing through her mind, only to be chased off immediately by Matthias' beautiful gaze. Slowly, she nodded.

He grinned and held out his hand. Jess took it, suddenly able to move. The release washed over her and she let out a sigh of relief. "Will you come with me?" he asked, holding her gaze firmly.

Jess, staring into his mesmerizing eyes, opened her mouth, closed it, and then slowly nodded her head.

Matthias used two of his fingers to gently lower her eyelids over her eyes and then the soft sound of waves was heard. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around. They were on a beautiful, sandy beach, and the sun was shining down on them. It made Matthias glow more than the soft light of the clearing. "Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked again.

Unable to lie to the beauty before her, she said, "I was scared."

Matthias looked hurt. "Of me?"

Jess glanced at her feet. "Not you in particular. More like the whole getting wet in a dream and waking up drenched."

Matthias listened intently while Jess spoke, and then smiled again. "I want you to hear something!" he said in excitement.

Had Jess been thinking clearly, she would have thought the lightening quick change odd. But she was not thinking clearly, so all she did was nod enthusiastically.

Matthias then opened his mouth and began to sing. It was the same song that she had come to associate with these dreams, but slightly different. It took her almost the whole song to realize what the difference was. She had heard his voice singing the song before, but this was the first time she had actually seen him singing it, and it made something stand out. As she watched his face, she noticed the shades of his eyes seemed to move with the slow rhythm of the song. It made it more personal, like the song was written for him… or by him.

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James Dove stood next to Jess' house, holding his hand palm-down before him, and watching as three small stones flew into his hand. He looked up at her window and aimed the first pebble. It made a tapping sound when it hit its mark. As he drew his arm back to throw the second one, he heard footsteps coming around the house.

"You know, the front door is easier." It was Jess' mother.

James turned. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I just didn't want to disturb anyone." It is early enough to say this, he reasoned, forcing his face into a slightly guilty, embarrassed expression.

The woman smiled. "If you come around, I'll let you in… unless you'd rather climb."

James laughed. "The door will do fine," he said humorously.

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Jess had been watching everything since the first stone had hit her window, waking her from her lovely dream. She felt tired, despite the uninterrupted night, and she was relieved that nothing had followed her back to the waking world. Realizing James was on his way, she hurried to make herself more presentable. Jess was just making sure she looked okay when there was a knock on her door. She opened the door to reveal James standing there wearing a huge grin. He stepped into the room and said, "Looks like I got caught, huh?"

Jess let out a short laugh. She felt a little uncomfortable with him but she couldn't think of why. "So… uh… what are you doing here?" she asked.

James walked toward her window and looked out. "Its nice out today. I thought we could go to the beach."

Jess, who had been looking out the window as well, quickly snapped her eyes to his. "Why?" she questioned, trying to keep the suspicion out of her tone. He couldn't possibly know I just spent the entire night on a dream beach, she thought.

James shot her a skeptical look and replied, "We're on an island smaller than my thumb. What else is there to do?"

Jess laughed again, this time feeling more at ease. James' laughing eyes caught her own and Jess was sure they were shimmering. Not in the normal way, either. It looked more like someone had flipped a switch, like on those glitter lava lamps, and started the swirling flecks. Her room slowly began to fade, and all she was aware of was him. "Your eyes," she gasped, not able to tear her gaze from his and break the connection.

James smiled softly. "Pardon?"

"I can't…" But Jess couldn't finish her sentence. All thoughts that did not center on James fled from her mind. "I know of somewhere else we could go." Her voice was soft, as if she didn't have the concentration left to speak any louder.

"Really? Show me." It was a gentle command and Jess immediately turned and headed for the door, not even realizing she was doing it.

"I'll be back!" she called to the house, not noticing Mrs. Shilling glaring at James from the shadows. Jess kept walking in this trance, nearly tripping several times, but James managed to steady her. This will be fun, he thought. Epsilon will be furious. The second thought brought his grin back to his face.

Jess' mind was beginning to register her surroundings again, but her attention was drawn back to James when he asked, "Is this it?" She looked into his eyes once more, swallowing hard.

"Yes," she answered shakily, feeling herself slipping again.

"Shall we?" He opened the door and waited for her to enter, this time not breaking eye contact. Once they were both in and the door was closed firmly behind them, James asked, "Do you trust me?"

Jess stared at him for a moment and felt the word come from her lips before she could even think it through. "Yes."

James allowed himself a triumphant grin.