Monday morning dawned with MK feeling better than she had in weeks, probably even years, since that time before Jamie's birth. She bit her lip, shaking him from her mind. He was gone, there was no use thinking any more about him, even if it hurt, even if she had fallen in love with him. A chuckle escaped her lips while tears fell from her eyes, if Richard really was Chief Hiccup and her dad, he would have beaten up anybody who hurt his little girl. She wiped her eyes, there were some things that she would have to deal with on her own, not even Sarah May could help. She quickly dressed and went into the kitchen, a note on the counter let her know that Sarah May had left her a plate in the microwave while almond-lined cider was still warm in the pot. She heated her plate and poured herself some cider, sitting down at the table to eat. She thought of the conversation the night before while she savoured her cider, thinking it odd that Jamie did have some similar tastes. She paused, had he come to the same conclusion concerning her and Sarah May, keeping with his theory of A Faraway Land? She groaned, it was impossible, wasn't it? She let out a sigh as she cleaned up, she was going to have to make sure he knew that the cold hard facts did not validate his theory, without letting him know what she did for a living. Making sure the door was locked behind her, she went off to kill time until Sarah May and Jamie were out of school.

Before doing anything, she went straight to the hotel for a change of clothes and to let Paula know what the plans were for the week.

"Oh, don't worry about it, dear, you're a guest! You can do what you want! But thank you for telling me. Oh, and one other thing, it's a good thing you came by, Mr. Overland was just in looking for you. He asked me to tell you that he'll be waiting for you at his shop."

"He did? Oh, well, thank you Mrs. Wiggins, I'll head over there now."

"Great, you have a nice day!"

"Thanks, you too, Mrs. Wiggins!" MK found the quaint little shop fairly quickly, it was hard to ignore the bright, white lettering advertising Overland's Antiques and Oddities. Entering the shop proved just how aptly the store was named.

"Ah, MK, I see you got my message," stated Jackson as he came to the counter from the back storage.

"Yes, what is this all about?" she asked, her eyes still wandering over the store. Jackson waited until her eyes were on him before replying.

"Well, I thought you could help me with something."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, MK, I'm not stupid, I know a detective when I see one. And it won't be long before Jamie figures it out, either."

MK's eyes widened as she gulped, "What do you want my help with?"

"Finding someone, of course, several people, actually, but I figured it would be better if we did one at a time."

"Are these people in trouble with you?"

Jackson's gaze hardened, "Just one, and when you find him, just tell me where he is so that I can avoid him, and don't tell him anything about me. As for the others, I, I just need to find them." The look in his eyes pained MK, it was the same look she had seen in the mirror for weeks after giving up Jamie, and losing his father.

"Let's say I do look for these people, what will you pay?"

A grin lit up Jackson's face, "Now we're talking. The first person is worth my silence around Jamie regarding your job. I won't breathe a word about it unless you have given me permission or he's figured it out."

"No money?"

"I know the man is here in this town, it won't be hard, but I dare not search for him."

"You two have a history?"

"A rather interesting and bumpy one, to say the least, I can't say anymore than that."

"Why not? I'll probably figure it out, might as well spill it now."

Jackson gave her a hard look, though there was a glimmer in his eyes, "Because you simply are not ready for it, my dear. The clues will be there, but you won't see them. In fact, I think you refused the biggest one of them all."

MK blinked, shaking her head, "I don't get it."

"As I thought, but that's not important as of now, all you need to know is to look for the one man who loathes the snow."

"OK, and what of the others?"

"Why don't you just search for the one for now?"

"Because I might happen upon a clue for them while searching for him, or at least, you think this man has something to do with the disappearance of one or more of the other people on your list."

Jack's eyes widened before he recovered with a crooked grin, "You really are a detective, a good one at that. However, though I may think that you might find a clue in the whereabouts of the man, I have to inform you that I do not think he has anything to do with the disappearances, but I think he will be or has been framed for it. I know who did the kidnapping, and I would rather him over that witch any day."

"Are the people she kidnapped on your list as well?"

Jackson slowly nodded, "M-my wife, and my son." MK's eyes flew open. "That is one reason why I want you to find the man, the witch who kidnapped them planted evidence in his house, and I nearly fell for it. But that man and I had an argument about something else, and that is why I dare not go looking for him, or for possibly any more clues that witch might have left at his house."

"Wow, but why would you need me to find them?"

"Because the witch said she would hurt them if I looked for them. She doesn't know who you are, so there might be a chance you'll have better success."

"Oh, OK. So, where does he live?"

"I don't know, he's moved."

"Oh . . . so, you want me to look for the man who hates the snow, your wife and child. How old would your son be now?"

"His twenties." MK's eyes bulged. Jackson grinned, "I know, I know, I look pretty darn good for my age, which could be a problem for my son, he might look like he's in his teens when he's twenty-six." Jackson burst out laughing, "Oh man, sorry JJ, but then again, my wife won't be much different. She, she probably looks the same as the day I lost her." Sorrow lined his smile and eyes, MK could tell that it had been as hard on him as much as it had on her.

"Well, alright, was there anyone else?"

"Yeah, but they might be harder than the other three, there's five of them, and I don't even know their names. I do know that there are three girls and two boys, two of the girls are blonde, the third girl and one of the boys have red hair, and the other boy has brown. They'd all be around the same age as my son, but that's all I've got, sorry."

"OK, but why are you searching for the other five?"

"It's time for them to come home."

"Wait, what?"

"My son was the only one kidnapped, the others were sent away for their own good. I can't explain it fully now, you wouldn't understand yet, but something evil came into the town years ago."
"Wait, something evil? You're not referring to A Faraway Land, are you?"

"And what if I was?"

"It's nonsense, that's what it is!"

"But what if it's true? What if you found out that your son was telling the truth this whole time?"

"What? But . . ."

"And why are you having doubts about it? Come MK, I'm no detective, but even I can tell when someone is second-guessing themselves. You're a detective, solve this mystery, and put it to rest once and for all. Now, for the rest of my story. At the time, it was a blessing that my wife and son weren't here, I didn't have to worry about any of them, but there were a few other children who needed to be gotten out, so the aunt of one of the blonde girls, and the father of the brown-haired boy, split them up and got them to safety. The boy's father came back, but the aunt stayed with her niece and the other blonde girl. We defeated that evil, but then we lost the children, and now you're here, a detective, a seasoned detective, hope has returned to Cedar Grove, just hopefully not that evil with it."

"Oh, alright, fine. But I have to find all of those people for just keeping your mouth about me being a detective?"

Jackson burst out laughing, "Oh no, I will certainly pay, have no fear of that. Why don't you come into the back, perhaps a few of my more pricey antiques and oddities might peak your interest." MK sighed as she followed him to the back, his mood swings were starting to hit a nerve. But once she saw what was hidden in the storage room, she practically forgave him. There were swords, jewels, and an assortment of other items one would typically find in a castle, almost. She did pause when a jeweled bear clip caught her attention. It was lying next to an ornate bow and quiver of arrows and the strangest sword MK had ever seen. It looked like the outline of a jagged sword with two pieces of metal connecting the outline with several buttons and what looked like tiny cartridges lining the hilt. MK didn't know why, but she felt drawn to those, the sword, though strange, almost seemed similar. She picked it up and was surprised by how fairly light it was. She glanced at Jackson, he gave her a knowing smile. She gently placed the sword down and walked towards him.

"What's in the wardrobe?" she asked, indicating the cabinet behind him.

"Oh, this? This is for the ballgowns," he told her, swinging open the doors. She gasped upon seeing the contents of the wardrobe, dresses of every hue and style hung elegantly from the bar.

"Why do you have these dresses here, and not at Fancy Fabrics?" she asked, fingering the gowns.

"Because these are made of real silk, not exactly the safest at Fancy Fabrics. They do take care of children too, you know."

"Oh, right." Again, she felt drawn to something, an apple red dress with brown bears at the bottom. She blinked, it was the exact same shade and style as the one Princess Merida wore to Chief Hiccup's almost wedding. And if Sarah May was in fact Merida, she would fit it just snugly. Then she saw the other dresses, the ones that were similar to the ones Valka, Astrid, and Ruffnut wore. She glanced at Jackson who was playing with a dagger, and shook her head. That was right, Jamie must have come over, saw the dresses, and probably started thinking it was all real because of this. She let out a breath as she looked through the rest of the dresses. In fact, not all of the ones mentioned in Brown Bear of Norway were there, the mauve one, the ice blue one, and the grey one that Heather wore were not in the wardrobe. And there were a few other ones that she didn't recognize from either of the stories she read. There was a brown one that had what looked like a mix of bears and dragons along the hem, a pale green one with trees, and a pale pink one with swans. Closing the wardrobe, she went back to the bow and the strange sword. She picked up the bow and pulled back the string a few times, it was well made.

"You know archery?"

"A bit, took it in high school to better my aim, but I would take a gun any day," she replied, revealing a gun hidden beneath her jacket. "Never leave home without it."

Jackson grinned, "I can imagine. So, see anything you like?"

"Well, maybe the bow and arrows, they look really well made, and I kinda want to tinker with that sword a bit."

"Is that all?"

"For now, at least, don't have a need for dresses as I already have one for the ball, and I don't see anything else I would like."

"Alright, fine by me," shrugged Jackson as he picked up the bow, the arrows, and the sword and placed them in a walk-in safe. "There, they're saved for you for when you keep your end of the bargain."

"OK, so, the man who hates winter, your wife and son, and five other children who are missing, just lost, not kidnapped."

"Exactly."

"Great, well, now I have something to do instead of just meandering around town. Now I can have my eyes peeled for clues while I'm doing it."

Jackson laughed, "Well that sounds like fun, you'll have to tell me all about it sometime."

"How about Saturday? Sarah May wants to take me, Jamie, and Richard to her parents' place and do some horseback riding. You wanna come?" she asked as they went back into the front.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. But who's Richard?"

"The coma patient, they just found out his name, and his wife."

"Oh? Who's his wife?"

"Esther Hawkins."

"Ah, I can see why he'd end up in a coma."

"Wait, you know who she is?"

Jackson nodded and pointed at a dragon figurine, "She came in a while ago and sold me that, along with a few other things. The only reason why I remember her particularly was because of the tantrum she gave over having to wait before I could take care of her and she wanted more money. She is one bad-tempered woman. I had to call in Sheriff Harris so she wouldn't destroy my shop!" MK picked up the figurine and glanced at the price, it was five dollars. Standing next to it was a bear figurine sleeping under an apple tree, it was also five dollars. She brought both to the counter.

"I'll take both of these," she stated, pulling out her wallet.

"Alright." He wrapped them and took the twenty-dollar bill from her, giving her change. "Hope you like them!"

"Thanks Mr. Overland."

"Oh, call me Jack, it's easier. Nice doing business with you, MK, looking forward to your report on Saturday." MK nodded as she walked out the door. "Ooh, getting kinda frosty there," grinned Jack, completely unphased by the chill. His smile wavered as his pulled out a secret drawer at his counter and pulled out a sheet of paper. It read:

A spell will come undoing happy endings

But hope lies with the fate of one

A daughter, a blend of Scots and Vikings

Will return to her parents with her son

True love will always find a way

And happy endings will be seen

Again when the children play

Living in fairy tales on Halloween.

Like the rainbow, there will be seven

Like the rainbow, they are strong together

One will lead, backed by the others even

Finding the power within each other

To face the dark and colorless spell

And fight with the power of the sun

Keeping others safe and well

All while saving the important one

When the lands are in danger, they shall arise

Taking up their parents' weapons, they will fight

Until the evil is defeated and away it flies

From across time and space they will unite.

"Yup, it's happening soon, Mavis, real soon. Are you ready? I may have the answer to your happy ending, yours, and Heather's."