Disclaimer, you know.
Dorothy soon found herself in a new nightmare. A hall of mirrors. The images of her friends and family each frozen in a terrified position. However when she got to the end of the hall she saw something that made her blood run cold. Each one of them, frozen in the positions they were in, as white, marble, statues. Standing in the middle was the jester, laughing wickedly at Dorothy's horrified reaction. She screamed loudly and tried to run only to find that she couldn't.
"Dorothy! Dorothy!" Came Alex's and Glinda's voices as she felt herself being embraced.
Dorothy's eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up and found herself in Alex's embrace. She exhaled and coughed as she released more rainbow colored vapor. She was completely soaked to the skin with sweat now. She sobbed loudly for a few minutes before explaining what her nightmares had shown her. Alex rubbed her back in a circular motion and hushed her. Glinda merely sighed and sat down next to Dorothy. She took Alex's position of rubbing Dorothy's back in a circular motion. She then embraced Dorothy tightly and broke from it only to take Dorothy's chin in her hand.
"Can't you put me into dreamless sleep, like you used to?" Dorothy asked wiping away the tears.
"Dorothy what you are seeing is what you fear most with the jester and that is losing the people you love to him, with the amount of magic you absorbed not even a dreamless sleep spell will help you, and judging by the fact the mist is still rainbow colored you've got a long way to go." Glinda said
"So, what color are we looking for?" Alex asked curiously.
"A pure gold color is good enough to put her into a dreamless sleep, but the emerald green color comes after which means it's just about gone, problem is that it will taste worse than it currently does." Glinda said.
"I think by now we've already established that magic tastes terrible." Biter said from the bedside table.
Dorothy said nothing she merely belched again and exhaled more rainbow colored mist. She then pushed away from them and got up. Running to the bathroom she ran over to the sink and turned on the cold tap. She then took some water in her hands and splashed it on her face. She sniffed and did this a few times before turning to the bathtub. Glinda then walked in carrying a towel as well as a dry dress for her to change into.
"Alex didn't want to intrude on you." Glinda said walking over.
"Glinda, would you mind starting the water and running me a cold bath?" Dorothy asked as she belched again.
"Not at all dear." Glinda said walking over to the tub and turning the tap.
Glinda then looked at Dorothy and set the dress and towel on a chair next to the tub. She then smiled and left the bathroom to find Alex laying down on Dorothy's bed. Glinda walked over and sat down. Alex took out his reading glasses and looked at her.
"You said there were other color mist's that she would be exhaling over time with the amount of magical energy she releases, meaning that the more magical energy you absorb the different mist you exhale, what's the highest color of mist?" Alex asked curiously.
"Alex, the highest is pure white mist, once you get that far it pretty much means that, well your entire life cycle is basically scrambled and even breathing could kill you, even here in Oz, and White is just two away from being rainbow, next to it is blood crimson." Glinda said sighing.
"Okay, well um that's rather depressing to think about." Alex said.
"I know, but let's change the subject then." Glinda said replied.
"Glinda, you do know that I love her right?" Alex asked curiously.
"I've sort of gathered that by now." Glinda said rubbing her sprained wrist and wincing.
"Glinda, don't do that, it's just going to make things worse and more painful" Alex said.
"I know, but it feels so stiff having to have it bound like this." Glinda said clenching the hand, wincing again and unclenching it.
"Glinda, I know it does, and it will, but don't do that." Alex said.
"Sorry." Glinda replied.
"You should probably go and check on Alison with your wand, I'll keep an eye on Dorothy once she gets out of the bath." Alex said taking off his reading glasses.
Glinda nodded and got up. As she walked out of the room Ellie walked in and over to the bed. She sat down on the bed next to where Alex was laying and reaching over him to pick up Toto who was still sitting on the bed.
"How is she?" Ellie asked curiously.
"Exhaling mist still." Alex said sighing.
"I know that, I've had experience with magical energy before, as has my sister." Ellie said scratching Toto behind the ears.
"We sort of gathered that." Biter replied from the table.
"Biter, why don't you go back to your group, I'm sure they're missing you by now." Ellie said looking over at him.
"I know, it's just more interesting here than with the group." Biter said as Alex sat up and helped him off the table
"Well you can always come back later." Ellie said
"I will, trust me." Biter said scurrying off
Ellie and Alex sat there for a few minutes in silence. Ellie then got up and started for the door.
"I'm going to go see if my sister needs any help, I've never seen Glinda without her wand, and I do hope my sister can manage." Ellie said walking out worriedly.
Alex watched and then got up off the bed. He walked over to the chair he had set up next to the bedside and picked up Toto. Sitting down he set Toto on his lap and sighed. After a few more minutes of waiting Dorothy emerged from the bathroom having bathed and changed into the dry dress. She belched loudly again and exhaled some more rainbow mist. She walked over to the bed and climbed up on it. She then laid down on her stomach and watched Alex. Alex looked at her and smiled.
"Is there anything you need" Alex asked curiously.
"I don't know, I can't really eat or drink anything without going into a coughing fit, so I don't know." Dorothy said.
"Dorothy, you know how lucky you are to have survived right?" Alex asked curiously.
"I know, I heard, luckily that energy didn't ruin my eardrums." Dorothy replied belching again.
"Well then, that saves me the trouble of having to get emotional about it, but Dorothy, please never do that again." Alex said handing Toto over to her.
"I won't Alex, trust me, this is terrible as it is, I hate the taste, I hate that I can't eat, or drink, or really talk." Dorothy said belching again and exhaling some more mist as she took Toto in her arms.
"I can imagine how hard it must be for you." Alex said.
Dorothy smiled and took out her reading glasses from the dress pocket. Putting them she looked at Alex and chuckled as she placed Toto on the floor. She then turned over onto her back and looked at him with her head hanging over the edge of the bed.
"Alex, next time, if we ever get caught in a trap by the jester again, can you do me a favor?" Dorothy asked coughing as she exhaled a bit more mist.
"What?" Alex asked.
"You take charge next time, and I'll sit in a corner." Dorothy said chuckling.
"Dorothy, you know I can't promise that, I can't come up with a good plan without some inspiration." Alex said.
"You know, if I had known you were going to cause something this bad to happen I wouldn't have trapped you like that." Came the voice of the jester from the other side of the bed.
Dorothy gasped, looked up at the jester and then set her head back down. She sighed and took off her glasses. She the lifted her head back up and stared at him.
"At least you sometimes show some sympathy." Dorothy said belching again as she exhaled some more mist.
"Also, take a mint when you're able to eat again." The jester said sniffing the air and coughing.
"Would you mind leaving?" Alex asked just about ready to chuck a nearby book at him.
"No, I just wanted to apologize, to you two, and, your friends." The jester said as Glinda and Ellie ran in.
"Why would you apologize?" Ellie asked curiously.
"I do have some sympathy you know, anyways, I'm sorry about your wand, but I can tell I'm not wanted." He said flicking the wand and vanishing.
Dorothy sighed and lay back down. Placing her reading glasses back on.
"It would have been a bigger nightmare had I confronted him wearing these." Dorothy said belching loudly.
"I'm sure he's seen you wearing them in his crystal ball before." Alex said getting up and kneeling down next to Dorothy so that he was right next to her head.
"I hate him, a lot." Glinda said sighing.
Dorothy, Alex and Ellie said nothing. Dorothy merely whispered what she had seen in her nightmare in Alex's ear. Alex sighed and laid a kiss on Dorothy's cheek, causing her to blush before belching again.
"Dorothy, don't worry, your nightmares are in your head, and they can't harm you." Alex said running his fingers through her hair.
"The bad dreams my not be able to, but the jester sure can." Ellie said.
"And that's what worries me." Dorothy said belching and exhaling more rainbow colored mist.
"Dorothy?" Toto asked curiously.
"Yes boy?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"Can Ellie take me for a walk?" Toto replied.
"I'll ask, um, Ellie, Toto wants to know if you can take him for a walk." Dorothy asked looking over to her best friend.
"Sure, come on boy." Ellie said as Toto barked and ran over to her.
After Ellie and Toto walked out scarecrow, tin man and lion walked in. Dorothy looked at them and smiled. She then belched and exhaled more mist.
"Alison told us that you guys are unable to be sent home by Glinda." Scarecrow said walking over.
"Actually, scarecrow, my friends are, I can't leave until the scepter is repaired, would you be able to send them home with the rainbow mover?" Dorothy asked curiously as she belched again.
"You know that I can, the question is when do you want it done?" Scarecrow asked.
"As soon as is convenient." Dorothy said belching again.
"Well then, when Ellie gets back, I'll send the three of them home." Scarecrow said.
"No, just Aislynn and Ellie." Alex said looking over to him.
"But won't your parents be worried about you?" Tin man asked walking over and kneeling down next to Alex.
"No, as long as I'm with Dorothy my parents won't worry too much, and my father definitely won't worry about me." Alex replied.
"Alex, why are you always under the impression that your father despises you?" Dorothy asked belching again.
"He doesn't despise me, he just resents me, mostly because he still doesn't believe that I am not the man I used to be." Alex replied.
"Look, kid, just because your father doesn't believe it possible for you to have changed, doesn't mean that he doesn't love you, I'm sure deep down he cares." Lion said joining the group.
"I'm sure he does, and he does a very bad job of even admitting it, he judges me by what I was." Alex replied leaning against the bed.
"Well, your father has made a mistake in judging you the way he has." Scarecrow said kneeling down and placing a hand on Alex's shoulder.
"Scarecrow, though he does not care about me, I will always, and I mean always care about him, I care about my family regardless of his belief, and nowadays I hope that one day he shall see that I have truly and utterly changed in nature." Alex said pushing away the hand.
"That's a wonderful way of thinking about it." Dorothy said belching and exhaling more mist before turning over and kissing him on the cheek.
"Thanks dear." Alex replied blushing.
"Alex, can I speak to you in private for a moment?" Scarecrow asked getting up.
"Sure, just make sure we get a good distance away or it definitely won't be private." Alex said looking at Dorothy teasingly.
Dorothy smiled and playfully punched him on the arm giggling. Alex chuckled and got up. He and scarecrow then walked out of the room and to the chambers. When they arrived scarecrow led Alex to his workshop and switched on the rainbow mover. Immediately it the screens flicked on and showed the images of the gale farmhouse and his own.
"I just got off the phone with the gales." Came Mrs. Teak's voice from the machine.
"And?" Came Mr. Teak's voice.
"When is alex going to be home?" Came the voice of Annabella in a curious tone.
"I don't know dear, according Em they are currently, well just about stuck, both Glinda's wand Dorothy's scepter are broken at the time being so who know." Mrs. Teak replied.
"Well, I hope he has fun, let him cause trouble there." Mr. Teak replied causing Mrs. Teak to sigh.
"Why must you always speak against your own son? You still don't get it do you? He cares about you, if he didn't he wouldn't have said what he did while they were in the woods." Mrs. Teak said walking over to her husband.
"See, can't you see that my mother cannot even convince him?" Alex asked referring the screen.
"Shh, I'm trying to listen." Scarecrow said
"Dear, you know as well as I do that he could go back to his old self at any time." Mr. Teak said.
"I rest my case." Alex said.
Scarecrow sighed and switched off the machine. He then looked at Alex and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"At least you care about him, and that's a start, you care for your family and therefore there is always a chance that caring nature can rub off on him, if he doesn't care then it's his mistake, he just doesn't like to admit he's wrong does he?" Scarecrow asked.
"He isn't afraid to admit he's wrong, he just doesn't want to be wrong about me." Alex said sighing.
"Well then, that is indeed his own mistake." Scarecrow said as Ellie and Aislynn walked in.
"Scarecrow, ace and I are ready to go." Ellie said.
"That's good, is Toto back at Dorothy's room?" scarecrow asked curiously.
"Yes." Aislynn replied
"Well then, alex, back away from the machine, Ellie, Ace, you stand there." Scarecrow said pushing Alex back pointing to the spot next to the machine.
Ellie nodded and dragged ace over to where scarecrow had pointed. He then smiled at them and switched the machine on once more. Immediately the machine hummed to life and the image of the gale farmhouse returned to the screens. He then pressed a few buttons and the rainbow light began to get brighter. Ellie and Aislynn were then surrounded by the marvelous rainbow and soon they were gone. Alex and scarecrow waited in silence for a few minutes until they saw Aislynn and Ellie appear on the doorstep of the farmhouse. Scarecrow smiled and switched off the machine.
"Alex?" Scarecrow asked curiously.
"Yes sir?" Alex asked curiously.
"How much do you care about Dorothy?" Scarecrow asked curiously.
"I've said it often to anyone who's asked, I care about her with all my heart, I love her and she seems to love me, and above all she's changed me for the better." Alex said smiling.
"She does love you, she cares about you as much as you care about her, and you know she would do anything to keep her friends safe, but she would go to the edge of our worlds and back to keep you and your family safe from his power." Scarecrow said placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I know she would, and I would do the same for her." Alex said chuckling.
Scarecrow smiled as if to say he was still keeping things from Alex. Things he already knew. Alex smiled back and scarecrow winked at him. He then sent Alex on his way. Alex chuckled and made his way back to Dorothy's room. When he arrived he found Dorothy sitting on her bed with Toto on her lap. She smiled when she saw him and got up off the bed. Walking over to him with Toto following at her heels. She took his hand and they all walked to the library. When they arrived she led him over to the chairs and they sat down on one of the loveseats together. She belched again and exhaled some more mist. She then leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled. Toto barked a few times then jumped up on the chair across from them. Neither of them spoke but it was made evident in the way they looked at each other that no words needed to be exchanged between them. Dorothy then shifted positions so that her head was laying on the armrest and her legs wore across Alex's with her feet lying on the opposite armrest.
"Dorothy?" Alex asked curiously.
"Yes alex?" Dorothy replied.
"How much do you care about me?" Alex asked.
"Alex, you know I care about you and would do anything to keep you safe, I love you." Dorothy said lifting herself up and belching before lying back down.
"I feel the same about you, l love you as well, and it is because of you I am not the man I once was." Alex said reaching over and poking at the soles of Dorothy's feet teasingly.
Dorothy giggled as she exhaled more mist. Alex chuckled and tickled her on the soles of her feet for a few seconds before she drew back. She giggled some more and playfully punched him on the arm again. She then shifted her position one more time and rested her head on Alex's legs with her legs and feet dangling over the arm of the loveseat. She belched and exhaled more mist before yawning. She then closed her eyes and tried napping. This was a mistake, as soon as she started to doze the nightmares began flashing in her mind. She gasped and sat up immediately.
"At first I thought you might actually get a good nap in." Alex said sighing.
"Alex, I was starting to doze before the nightmares began to flash, I couldn't stand it, I still can't, and the nightmares are terrible." Dorothy said sounding a little shaken as she exhaled some more mist.
Alex sighed and placed a hand on Dorothy's shoulder. Dorothy sighed and got up. Walking over to the large shelves of books. Alex got up and joined her. He wrapped an arm around her and smiled. Dorothy chuckled and grabbed a book from the shelf. It was then that she realized what book she had managed to locate.
"I remember this, you know that prism necklace Ellie sometimes wears?" Dorothy asked chuckling.
"Yea, what about it?" Alex asked curiously.
"This book is what allowed me to make it with scarecrow's help, it was a birthday present for her." Dorothy said.
"Oh, really?" Alex asked rather surprised at this.
"Well I wasn't going to try and make it by myself, especially with no experience." Dorothy said.
"Well I understand that, I mean I didn't know you had an interest in crystals." Alex said.
"Well I do spend most of my time surrounded by emeralds." Dorothy said gesturing around.
"True, come on, let's do some reading up on them." Alex said.
Dorothy nodded and they walked back over to the loveseat they had been sitting in. Dorothy handed the book to Alex and sat down. Alex then sat down next to her and opened the book. They soon began to read from the beginning, something Dorothy hadn't done when she used it to make the prism. She kissed Alex on the cheek and sighed exhaling some more mist. she smiled as they read into the book and soon they were both fully immersed in reading.