"There's a lot to see in her mind, Tess, she's complicated," Max said, and Liz scowled at their words, though she never turned to face them. She had resigned herself to listening to Tess whine, while Max tried his hardest to calm her and explain everything to her.

"Oh please, she' human, and a ditzy one at that, how complex can she be?"

Liz felt anger pressing through her, and she turned for the first time in hours. "Will you shut up, Tess!" she said sharply, glaring at the blonde. "You made her like this, you forced her into this…" she reached for the appropriate words, "this weak, vulnerable state. You've done nothing but complain and insult her, myself, and Alex since you got here, and you've caused infinite amounts of trouble without even a second thought. If you don't start behaving in a more civilized way I think it's best if you just leave."

Tess looked at Max pleadingly, and Liz caught the glance, speaking up before Max could argue for Tess.

"Don't you go asking him to fight your battles, Tess, I'm sick and tired of both of you ganging up on me, in my own house of all places." She looked at Max angrily. "If you're going to play sugar daddy to her, just get out now, and save us all a headache."

Max frowned, looking at the group of sleeping people, "And what about them? What if something happens and you can't help them?"

Liz frowned, "That was low, Max. If something happens, then it happens. I hope that nothing does. Now, if you have no other complaints to throw at me, you can leave."

"We'll be coming back," Tess said as she stalked out of the room, Max followed, throwing a disappointed look at Liz first. The brunette sighed and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to break her.

Everything seemed so complicated now, she just wanted her life back, she wanted her friends back, but she wasn't sure she wanted Max back anymore. Too much had changed for that, too much had been said and done to simply go back to the way things were. She looked at the four sleeping figures and moved over to the bed, she lay down next to Michael, who held Maria's unmoving form in his arms protectively.

She watched the play of emotions on his face, then shifted her gaze to Isabel, and then Alex. She rested her head on her pillow and grasped Michael's hand, letting herself slip into the dream.

She found herself in a stone chamber, large glass windows looked out over the sea, and a pale girl with the whitest hair gazed out into the waters. She expanded her gaze to find the tall man who had made an appearance when she had last been in the dream, a woman who had a rough beauty about her, and two sentinels. She also saw Isabel and Alex, standing together near the throne in the room, and Michael, who was nearly touching the pale girl, watching her intently.

"This is King Haggard's throne room," the first of the two sentinels said, turning with an aged flourish.

"Throne room? This is a cell. This is a tomb. Take us to King Haggard!" the tall man said, and his voice was Alex's. Liz couldn't say she was surprised.

"I am King Haggard. This is Prince Lir, my son," he said, removing his helmet, revealing and old, drawn face.

The second sentinel removed his helmet as well, and his face was young and virile. Like Michael, he had a rough charm about him, uneducated in the ways of love, but caught in it's throes nevertheless. She wasn't surprised when he spoke.

"Hi, glad to meet you," he smiled at the tall man and his companion. Michael's voice coming from another's mouth seemed to unnerve Isabel and Alex. It was true to him, unlike the magician and the woman, whose voices, while very similar to both Isabel and Alex's, varied in places. The cadence and tone, and styles of speech were different from those that Alex and Isabel used.

Lir's voice matched everything that had ever been reflected in Michael's voice, the cadence was dead on, and the only difference from the tall, blonde, rough looking prince was that he was openly kind, instead of guarded and cold like Michael.

Haggard moved to sit in his throne, and Isabel and Alex both moved away quickly.

"What is your concern with me?" he asked, and his voice was cold and annoyed.

"We seek, Sire, to enter your service," Schmendrick said with flourish.

"I need no servants," the old man said, turning away to look out the large picture window.

"Oh, but surely, Sire, a magician, a fine cook, a -" the magician was cut off.

"You are losing my interest, and that is very dangerous," Haggard said bitterly, "my 'court' consists of four men-at-arms," he continued stonily.

"Four? But the pleasures of the court, Sire, the music, the talk, the hunts and the balls and the great feasts!" Schmendrick began again, trying to salvage his optimistic spirit.

"They are nothing to me. I have known them all, and they have not made me happy. I will keep nothing near me that does not make me happy!" he glared at both Schmendrick and Molly, and his eyes were cold as steel, freezing both of them still. "I also keep one magician."

Schmendrick was shocked for a moment, but quickly recovered, "oh, a magician, huh? What's his name?"

"He is called Mabruk. He is known in his trade as "the magician's magician". I can see no reason at all to replace him with some vagrant, nameless, clownish…"

"I can," Molly said sharply, cutting off the flow of insults that ran from the old man's lips. "He doesn't, this marvelous Mabruk, doesn't make you happy."

"Molly, be still," the magician scolded, looking warily at the old king.

"And how would you know?" the old man asked with disdain.

"Well," Molly said expertly, crossing her arms in a purely feminine way, "just look at you."

Schmendrick caught her arm, silenceing her, "Molly!" he snapped in a hush whisper.

"Did you hear that, Mabruk?" the old king laughed.

In a haze of smoke, a bent, crooked old man appeared. He was small and hobbled, much like Mommy Fortuna had been. A jeweled crow bedecked his long, ancient locks of hair. In his right hand was a staff, taller than he was, and he balanced his weight upon the thing. "What does your majesty wish of me?" he asked with a deep bow. His eyes caught on the other magician and he grinned, showing crooked teeth. "Ah, Schmendrick, my dear boy, how nice to see you!" he cackled as he bobbed his head and hobbled over to the taller man.

"He has come to take your place. He is now my royal magician," the old king said, and the small wizard laughed.

Molly grinned and whispered to Schmendrick, "See?" but the magician only shushed her.

Mabruk laughed, "The legendary Schmendrick? 'The Runeless Wonder?' I realize your majesty is a great collector of - oddities, but…"

"The woman is right," Haggard said, "a master magician has not made me happy. I will see what an incompetent one can do. You may go, Mabruk," he waved his hand in dismissal, and the wizard rose to his full height.

"I am not packed off as easily as that!" the magician said harshly, and stirred his staff within the winds of the room. Lir stepped in front of Amalthea, who had turned to watch the exchange, but she walked past him without even a glance.

Her eyes flashed with the magic she still possessed, and the mark on her forehead flashed with the same hidden power. An electric shock of purple dashed through the column of wind the magician stirred. The wind died, and the old magician cackled wickedly.

Lir moved towards the manic old man, "come on, old man, I'll write you a refrence…"

Mabruk pulled away from Lir, laughing like mad. "Haggard, I would not be you for all the world! You have let your doom in by the front door, but it will not depart that way!" his eyes were on Amalthea as he spoke, "farewell, poor Haggard! Farewell... " With that, the hobbled little magician disappeared in a haze of smoke, the same way he had come.

Lir stepped back, astonished, while the others didn't really seem to notice. Haggard had risen from his place and moved towards Amalthea, who had returned to staring out the window, at the sea. Or, more precisely, what danced upon the waves of the sea.

When Haggard reached out to her, she pulled away.

"Don’t!" she gasped, turning to face him. "I will not touch you," the king said gently, "what are you looking at?"

"The sea," she replied stoically, meeting the king's tired eyes.

"Ah, yes," he murmured, looking deep into Amalthea's stare, "the sea is always good. There is nothing that I can look at for very long, except the sea," his eyes bore into hers, expecting to find something, delving for something the others couldn't touch.

"What is the matter with your eyes?" he demanded, peering deeper into the violet depths. "Why can I not see myself in your eyes?"

The lady did not answer, merely turned and looked back out at the sea.

"Who is she?" he shouted turning to Schmendrick.

"Oh, your majesty, the Lady Amalthea is my niece…" Schmendrick murmured softly.

"I want to know who she is!" Haggard shouted, moving away from the woman by the window.

"Father, what difference does it make?" Lir asked trying to calm his father down, "she's here!"

The old king sighed, "for once, you are right. She is here. They are all here. And whether they mean my doom or not, I will look at them for a while," hr turned to Amalthea and continued. "You may come and go as you please. My secrets guard themselves. Will yours do the same," he turned and left the room.

Liz looked at Isabel and Alex, who were standing with their 'counterparts' and Michel hovered beside the mystical white-haired woman.

"Where is the unicorn?" she asked suddenly, surprising even herself.

"The unicorn?" Alex asked, stunned to hear a voice that they controlled. It had been so long since any of them had discussed anything. "She is the lady Amalthea now, you've read the story, Liz, you know the ending…" he looked at Michael, who hadn't moved.

Liz nodded, "I still can't believe it, Maria always loved this book, but to see how deeply it struck her…" she sighed, shaking her head, "it's amazing."

Alex nodded, but Isabel spoke. "What is the ending then?" she asked quietly, "Will she come out of this?"

Liz looked at the blonde wonderingly for a moment. "The ending of this story?" she murmured, "it's not my place to say, Isabel."

Slowly Molly and Schmendrick moved towards the stairs, leaving Prince Lir and the Lady Amalthea to themselves. The prince approached her and reached out to touch her shoulder. She flinched and drew away.

"Say, I know where there's some cloth, fine satin," he said lightly, "you could make a dress," she looked up at him briefly before returning her gaze to the sea. "Please, lady, let me help you. What can I do for you? Trust me!" his voice was strained, desperate, but the lady did not hear him. All she heard or saw were the crashing waves of the ocean.

Lir shook his head and left the chamber slowly, casting a longing look towards the mysterious young woman who barely spoke, and did not move.

"I know you are here," Amalthea said slowly, turning to look around the vacant room. "I know you are all here. But what puzzles me is why. Will you not tell me?"

Isabel moved to speak, but couldn't do more than gasp before tears at seeing a beautiful unicorn transformed into a mortal girl. It was more painful than seeing the human in herself reflected in Molly.

More painful than looking into Michael's eyes now.

No one else dared to breathe.

Amalthea sighed and looked away, back to the sea, and whatever danced upon the waves. "If you will not tell me, then at least leave me be," she said, and her voice had no sparkle to it, no magical ring that made it dangerous. "I have no desire for company, whether I can see them or not."

Isabel moved towards the stairs, "If that is what you wish," she said ever so softly, and Alex followed her.

Liz was about to move to Michael, to lead him away from the woman, when something strong wrapped around her wrist.

She cried out in agony as whatever it was tightened, and suddenly a figure was thrown into the room, quite unceremoniously. Michael moved instinctively to block Amalthea from whatever it was.

'It' just happened to be one Kyle Valenti.

"Oh shit," was all Max could say. Kyle had collapsed next to Liz, haaving been pulled into the collective dream. "Oh shit!"

"What?" Tess muttered, looking up from her book. "Did Joe cowboy get sucked into that damn dream too?"

Max glared at her.

"Don't give me that look," she said in a huff. "I didn't do anything," she paused rolling her eyes at the look he gave her, "well, except hit her, but it was her fault!"

"Shut up Tess," Max muttered, sinking to the floor.

"If it bothers you so damned much just go in yourself!" she shouted at him and he flared.

He didn't move, or speak, but Tess could feel the anger coming off him in waves. She returned to her book as Max watched in stoic silence over the sleeping group.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Liz whispered harshly, hovering over Kyle's prone body.

"Me?" he asked, bewildered, "what about you, or him, or the other two?"

"Kyle," Michael hissed, not moving from between Amalthea and the boy.

"Guerin," the fallen boy nodded curtly, before looking back at Liz. "Care to explain this?"

"Not here," Michael hissed, moving back towards Amalthea.

"Michael, let her be," Liz said as she led Kyle away. "She said she didn't want…"

"I know what she said, but it's not what she felt," Michael said sharply, turning his back on her. "Explain this to him. Find out why he's here, and get him out."

Liz nodded, though Michael did not see.

When both she and Kyle had left Amalthea turned slightly, looking at Michael. "I know you," she murmured, her eyes locking with his, "and I see you. I would see you anywhere, I would know you if I were truly human," her fingers trembled and she reached out to paw at the empty air. "But you're invisible to me. "And I don't know who you are."

"You know me," he murmured, reaching out to her, but she flinched away from his touch.

"I know your touch, but from where?" it was to herself, and in all honesty, it seemed more than likely that she was talking to herself. "The others don't know that you hear me, or feel me. They don't know that you even know…"

He didn't move, or even breathe.

"You will stay with me," she smiled, and turned back to the window.

"For now," he said and his words came unheeded.

"That is enough."

Michael nodded, his gaze still fixed on her. They remained that way for hours, until Molly returned to lead the lady to the room Lir had had arranged for her.

Michael stood by the door as the pale woman, wrapped in the magician's cloak, stared at the room, before moving carefully towards the large bed. She wondered at the softness of the mattress, only used to sleeping of the soft moss in her forest and the wickedly hard earth of the lands she had traveled.

She bounced a little, and Michael couldn't help but chuckle, either Amalthea didn't hear him, or chose to ignore him, because she simply turned down the bedclothes and crawled in. She looked over at him. Her eyes bored into his and she lay down. Michael moved forward slowly and carefully, edging towards the bed. He was tired, even in this dreamscape, and he tentatively lay next to her, watching her sleeping figure. She didn't move, or protest, and so he remained there with her until she woke the next day.

Liz stirred, sitting up halfway and glaring at Max, not moving more than a fraction of an inch, for fear of tearing Kyle out of the dream unprepared.

"What the hell happened Max?" she said sharply, ignoring Tess.

"I don't know, he just came barging up here, saying that he really needed to talk to Maria," he shook his head. "I couldn't stop him, he just kept saying, over and over, 'Where's Maria? I have to talk to her now!' It was frightening."

"Why is he holding onto me then?" she asked, disbelief evident in her tone. "Care to share, Max, or are you just going to leave me in the dark, as usual?"

"When'd you get a pair, Lizzie?" Tess snickered from behind her book.

"Shut up, Tess," Liz snapped, before returning her steely gaze to Max. She raised an eyebrow at him in expectant annoyance.

"He busted in here looking for blondie over there, saw you and freaked. He started shaking you and shouting for you to wake up. He was ragged in because either the pull is strong, or he's just stupid."

"Don't you talk about him that way!" Liz snapped, glaring at Tess, who was still pretending to be fascinated with her book.

"Still hung up on stud boy?" Tess snickered, Max glared at her, while Liz shrugged.

"He never broke my heart," she said simply, and Max faltered. Liz ignored it and continued with her questioning. "Did he say why he had to talk to Maria?"

Max shook his head, "No, just that he needed to talk to her. It seemed urgent though."

Liz shrugged, "Then I'll have to ask him again." She looked at the two aliens with a half-masked disdain. "At least now I have some idea of what questions to ask."

Max scowled at her words, but Liz brushed it aside, lying back down between Kyle and Alex. She was quickly asleep and back in the dream.

Kyle waited patiently as Liz picked herself up off the cold stone floor.

"Ok, Liz," he said coldly, his eyes piercing hers, "you've had your fun leading me around like this. I want some answers," he looked at her and waited. And waited. And waited. "Now would be nice, Liz."

She sighed, shaking her head. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she rose to her feet and dusted herself off, trying not to notice the impatient and angry glare on Kyle's face.

Finally she met his eyes and found herself wishing she had stayed with Max and Tess.

"I can't tell you," she said finally, turning her back to him.

"Oh, that's just great. Perfect, even! I get sucked into some weird backwards version of my sister-to-be's favorite book and now nobody will even talk to me, let alone have the decency to explain all of this!" he threw up his hands in exasperation, turning to leave the room to find his own answers.

"Sister to be?" Liz asked, wonderingly. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't be stupid, Liz," he sighed, not turning to look at her. "I know that you left to talk to Max and that annoying girl," he shook his head. "You have to know at least half of the whole thing."

"I don't know anything, except that you came to my place looking for Maria."

"Well then, perhaps if you want to know, you can do me the same courtesy and enlighten me," he didn't turn, but he dropped down the stairs without a further word, or sound, save the soft tapping of his footfalls.

Liz shook her head and rested it in her hands. "This will never get any easier."

It was much later, months, days, maybe a year or more when Liz, Kyle, Isabel or Alex found any of their counterparts again.

Of course in actual fact only a span of two hours passed from when Kyle Valenti entered the dreamscape and when Isabel found her counterpart in the castle's lower kitchen peeling potatoes with Prince Lir.

She smiled and settled herself next to the fire, warmed despite the cold stone floor on which she sat.

She listened contentedly as the two, who had apparently become fast friends, chattered about this, that and the other thing.

Gradually the topic veered to the Lady Amalthea.

"And then, she looked at me," he said, pausing to suck at the small nick he caused himself from peeling. "And I was sorry I had killed the thing. Sorry for killing a dragon! Imagine!" again, he nicked himself and quickly stuck his thumb in his mouth, soothing the pain.

"Cut away from yourself, not toward," the rough woman said thoughtlessly, before pausing in thought. "You know, your highness, I really think you should try something else."

"But what's left on earth that I haven't tried?" he sighed, exasperatedly setting aside the knife he held. "Giants, ogres, black knights, terrible tasks, fatal riddles! Molly, for her sake I've become a hero, but my great deeds mean nothing to her!" he shook his head, drumming his fingers on the table.

"Then perhaps the Lady Amalthea is not to be won by great deeds!" she had a hint of laughter in her voice, and Isabel chuckled, suddenly wishing for some company that could see and speak with her.

Her wish was granted as Kyle clambered down the stairs and into the lower kitchen, he nodded to her and waited for her to nod in return, give him the wordless permission he needed to join her. She would have done the same for him, had she been in his place. During their stay in the strange dreamscape, though talk was scarce and less than necessary, the intruders had formed a strange yet powerful respect for each other, mainly for Kyle, though they didn't know or understand why he was there.

Isabel nodded.

Kyle smiled at her, and, though Isabel had never particularly liked him, she couldn't help but smile back. He sat next to her before the fire, warming his cold hands before turning to her.

"Hi," he murmured, it was soft and quiet, but welcomed in the warmth of the fire.

"Hi," she replied, "Liz tell you anything yet?" she asked, truly interested. Isabel had discovered that she didn't mind Kyle Valenti, and that, if he found about her strange origins, she wouldn't be worried that he would expose her.

"No," he sighed, "I don't know why." His eyes met hers and a spark of hope lit in them. "You wouldn't tell me, would you?"

Isabel smiled sadly at him, hating to be the one to extinguish the hope in his eyes. "No," she said, and Kyle nodded, "I would, but I don't think it's my place to tell."

It was strange to say that, it was her secret to tell, why was she waiting for Liz to do it?

Perhaps because Kyle would never feel at peace unless Liz told him.

"It's all right," he sighed, resting his head in his hands, "I understand."

"I can tell you some of it though," Isabel offered, "I mean why Maria's unconscious, and why all of them speak with our voices."

"Just not how any of us got in here," he finished, and thought a while. Finally he smiled at her, brightly, "I think that would be nice."

Isabel nodded, unable to control the smile that spread across her face.

"Where to begin?" she muttered to herself, before another voice spoke.

"The beginning is usually the best place for that," it was Alex. Isabel smiled, waving him over.

The tall boy sat next to her, taking her hand. She smiled glad for the excess in companions.

"Well, we were at the crashdown, after hours, Maria, Liz, Alex, Max, Michael and myself, discussing certain…" she stumbled for an appropriate word.

"People?" Alex offered with a small chuckle.

"People, yes," she smiled, looking at Kyle, who was hanging on her words. "Maria and Michael got into an argument…"

"Over you and him, right?" Kyle asked, and Isabel looked shocked. He laughed, "Do you really think I'm as blind as I let on?" he snickered, "I know a lot more than you think."

Isabel normally would have been worried, but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to suspect Kyle.

Not after seeing the hope in his eyes, only moments before.

Isabel only smiled, "Yes, over me and Michael, among other things, and she left in a hurry. Max tried to calm her down, but he couldn't, she was just so…"

"Livid," Alex murmured, and Isabel closed her eyes, finding it infinitely more difficult to recount the events than she had thought. "She ran out, and Michael ran after her, trying to calm her down. But she ran into the road, trying to get away from him, and the car…" Alex choked, trying to continue, but couldn't.

Kyle understood, "Oh god…" he closed his eyes. "She isn't dead though, right? She's just unconscious," his voice was desperate.

"Right now, yes, only sleeping, but we don't know if she'll wake up," Isabel dragged in a shuddering breath to calm her nerves.

Kyle sat in silence for a long time, and they listened to the two dream figures speaking.

"I wish to serve her, as you do, to help her find whatever she has come here to find. I wish to be whatever she has most need of. Will you tell her so?" Lir asked, and with Michael's voice, he seemed so real.

"I think, if you told her yourself…" Molly said, and Isabel shook her head, even in her dream Maria was hopeful.

"Why do they all have your voices?" Kyle asked, looking up finally.

Isabel sighed, "I'm not quite sure, I think it's because Maria's trying to understand what it's like to be Michael, you know?"

"One of a kind," Kyle nodded, "I get that," he paused, "so it's got nothing to do with the fact that you three aren't quite like everyone else?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not saying you're aliens or anything, but you, Max, and Michael are all different from the rest of Roswell, there's just something…" he shrugged, "forget it."

"I don't know whether it's got anything to do with that or not," Isabel shrugged, hiding her amazement well.

"I'm glad she chose this story," Alex said, startling the other two.

"Why?" Isabel asked, "I mean, does it make a difference?"

Alex chuckled, "A bit. I don't know, it's not just her favorite book. It's like her security blanket, you know?" he sighed, "I just remember buying her a copy of it for herself, and the look in her eyes was just…"

"Unforgettable," Isabel offered, and he nodded.

"Everything about her is like that," Kyle laughed, and the other two joined him. They fell into a contented silence, listening, once again, to the friendly banter passing between the prince and the rough woman.

"This is nice," Isabel said quietly, leaning against Alex, and the two boys nodded.

"Yeah," Kyle said, "it feels, I dunno…"

"Right," Alex murmured, and they all shared a smile. It was definitely right.

Michael stood by the white woman, looking out over the balcony into the sea, listening to Molly Grue.

"You are cruel to him. You might give him a gentle word, at the very least. He only wishes you to think of him," she said pleadingly, and Michael felt a twinge of sorrow, knowing that what the unicorn was doing to his counterpart was exactly what he had done to Maria.

The unicorn seemed distracted, and turned to the woman. "Molly?" she asked, before sighing, "who am I? Why am I here? What is it that I am seeking in this strange place, day after day? I-I knew a moment ago, but I-I have forgotten," she pressed her palm to her forehead, closing her eyes.

"The unicorns," the older woman supplied sympathetically, "if you are not the last…"

The lady nodded, "Yes, of course…" she closed her eyes again, as if grappling with memories, truths, and demons. "I - I must go to him…" she said, testing her resolve, "I must face the Bull again and discover what he has done with them, before I forget myself forever." Her eyes closed once more, but she continued. "But I don't know where to find him. And I'm lonely."

"Schmendrick will find a way down to the Red Bull. He has been searching every day," Molly said, trying to comfort her, Michael remembered the tone from long ago, when Isabel had tried to comfort him.

"I hope for no help from him. He's no magician now, but the king's poor clown," Amalthea said almost coldly, shaking her head.

Liz appeared at the mouth of the balcony, but Michael ignored her smile.

"He's doing it for you! He plays the fool for Haggard, trying to divert him from wondering what you are. You do wrong to mock him," the older woman chided as gently as she could.

"Oh," she cried, suddenly filled with sorrow, "forgive me!" and she dashed away into the castle. Michael followed, but Liz remained with Molly, knowing better than to bother the young man.

The ground shook, and Molly stumbled, falling into the wall.

An odd looking cat emerged from below and chuckled. "The Bull be going out," it said, and Liz was surprised to hear it speaking with Kyle's voice. "He goes out every sundown to hunt for the strange white beast that escaped him. You know that perfectly well, so don't be stupid," the cat hobbled towards molly, it had one wooden leg and an eye patch. A copper and ashes cat. It chuckled as Molly picked it up and began to walk back towards the lower kitchen.

"So that be a unicorn," the cat chuckled, "she is very beautiful." Molly looked at it in surprise.

"How do you know she's a unicorn?" Molly demanded, looking down at the cat with wondering eyes.

"No cat out of its first fur can ever be deceived by appearances. Unlike human beings, who seems to enjoy it," the cat laughed with Kyle's voice. Liz felt a little unnerved, hearing Kyle's voice speak with such knowledge, especially since the dreamscape, and everything in it, was a reflection of what Maria saw and believed.

"Ye have very little time. Soon there'll be a human woman in that body and no unicorn at all ever again. It may be that she'll marry the good prince, who loves her," and the cat chuckled some more.

The three entered the kitchen, and Liz paused at the mouth of the room, looking expectantly at Isabel, Alex and Kyle, who still sat there together. Alex nodded, waving her over, and Liz joined them, sitting tentatively next to Kyle.

Molly began stroking the cat, who purred contentedly, though it squealed as Molly picked it up and held it at eye level. "No. No, that cannot be. She is the last," the woman said harshly, and Isabel, Kyle and Alex all turned to Liz in wonderment and worry.

She sighed and whispered, "She's becoming human…" she looked at the sadly, "truly human."

The others couldn't speak, not understanding completely. The cat spoke again, "Well, then, she must do what she came to do. She must take the king's way down to the Red Bull," it chuckled, and Kyle shuddered, wrinkling his nose at hearing his voice speaking such foreign words.

"Is there a way? Tell me the way. Tell me where we must go!" she shook the cat, and it scowled at her with its good eye.

"Avast!" it cried and Alex had to laugh, remembering the sixth grade production of Peter Pan, in which Kyle had played a pirate. "Hark ye closely, mum. When the wine drinks itself, when the skull speaks, when the clock strikes the right time. Only then will you find the tunnel that leads to the Red Bull's lair, har har. There be a trick to it, of course," he slipped off the table top and padded around the kitchen, pausing to look up at Kyle when he passed.

"Why won't you help me? Why must you always speak in riddles?" Molly wailed, wringing her hands woefully.

"Because I be what I be," the cat said slowly, looking up at her. "I would tell you what you want to know if I could, mum, but I be a cat, and no cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer," it chuckled and hobbled up the stairs, while Molly sank into a chair, muttering curses to herself.

"What did it mean?" Isabel asked, "and what did it say before?"

"The cat knows everything," Alex said, and he smiled with a strange knowledge, "like Kyle, I suppose, or close enough. As for what it said before, I doubt it matters much."

Liz nodded, "No, only it said something about how soon there wouldn't be any unicorn left within her, only human…"

Isabel frowned, "This is not good."

"No," Kyle said, "I can't imagine that it would be."

They sat together for a long while, pondering what they had seen and heard, when Liz finally rose.

"We should get Max in here," she said somberly.

"No!" Isabel all but shouted it at the brunette. "No Max, no Tess. They have no place in this dream."

"And you do?" Liz asked coldly.

"Alex, Kyle, Michael and myself do, but not you. And not Max. And certainly not Tess," she shook her head. "Do you see anyone in this whole dream that has spoken in your voice? That has cried your tears? You have no place here, Liz, don't bring more unnecessary people in."

She frowned, sighing, "if you think it best, Isabel, then I believe you."

Isabel only smiled, her eyes saying everything she couldn't articulate. "Thank you," was all she managed.