 
This is a work of fiction. All the characters, organizations, and events within this book are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to business establishments, actual persons, or events is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Published by **Whistling Book Press** at Smashwords  
Denver, CO

Copyright © 2005 SM Blooding  
All rights reserved.  
Per the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any form without written permission from the publisher. Please only purchase authorized editions.

Cover Design by Dawn Dominique  
Interior Design by SM Blooding  
Edited by Gerri and Bob  
Published by Whistling Book Press

Blooding Books  
Denver, CO  
Visit our web site at:  
www.smblooding.co

ISBN 10: 1477572597  
ISBN 13: 9781477572597
DEDICATION

To my daughters, Mykenna and Kalyssa:  
You reminded me then  
and you remind me now  
that sometimes  
it's better to dream  
than to live with your feet  
buried in the ground.

And to Heather and Carol.  
You filled me with such love.  
Thank you!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The story of the dustman was actually my favorite fairy tale in this one book that my parents bought for me and my sister. I loved the idea of it, the romance, the adventure. When I tried to share this fairy tale with my daughters, they were kinda bored with it. LOL! It was the longest story in the book and there were no princesses, so I guess I could see why.

So it's because of them that I started telling Ol'Lukoe stories. I made them up. Each night was a different story, a new adventure.

I regret not telling them as often. I listened to others as they complained about my stories being too wild or rowdy, or too long, and when topped with all the other stress, I allowed myself to be bullied into stopping. I wish I hadn't allowed myself to be bullied. The Ol'Lukoe stories were a highlight of our evening and it was a time when the girls and I got to spend a quiet, magical moment, just the three of us, and share a wild story of a dustman in his Dreamland.

So, I sincerely hope that you read this story and you're inspired to do the same thing. It doesn't take much. You take one thing from your children's day, something that scared them or something they didn't handle well, and you spin them a tale that helps them see how they could have done it better. Or you take something out of your day, and you show your children how _you_ could have done it better.

Take that magical moment right before bed and treasure it. You never know when you'll no longer have it.

FOREWORD

LET ME TAKE YOU TO DREAMLAND

GRAB a jacket and hop on. We're going for a ride. Take my hand. Step right up. That's it. Yes, onto the fairy dust. Just so. Yes. Comfortable? Legs, arms, head all tucked in? Good. Let's go!

My daughters and I developed the "sparkling cloud of fairy dust" because it made for a more magical journey. Not all dustmen use it. They don't have to. Some just touch your head and you wake up in Dreamland. Others have horses, some have umbrellas, and one even has a bag. Seriously. I prefer the sparkling cloud of fairy dust because that's what I used as a kid and that's what my girls and I used when they were kids.

Whatever happens, just know you're safe. Nothing bad can touch the dreamer here.

We're off, rushing out of the window, high into the sky. The stars are so bright up here! I love it. There's Jupiter and over there is Mars. There's lovely Venus hanging out by the half moon. Far, far below us is home. The wind is amazing up here, so untamed! We climb higher and higher, getting lost in the stars.

And then we're falling.

My stomach bottoms out as the wind catches my breath. You okay? Good! Instead of a sleepy city, we find ourselves barreling down on a sea of green. Night slips into day, cool becomes warm, and we're bathed in shimmering Dreamland sunlight.

We zoom through the pine trees of Forever Forest. Animals scurry out of our way as they scamper along the branches. A unicorn neighs below, and a thunder of hooves chase us, his horn shining bright, long mane and tail flopping around him.

Hear that barking? That would be Dog. I veer his way, but the trees are too thick. I pull up. The unicorn disappears into the foliage, and the barking heads off in a different direction.

It's replaced by a bone rattling roar.

I can't see your face, but I'm grinning from ear to ear as we skate over the tree tops.

There's a whooh-whooh-whoosh behind us.

Ohhhhh. He's _close!_

I put on an extra burst of speed and pull up.

A blue-scaled body zips underneath of us, his wings larger than a tall tree, his body bigger than a house. His head twists, staring at us with one huge eye, his eyebrow ridge rising as his beak gapes open. He banks right and we bank to ride with him, surfing the same current. With a dragon laugh, he bucks the air and heads down, his flicking tail nearly knocking us from the air.

We coast on the air current, dipping into a dive that takes us out of Forever Forest, into a meadow, over Dreamer's Hill, and past the creek. Grandmother Willow waves, her head bobbing with the wind of our passing as we head into Paint Bucket Forest. The trees below us are covered with leaves of every color imaginable; red, pink, blue, purple, yellow, orange, green, aqua, and some I have no name for. Just on the other side is the ocean.

We skid to a halt on the sandy beach. I grin, close my umbrella and bow. "Welcome to Dreamland, dreamer. Enjoy!"

1

THE Dreamland breeze rustled the tall, wispy grass of the meadow and murmured amidst the boughs of the majestic pines surrounding it.

Grandmother Willow groaned and creaked, standing old and resolute in her place at the center of the meadow.

Dreamer's Creek gurgled by, neither in a hurry nor lazy for the day. The sun held reign over the bright blue sky, its touch more like the gentle caress of the moon's fingers.

Above the meadow stood Rocky Faced Mountain, his large nose quivering as he spoke to a small group of dreamers, telling stories as old as Dreamland itself.

In the clean, clear air there were sounds of dragons roaring on the wing, heroes bellowing in mock rage, the tinkle of laughter, the whisper of the muttering trees, but there was no storm. Luk couldn't hear the ravaging wind. He didn't feel the bitter chill. He was safe for another day.

Luk turned and watched his own chunk of Dreamland. He smiled proudly, his hands on his hips as he surveyed the surroundings. It was time to take some of his kids back to their beds.

The winds shifted forcefully, taking his big, blue cavalier hat and tossing it into the knee-high grass where it disappeared. The foliage was thrown one way and then another. The towering pines bowed under the might of this new wind.

Fear leapt in Luk's dark, blue eyes. Tears formed from the sting of his shaggy hair whipping into them. "No," he whispered.

The wind continued to beat at him.

He took two steps and clenched his fists. "I believe, Lady," his heart and mind screamed, while his body merely whispered. "I have the dreamers back. Go find someone else who has lost their way."

"I don't believe you," a sultry voice whispered on the wind. Invisible fingers plucked his loose, silk shirt. A light laugh ran through his shaggy, blond hair as he twisted around to see the person behind the voice. "Dreamers do not make the dustman, Lukoe O'Rourke."

The storm never had a voice before. "I haven't been forgotten."

"By whom?" the wind asked, twirling around him, flattening the grass.

The trees groaned in complaint. The birds and other wildlife grew quiet.

"The dreamers, of course."

The wind abruptly stopped.

Luk swallowed, staring at his small world.

"While that may be true, Lukoe O'Rourke," the voice said, growing in intensity and volume, "dreamers do not keep Dreamland alive." There was a sudden flick of a breeze. "Believe, Lukoe," the air softly breathed around him, the voice trailing off into the distance. "Believe."

Luk looked around as the air around him lit up in symphony. Squirrels began chattering, birds resumed singing, children continued screaming. All was normal. The majestic trees no longer stooped under the ferocious weight of the wind. The light green grass stood tall. The faint Dreamtime sun felt warm as it touched his skin.

But the air still held a tang to it, a cold, coppery taste. Luk breathed, drawing in each breath as if it might be the last. Lady Storm had visited him. Again.

He shook his head, puzzled. She'd taken no one with her, which was odd. He looked around for his hat. Lady Storm didn't randomly visit a place unless it was to take those who had been forgotten.

Her last visit—he shuddered. Everything had disappeared; the trees, the creatures, the mountain, the sun. Everything—

"Are ya dafty, lad?"

Luk shook himself, tucking those memories away and grabbed the crown of his hat in his fingertips, placing the heavy thing on his head. The brim draped slightly, giving him a rakish appearance. He turned with a smile. "Finn." He tipped his hat to the back of his head. "It's good to see you, too."

"Dinna be nicin' me, lad," the tall, dark and raggedly dressed dustman said, scowling as he crested the grassy hill. He brushed his curly black hair out of his clear, blue eyes. "Yer arse is in deep trouble.

Luk shrugged. Finn and Luk had been friends for a long time. When Luk had first been called, Finn had found him, took him under his wing and had kept him out of trouble...until now. "What are you talking about?"

"Ye've left Dreamland to hide in the real world, me daft bugger," Finn said, rapping the sandy man on the top of his padded head, pulling the hat down over the other man's eyes.

Luk took it off and gave Finn a withering look.

Finn rolled back. "And would you like to count how many rules ye broke in the process?" He squared his arms across his chest. "They'll not be fer takin' tha' lightly, I think.

Luk tilted his head. "Finn, I love you. I really do, but don't you think you're blowing this a bit out of proportion?"

Finn turned slowly, and looked heavenward. "Hmmm...let me thin' on this a moment." He shook his head. "Um, no. _Ye've_ not been the one answering to the Council of the Elders."

Luk released a breath, his face losing all of its color. "What have they said?"

"Basically?"

Luk shrugged his eyebrows. "The less details the better."

Finn turned serious. "They could unmake ye."

"But I've accomplished so much. I've rebuilt my land and I've brought the dreamers back. What more could they want?"

Finn studied his friend for a long time, chewing his lip and biting his tongue. Finally, he broke contact and looked around. "Ye're the one who's supposed to keep the dreams alive, Luk," Finn said softly. "Others aren't suppose to keep the dreams alive fer ye.

Luk looked at his friend sharply. "I went to find them and make them believe again."

"Yeah, lad, and tha's why yer still here instead o' being–" He pointed to the sky. "—up there."

The sandy man shook his shaggy head. "They can't be mad still, not after I brought back kids."

"Yer still living down there in the real world, Luk," Finn said with raised eyebrows, walking down the hill. "Ye've got yer kids, now. It's time to come back."

Luk sighed darkly and followed his friend. "It's not that simple."

"Course it's not." Finn flung a hand to their surroundings. "You know tha'. I know tha'. Well, Hell, e'en the tree knows tha'."

The tall pine in question swayed its lofty top in their direction and bowed and boomed, "Indeed, Master Keeper. Indeed."

Luk pondered his choices before expelling a frustrated breath.

Animals, both woodland and magical, scampered about as the two men walked further into the woods. A deer tentatively stepped through the foliage, his ears twitching this way and that. Squirrels argued somewhere in the towering trees above. A strange looking lizard belched, a small ball of fire erupting from his nostrils.

With a flick of his hand, Luk put the growing flame out. The lizard blinked and nonchalantly went about his business, his tongue occasionally darting out to grab a delicious tidbit. A stately white unicorn crossed the path in front of the dustmen, his head held high, his mane and tail nearly touching the ground. Children cooed with wonderment, pausing in their game of tag.

Luk looked up at Finn. "I can't come back, yet."

Finn met the man's gaze, his blue eyes wide. "Why not?"

"Meg's coming back home." Luk shoved his hands into his pockets.

Excitement flared in Finn's eyes momentarily. "Tha's grea–" Understanding flared through his eyes. He closed his eyes and shook his head turning away from his friend. He growled and turned back, his face dark, his hands out. "Luk" he expelled. "Ye're daft. I think for the benefit of Dreamland, ye'd be better to stay away from her."

Luk ground his teeth.

A long, lithe fairy with crimson red hair that flowed in a wavy river down her back stopped in mid-air, hovering close to the two dustmen. Her dress of layered blue gossamer fluttered around her slender ankles. Her large, violet eyes glittered merrily as she looked behind her. Screams of laughter and crashing of feet through the thick, green undergrowth followed her. With a giggle like the sound of bells, the fairy shot forward with a wild buzz of her large wings. A group of three children around age eight burst through the lush vegetation. After spying their quarry, they yelled excitedly. Their grins were huge as they ran after her.

"Do you forget she's the reason you allowed darkness into Dreamland? Ye nearly fergot yerself, lad." Finn stopped and turned. "Ye can't still love her, can ye?"

Luk stood staring at a fluttering leaf from a vine running up the thick trunk of a very old, large pine tree. A tired needle landed on his wide, leather hat with a hollow tick. "She made her decision, Finn. She picked Tom."

"She was able to make a life with the man. Ye can't expect her to love a figment of her imagination anymore, now can ye?"

Luk took in a deep breath and swallowed.

"She wanted to marry, lad. She wanted to have children."

"And we remained friends for a long time."

Finn shook his head and turned away. "I don't know."

"Why didn't she call? Why didn't Nick call?"

"Her boy?"

Luk nodded.

Finn shrugged. "Again, I don' know."

"Finn," Luk said softly into the gathered silence. "What do dustmen do when they don't want to be a figment of someone's imagination anymore?"

"They go back to their last moment before they were called." Finn turned back to Luk. "Lad. Son. You're dead. There's nowhere to turn back to."

"I'm not ready to die. I just don't know if I want to be a dustman anymore."

Understanding filled the darker man's features. "You're no' coming back here, are ye?"

"I want to live. I'm down there now and I'm doing all right."

Finn stepped away, rolling his tongue along his molars. After a brief moment, he turned back to Luk. "If you're caught, they'll unmake ye. Did ye catch when I said it the first time?"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. I feel alive down there. I can just be me. I don't have to worry about being forgotten when I'm there."

"Ye need to come back here," Finn said, his voice rising. "Ye belong here. Ye made vows, lad, and vows aren't made or taken lightly."

"I know," Luk said taking off his hat and running a hand roughly through his hair, standing it on end. "But I didn't realize–"

"Do ye think any of us did?" Finn demanded. He took a step closer to his friend, forcing the other man to look at him. "Do you honestly think' tha' if I'd known I'd be doin' the job of ten men I'd still do this? Do ye thin' tha' I'd have sworn away my freedom if I'd known I'd have to believe myself alive every single day fer bloody eternity? Who told you tha' life as a dustman was easy?"

Luk sent his friend a look that said he got the point.

The other dustman obviously didn't think so. "They lied."

"Ol'Lukoe," yelled a young voice from high above. "We found the missing shoe."

Luk looked up with a smile and waved at the girl riding the back of a blue and green, equine-like dragon. "Good job, Roxanne," he yelled back. "Tomorrow, I'll have another mystery to solve."

The little girl whooped as the dragon she rode tossed his head and flipped his long tail, his wings beating the air to gain more altitude.

"Ye can't leave this place, Luk," Finn said softly. "This place, these creatures, these kids need you and you need them. Ye need to ge' out of this bloody funk yer in and quick. The Elders know yer down there."

Luk shrugged.

"They could unmake you, Luk. Have I said it enough times fer ya ta understand?"

The sandy-haired man looked heavenward, his expression open and confused.

"The way I see it," Finn continued, "ye've got three options.. Ye could go back to bein' a man and be dead. Ye could continue hiding until yer caught and be unmade or ye could continue bein' a dustman and at the least enjoy the little moments a while longer. I mean, fer a man who's hiding in the real world, yer spending an awful lot of time here anyway."

Luk stared into space for a long moment. "I do love it here. I'm just tired, is all." His gaze focused on his friend. "Is it wrong of me to want to live?"

"It is. Ye've made the vows to help Dreamland stay."

Luk acknowledged that with a raising of his eyebrows, sidestepping a tree root.

Finn pulled his lips in and chewed on them. "I'll not be fer losin' ye just after ye came back. We've been friends a long time."

Luk smiled slightly and bowed his head. "Yeah, we have."

"Ye've got ta stop running."

Luk placed his hat back on his head. "I'm not running."

Finn hrmphed. "I have kids of m' own tha' need to go home. I wish ya the best o'–" He stopped and looked around, his breath caught in his chest. "Are ya runnin' or no?"

Luk looked at him in confusion. "No."

"Good, cause the winds are changin'."

Luk stopped and looked at his friend. "The winds–" His eyes opened wider as he turned to look across the meadow to the hill. He took a step back, his mouth dry, his hands clenched, his back tense.

"Remember me warning you about the Elders?" Finn asked over the rising wind. "They're comin' now, I'm thinkin'."

Luk set himself, his feet defensively wide as he watched the rising dust cloud form atop the hill.

As the winds gradually died down, a group of ten older men and women formed on the hill.

A chill went down Luk's spine as he glimpsed their grim faces.

"No fire balls ye'," Finn said lightly as the solemn group approached. "Tha' has to be a good sign, right?"

Luk took in a deep breath. "We can hope."

Finn raised his eyebrows in agreement.

The group of Elders stopped before the two dustmen and appraised the men.

Luk and Finn did their best to the meet their steely gazes.

The Elders were an ancient people, the creators of the land of Dreamtime. It was believed they'd been created by the heart and mind of the Mother and the Father to help protect and nourish the minds of their children. The Elders were the guardians, the watch dogs, of Dreamland.

They were ancient, but they weren't frail.

They were tough. They were gentle. They were hard. They were soft.

They were pissed.

The Dreamtime winds blew furiously around them, whipping their long, layered robes around their slightly stooped and wiry frames. Their bodies were wrinkled, their skin sagged with the heaviness of age. Their souls were bent with the weight of responsibility. Their hair, though long and silvery white, was brittle and thinning.

But their eyes flashed with the strength of untold years. The combined power of their wills lashed out, licking Luk with a promise of retribution.

Today was the day Luk's life could very well come to an end if he wasn't careful. He fortified himself with a breath. He was prepared to fight.

"Lukoe O'Rourke," the middle Elder bellowed, taking a single step forward. Though their bodies were decrepit and worn, one thing was clear; the Elders were in control. They were the parents and Luk had things to answer for.

Luk raised his chin, meeting the Elder's gaze.

"You have disobeyed many sacred laws of our domain." The Elder's voice touched the far reaches of the land. His face was strong, pummeling Luk with power.

It wouldn't do any good to lie to them. "Yes."

The Elder's head rose with the acknowledgment, his brittle hair blowing in the whipping wind. "You are not concerned?"

"Yes."

The Elder's colorless, crystal eyes pierced the dustman's soul. "Of what?"

It was time for the brutal truth, whatever it might be, whatever the consequences. "Of being forgotten."

"So, you went to Earth to find believers."

Luk nodded slowly. "To make them believe again."

"Do you believe in yourself?"

"I will not disappear."

"And if no one believes in you?" The Elder rose, the wind settling his hair upon his shoulders. "Would you disappear if no one believed in you?"

Luk rolled his head with a sigh. "You forget. I was forgotten and I'm still here."

The Elder looked around the lush, full wood. His attitude was regal but not overbearing. "You almost were not."

Luk looked away, swallowing the words he wanted to voice, but knew he shouldn't. He breathed in patience which calmed his heart.

It wasn't his fault he'd been forgotten.

The force of the Elder's gaze grabbed the dustman's eye again. The Elder's voice touched dark, deep crevices that had never before been touched. It rumbled inside Luk's mind, scrambling his thoughts far and wide. "That thought is the reason you might yet disappear."

Luk's attention was captured by a will of steel. "But there are kids here now."

The Elder advanced, shortening the distance between them. The fury in the ancient creature's heart was felt by all. "The children do not make you a dustman, Lukoe."

Luk swallowed, and took a firmer stance.

The Elder's breath whipped around the dustman, taking the younger man's breath away. "I created you because you had something special inside of you."

Luk had never heard a whisper ring so loudly.

"You once had a light which made people believe when they otherwise would not." The Elder's head lowered, the colorless eyes narrowed.

Luk fought to breathe.

"That light is something you've lost." The old, stooped figure bent, bringing his head level with the Dustman's. He stared for a long moment, a cold sneer on his lips.

Luk met the man's eyes. It was the only thing he could do.

The Elder turned and withdrew.

Another, softer-willed Elder stepped forward, and tipped her pale, ancient head. Warmth and nurturing enveloped Luk's small world as she stared at him through warm, colorless eyes. Her craggy face eased as she tipped her head again, the Dreamtime wind curling around them like the warm, strong arms of a mother.

"You'll find it again in the heart of the dreamer."

Finn looked at Luk and whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Which dreamer?"

The calming Elder's face lit in a softer smile, her eyes piercing and warming the ball of anger Luk held sacred in his chest. "The one who has captured his heart."

Luk's eyes narrowed as he shook his head.

She held out an old, withered hand. "You might deny it because you are angry at her, but anger damages yourself more than the one you wish to hurt."

Luk closed his eyes to the warmth the Elder offered, feeling the walls he'd built so carefully around himself start to crumble. He had a right to be angry, a reason to be upset.

"Reason does not always make right, friend Luk," said a male Elder who had broken from the group. The Dreamland sun shone dully over his balding head.

The lady Elder sighed as Luk allowed the silence to linger. She walked up to him, her long and layered nearly colorless robes fluttering about her, making it appear as if she floated. She took her withered and fragile hands and cupped his face. Her eyes so empty and yet so full.

His heart was warmed, the cold fury he kept hidden disappearing under the onslaught. "She forgot me, Elder," he whispered around the knot in his throat.

"Did she?"

Luk recalled the endless days on end when she had not come or called. He shook his head. "Yes."

The Elder tipped her head back. "Life stepped in and dimmed her light and through her, it dimmed yours." She stepped away. "It's time to bring it back."

"Your time," the forceful Elder said, his voice shaking the pines, needles falling around them in a soft, ticking shower, "is drawing near."

The balding Elder's gaze captured Luk's, demanding his attention. When Luk looked at him, he said softly, "In her heart lies the answer. Only when you share her heart and bind your heart to hers will the answer be found."

"How much time does he ha'?" Finn demanded quietly, a deep frown on his face as he stepped closer to his endangered friend.

The lady Elder's smile faded. Her eyes grew vacant as they scanned the horizon. "We cannot hold Lady Storm back much longer."

This was insane. "I've rebuilt everything!" Luk rammed his hand into the air. "I've brought the children back to Dreamland. What more do you _want?_ "

The Elder's mouth flattened and grew sadder. "Your time draws near."

"One month," the steel-willed Elder boomed, needles falling around them with force. "One month and I will not hold the Lady back." He held the dustman's gaze again. "I'll tell her to come immediately."

The Elders turned as one and walked slowly, reverently, to the hill, their heads bobbing with the sway of their bodies, their hair waving in the breeze.

Two of the Elders turned, watching the dustmen. "Your answer is in her heart, Luk. Find her heart and reawaken her," their combined voices whispered. "Find her light and your own will be close to it."

The lady Elder tipped her head, her long hair dipping nearly to the ground. "She did not forget you, Luk. She was walled away."

They turned in a cloud of dust and wild, Dreamtime wind, and left.

Finn released a pent up breath. "Well, there were no fire balls." He swallowed. "Tha' was a plus, right?"

Luk rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes never leaving the hill. "I almost wish there had been." He looked at his friend. "If I can't get Meg to tell me where my light resides in one month..."

Finn looked away. "You'll be nothing."

Both men stood in the dreamy forest, surrounded by whispering pines and the chatter of gossiping fairies. Neither knew what the next month would bring.

Luk took his hat and held it in his hands, feeling humble. He gazed around his little land. It would be a long and trying time.

2

A FETID blast of freezing air rushed past her. Fear coursed through her. Her instincts screamed. It was time to go. Something was after her.

But what or who?

She saw nothing but inky blackness. Her eyes searching, she tried to still her racing heart. It was nothing, she told herself. She was surrounded by warmth in her living room, napping with her kids. She was safe. The kids were safe. Everything was all right.

This was a dream

A low growl permeated the air, filling it with dark promise.

Meg shrieked in surprise and spun. Out of the darkness came a face. It was old and pale, what skin remained on the creature was worn and thin like old parchment. The eyes were beady and powerful, filled with an ice-blue hate that chilled Meg to her core. His hair was long, white and brittle.

His shoulders and arms appeared next as if he were flying through a cloud. His hands were outstretched and claw-like, the long yellow nails starting to curl. His long body broke through the dark mists. He was covered in pale, tattered robes of many layers. The creature paused, the tiny eyes widened with malicious glee. A mere moment afterward, he flew toward her.

She turned and ran. She had no idea where she was going or who he was. The blackness around her changed.

She ran through a forest of tall pine trees. The undergrowth plucked at her feet, branches ripped at her hair. The songs of the birds and the chatter of all the other woodland creatures stopped with a frightened squawk. A few warning cries echoed out into the depths of the forest, offering caution and eerie stillness.

Meg threw all of her energy into her legs, commanding them to move faster. She broke through the trees and ran into a large meadow. Her eyes opened wide.

This was Luk's meadow. She only had moments to take it all in. The sky was so very blue and the sun was warm and bright. The grass was waving and soft on the suddenly still breeze. Grandmother Willow tossed her head idly this way and that.

This was Dreamland exactly as she remembered it.

She threw a glance over her shoulder. The creature was close. A claw scraped against her skin. She let out a scream and turned to run harder.

It was then she saw Luk. He was standing tall, his hat in his hands, on top of Dreamers' Hill. Surprise washed over his face. She saw his lips mouth her name.

All she heard was the creature's breathing behind her. She turned toward the dustman. "Luk," she screamed. "Help me."

One clawed hand grabbed a hold of her hair. With a sudden stop, her feet flew out in front of her and she landed with a whoosh on her back. The world faded as she tried to regain the air that had been beat from her body. She blinked the stars away, pushing against the creature as he attempted to straddle her hips.

His hand refused to let go of her hair.

She turned onto her stomach, trying to get her feet under her and get his hand out of her hair. For a creature that looked so frail, he was strong and heavy.

"Luk," she screamed again.

She could see nothing through the tall grass. The wind stilled. The grass stood upright.

The creature sat on her back, pulling her head up by her hair. "He can't help you now," the creature's gravel-filled voice said.

She pushed against the ground, bucking, trying to get him off.

He brought his face next to hers. His cheek bones smoothed out, morphing before her eyes. Brittle hair shortened and darkened until it was well groomed and pitch black. Parchment skin gained pigment and resiliency, becoming tanned and young. Beady eyes grew slightly larger and darker brown. The creature became a handsome man and someone she knew.

"Rich," she breathed, going completely still.

"Look around you, Meg."

The grass was gone. The trees had disappeared. Rocky Faced Mountain, Grandmother Willow, Dreamer's Creek, Paint Bucket Forest; everything had vanished. Dreamland was a gray, barren wasteland of flat nothing.

And there was Luk, standing on top of what had been Dreamers' Hill. His clothes were tattered rags. His posture was slumped in defeat, his eyes empty, grieving holes to his soul. He collapsed, burying his head in his hands.

A fierce, cold wind ruffled Meg's red hair.

Luk looked up, his face ravaged with grief. Tears streamed down his face. "Lady," he screamed into the growing wind. "Take me." His hands curled into fists. He threw his head back and shouted his grief to the building storm. "Make me die, Lady. I want no more of this."

"Do you believe, Lukoe O'Rourke"? a sultry voice asked, her voice filling the air and echoing down the emptiness of the land.

Luk breathed, his head lowered. After a long moment, he shook his head. "No."

The winds grew fierce, tearing at his clothes and hair. It lifted him into the air. Meg watched, unable to do anything. "No," she screamed.

Rich's weight suddenly disappeared.

He was gone.

She scrambled to her feet and ran toward Luk. He was nearly entirely encapsulated in the rolling clouds above. "Luk," she screamed with all her might. "Don't do this."

"It is not yet time," the storm said with a soft sigh.

Luk disappeared.

The storm vanished.

The gray world and the wind remained.

She was left standing on a hill of nothing, trying to figure out what had just happened. "Luk. Where did you go?"

Meg's body startled awake. She shot up off the couch and stood, panting in her living room. It was a dream. Just a nightmare, she breathed. She looked over at her children. Shaking it off, her heart-rate settled down.

Nick sat in the dark green, over-stuffed chair, one leg thrown over the arm. "Hey," she said, rustling his shaggy, mahogany hair. "Time to wake up."

"Huh?" he mumbled as he sat up. Running a hand through his hair with one hand and rubbing his eyes with the other, he looked up at his mother through dark brown eyes. "Time to get up?"

"Yeah," Meg said with a smile.

"What's for supper?"

"I don't know," she said, moving over to where her daughter lay sprawled on the floor under the window. The slim, mahogany-haired girl was tucked between two tall stacks of boxes filled with books. "Hey, Nali," Meg called, kneeling next to the eight-year-old girl. "Wake up. What do you want for supper?"

Nali sat up slowly, blinking her dark brown eyes. "What?"

Meg shook her head and turned to Nick as she stood. "Would you mind cooking supper tonight? I have something I need to do really quick."

The light turned off in Nick's eyes as he thought. "I could make hamburger pie."

"Sounds good," Meg said with a smile. "You make it the best."

"Lots of cheese," Nali said with not-quite-awake excitement. "And bacon."

"I don't think we have all that," Meg said with a hopeful, but don't-let-your-heart-get-dashed looked on her face. "But we can look."

Nick nodded. "I'm pretty sure we have the cheese." He stood up. "C'mon, Nal. You can help."

"I can?" That woke her up. She jumped to her feet and followed her big brother out of the room. "Thanks, Nick."

"Yeah, well," Nick said, their voices trailed off down the hall to the back of the house, "just make sure you do what I tell you."

"I'll be there in a sec," Meg called after them. "So don't get too bossy."

The kids didn't answer. However, Meg could almost picture the looks on their faces. Nick would have rolled his eyes and Nali would have looked up at her big brother, one eyebrow raised. Meg smiled and walked out of the room. They were good kids.

She walked across the small entryway to the stair that ran parallel to the hallway leading to the back of their skinny house. At the top of the stairs, she walked past her kids' rooms and their bathroom and moved into her own. The upstairs remained unpacked. There weren't even any boxes upstairs yet, as if they were all trying to ignore the fact she'd lost the house.

Well, they still had two weeks before the big day.

She moved past her bed and toward her desk. She hadn't touched anything on her desk since her husband had died eight years before. With tired eyes, she gazed longingly over the piles of old familiar pages and binders. Here lay her stories. When Tom was alive, she'd had time to be a mom, a part-time drafter, and an aspiring author. However with his death, she'd had to put aside her silly dreams. Three jobs and two growing kids would do that.

The desk chair had been taken to Nick's room years ago. She looked at the shelf holding her binders and pulled out the one she'd been looking for. The Dustman Stories. She stood for a moment, staring at the dark blue, three-ring binder and at all the pages that were jammed haphazardly in it. She licked her lips.

"Well, Meg," she said to herself. "You got what you came for. Now go downstairs and make sure Nick isn't burning down the house.

When she made it downstairs, she was greeted by the image of her kids bickering in the kitchen at the stove.

Nick was doing his best to direct his sister as she made instant potatoes in the microwave, and Nali was doing her best to follow her brother's directions. They weren't fighting or being mean, so Meg opted to stand in the doorway, her book in her arms, watching them. They glumped all the ingredients into the pot on the stove.

Nick put his arm around his little sister and smiled. "You did good, sis."

She beamed up at him.

"Hey, kids," Meg said, pushing away from the doorway. "I want to show you something."

"Cool," Nali said, twisting away from her brother and racing through the wide doorway to the dining room.

Nick looked at the book in Meg's hands and raised his eyebrows. "Luk?"

Meg nodded and led the way to the table.

Nali was already sitting in her chair, her elbows on the table making it groan under her weight. It was a cheap table, picked up at Goodwill, but it was doable.

Meg sat down the binder and pulled out the loose papers. "How much time do we have left?"

Nick shrugged. "I'm just melting the cheese. If it starts burning, we'll smell it." He gestured toward the book as Meg started flipping through the word covered pages. "Why'd you get this out?"

Nali looked at the pile of charcoal and pastel pictures in her hands. "Mom," she said, holding up a picture of a mountain with a pile of boulders on top that looked like a large, multi-bulbous face. "These are, like, cool."

Nick snatched up a picture and stared at it for a long time. "This is Luk."

Meg took the picture from his hand and stared at it for a while. She studied the picture's warm, blue eyes and clear, happy smile. His blonde hair fell into his eyes. It wasn't long by any means, but it did fall over his ears. His cavalier hat sat rakishly upon his head, the feather hanging softly down his back. He reminded her of a musketeer in that hat. Just looking at the picture, she recalled the bright cheeriness of the soft sun, how blue the sky had been, how happy and wonderful Dreamland had always been. She blinked, the memory of her nightmare making her shiver.

"Who's this?" Nali asked, holding up a picture of two kids, one a straw-haired girl and the other a midnight-haired boy.

"Well," Meg said, a smile on her face. "That's Stix," she said, pointing to the little girl. "And that's Bumblejam and that's Luk." She turned her smile to Nali. "Luk is a dustman. His job is to take all the good little boys and girls to Dreamland where they're happy and safe."

"Right," Nali said in her boys-are-so-stupid tone of voice. "Don't tell me you believe in Santa too."

"He's real," Nick said, sitting down.

Nali looked at her brother like he was an alien. "So who's Stix and Bumblejam?"

"They're the kids in her stories," Nick said, taking a few other pictures from his sister. "See? This is the brownie making giant and the annoying blue fairy. This is Telfgar, Mom's best friend, the dragon. Hey," he said, holding up a page. "Here's Finn. He's another dustman."

"How do you know about this?" Nali asked frowning at the pictures.

"Well, hon," Meg said with a bemused smile as she read through a story, old memories flooding her mind. "I used to put Nick to sleep every night with one of these stories. I'd make them up as I told them and he would tell me if it was worth writing down or not."

"Why'd you never tell me, Mom?" Nali asked with a hurt pout.

Silence hung heavily in the air, the pain of those distant days after their father's death lying around them like dust. "Well, it started off I was working when you went to bed. And then I was always too tired and then, well," she said, blinking sadly at the pages, "I forgot."

"Oh," Nali said. "Because Dad died."

Meg lifted a sad smile toward her daughter. "Yeah, butter." Her eyes traveled over the pages in front of her unseeing eyes. "A lot of things happened that year."

Nali pursed her lips. "I wish Dad hadn't died."

"You look like him," Nick said.

"And act like him," Meg added. She took in a deep breath and started picking up the pages. "Well, c'mon. Let's eat supper."

"Hey, Mom," Nali said, handing her mother some of the pages. "Will you tell us a story tonight?"

"I don't know, Nal," Meg said. Just thinking of Luk and Dreamland brought back pain she'd never dealt with.

"I'll tell ya one," Nick said, getting out plates and silverware. "Hey, Nal, get your water. Let's eat."

Taking her book with her, Meg walked out into the hall and into the living room to set it down on the table. She'd fallen way short on being a good mom. She'd been a walking paycheck since her husband's death eight years before. That was all she could say for herself. She was exhausted. She was tired of always working and never playing. She was tired of not having any time for herself. She was tired of not spending time with her kids. Being a single parent was hard. Not that she was complaining, but she would—

Fuck, she thought to herself. She was complaining. If Tom had only stayed home. If only he hadn't tried to play the hero, she could have spent more time with her kids. Nali wouldn't have to ask about Luk and dustmen and Dreamland.

The pain she'd never had time to deal with was selfish. She'd lost her innocence. No one had been around to care for her. She'd suddenly found herself the sole supporter of two children. She'd been forced to put her dreams aside. She didn't have anyone to talk to. She didn't have anyone to lean on. She'd lost all of her friends, even though most of them were imaginary. She'd had to stop writing. She'd had to stop sleeping. She'd had to work in circles in order to provide the money it cost to raise two kids on her own.

She shook her head. She was being selfish and ugly, she thought to herself. She was tired. And when she was tired, she got cranky. She'd been pushing herself too hard for too long and her mind and body were demanding a break.

She'd be getting a break soon. She was going home where Aunt Jo would help and where she would have fewer jobs. She could rest and be a mom and perhaps write again.

Then a single thought struck her mind.

What happened to imaginary friends when you forgot them?

Meg's heart skipped a beat. Would they be there if she called? Would Dreamland still be there and Telfgar and the Meadow? Was it all a figment of her imagination? Her nightmare showed Dreamland had disappeared. Could that happen?

Would Luk still remember her? She swallowed.

What happened to imaginary men when their real women forgot them? She was afraid to find out.

Luk stared in surprise at the empty space. Had that really been Meg? How had she gotten there without him and why was she frightened?

He checked his sand watch. He'd just taken his last group of kids home. He needed to wake up soon. Jo would be jolting his body awake before he was ready. They had a flight to catch.

But he still had some time. He nodded. There was some place he needed to go before he could send himself back to the real world.

Dreamers' Hill was the elevator to Dreamland. Every dustman had his own level and each level was a different size depending on how well each dustman was doing. The Elders had their own area that wasn't necessarily a land, but more like a misty fortress.

There was only one other part of Dreamland that didn't work the same way the dustmen's area did.

The land of nightmares.

Everything was black, white and shades of grey here. This was a plane of emotion. The emotions weren't trapped in this odd dimension. They were brought here by the dreamer and magnified by the somewhat demented magic of the place.

"Hello," Luk called.

Out from behind a darker gray blotch of spiky substance popped a well-dressed man with dark, perfectly feathered hair and dark eyes. "You're far from your home, dustman. Why don't you go back where everything is sweet and happy and wonderful?"

Luk licked his lips and stepped off the hill. Dustmen and nightmares were both necessary to Dreamland, but that didn't mean they liked each other. "I'm here to find someone to answer my questions."

A grimace twisted the other man's features. "I just happen to know of the perfect place." He turned and started walking. He gestured with his hand. "Follow me."

As he followed the other man, Luk heard strange whispers and screams. All he could see were vague forms that looked like three-dimensional ink splots.

He frowned as he passed by one. It shook and erupted with a ear-splitting scream.

Luk jumped back, falling into another inky pod. He turned, trying to untangle himself from the sticky substance. A flicker of movement caught his eye and he blinked.

He'd opened a bubble made of a strange webbing. Inside was a dreamer running madly, throwing a frightened glance over his shoulder. He was being chased through a mall by a hundred screaming teen-aged girls.

In a blink of an eye, Luk was the young man running. A new wing of the building opened. He flung his body to the side. Terrified of being caught, he leapt inside a shoe store and dove behind a tall display of boxes. The screaming mob of girls ran past. Luk stood up and sighed with relief. Girls scared him. It was all the pink and the girlie shoes and the dresses and the fancy hair. What was he supposed to—

Luk shook his head. That wasn't his fear. He stood up and looked around. What was going on?

With a flash, the mall and the really bad music playing softly overhead disappeared into a howling wind. He felt his clothes being torn from him, felt his body lift high into the sky. _No_ , his mind screamed. _Not now. Not yet._

"Whoa," said a lively tenor voice as a hand pulled Luk out of the sticky bubble by the back of his neck. "What are you doing up here?"

Luk turned, trying to dispel the lingering images. He brought his hands up to his face and rubbed his temples. "What was that?"

"Well," the other man said, running his hands over the sticky bubble. It went back together, but not well. Strands stuck out around the tear. "I'm his nightmare." He studied the gray blob, looking at it so intensely he could have been looking through it. He sighed and dispelled the inky bubble. "I'll be right back. Don't touch anything."

Luk rubbed his eyes, blinking his vision clear.

"Where did you go?"

Luk looked up and saw the dark man in the suit again. There was something about him Luk didn't trust. "Someone else is helping me."

"Right," the other man said with a slight curl of his lips. A fire leapt into his dark eyes. "I don't see him."

"I think he went to take his dreamer back."

The dark man blinked languidly. "Who knows how long he'll be gone, then? Come, I'll take you to a place we can talk without disturbing–" He flickered his gaze to the surrounding masses. "—anyone." He turned and walked away again. "Come along. I'm sure you have children yourself."

Luk didn't move to follow. "I have a few hours before I'm on again." He couldn't tell anyone his body was on Earth and about to be awakened by an alarm clock. More importantly, if it went off before he returned to his body he would be left a vegetable.

"Great," the other man said, twisting around to send Luk a sickly smile. "Then we can stay a good, long while."

Luk grimaced. "I think I should stay here. The other nightmare told me to stay put."

"Really." The dark man ducked, twisting to miss being touched by a bubble on the move.

A blotch grew up between them, forcing Luk to take a stumbling step back.

"As you can see," the dark man said, peeking around the new bubble, "this isn't a safe place for you even if you are simply standing still."

"Where are all the nightmares?" Luk asked, twisting his head around to squeeze in between two spiky splotches. "Don't they regulate what goes on here?"

"They would be _inside_ the bubbles," the other man said, stopping as a bubble shifted positions near him. "Now, follow me and concentrate on where you're going."

Luk nodded and followed. The structures were getting denser the further they went. The two men had to backtrack a couple of times before they could move forward again. The warm air was filled with moans and screams, roars and questions. Luk smelled something on the wind. He frowned and took off his large hat. Cinnamon? Wouldn't there be a scarier scent in the air? Copper? Smoke? Acid? Why cinnamon? And why wasn't the wind colder?

"Where are you off to?" the tenor voice called in a commanding tone.

Luk slowly turned, careful not to bump into anything in such close quarters. "I'm following him. He's taking me to a place we can talk."

The nightmare looked behind Luk, his eyes piercing the shrinking spaces. "What other man?"

Luk turned, but had to dodge a moving bubble of gray inkiness. "Uh, he was right here."

The nightmare frowned and shook his head. His hair was so dark, it shown blue where the pale light hit its long, straight lengths. His skin held a reddish brown tint to it, making him look young and healthy. His black leather clothing fit his well-muscled body snugly, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Luk took in a deep breath. "Please tell me you're a nightmare."

The other man's mouth quirked as he redirected his searching, dark green gaze toward the dustman. He nodded briefly. "Who are you?"

Luk attempted to reach out his hand. There just wasn't enough room. He was close to being wedged between two sticky bubbles. "I'm Luk, a dustman."

The nightmare nodded. "Nightmare Keme."

"I need answers," Luk said, wincing as the bubble closest to him grew. "Is there someplace we can talk?"

Keme nodded, watching Luk with untrusting eyes. He walked toward the dustman and grabbed his arm.

The world around them changed abruptly. They were suddenly sitting inside of a room of mirrors.

Luk looked around him in awe as a table and chairs mysteriously appeared. "Where are we?"

"Inside a dreampod," Keme said. He pulled out a chair and sat down, placed his black boots on the table and leaned back. "You have a pull to Earth. What kind of dustman are you?"

"Uh," Luk said, pausing in the act of sitting. "I'm not really at liberty to say."

Keme nodded. "So, Dustman Luk, what brings you here to the dark plane?"

"A few questions."

"I have a few of my own, so we shall strike a bargain." Keme smiled slightly, folding his hands over his belly. "You will ask me a question and I will ask you a question. Deal?"

Luk thought for a moment and nodded. He'd never actually dealt with a nightmare before.

Keme nodded for Luk to begin.

"I had an incident in my realm just now." He licked his lips. "A dreamer was brought to my lands without an escort. She was being chased by a nightmare."

Keme shook his head. "I can assure you no nightmare would dare set foot in your domain without your express permission first. Whatever it was that brought your dreamer was not a nightmare."

"How can you know for certain?"

"There is a vow we nightmares take that binds us to one another. Now, my question. What is your pull to Earth?"

"I can't answer that." He held up his hands. "What else could it have been if not a nightmare? She was terrified."

"Nightmares are not meant to terrify," Keme said patiently. "Well, not directly. We have an entirely different job. What happened when I found you? No one can break the webbing, much less change the dream to his own nightmare."

"I don't know. I was startled and tripped into it."

"Dustmen," the nightmare pondered, "do not have bad dreams. So why were you able to?"

Luk shrugged. "I don't know."

"Are you sure you're a dustman?"

"I've been a dustman for over a century. I have a land I've built twice. I have dreamers. I'm a dustman."

Keme nodded slowly, his dark gaze never leaving Luk's face. "Who is your dreamer? Perhaps we can find her and scan her mind to see who gave her the scare."

"Meg Riley," Luk said, inflecting the feel of her into her name. He checked his watch. He had to hurry.

Keme nodded. "I know her. I've been working with her for the last several years."

Luks head whipped up. "She disappeared from me, and you know where she is?"

"Yes." Keme placed his feet on the floor and leaned forward. "That's where I know you from. Meg's–"

The sand watch went off, sending a silent signal coursing through Luk's body. He scrambled to his feet. "I have to go."

With a blink, he was gone, leaving Keme staring at air.

3

"SO, Mom," Nali said, breaking the warm blanket of silence, pulling up her pants. "What's for supper?"

One of the never-ending questions. They had just gotten back from the grocery store where Meg had bounced a nearly two hundred dollar check in order to feed her family. Today wasn't starting out to be a good day. But, on the other hand, the kitchen felt much warmer with food filling its cupboards. Still, bouncing a check was a hard thing to swallow. It hurt the pride.

Meg shook her head as she watched her youngest hike up her pants. How had her girl gotten so lucky to have no butt? She must have gotten it from her dad's side of the family. "What would you like?"

"Steak and potatoes," Nick said instantly.

"Crock roast," Nali said, adding dreamily, "with mashed, lumpy potatoes and broccoli and gravy."

Meg ruffled her daughter's shoulder length hair and wrapped her in a brief, but warm hug. With these two around, it was hard to stay upset about a silly slip of paper. "Pot roast takes all day, so," she said, cuffing her son—'slugging him with love' as she called it–"steaks and potatoes it is."

Nick fist bumped the air.

Going in, she'd known her check would bounce, so she decided that they'd make it worthwhile. Guilt twisted her stomach, but at least one of their last meals in _their_ house was going to be good. "Come on. If we want to eat tonight, we'd better get busy. I need someone to start the grill and one to start washing spuds."

"Mom, it's raining outside." Nick turned toward the back door to peer out the full-length window, his square face set in a mask of discontent, his ears pulled back—or at least, Meg thought his ears were pulled back. His scalp had moved anyway. "Pouring actually."

"That's why the patio is covered." Meg rummaged through the much fuller, yet not brimming fridge, looking for the steaks.

"Mom," Nick said, disgruntled as he opened the door. "Sometimes, you just don't understand."

She sighed, talking into the fridge. "And whose idea was it to have steaks?"

The back door closed on muttered words she couldn't make out.

Meg pulled her head from the fridge, steaks in hand. She stopped as she turned to wait for Nali to drag the big bag of potatoes across the floor. "Need help?"

"Nah," Nali said, stepping up to the sink.

Meg and Nali stayed inside, working butt to butt in the small kitchen. Meg took the head of broccoli and cut the good parts off, the florets. Nobody really liked broccoli, but they ate it because it was a luxury, on Meg's part anyway, and it was healthy.

The back door opened. "Mom, the grill's ready for the potatoes now."

Meg took out the butter and handed it to him. "Help get them ready."

The doorbell rang and three heads looked up.

Nick sighed and went to get a knife.

Nali pulled on Meg's hand. "Can I butter them, Mom, please?"

Meg frowned. "I suppose. Get the bread ready," she said as the doorbell rang again.

Nick looked up at her as he walked to Nali. "Are you going to get that?"

She glanced out the back window and onto the porch where a thick plume of smoke glided past on its way to the rain-drenched sky. "Nick, you might want to check on the grill before you burn down the house. It _is_ covered, right?"

"Yeah." He looked out the window and leapt out the door. "Ah, man!"

She shook her head and headed down the tight, dark and claustrophobic hall that lead from the kitchen to the front door. "Nal, keep an eye on your brother and let me know if there are flames _outside_ the grill."

The doorbell rang again followed by a sharp rap.

"I'm coming!" With a sigh of frustration, she opened the door, a transparent smile on her face.

The door opened to a warm flood of arms.

Blinking, Meg hugged the Elderly, overset woman before pulling away to take in the woman's leathery, smile-worn face and the twinkling gray eyes. Her dark hair was pulled back in a loose bun. She grabbed the newcomer's wet cardigan and pulled her, minus the sweater, inside the door. "Aunt Jo, you're early."

Jo raised a hand dismissively. "I couldn't wait." She stepped through the door and looked around. "I want you home." She stopped and looked at Meg, a frown marring her features. "You haven't packed a thing. Now, how did I know would be the case?"

"Uh, well, we–" Meg blinked with a sigh. She'd almost forgotten what a drill sergeant her Aunt Jo could be. "We've been a little busy." She stopped and looked around. What was she, sixteen again? "Besides, we still have two weeks." She shook her head and closed the door, set and ready to head into the kitchen. "We're having steak. We'll cut one in half for you."

"Oh, don't close that yet."

"Oh, yeah," Meg said, opening the door. "Your luggage. Have you had–"

"Don't worry about it, Meg," Jo said rummaging in her purse that could double as a suitcase. "Luk is taking care of it."

Meg cocked her head at the other woman. "Who?"

"Luk." Jo looked up. "You know Luk. He's helping me out at the inn."

Meg raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really. And you brought your handyman along because... ?"

Jo shrugged and went to open the door wider at the sound of heavy shoes on the steps. "I figured we could use the help." She stepped onto the bottom step of the stairway leading up to the second floor in order to make room in the tight entryway.

"Aunt Jo," Meg said, looking at the little general incredulously, stepping beside the lonely table in the hall. "Do you know him?"

"He's been my handy man for eight years now," Jo reprimanded before shushing the younger woman and pasting on a welcoming smile, her face warm like the summer sun as she peered around the door in front of her.

A tall, sandy man loaded down with suitcases came in, his face turned toward Jo and away from Meg. Meg's eyebrows rose as she took in the width and solidness of his shoulders, the trim waist visible from the short jacket and the tight ass snuggly hugged in a pair of jeans.

"Where do you want 'em, Jo?"

Meg's ears heard a familiar note that plagued her mind as she cocked her head and frowned at the man's back.

She caught her Aunt Jo's calculated smile.

"The living room is fine for now," Meg said, tugging her shirt and pointing to the room behind her.

"Mom," Nali called, her small feet drumming down the hall. "Who was it–" Her eyebrows rose and her mouth formed an 'o' as she saw the man walking into the living room. With open curiosity, she followed him to peer around the door frame. If it were possible, her eyes grew wider from what she saw.

"Nali," Meg hissed, dragging the girl over to her side. "Quit staring."

"But, Mom," Nali said, looking at her as Luk's footsteps approached the door. "He looks just like the picture. Who is he?"

Meg frowned and shook head. "He's Aunt Jo's handyman."

Nali leaned in and whispered. "You mean he came down from Dreamland to be with us?"

Meg sighed and shook her head, ruffling her daughter's hair, her heart racing. "Coincidence, butter. Just coincidence."

Nali looked at the front door as it was being closed and leapt. "Aunt Jo!"

Meg watched her aunt and her daughter who were still hugging. "We've only just thrown dinner on the grill. If we hurry, we should all be able to eat at the same time. How do you like your st–" Meg stopped as she stared...

...Into the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever remembered seeing. The thick, long lashes were dark and the sandy colored hair was shaggy. The nose was crooked where it had been broken once –- _by Telfgar's tail?_ she asked herself, dumbfounded. But her dream-time dragon friend hadn't been real, and neither was her dustman. Everything about the face of the man before her was lovingly familiar.

Her fingertips ached to touch him as his gaze held hers, but then she noticed the differences. The eyes, once warm, were now steely and hard. A five o'clock shadow crept across a face that had always been smooth. The lips were solemn and hard as if he hadn't smiled for years and his body carried an energy she didn't remember _her_ dustman having.

His energy was wild and raw, angry and self-effacing.

Now, _her_ dustman might have looked like this, but the man before her was more like an evil twin brother than her dustman.

"... Luk," she heard Aunt Jo say.

Scrambling, Meg's mind filled in the blanks. She nodded and held out her hand. "Meg." This was definitely too weird for words.

When he clasped her hand, he engulfed it.

Meg again felt the world around her melt away. Her breath felt stuck and her body felt warm.

His gaze burned into hers. "Yes," he said softly. "I know."

"Luk," Aunt Jo said. "You're good with kids and a wonder in the kitchen. How about you help cook, okay? Meggy and I have some talking to do."

"Aunt Jo." Meg dragged her gaze away from his. "Could you _not_ tell everyone what to do? This is _my_ house."

Jo stood with one hand on her out-thrust hip, staring tightlipped at her niece. She raised an eyebrow. "All right. We need to talk. Would you rather do it in private or in public?"

"How about not at all." She turned toward the staircase. The rail returned her stare silently.

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Aunt Jo looked at Luk.

His body was still and unrelenting.

"Would you?" Jo motioned toward the back of the house.

Luk stared at Meg hard for a moment before tearing his gaze away from her. He nodded to the older woman, his expression walled off as he turned and headed down the tight hall to the back of the house.

Meg closed the front door. "Nali, could you show Luk what you guys are doing? We'll need two extra potatoes on the grill pretty pronto so we all eat at the same time and–" Meg stopped on the stair to look her daughter in the eye, the edge of her silent frustration ebbing temporarily as she slid a smile Nali's way. "Make sure you don't burn the house down."

Nali winked up at her mother with a smile on her face, flicking her eyes toward Luk meaningfully..

Meg shrugged and shook her head.

Nali rolled her eyes and, taking Luk by the hand, dragged him toward the kitchen.

"Hey, Nal," Meg said.

The girl stopped and turned, a smile still on her face.

Meg silently mouthed, _I love you_ and scrunched her eyes.

Nali smiled, happy and warm and mouthed, _I love you too,_ before turning and dragging the sandy man into the kitchen, her mouth running a mile a minute.

Meg gripped the rail. She wasn't ready for this conversation. Defeat was defeat and broken pride hurt.

Aunt Jo closed the door behind them once they reached Meg's room. "Now, then. Are you going to talk to me or am I going to have to beat it out of you?"

Meg rolled her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to have to beat it out of you, I see." Jo sighed and walked over to the desk, idly moving things around.

They were silent while the older woman looked and the younger woman watched, thoughts stilled, hearts churning.

Jo held up a nearly completed manuscript. "Do you realize this was one of my favorites? I'm still waiting for you to complete it."

Meg looked down. "I don't have the heart for it anymore."

"I do," Jo offered, setting it down and tracing the edges of the top page. "I've been waiting eight years to see it completed. You've left me hanging on a cliff with this one."

Neither of them mistook the double-edged comment. "I have responsibilities now."

"That require you to stop dreaming?"

"Dreams don't pay the bills, Aunt Jo."

Jo turned toward her. "Is everything about bills now? What about family? What about those kids?" Arms and hands flew as she spoke. She definitely couldn't talk without her hands. "What about you? When do you take time out for you?"

"Aunt Jo," Meg ground out, "I'm not having this conversation right now."

"I've offered to help many times, Meg."

"It's charity," the younger woman said, her eyes flashing a pale, pale yellow-green.

"What's more important to you?" Jo took a step closer to the younger woman. "Huh? Working yourself to death and getting nowhere or swallowing some of your goddamn pride and accepting a little help so you can spend some time with your kids?"

"It's not that simple, Aunt Jo."

"Like Hell it ain't," the older woman said, turning to snatch up a canvas. "Look at this. Look at this, Meg. You had a future."

"It wasn't reliable," Meg said, taking the canvas and setting it on the floor, it's face to the wall. "I have two kids that need me to give them the bare essentials every _week,_ not just when something sells."

"Jesus, Meg," Jo said, throwing her hands in the air. "What are your kids? Loved ones or heirlooms?"

"Aunt Jo," Meg growled, her hands clenching as she straightened. These were old wounds. Very, very old wounds.

The older woman set her eyes on Meg. "Are they pretty baubles you look at and dust off every once in a while or are they creatures you honestly want to spend time with?"

Bottled rage flew to the surface, changing Meg's eyes nearly yellow. "You go too far."

"You don't go far enough." Jo pointed toward the door. "If you sacrificed a bit of a paycheck to stay home with your kids, you wouldn't need the nanny and you could spend some time on your art."

Meg looked around, feeling as though her top would pop off. "It doesn't _work_ that way."

"Do you realize the extra money you could make?" Jo looked at Meg earnestly. "It would make up for it."

Frustration bottled too long seethed over the edge of the walls Meg had constructed around it. Meg picked up a canvas at random and threw it across the room. "Don't you think I've tried? There is no place for art and realism to meet, Aunt Jo. After Tom died..." She swallowed the tears, closing her eyes. "Everything died."

Jo wrapped her arms around Meg and just held her, saying nothing.

But Meg didn't break. She held it together. Like she always did.

Jo stepped back. "Okay. Talk to me. What's wrong? And I mean everything."

Meg just shook her head. "Nothing new." She tossed her head to pop her neck and sat on the edge of the bed. "You already know everything. I'm behind on everything and can't get caught up. They're talking about repo'ing the car and the bill collectors are calling every day. I have one credit card, Jo." She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. "And I put one friggin' thing on it and the finance charges have maxed it out!"

Aunt Jo nodded with an air of experience.

Meg opened her eyes, hopeless failure settling sullenly on her shoulders. She tried to shrug it off. "How am I going to pay that off? We're bare to the bones and are still unable to pay for everything. And it was something silly that we didn't even _need_!"

"Well," Aunt Jo said, puffing out her already sizable bosom, "for one thing, you're coming home."

Meg scoffed and slouched defeated on the bed. "I'm failing, Aunt Jo. I have been for years, but I've always been able to out-run it. Now, it's all catching up and I'm too tired to run faster. I'm working two jobs and I'm trying to do my best at both of them while being a good mother to my kids. The bosses from both of my jobs are upset because I used to be better before I started working so many hours to pay for the nanny I have to have because I work so many hours to pay for the bills."

Aunt Jo winced.

Meg sighed. "Now I'm so tired, I have to write everything down like I have Alzheimer's or something. The girls at work are shunning me and won't give me the time of day and I don't have the energy I need to raise my kids! And to top it off," Meg said, coming to life. "I just knowingly bounced a check for food to feed my kids and I'm pretty sure they both know it. So not only am I not being a very good mother, I'm a lousy pay-check and I'm teaching my kids how to steal food."

"You need to write," Jo said adamantly. "You've been writing and drawing since you could hold a pencil. It used to give you such energy! You're repressing yourself."

Meg shook her head, blinking back fresh tears. "Aunt Jo," she said brokenly. "I haven't been able to create anything since Tom died. I just..." She swallowed and shook her head. "He was my anchor and now he's gone."

"He's been gone, Meg," Jo said, placing a hand on Meg's shoulder, "for a very long time."

Meg sucked in a deep breath and chewed on the hollow emptiness in her heart. She was numb; numb from being over-worked and from sorrow and from years of no sleep.

"You let yourself down."

Meg nodded.

The older woman straightened, her down-to-earth-Jo face on. "Did you at least make the bounced check worth it?"

Meg smashed her lips and nodded. "Yup. There are stolen groceries in my kitchen and it's the good stuff."

"Good girl." Jo patted Meg's knee. "You're coming home, Meg."

"Yup."

"It'll get better. You'll see."

Meg looked up. "There's no work in town."

"I'll give you a job at the inn that'll pay for your board."

Meg threw Jo a look of admonishment. "That's no job. Most times you have no boarders."

"Great," the other woman said with a nod of her head. "It'll give you more time for that." She motioned to the desk.

Meg rolled her eyes. "What about a job that pays the bills?"

"What bills?"

Meg closed her eyes and shook here head. "Car? Insurance? Utilities? My one charge card?"

Jo sighed. "Okay, one job, but only part time."

"Jo–"

The older woman cut her off with a look. It was The Mom Look that made bears stop in the wood and piss themselves. It was also the look that said there was only one person in the world who loved Meg as much as her Aunt Jo did.

So, Meg opted to listen.

"Look, girl," Jo said, satisfied she had Meg's attention, "I'm rooting for you. I'm in your corner." She nodded, watching her words sink in. "I'm here for you. Remember that."

Meg swallowed staring at the handmade quilt under her socked feet. "It's just..."

"It's just hard," Jo completed firmly. "I know, but it's time to heal and move on now."

Meg let out a deep breath. "Yep."

"That's my girl." Jo hugged the younger woman to her tightly, pushing Meg's feet off the bed to do it. She pulled away and looked into Meg's red and blotched face, noting the color of her eyes. Gray was a good sign. "I'm going to go down to the kitchen now and see what those kids are up to."

Meg sniffed the air. "Smells like the steaks are on the grill." She rose. "We'd better hurry."

Jo placed a hand on Meg's arm. "You get washed up. I love you, Meggy-doll."

Meg's heart flared at the remembered warmth that endearment had always promised. A sob escaped her tightly closed lips as she looked around the room. "Love you, too, Aunt Jo."

Aunt Jo stopped at the door and looked back at Meg. "Oh, by the way, how do you like Luk?"

Meg looked up at the woman, her mind scrambling.

Aunt Jo clucked her tongue and turned away. Thumping the doorframe, she said with a chuckle, "I was hoping for that reaction."

4

MEG glanced at her blue binder. "Aunt Jo!"

"Yes?" came the somewhat distant reply, accompanied by the clank of pots and the soft whuff of the back door closing.

Meg marched down the stairs, each one creaking in response to her weight. She paused on her way to the kitchen to look out the glass door. Her children were hunched over the grill which was smoking much, much less.

Nick looked up at the sandy stranger, a rueful smile on the boy's face as he stood just outside of rain-splash range. A chuckle was shared around the circle and a sudden stab of jealousy pierced Meg's heart.

Before she could turn away, stormy, blue eyes captured hers with an intensity Meg had never seen before. She felt as if he were trying to tell her something, as if he were daring her, as if he knew she doubted he was real. She felt as if he'd touched her, had run his hands down her arms, had held her tight, shushing her concerns.

And then it was gone.

Nali said something, calling his attention elsewhere and as soon as his heated gaze left hers, Meg was herself again; plain, old Meg, alone, cold, and forgotten. Shaking herself, she headed into the kitchen. "Aunt Jo."

"In here," the older woman called loudly as Meg crested the threshold.

"What do you know about Luk?"

"What do you mean?" Jo asked, looking up with feigned innocence shrouded in a cloud of wispy brown hair.

"Aunt Jo," Meg said levelly, leaning on the breakfast bar to look the older woman in the eye. Meg whuffed a stray, frizzy bit of red hair out of her face. "Don't play with me."

Jo rolled her eyes, pushing herself away. "I didn't exactly ask for his family history."

"Resume? Anything? He _is_ working for you, you know."

"I liked him and had a good feeling about him."

Meg blinked and cocked her head. "That's it?"

"Yes," Jo said, shooting a mulish gaze at Meg. "He does his job and that's enough for me."

"And you know nothing about him."

Jo rounded her eyes. "What would you have me do? Interrogate him?"

"You flew him thousands of miles to Alabama."

"Don't over-exaggerate, Meg," Jo said, turning away. "So what? You really wanted to move all this, just you and me?"

Meg narrowed her eyes.

"You're attracted to him, aren't you?"

Meg glared. "Aunt Jo!"

"What?" she asked in angelic imitation. Jo rolled her eyes and sighed, sitting down next to the box she'd been packing. "Meg, your life is changing right now. Maybe it would be a good idea to look for a man."

"Aunt Jo–"

"Aunt Jo," Nick said, bursting in, leading the trail of aromatic smoke into the kitchen. "I think we're done. Oh, hey, Mom," he said, breezing past her to get to the table where he set down his burden.

"Where's my cup?" Nali asked, following her brother.

Meg rescued the barbecue utensils the girl was holding like weapons. "Did you try the cupboard?"

Nali leveled a look at her mother only a sassy eight-year-old could. "Mom."

"Nali."

"Jo," a warm tenor voice said. "Where do you want these?"

"Table," Jo said around something in her mouth.

Meg frowned at the older woman who walked with a spoon sticking out of her mouth.

"Aunt Jo?" Meg asked, pointing to her mouth.

The older woman lifted a meaty shoulder, taking the spoon out of her mouth while cradling the plates. "Peanut butter."

With a horrified roll of her eyes, Meg reached for a glass.

She stopped to watch the happy glow of the dining room light as it enveloped the people she loved most. Bending to miss the pendant fixture, Luk set the plate on the table and looked at her.

Meg blinked and turned toward the sink.

"So, Luk, tell us a little bit about yourself," Jo commanded, sitting herself in her chair while plopping an foil wrapped potato on Nali's plate. "Big or small?"

Nali frowned at the platter of meat. "Is it tough?"

"Why do you ask?" Luk asked.

"I've been informed I need to interrogate you." Aunt Jo used the steak knife to gently glide through a steak. "Nope," she responded to Nali's question.

"Big," Nali said with a nod of her head.

"Interrogate me?" Luk looked at Meg. "Why?"

"I don't know enough about you." Jo flipped a lock of hair, more gray than brown, out of her face. "Big enough?"

"Yup." Nali shooed her aunt's large, short-fingered hands away. "I'll cut it," she said, tucking her hair around the earlobe.

The older woman's eyebrows rose as she settled herself over her empty plate. Reaching for a potato, she asked, "Where were you born?"

Quirking his mouth unhappily, he moved closer to the table to allow Meg access to her chair. "Ireland."

"Ireland?" Nali asked excitedly, her knife and fork forgotten. "What was it like?"

The rock-faced man's features softened, his eyes brightened and his mouth relaxed. "It was green and wet. It was rocky and fertile and full. It was home."

Meg caught her breath as she looked at the open and totally captivating man across the table from her. Her heart leapt. He was her dustman.

He met her gaze with a slight smile.

Blinking, she tried to regroup. "You don't have an accent anymore," she said into her water, hiding her eyes behind the glass.

"I haven't been home for a long time," he said softly.

"How long?" Nick asked around a full mouth.

"I love steak," Nali said.

"How would you know?" Jo asked. "You haven't eaten any of it."

The young girl picked up the fork and the knife with a grin, shaking her bangs from her eyes.

Luk looked at the boy. "For most of my life."

"How old are you?"

"Nick," Meg admonished, unwrapping a potato and looking over at her son, with his hair in his face. He reminded her of an Irish sheepdog—well, except for the Roman nose that sort of didn't fit on his face. "Let's not be rude."

"You asked for this interrogation, Meg," Luk said quietly, capturing her attention with the power of his soft voice.

She looked at him, her mouth dry. "I just..."

Luk nodded his head slowly, his eyebrows raised.

She looked away and blinked her gaze into the butter with a shallow breath. "Aunt Jo flew you all the way over here from Colorado and now you're in my house with my kids and will be sleeping on my couch and..." She looked up at him before turning her attention back to her potato, the pitch of her voice rising with her body heat. "...and sharing my bathroom and I'd just really like to know a bit more about you. Where's the cheese?"

"On the counter," Luk said smugly, pushing his chair away from the table to reach out and grab the opened bag of shredded cheese. Reaching over Nick's plate, he cocked his head. "Does that question count?"

Meg slanted him a look, chewing her steak with force.

"Are you two fighting?" Nali asked in an imitation of motherly superiority.

"No," Meg and Luk said at the same time.

"Yes," said Jo, pushing her plate aside, finished.

"Grown ups," Nick said, plopping another potato on his plate.

"Kids," Meg said, sullenly cutting the last of her steak.

"Which one's which?" Jo asked, her eyebrows raised.

"So how much is packed?" Luk asked, looking around. Empty, folded boxes lay against one wall. Full ones were stacked higher than Luk was tall in the corner.

"The stuff we don't use normally is packed." Meg set her knife on her plate. "We haven't exactly had a lot of time for packing."

"How many hours are you working the next two weeks?" Jo asked, sitting back in her chair.

"Lots." Meg sighed, pushing her plate away.

"Have you said good-bye to everyone?"

"Aunt Jo," Meg said, her eyes rounded beneath a frown. "I have a week and a half yet."

Jo sighed and put the lid on the butter.

"I'm done," Nali said, pushing herself away from the table.

"Me too," Nick said, following suit.

"Plates," Meg reminded.

Both kids groaned.

"I'm not your maid."

"I know, Mom," Nick mumbled as he shuffled to the kitchen to deposit his plate.

"Keep your silverware out of the garbage disposal."

Jo waited for the kids to tramp up the stairs before looking at Meg from across the table. "Have you said good-bye to Tom yet?"

Meg blinked in surprise and licked her lips. The sharp pain associated with his name was dull this time. She was able to breathe. She frowned, feeling something missing. Guilt? Grief? "He's dead, Aunt Jo."

"He lives in you," she said quietly. The older woman sat forward, clasping her hands in front of her. "It's time to let him go. Let him rest and get on with your life."

"Aunt Jo," Meg warned, keeping her eyes on her plate, turning her fork in her hand, her body tense.

"Tell you what, Meggy," Jo said, lifting herself out of the chair. "I'll put the kids to bed. You go say good-bye to Tom."

Meg turned to look out the dark window. "Now's not exactly the best time to visit a graveyard."

"It's a great time," Luk said softly, looking out the black, reflective window, his eyes distant. "It's quiet and calm."

"Take Luk with you," Jo said, walking into the kitchen. "Meanwhile, I'm going to find more comfortable chairs."

Meg flicked a glance at Luk as she rose to clear the table. "You don't have to go." She walked to the sink and muttered, " _We_ don't have to go."

He remained still, his large hands laying flat on the table. As she came to fetch his plate, he grabbed her wrist, gently yet forcibly. "You need to."

Meg looked at him earnestly for the first time since supper. His pain and anger had subsided, though not yet completely gone by any stretch of the means. In its place lay empathy, and understanding.

He looked away and let go. "We're going." He stood and strode through the kitchen to the hallway. "The bus is leaving in five minutes."

Meg's SUV was huge by Alabama standards, but sedans were small and she just couldn't resign herself to the minivan. It felt weird sitting in the passenger seat of her own vehicle, but Luk had somehow managed to find her keys and had been waiting for her in the car.

Meg stared out the window, watching the lights go by, her unfocused vision seeing little else. She sighed, her breath shaky. It was going to be a long, rough night.

"Do you know where you're going?" she asked quietly.

"Nick got the directions off the internet," Luk said, his voice soft and unobtrusive.

"Mmm."

They watched the windshield wipers flop in an endless effort to wipe away the light mist clinging to the windshield. Everything was wet and glossy from the heavy rain earlier and puddles gleamed in the lamp light.

Meg saw the cemetery gate drawing nearer and closed her eyes, breathing slowly. Since the day she'd buried him, she'd not once gone to see his grave. She opened them again when the vehicle stopped, feeling Luk's eyes on her.

"We're here," she said softly.

She caught the movement of his head in the corner of her eye as he nodded. Looking forward, his hands wringing the steering wheel, he asked, "Do you know where he is?"

Meg grunted.

He turned toward her, one eyebrow raised. "Are you waiting for me to play the gallant man and open your door?"

Meg looked at him, her lips tight, her eyes vacant, her mind elsewhere.

Luk sighed and continued lightly. "I think I should let you know I'm not the gallant type."

Meg let her gaze fall to the row of headstones not really listening.

"Besides, we're here to see your husband and I don't think it would be appropriate."

His commentary broke through the fog. In the yellow overhead light lining the parking lot, she saw the man who had always been a figment of her imagination.

He wore his rakish smile like an old friend, his hair falling into his face as he tipped it to look at her better. This was the man she'd loved before Tom. Here sat the man she'd been unable to marry because she'd had a body that couldn't vanish into thin air. Here was the man she'd felt so guilty about loving even after she'd married.

Luk frowned and turned away from her, the walls back in place. "Well, we should go see him."

"Luk, are you–"She stopped, staring at him. She shook her head and put her hand on the handle. Her courage had fled as quickly as it had come. "Thank you."

Luk stayed in the car, watching her as she stood looking at the stones. Had she almost believed enough to ask? He got out and walked up to her. "You lead the way."

Flicking an uncertain glance at him, she nodded and marched forward.

As they penetrated deeper into the dark rain-washed cemetery, the stones became harder to read. Meg's steps became slower until she stopped, looking out into the great expanse of the cemetery. It went past what the human eye could see, the gray bumps of misshapen stone drifting into the dark.

"Luk," Meg said quietly, "I don't know the way."

"Eight years is a long time," he murmured, setting a calming hand on her shoulder. "Do you have a flashlight in the truck?"

"Hmm?" Meg turned and focused on his face. "Uh," blinking, she looked around, thinking. "No, I don't think so."

Luk took Meg's arms and held her.

Looking up into his shaded eyes, she searched the shadowed crevices that were so achingly familiar. She let out a sob and fell into him, unshed tears blanking out her vision. At that point, she didn't care if he was her dustman or not. All she cared about was the fact she needed a shoulder to lean on and he looked so much like her dear friend. Right now, she needed a friend. "I was scared, Luk," she said between gulps. "He was gone. He was my rock. He lived in reality so I could dream. And then he was gone." She rested her head on Luk's solid chest, the jacket kind of scratchy and very wet. "And everything changed. There were so many responsibilities and no one I could ask for help."

"What about Jo?"

"I had to get a job and Paonia has many things, but jobs are not one of them." Her chest lightened, allowing her to breathe. "I had no skills, just a degree. Few people wanted to hire me and no one understood what it was like to raise those two by myself."

"It's over now," Luk said into her hair, his sigh raising and lowering her head still laying on his chest. "You're coming home."

"Yeah," Meg breathed, closing her eyes for support. "Yes, I am."

Luk held her, his arms strong and warm. He pushed her hair behind her ear, comfortable with the silence. "Everything will be all right."

"Luk?"

He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Yes?"

Her eyes wanted to shy away. She was desperate if she thought... but, truth of the matter was, she was desperate and lonely and tired and at this point, anything was possible. Setting her lips in determination, she looked into the dark recesses of his face. "Thanks."

Although she couldn't see his eyes, she felt them as they stared at her. A solid hand reached up to cup her cheek. She closed her eyes and moved into the caress. She was just exhausted enough to believe he was the man she'd loved, her first love.

"Meg," he whispered. Luk pulled back his hand with a muffled curse and pushed Meg's head into his chest, his breath hard in her damp and slightly less frizzy hair.

"He can't be my Luk," Meg whispered to herself.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," a voice said, startling them both.

Meg and Luk spun to see the newcomer, searching the shadows for the source of the voice.

"I apologize." A light blinked a good distance away. The man chuckled, hidden behind the blazing beam of the flashlight. "I remember coming here to make out. It's so quiet."

"We're not–" Meg sputtered, pulling away from Luk.

"Who are you?" Luk demanded, stepping protectively in front of Meg.

The light moved closer, the beam pointed down, until they all stood in the glow of the flashlight. "Meg, you should have warned me you had a prior love interest before we met my family."

Meg stepped back in surprised alarm. "Rich?"

Rich smiled at her, his smile like everything about him, perfectly perfect. His dark hair was feathered back, his dark eyes held in shadow. He wore a black trench coat to cover his suit. "Had I known, I would have gone slower and wooed you better."

Luk held a staying hand behind him as Meg started to step forward. "What are you doing here?"

Rich shrugged, an arrogant eyebrow raised. "Doing what most people do in a cemetery, paying my respects to a dear, departed friend." He looked past Luk to peer at Meg. "In all this time I haven't seen you come here. With as much as you supposedly loved your husband, I would have thought you'd come by to see him more often."

"You obviously don't know her very well, then," Luk said softly. This was the man he'd met in the nightmare plane.

"And you do?" Rich walked a little closer to the couple. "I haven't seen you before."

Luk straightened, his body tense. "Have you been watching her closely?"

Rich's eyes narrowed. "I'm dating her." He held Luk's gaze in the dim light.

"We are not dating," Meg said with a frustrated sigh. "When will you get through your head?"

"Who are you?" Rich asked, a devilish grin on his face.

Meg looked from one man to the next. Did they recognize each other or was it just her imagination gone wild?

"An old, childhood friend." Luk's words were clipped and succinct.

Meg looked at him with a frown. The vibe radiating off of both men was odd.

The soft, sophisticated man regarded the hard, worn man with disdain. "Perhaps you should watch whose fire you play in."

Okay, so maybe they were just two men doing the testosterone, guy thing over the fair maiden. She snorted. _Fair maiden my ass._ "We have to go, Rich."

"Would you like me to show you the way?"

"No."

Rich turned and walked back the way he'd come. "He's buried close to my cousin who died on the same day."

Warning bells sounded in Meg's head. This wasn't the Rich she knew. She was more glad than ever that she was leaving.

"They were in the same accident as a matter of fact."

Meg sucked in her breath.

"In all these long eight years, I visit once a month to see him and pay my respects."

Accident? What?

"While I'm glad you're helping us out," Luk said, "I think we could use a little less talk."

"My husband was shot."

"Yes, and so was my cousin," Rich said smoothly. "He was leaving the scene."

"He was shot leaving?"

"The police mistook him for the shooter."

Meg shook her head. "No. The shooter _was_ killed. There was no mistake.

Rich turned his head to glance back at her. "The gun was never found, so if he had no gun, how could he have shot your husband?"

"Someone took it," Meg said automatically, frowning at how stupid that sounded.

"Really?" Rich asked smugly. "Who would want to do that?"

"Someone...who..."

"Yes?"

Her lips closed. "I don't think it was an accident."

"One tragedy. Two men," the unruffled man said with a slight shrug. "At least my cousin wasn't forgotten."

That hurt.

He shot a look over his shoulder, his eyes on Luk. He stopped and handed the flashlight to the sandy man, turning to leave. "He's right over there, Meggy."

"Don't you need the light?" Luk asked through clenched teeth.

Rich stopped and looked at them. "No. I have an inner light that guides me. Besides, I know the path between here and my car very well."

Meg bit her lip as his words hit the mark they had intended.

Luk stared after Rich, understanding the double edge to his words. "Light?"

Rich stopped next to her and murmured. "I meant what I said the other night. You will be my wife." He looked back at Luk and whispered in her ear. "Enjoy him while you can. He won't be around for long." He walked away, humming to himself. "Good night, Meggy."

Luk watched him leave. "Meg, you're not going anywhere alone until we're gone, do you hear me?"

Meg's attention was on the fading song. Rich was humming a song she used to sing to Nali. "I don't think he was threatening me," Meg said, staring at the disappearing back with a frown. "I think he was threatening you."

"You should say good bye so we can leave," Luk said quietly. "I don't like him. There's something–"He sighed and stepped away. "He's familiar somehow."

"He's creepy." Meg took the flashlight from her protective companion to light the headstones around their feet. "Frank Mozzelli." It said nothing but his name. It was small and plain, a simple plaque.

Luk frowned at the headstone. "That name sounds so familiar." Meg shook her head and moved on.

The next one she came to was Tom's. In shock, she stared at the two tombstones, both small and plain, one the victim, one the murderer, side by side. Her breath caught in her throat as she reached for Luk and grasped his arm.

"What?"

"Look," she whispered and shined the light on a fresh bouquet of roses lying under Tom's name.

"Meg," Luk said. "We're leaving Alabama early."

"We can't," she said, regaining her voice, her eyes unable to leave the flowers. "I can't leave work–"

"It can just suffer without you."

Meg stood there, her thoughts churning. "What do you think it means?"

"You heard him. He wants you to be his wife."

She shook her head. "It was never going to happen."

"Tell that to him." Luk bent down and moved the roses from one headstone to the other. "There. That should make things a little easier." He stood, watching her, holding the flashlight in two hands, her eyes distant. He nodded. "I'll give you two some time."

Luk stepped away, pacing between dark and odd shaped markers.

Meg looked down at the stone before her. _Tom Riley, beloved husband and father._ She just stood there, reading it over and over again. "I miss you," she whispered.

She looked around, a knot in her chest. The one time today when she thought for sure she would be crying, her eyes were surprisingly dry.

"We're moving, you know." She looked back down. "The kids are so big." Her tongue flicked out to wet her lips. "Nick looks just like you. Nali has your butt." She snorted. "Or lack of it and your ability to fart on command."

She swallowed and stared at the ground at her feet. "We're going back home. Remember how we said we'd never go back?" She chuckled, a lump growing in her throat.

"We–" A quiet sob interrupted her as tears welled up. She looked away, breathing deeply. "We have to go home now." Her heart opened, racking her chest. She tried to contain the tears. She partially succeeded. "I have to leave you here."

Looking down at her hand, she caught sight of her plain, gold wedding band. "I should have loved you better. You always knew, didn't you? How much I loved Luk."

She took it off. "I loved you too, you know." She looked at the stone. "But you have to stay here." She set the ring on the tombstone and whispered. "I'll never forget you."

She turned and walked away, her good-bye final.

5

RICH made a nuisance of himself every day since then. At least Meg felt pretty sure it was Rich. Who else would toilet paper her yard, cover Meg's vehicle in shaving cream, or paint messages on her driveway? Every morning leading to moving day, there had been something new. Even Nali's bicycle tires had been deflated.

"I still think we need to call the police."

"Meg," Luk grunted, pulling the washer strapped to the dolly up the last couple steps from the basement, "there's nothing to file a complaint on."

"But what about the calls and the graffiti in my yard?" She rolled her eyes in exasperation, crossing her arms over her chest. "Luk, he cut down my tree."

Luk tipped the washer to sit on all four of its stubby legs once he reached the top and looked at her. "Who did it? We can't prove anything. When we get to Colorado, I'm sure everything will stop. He can only do so much." He leaned the washer back and pulled. "And speaking of one man doing things, how about some help? Make sure all the rooms are empty, would you?"

Meg sighed, but walked off, leading the way down the narrow hall. She stepped onto the staircase, letting Luk through the open door.

She closed the front door after him, walked into the empty living room and turned, remembering. This house was so full of memories. Laughter bounded from wall to echoing wall. Sounds of gut-wrenching weeping rocked around the blazingly blank corner where the rocking chair Tom had made for her had once sat. There was nothing left in here.

With a sigh, she walked up the stairs, following the sounds of voices, real ones and remembered ones. Each creaky step sounded a familiar cadence. She stuck her head in Nali's door, finding everything gone and the window blinds closed to the bright, autumn sun.

She walked into the room and turned around. Nali had always wanted to be an artist so when the girl moved into her own room, Meg had decided to make an art project out of it. It had taken all three of them a week to paint the walls and ceiling pink. Nali had loved it. Meg and Nick both agreed it was a little much. The next step had been to paint pictures on the walls.

Meg's tree stood tall in one corner, enveloping the window with its lush, green limbs. A swing hung from one side, closest to where the bed had been, flowers trailing up the ropes. Around the room were Nick's fairies—a little more voluptuous than she liked—Nali's big-eyed puppies and Meg's dancing flowers.

She turned to leave, saluting the sun they'd painted in the corner by the door. It hurt to let go. There were so many memories tied into this little room. Every spare moment had been spent here and lots of laughter was splattered on those walls.

She sighed. She was glad it hadn't hurt the house sale. The new family who had bought the house had a little girl who absolutely loved it.

She walked passed Nick's room, half listening to the conversation Jo and the kids were having, and walked into her bedroom, the only carpeted room upstairs. She checked the closet and the medicine cabinet and listened to the silence. Tom was finally gone. Always before, there had been a constant whisper of him. When she'd written and drawn, he and Nick had almost always been with her, tossing ideas around and just generally gossiping about their days.

She breathed in a deep sigh and stepped through the bedroom door, closing a long, hard chapter of her life.

She stepped into Nick's plain room, listening as the bare walls amplified the conversation. Nick, Nali and Jo were standing around a large pile of sleeping bags, backpacks and blankets. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Jo looked up and huffed a wisp of hair from her aging, happy face. She reminded Meg of a beautiful, chubby porcelain doll who had soaked too long in the bath, making her skin wrinkle. Her healthy cheeks were rosy, her mouth crimped with a smile and her gray eyes constantly twinkled. The woman bubbled with so much life anyone in her presence was instantly energized.

Meg sighed. She loved that woman a lot. She stepped inside and looked at the pile. "How soon can we hit the road?"

"I think the kids and I are going to stop by and see Gloria," Jo said, standing up with some effort. "We haven't seen each other since your wedding."

Nick frowned. "Gloria?" An eyebrow rose. "Is she old?"

Meg chuckled as she set her hands on her hips. "Don't ask _her_ that, Mister. She'll let you know just how old she really is."

"She's old," Nick mumbled into Nali's ear.

Nali sucked in her lips and raised her eyebrows. She leaned toward her brother. "Yep. She's old."

"Oh, you'll like her," Jo grumbled, loading herself up, slinging bags over her arms and pillows under them.

Meg copied her movements. "She's a hoot."

Jo huffed the ever-present strand of silver hair from her face. "She lives in a house with a huge garden."

"A garden?" Nick asked, a bag in each hand, his face screwed up dubiously.

Nali's expression swam with excitement, her bag slung over one shoulder. "Yeah. A garden? How cool is that?"

Meg turned toward her children when she'd reached the door and wagged her eyebrows at them. "She's a witch."

Nick and Nali scrambled quickly through the door, leaving Jo to lag behind. "Mom, wait."

Meg tromped down the grumpy stairs, her arms loaded down. "For what? A bus? Get a move on."

"Mom," Nali said, short of breath from the excitement. "You just said–"

"She's a witch?" Nick finished incredulously. "Like _The Wizard of Oz_ and stuff?"

Jo snorted. "Don't tell _her_ that."

"Like Halloween with the broom and the pointy hat?" Nali asked, nearly plowing her mother over as they crested the door.

Meg looked back at Jo. "You're gonna have a fun trip."

The older woman hrmphed, her glowering expression and stooped and loaded-down figure made her look like a front lineman on a football team. "Thanks, my darling Meg."

The younger woman grinned cheerfully before turning back to watch her progress. She missed running into the bulky SUV by a hair. "She's a green witch, guys," she said, throwing her load of sleeping bags, blankets, the cooler, and books into the back.

"What's a green witch?" Nick asked, a look of disgust on his face as he threw a sleeping bag and his bag on top of the mess."A kitchen witch, almost," Meg answered, taking his bag out and tossing it to him. "Keep it with you." She turned and started rearranging things. "A green witch is kind of a healing witch. She's very..." She turned toward Jo. "Warm?"

"I'd say," Aunt Jo replied, shrugging off her burdens.

"I'm confused," Nali mumbled, walking toward her door.

"You'll see soon enough," Meg said, sliding a mischievous look toward her aunt.

"Meg," Jo grumbled, slamming things into place. "If I have to answer questions the whole trip–"

"It'll make the trip go by faster and you will thank me when you see me next."

Jo raised a dark brow. "Hmmmm... something like that."

Luk came around the big moving truck. "Are we about ready?" He looked at the slowly rising sun. "I don't know about you ladies, but I'd like to be gone before it gets hot. We have a long road ahead of us."

"Where are you going to stop for the night?

Meg and Luk shook their heads. "We'll just drive through," the sandy man said. "I want to get home."

Jo huffed at them before turning toward the driver's side door. "Just don't kill yourselves. It won't hurt to stop for a few hours."

Meg closed the older woman's door. "Love ya, Aunt Jo."

"Hmmph. You'd better." Jo looked into the SUV and called out, "Okay, are we ready?:

A mumbled reply and an excited yelp answered the question.

Meg smiled. "Drive safe and give Aunt Gloria my love, will you?"

"Yep." Jo stuck the vehicle into reverse, her attention on the road. "Now get out of the way before I run over your toes."

Meg leaned in and gave the older woman a peck on the cheek. "Love ya." She pushed further forward to look inside toward the back. "Love you guys. Be good, okay?"

Meg didn't hear their response as they all backed away to move down the road. She looked at the house and sighed. This was really good-bye.

"Ready?"

Meg took one last look at the house that had held so much of her life and nodded, accepting the hand Luk offered. "Let's go."

"Meg," a feminine voice called.

"Meg," a male voice echoed.

She turned and watched the approaching couple with a smile. It was her neighbors, Katrina and her brother Phil.

Katrina was more serene in the daylight. She stood with a slight smile on her ageless face. She was a small, thin woman of indeterminate years. Although she did not appear to be a day over thirty, her long fine hair was almost white. Katrina's eyes were a very pale blue, a dark ring around the irises.

Phil was short, pudgy and balding. What little hair he had left was as white as Katrina's and his blue eyes laughed with inner amusement.

Meg chuckled as she met them half-way. She was really going to miss these two.

Katrina wasted no time. She wrapped Meg in her arms and planted a motherly kiss on the top of her head. "We wanted to see you on your way, my dear".

Meg frowned. "You're not here to tell me not to go, are you"?

Katrina and Phil exchanged a horrified look.

"Oh, hell no," Phil exclaimed, grabbing Meg in a big old bear hug. "It's taken you too long to leave." He pushed her towards the truck.

Katrina took her arm and led her to the passenger side. She opened the door and turned towards the younger woman. "It's time you loosen up and start living a little."

Meg grimaced. She wasn't really looking for more advice.

Katrina licked her lips. "Look, Meg, there's more to life than work."

Meg smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

Katrina looked down, a thoughtful frown furrowing her forehead. "You're about to learn things that will leave you questioning the world around you."

Meg pulled back. "What?"

She met the younger woman's gaze. "You're needed; your imagination, your creativity, your love." She shrugged and gripped Meg's arms and bit her lips. "I don't know how to say how much we need you."

"Who?"

Katrina smiled and stepped back. "You'll see, dear." She looked at the truck as if trying to peer through it to the other side. "At least I hope so. We're running out of time."

On the other side of the truck Phil and Luk were staring at each other. "Well," Phil said backing away. "Don't screw this up. You don't have any chances left."

Luk looked at the older man with a questioning frown. "Do I know you?"

Phil smiled up at the younger man with a knowing, mysterious smile. "I should certainly hope so."

"Who–"

Phil raised a hand in good-bye and stepped away. "Just tell her, Luk." He nodded, walking backwards. "We're really running out of time."

Meg and Luk got into the cab and watched the odd couple leave in silence.

"Well," Luk said. "You're sure you have everything?"

Meg nodded. "We've got a long way to go."

They drove past the city limits in silence.

"So you want to tell me about Rich?"

Meg looked at him as they bounced down the road. "Huh?"

"Rich," he repeated over the roar of the truck. "What do you know about him?"

She raised a hand, floundering. "I don't know." She watched the flat landscape fly past her window. "He was a client I had to contact from time to time." She shrugged, thinking. "He was in the Piggly Wiggly a couple of times."

"What? His butler couldn't make it?"

Meg snorted. "What's up with you?"

He looked at her, his full, powerful gaze resting on her for a moment before settling back on the road. His shoulders tensed as he grabbed his sunglasses and slipped them on. Luckily, the rising sun was behind them as they rode west.

West. Where the cowboys reigned. It was wild.

Meg sighed. "I had dinner with him once even though my gut told me not to. He didn't act all—well, like a stalker. I didn't realize there was anything going on."

"You listen to your gut regularly?"

"Not as often as I should."

They both watched the traffic going by them in silence for a moment.

"What does your gut say about me?"

Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to swallow her surprise. "Um..."

"Judging by your call for the interrogation, it must be bad."

"No, it, well..." Meg's brain lurched. For some reason she just couldn't think of a suitable response. Her brain sputtered and stopped. "Do you want the truth?"

He shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

She stared out the widow, berating her wild imagination. What would he do when she told him? Laugh his fool head off? Commit her? They still had half the continent to cross and he was driving. She sighed, finding a plan of attack. "What did you do before you were at Aunt Jo's?"

Luk looked at her from the corner of his eye. "What are you getting at?"

She shrugged, bolstering herself. "Trying to back myself up."

"How about you just come out with it?"

She looked at him. "Is it a secret? Were you a convict or something?"

"No."

"Are you running from the law?"

"Do you think so?" he asked quietly, his jaw tensing.

"No," she said, turning back toward the windshield with a frown, "but I've been wrong before."

They were quiet for several miles as they listened to the truck rumble beneath them.

"I am running from a law." His hands twisted around the steering wheel. "Of sorts."

Meg looked at him. She saw raw pain contort his face as he stared at the road. "What do you mean?"

He breathed for several moments, his breath deep and harsh as if he were trying to suck a rock out of his lungs. Spotting an exit, he veered off.

"What are you doing?"

His answer was silence as he pulled into the only gas station. Putting the large truck in park, he turned toward her and sat, staring at her through eyes she could not see. The only thing she saw was her own reflection. "Don't you remember?"

"Uh..."

With a shake of his head, he cut the engine and climbed out of the cab.

Setting her shoulders with stiff determination, she slid out of the cab and followed him in. Looking around, she searched for him but he wasn't there.

"Bathroom?" she asked the clerk.

The woman behind the counter offered the key with a bored smile.

She still had to decide what she would say to Luk and the throne was a good place for that.

Feeling much relieved, she washed her hands, the toilet still running in the background. She stared at her reflection, nearly forgotten words playing back in her head.

"It hurts to be forgotten, doesn't it?"

"Promise me you won't forget me."

"How could I ever forget you?"

"I talked to the Elders..."

She shook her head. She was going insane if she really thought the man out there was her dustman. His voice continued.

"Don't you remember?"

"I am...running from a law. Of sorts."

" _If people forget me, the cloud of disbelief will swallow me and the only place I would be able to hide is in your world."_ Meg tried to stop her wildly churning thoughts. Her mind refused.

" _How could anyone forget you?"_ she remembered saying.

"It's happened to better dustmen, Meg. I won't let it happen to me."

Her eyes widened as she stared at her reflection. "Oh. Jesus." With a groan of disbelief, she flung the door open, gave the clerk back the key and searched for Luk.

"Your world and mine are so tightly interwoven, they could almost be the same. We are bound to you and you are bound to us through your belief."

Meg threw a slightly horrified glance at the lady behind the counter, wondering...if it were possible Luk was _her_ Luk, maybe this woman was from the dream realm, too? For that matter, who was to say anyone here was real? Maybe everyone was from the dream realm. Maybe this was the dream realm.

The woman winked.

Meg's heart did somersaults. Her reeling mind made her dizzy. A quiet voice of reason whispered, _coincidence_. She'd never believed in coincidence. It certainly felt more comforting than believing Luk came from Dreamland.

Luk stood, looking at the sodas in the refrigerator case. He glanced over before looking back. "Want anything?"

Meg caught her breath. She looked at the case and shrugged, finding her attack point. "There's nothing in here like muddleberry juice."

He stuck his hands in his pockets and chuckled. "We could probably use some of that. That would give us the energy to drive for two whole days."

She looked at him, her eyes wide.

He looked at her, startled, their conversation finally sinking in through the hum-drum fog. "Meg?"

She choked back the surprise still lodged in her throat. Not only had he just admitted to it, but he'd confirmed his identity. "Luk?"

He swallowed, looking down at her through uncertain eyes.

She shook her head, looking back. "What are you doing here?"

He looked down, frowning. "It's a long story."

She looked at him, searching his face, raking his figure for a sign she was right or wrong. "How can this be?"

He looked at her, his eyes flaring, icy blue lights shooting from his eyes. "How is it you're here?"

She took a step back. "What do you mean?"

"You exist. How?"

She frowned at him, her nose flaring. " _I_ was born."

He took one step toward her, his mouth set in determination. "So was I a long time ago."

"Things happened, Luk. I had to grow up. I couldn't–" She looked at the refrigerator case in frustration. "I couldn't pretend anymore."

"Am I pretend?" he growled, taking a step toward her.

She looked up and blinked. She was surrounded by the warmth of his body as he crowded her space.

His eyes, consuming and raw, sucked her breath away.

"I don't know," she whispered.

He grabbed her waist and head, crushing her against him, teeth against her lips, commanding them open, hands digging into her hair, pulling it loose in unruly waves.

She couldn't breathe. This man, this solid, real man made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Craved.

Needed.

Devoured.

She opened to him, lifting herself onto the balls of her feet to deepen the kiss. She ran her tongue along his, gasping as his teeth gripped it, raking it.

She molded her body into his.

He growled, pulling his lips from hers. His head against hers, he pushed her toward the glass door of the refrigerator case, lifting her up.

She cried out, her eyes opened in surprise. "Luk," she said breathlessly, caressing his face with soft, needy hands. "My Luk."

He growled again, deeper, the intensity of his gaze telling her she was his.

She looked into his eyes and met his lips halfway.

With a hungry sigh, he melted into her body.

They both felt the heat of the kiss, so different than the first. This was primal. This was about claiming. This was about territory. This was about power.

They closed their eyes, allowing emotions to guide their bodies as they rocked against each other. The heat built inside them, their bodies touching.

Her head came up as she sucked in air at the same moment the milk jugs in the case behind them exploded with a loud, multi-shot pop.

They looked at each other, the spell broken but the result still apparent. Turning, she looked surprised and amazed at the milk-painted case.

His face was bright red.

Luk grabbed her hand, dragging her past the cashier. He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and dumped it on the shocked woman's counter. "Sorry about the mess."

They climbed into the truck. Meg looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "What was that?" she asked as the gas station disappeared.

Luk was quiet for a long time. "That is the law I'm breaking by being here."

She shook her head, glancing in her mirror out of habit. "I don't understand."

He chewed his lip as he maneuvered the heavy, whining truck onto the highway. "It's simple, really. No one believed in me anymore. No one came. No one called."

Meg closed her eyes.

"The storm had already taken my land and all of my creatures. I was next. Everybody knew it. They couldn't believe the Storm of Disbelief hadn't sucked me up already."

"So you ran away."

"Yes."

"And Jo took you in."

He sighed. "Yes."

"Why Aunt Jo?"

He looked at her. "Do you have to ask?"

She frowned and looked away. "But–"

"When you ask permission to come here, you leave your immortality behind. Your magic, too."

She looked at him. "You...still have..."

He nodded grimly. "Yes."

"But, Luk, the Elders–"

"I know."

Her hands were in her hair as she fell into her seat. "Oh, Jesus."

They watched the occasional cow as they hurried past the harvested fields of the plains.

Meg licked her lips. "What are you going to do?"

He pursed his lips and wrung the steering wheel, something, Meg noticed, he did quite often. "I don't know."

"What happens if you're caught?"

He looked at her. "They'll unmake me."

The cab became silent as jumbled thoughts churned, but one thought stood out in Meg's mind as the clouds let down a scattering of snow.

Her Luk was back. And she wasn't letting go.

If she but dared to believe.

6

MEG reluctantly pulled herself from the thick web of sleep. Something was calling her. She cringed on the outskirt of consciousness, unwilling to think of what she might experience this night. Every night was filled with nightmares; nightmares with places that were always the same, monsters who never changed, faces and fears that were never fully developed into understanding. She didn't want to go. She wanted to remain in the darkness, surrounded by silence. There, she could ignore her fears, her bills, her failures, her heartache, her dreams...being alone.

However, her mind had its own plans.

She was running.

Snow lay on the branches of the close-knit pines, boulders, and ferns. She wasn't cold, though. There was no sound. No other creatures inhabited this world.

She ran, fearful they would catch her.

No. That wasn't right.

She pulled her mind back, nearly awake, taking control of the situation. As soon as she got settled into Aunt Jo's and had a job, she was really going to have to pay her bills. Her subconscious reminded her she was late.

With a sigh, she tried to slip back into the realms of sleep, retracing her steps into her dream. Mountains, she recalled. Trees. Snow.

The world around her shifted, gray and drab; lifeless. Her ears hurt with the eerie silence. Trees stood in naked abandon around her as if they were survivors of a not-too distant volcano.

She turned, puzzled. This wasn't like any of her other nightmares. Her eyes widened in surprise. Rocky-Faced Mountain? She stared around her in shock. What had happened? Why did she continue to dream about this?

Fear flared in her chest. She spun, trying to see why. This was much like the other dream. Would the monster come or would it be Rich? How and why was Rich visiting her nightmares? Nightmares showed the dreamer that which the mind or heart refused to grasp. So what did these nightmares mean? Did they have something to do with her feelings for Luk?

"You will be mine," Rich's voice echoed around her. "Luk is no one and nothing. Look at how easily he is destroyed."

Somehow, this didn't feel like a dream she was supposed to decipher. This felt too real.

Rich materialized in front of her, startling her. His dark, pin-stripe suit was immaculate. His dark hair was impeccably feathered into place. He raised a hand to cup her cheek. "So like Elizabeth."

She flinched. "Who?"

Hurt and love warred with each other in his eyes as he stared down at her. "You were meant for me." Rage darkened his features as the wind kicked up around them. "For me. How dare he try to take you as his own."

Meg took a step back. "I don't understand."

"Together, you and I will rule this world." The zealous fire left his eyes. "My beautiful Elizabeth. I will give you light. You only need take it."

"Light?"

Rich smiled beautifully at her. "It keeps us all alive."

What in the _heck_ was going on? "How will you give me the light?"

"You won't take it," he whispered, the love and caring fleeing from his expression. "You won't take it."

She wasn't sure what he would do next. She took another step back, searching for a place to hide.

He bent under the rain of emotions. His image flickered from a perfect younger man to an old, decrepit crone. He advanced on her, his body changing.

Whoa.

First his face reflected the man she knew, but the hands were long, older, the nails curling around the tip of his fingers, thick and yellow. They morphed into younger, more supple hands and the hair shifted from shiny black to long, brittle and white. He reached out to her, grabbing her forearms with such strength, it hurt. "You _will_ take my light, you filthy whore."

"Sto–"

"First, she refuses to take my light," he said, his eyes going slightly crazed. "Then he can't _find_ his light, screwing up all my plans for him."

Was she supposed to understand _any_ of this?

He focused on her again. "And then I found you. I could start over again with you. I could grow old with you. You could carry my children and we could try again." His fingers tightened on her arms and his face shifted before her eyes. His skin turned into parchment. His eyes turned cold, white and icy. "You will not leave me for my son, nor shall you abandon him to marry another man."

Her breathing seemed to stop. Her heart beat so hard, she thought it would leap from her chest. Her mind screamed for someone to pull her out of this nightmare.

A firm hand grabbed her shoulder and yanked. The dream winked out and was replaced by a white room and a tall. In it was a tall, dark man in shiny black leather who looked like a Harley riding Native American. A very, very...very handsome man. She blinked at him in surprise.

He frowned down at her, confused. "Where have you been?"

"I–" She stopped. She had no idea what to say.

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. Finally he nodded. "My name is Keme. I'm your nightmare."

Meg could only stare.

Luk hadn't planned on Meg falling asleep when he needed to take the kids to Dreamland. He'd pulled into a motel and gotten a room. She was out. Didn't even stir when he'd man-handled her into the room.

Luk had thought tonight would be a good night to take Meg to Dreamland. However, when he tried to retrieve her, he'd found her spirit gone. He shook his head. Odd.

But there were dreams that took a soul to places their bodies could not go. There were foretelling dreams and meaning dreams and fun dreams. He shrugged. He wasn't concerned.

There were two people he wanted to pick up. He could feel them now, whereas, before today, they'd been hiding.

Luk stood inside the living room of Gloria's house, staring at Nick, Nali and Aunt Jo. Gloria's house was small but it was warm and filled with love. She'd never had any children and had never married. Her backyard garden was bigger than her house. Aunt Jo was sprawled in the recliner. Nali was curled up on the couch. Nick lay snoring on the floor.

Nakirta twittered behind Luk as they slipped through the closed window, chattering at him in a language too fast for the human ear to comprehend and decipher. Her large butterfly-like wings fluttered slowly, raising her and lowering her where she floated at Luk's back. Her long, black hair lay in a multitude of braids down her back to fall just short of her knees. Her wings were iridescent with a slight-of-eye design that resembled large eyes in the palest of blues and greens. Her dress was long and light, tangling with her feet in its loose, bright pink tatters. Her twig-like limbs moved with excitement as she spoke, her large brown eyes nearly dwarfing her face.

Luk smiled. "I know." He turned back to Nali with a frown on his face. "I have so many questions. Why has it taken so long to find them? How did they disappear?"

If one were to slow down time, one could understand the language of the fairies who dwelt in a land between time. It was a simple language with few words. One word could mean many different things depending on vocal intonation, hand usage and the message hidden behind the eyes. "Questions, questions," Nakirta said, her mouth drooped in a slight frown, her hands folded in front of her. "Answer now?" Her head tipped to the side, offering a hand to the window. "Dreamers go. We go. Go now. Play soon."

Luk smiled and nodded, turning toward her so he could watch what she didn't say. "Just remind me to ask Grandmother why they were walled off from me and why they aren't now." He shook his head, reaching into a pouch he'd slung over his shoulder. "I wish I could talk to the two Elders."

"Elders no," Nakirta said, shaking her head fervently, flying back a wing's breath. "Elders gone. Secret. Bad."

"Bad for who?" Luk asked. "And where are they?"

Nakirta shrugged, a look of who-cares on her face. She raised a hand to her ear and flung it away again. "Nakirta hear. Nakirta go." He eyes widened with fright as she shot into the air. "Elders gone."

"Who scared you?"

"Elder see Nakirta," she tittered with a shiver.

"Which one?"

She curled her hands into claws and mimicked a low, full voice. "Ricardo."

Luk's eyes narrowed. "The leader. The one who wants to send the storm after me. The one who made me."

Nakirta nodded solemnly, her big eyes wide and earnest.

"So he's in this world?"

Nakirta shrugged. "Not Dreamland, go where?"

"Good question," he said softly, staring at the floor in thought. "But where? How?"

"Nakirta know," Nakirta said, shaking her head sadly in negation. "We go. Dreamers go. Go play."

Luk smiled and nodded. Fairies were far from being as simple as they appeared. Luk often wondered if they only showed humans what they could comprehend. With a sigh, he took out a fist full of dream sand and sprinkled it into each of the children's eyes.

Nali's spirit rose from her body. She sat up, looking around. "What's going on?" She caught sight of the dustman with a startled frown. "Luk?"

Nick smiled hugely as his spirit clambered from his body. "You finally came." He hugged the bigger man and pulled back. "What took you so long?"

"That's a good question," Luk said, holding the younger man's shoulder. "I would really like the answer to that one. It's been too long. I've missed you."

"What are you doing here?" Nali asked. "I thought you were with Mom."

Luk threw a look over his shoulder at Nakirta who was staring at him, her ankles crossed and her arms folded across her chest. She was very upset. "We'd best be off."

"Are you real?" Nali asked.

"In a sense," Luk said, grabbing first Nali's hand and then Nick's. "Are you ready?"

Nakirta stared at the dustman in surprise. "You here?"

Luk decided to pretend like he hadn't heard her.

"A fairy," Nali exclaimed, incredible enjoyment flooding her petite face. "I just _knew_ fairies were real. But you're bigger than I had thought. You're taller than I am."

Nakirta threw Luk a look telling him she wasn't done with him. She beamed at Nali and pirouetted, twittering and chattering madly.

"What's she saying?"

Luk shrugged. "Sometimes, she goes so fast, even I don't understand her."

Nakirta stopped and tipped a cross-armed frown at the dustman.

He smiled like a man in trouble and pulled the kids forward. "Well, I brought her along as an added surprise for you."

Nakirta shook her head, hands, feet, and wings moving wildly to emphasize what she was chattering about.

Nick looked dubiously at the slender creature. "What did she just say?"

The dustman shook his head. "Nothing much." No need to repeat what had really been said. _I wanted to see why my dustman has run away._ "Well, come on. We've a long ride ahead of us."

Most times, Luk took the kids before they'd fully awakened and blinked them to Dreamland. However, this night, Luk wanted to make things special. He took a longer, harder to create route to Dreamland. That was the reason for asking Nakirta to help. No. Not for pixie dust. No. She was needed to help him imagine a wonderful and memorable entrance into Dreamland. Really, the only way to get there was to believe yourself there. He wanted Nick and Nali to have more than that.

Nick looked up at Luk with a grin. "Just like old times."

With a hop, Luk sent the three of them into the air and through the double-paned glass. They glided over Gloria's small yard, over the tiny community of dark, welcoming houses and bright, beaming street lights. The town was nestled on the banks of a wide lake. Rounded hills rose at the edges, tucking the place away like a precious gem. Luk glided them through the tall oak trees, bringing them higher into the air. With a sudden burst of speed, they cleared the trees into the open sky.

"Luk," Nali called, her tone worried. "Where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there," he said with a laugh. The wind made the brim of his leather hat flop.

Nakirta flew, her eyes wide open and focused inward. They sped onward toward the stars.

Nali held on for dear life, euphoric terror painted onto her face.

Nick was enjoying the ride, occasionally giving out a wild whoop.

Nakirta twittered, gesturing toward the stars. Luk's face lit up as he took in the view she provided. The pinpricks of light suddenly drew closer as the world faded below them. Wispy clouds gathered around them and swirled as they flew through. The lights grew closer and larger until a face could be seen on most of them and the travelers could hear the stars as they talked to each other, calling to each other by name.

Nali seemed to forget her fright as sheer delight swept across her features.

Nick rolled his eyes and looked up at Luk. He was ready for the wild ride to continue.

Luk glanced over at Nakirta and smiled gratefully.

She shrugged with a regal eyebrow raised and took lead.

She pointed the group down, back through the clouds they'd just cleared. Luk took the kids up and stopped.

With a mischievous glance toward Nick, he allowed gravity to take them back down.

Nick's dark brown eyes opened wide with surprise.

Nali closed her eyes. The wild wind whipped her hair into her face and tugged madly at her nightgown.

"Open your eyes, Nali," Luk yelled at her. "You're missing the best part."

Nali cracked one brown eye open as the face of a mountain raced in front of her.

Nick was laughing, low and deep, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Nali let out a yelp and closed her eye once more.

They raced down the side of Rocky-Faced Mountain. The mountain called a greeting to them as they passed. The kids surrounding him scrambled to their feet to wave and call out to them.

At the base, Luk leveled them out as they soared over The Meadow, the tall grass swishing in their wake. A dog barked, running after them, nipping at their feet. Luk set them down gently in the middle of the tall grass and let go of their hands. "Welcome to Dreamland."

"Dog," Nick exclaimed as he attacked the yellow Labrador who had been barking at them. Dog leapt into his arms, his long tail wagging wildly as he lapped the boy's happy face.

Nali stared around her in wonder. "This is Dreamland? This is really Dreamland?"

Luk chuckled. "Yup. This is it."

She turned around slowly, trying to take it all in. "This is just like Momma's pictures." She looked up at her dustman. "That's so cool."

"Well, I'm glad you like it," he said, taking her shoulders in one arm and hugging her to him. "I hope you enjoy your time here. Dog will take Nick around, but I thought maybe you might be tired of your brother, so I asked Nakirta if she'd take you around and show you everything."

Nali's eyes lit up as she peaked around at the fairy. "You would do that?"

Nakirta smiled hugely and nodded, her hands folded in front of her.

"That's so cool." She hugged Luk's waist. "Thanks for bringing me. I'll see you later. 'K?"

"Yeah, thanks, Luk," Nick said, standing up to follow Dog who ran barking into Paint-Bucket Forest. "I'll catch ya when it's time to go back."

Luk waved to both the kids and stood watching the land with pride, listening to the sweet music of the laughter and conversations of the many children. The wind pulled, tugging him toward Dreamers' Hill, letting him know he had visitors. He turned toward the hill with a ready smile, which vanished as soon as he saw his visitor.

Finn strode down the hill followed by the stately glide of the oldest Elder. Finn shrugged apologetically as he approached his friend. When he came up to Luk, he said softly, "I guess I'm takin' over fer ya. Ricardo wants ta have a word or two with ye."

"What does he want?" Luk whispered, watching the approaching Elder with unease.

"How should I know? I just do wha' I'm told. I'll be takin' yer kids back a bi' early as I've me own ta take back too."

"Right. Do you really think we'll be gone long?"

"When there's an Elder involved, who knows?" Finn said firmly and headed off to do a head count before starting his watch.

"Lukoe O'Rourke," Ricardo called, his deep voice filling the air.

Luk stood up straighter and faced the Elder. "You wanted to see me?"

The old, stooped Elder nodded slowly. He held out one hand and crooked a long finger at the dustman. The thick, curling, yellowing nail beckoned ominously. "Come. There is something I must show you."

Luk followed the old man as he turned to remount the hill. He closed his eyes, but his stomach still let him know when they began moving through the many dimensions of the land and when they stopped. He opened his mouth to ask what Ricardo wanted, but no sound came out of his mouth.

He was awestruck.

The most beautiful, most tranquil place he'd ever seen stretched out in front of him. A crystal clear lake ended at a small cliff of shining obsidian. He could see his reflection in both the lake and the rock. Lush green moss blanketed the boulders surrounding the serene body of water. And rising straight into the clear, bright sky of white ran a wide waterfall. Mist rose at its base, spraying Luk's face.

But all was silent. There was no roar from the waterfall, no bird calls, no lapping water, no frog song. All was in perfect, brilliant silence.

Luk spun around and blinked in surprise. All around him were mirrors. He turned toward the Elder and again opened his mouth to demand answers, but again nothing came out.

The other man sneered. He closed the short distance between them and set his hands on Luk's shoulders. Malice shot from the Elder's ice-blue eyes, searing Luk's soul with the chill. _You failed me, dustman. You have ruined all of my plans. Now you will pay._

Luk was thrown off the waterfall, barreling toward the bottom. He hit the hard rock wall behind it with a painful jar and tumbled down, falling for the briefest of moments with the droplets of the water cascading from the sky high above.

The moment hung for only a second.

He rolled under the lake's surface, beaten by the force of the falling water. He fought the downward pull. Being a spirit, he didn't need to breathe, per se; however, below him was a black abyss. Who knew where it went or how deep it was. Dreamland was boundless. Who was to say it even had a limit?

As he fought to touch the surface of the water growing further and further away, sounds touched his ears; echoes of laughter and long forgotten conversations, hints of emotions tapped against his heart. Visions danced in the water before his eyes; distant memories, some familiar, most foreign.

He stopped fighting, his legs and arms floating away from his body. The water ceased it's pulling and instead held him in its watery womb. His shirt and pants billowed around him. His hair floated, moving this way and that with the suddenly soft motion of the water.

_You seek answers, Lukoe O'Rourke,_ a soft, female voice said, filling his mind without disturbing the sounds of the memories around him.

He nodded, his blonde hair floating lazily.

There is much to tell you. Listen.

An image formed in his mind of his lands. The picture widened until all of Dreamland filled his vision. The levels extended as far up into the dark, starlit space around him as his eyes could see. At one end, a large waterfall flowed, emptying from each plane and ended in the lake surrounded by mirrors. It swept under the Nightmare Realm where it rose upward to return back to each level.

_This is Dreamland as you know it, Luk,_ the Lady of the Lake said. _The water of Dreams flows through every part of it, providing life to the imagination. Now watch._

Each level's light slowly blinked out. Luk watched in horror as the lands grew dark and slowly began to fade. _Where's the storm?_

She cannot be everywhere at once. There will be many she won't be able to save.

_Save?_ he demanded. _Those she takes do not come back._

_She is a necessary part of Dreamland, Luk,_ the Lady of the Lake said softly.

_Like nightmares?_ he asked with a frown.

The Lady paused. _There is much you don't know, Luk. And much you must learn._

"Thank you, Luk," a rough male voice cried euphorically. "I couldn't have done this without you."

Luk blinked. Dreamland was gone and all that stood before him was a formless ball of boiling, white energy. A stooped man floated in front of it, his decrepit head thrown back, his gaping mouth open. White rivers of power flowed into the man's eyes and through his long fingers.

_You need to find your light, Luk,_ the Lady said. _Soon._

A hand grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him out of the water. Strong arms grabbed him and pulled him out.

The visions disappeared.

The voices stopped.

Luk lay on his back, staring into the depths of the white ceiling above him. Shock seeped through his body.

"Who are you?" Keme asked bewildered.

7

LUK rolled his wet head toward the nightmare slowly. They were no longer at the Lake of Dreams. They were in a dark void. "You know who I am."

Keme shook his head, staring at the dustman in wonder. "I'm beginning to think I do not."

Luk threw the nightmare a disgruntled look. He tried to gather his energy. He felt as if ten years had been stripped off his life. "Where is he?"

"Who?"

"The Elder." Luk sat up, rubbing his head. "I don't believe it. The Elder who created me wants to kill me." He shook his head, looking around. "Why?"

Keme stared at the man in horror. "What did you do to piss him off?"

"Are you allowed to say 'pissed off' here?" Luk asked, throwing the nightmare a quizzical glance.

"There are no sugar plums and fairy tales here, dustman." Keme shrugged. "We face truths here. We are free to speak our minds however the mood suits us."

Luk raised his eyebrows and turned away.

"Back to my question. How did you piss off the Elder?"

"I don't know." He had an idea, like the fact that his very real body was below in a motel room.

Keme stood, a look of consternation on his face. "You said the Elder who created you. All the Elders were not present at your ceremony?"

"No." Luk looked up, following the nightmare's movements. "There was no ceremony."

"No ceremony?"

"No. He just brought me up here after I died and said I had a light or something and I had a portion of Dreamland I had to keep up."

Keme stopped. "Who was present to protect the land when you were given your light?"

"No one. Only me and him."

The nightmare knelt next to Luk, peering deeply into his eyes. "Were there any problems when you received your light?"

"It was never given to me. He said I had it."

Keme sat back on his haunches for a stunned moment. "A dustman with no light. How is that possible?"

Luk stared at the nightmare. "What are you saying?"

Keme's head came up suddenly. He stood, looking down at Luk. "How is it you survived the Lake of Dreams? No one has survived a dunking in there."

"Why not?"

The nightmare looked at Luk as if he'd lost his mind. "It's not water, dustman. It's pure energy."

Luk blinked, digesting that. It made sense, but raised a lot of questions.

"How did you survive?"

"How'd you find me?"

"The Elders called me and told me someone was in the Lake." Keme narrowed his eyes at the dustman. "What happened in there?"

"Ricardo brought me here and pushed me in. Then the Lady was there showing me stuff."

"Lady?"

Luk nodded. "The Lady of the Lake. She spoke to me, showed me what Dreamland looked like."

Keme frowned at him.

Luk shook his head. "And then _all_ of the lights of _all_ the dustmen blinked out and Ricardo was standing by a large ball of energy, thanking me for helping him."

"The lake showed you all of this?"

Luk focused on the man and nodded. "But the nightmare realm never lost their light. How is it possible the dustmen would die, but the nightmares wouldn't?"

Keme blinked and turned away, pacing. "If Ricardo is trying to bring down Dreamland, he has no pull over the nightmares. He was once a dustman, so it makes sense his attack would be there."

Luk chewed his lip. He'd never known that.

Keme looked around, eyeing the walls of the dark room. "Which makes sense. The other Elders have been around here a lot lately, laying down new protection spells."

"You mean some of the Elders used to be nightmares?" Luk asked incredulously. "Like who?"

"I believe you know Katrina and Phil."

Luk blinked, his mind racing to catch up. "The neighbors?"

Keme nodded. "They're the ones who have been trying to help you."

Life stepped in and dimmed her light and through her, it dimmed yours. In her heart lies the answer, but only when you share her heart and bind your heart to hers will the answer be found.

Luk shook himself. "How do you know all of this?"

"I am a nightmare."

"So you have more power than dustmen, more rights?"

Keme sighed and procured a chair out of the air to sit on. "Nightmares are more like psychiatrists than anything. We bring the dreamer into a safe bubble, find their fears and bring them out, force the dreamer to face them."

Luk rose, drawing a chair out of the air for himself. "So how do you know so much about my situation?"

"Now that is an interesting question."

That was also not an answer

A table appeared between them complete with iced tea and cookies.

The nightmare fingered through the brimming plate of cookies and chose the one he wanted, his eyes lost in thought. "I'm not entirely sure how this puzzle all unfolds or why the pieces have been brought to me." He took a small bite and motioned for Luk to help himself. "But I seem to be hearing about you from many people."

Luk frowned, picking through the cookies. "Like who?"

"Meg," the nightmare said quietly, sending the feel of Meg with the name.

Luk flinched, his gaze rising to meet the nightmare's.

Keme's dark eyes narrowed. "Do you still claim a nightmare chased her into your realm?"

The dustman nodded, watching the other man warily. "I still have questions about that, actually."

"Nightmares are not allowed to visit your lands." Keme rubbed at the condensation on the outside of his glass. "As a matter of fact, no one is allowed onto your lands without your permission. They can approach your Hill, but may enter your lands only by your welcome."

"Well, then–"

"You were supposed to have been instructed of this in your dustman ceremony."

"But I didn't have one."

"Makes a man wonder," Keme said softly. He took another bite of his cookie, reflecting. "I've also heard about you from Nick and Nali. Nick wonders if you will be his next dad and Nali imagines you taking her mother away and marrying her so you can all live happily ever after."

Luk's words froze in his chest.

"What is this game you play, Luk?" Keme asked, resting his elbows on the table and staring at the dustman earnestly. "I've seen you on Earth through their eyes. Why are you down there?"

Crap. "I went down there to find the dreamers. They left me when Meg left. I had to find them."

Keme's eyes burned into Luk's soul. "Why are you really down there?"

Luk couldn't take his gaze away from the nightmare. His mind refused to work. It felt almost as if there were a hand in his head, sifting through his memories, trying to find something specific. "I couldn't stay here any longer," Luk whispered. The cookie crumpled in his hands. "The storm had taken everything and everyone. There was nothing left. I knew I was next."

Keme's eyes narrowed, but he didn't let go of Luk's gaze, even to blink. "Storm?"

"Lady Storm," Luk said, trying to break away. "She comes when one of us or our creatures is forgotten. She takes them away."

"Ah, yes." Keme nodded. "I remember now."

"You don't have anything like this?"

The nightmare shook his head. "No. We're much too busy. When we're tired of hearing of everyone's problems and fixing other people's hearts, we retire and another nightmare takes our place. It's simple." He cleared his throat. "So you went to Earth to flee the storm."

Luk nodded.

Keme leaned back, releasing Luk's gaze. "What was the real reason?"

Luk stared at the man, unable to hold the truth back. It was staring boldly at him, refusing to allow him to look away. "To find Meg."

"She was never lost," the nightmare said softly.

Luk chewed on that for a moment.

"You would be interested to hear what the Elders have to say about you, I think," the nightmare said, an eyebrow raised.

Luk chewed his questions and the bitter jealousy attached to them in silence. He released the crumbled cookie in his hand. "All right. I'll bite. What was said?"

Keme picked up his glass and swirled the amber liquid. "Apparently, one of the Elders has gone rogue. And now, thanks to you, I know which one. They said if he isn't stopped, Dreamland as we know it will cease to exist."

"Dreamland would die?"

"I didn't say that," Keme said quietly. "Dreamland can never die. However, if Ricardo isn't stopped and he destroys everything, Dreamland will be rebuilt by whoever the Elders can find to replace the dustmen, and it could look very, very different."

"I don't understand."

"Dreamland will change, but it will never die."

"Then–" Luk expelled a long breath. "I don't understand. If Dreamland won't die, then it's not bad. What's my part in all this?"

"At first, I also was confused." Keme said, sipping his tea. He placed his booted feet up on the table. "She kept saying they needed to find the rogue dustman. I thought we found him."

"Uh, wait. That wasn't me?"

The nightmare shook his head. "No. A couple of months ago, we found the dustman's grave. Frank Mozzelli murdered a man and was killed while trying to escape."

Luk started. "Frank Mozzelli is the man who killed Tom."

"Tom," Keme said with a frown. "Meg's husband."

The dustman nodded. "Rich claimed he was a cousin. Could he have known–" He stopped himself. "Of course he knew Frank was a dustman. Rich was here."

"Here?"

"Yeah. He was the man I met before I fell into your nightmare bubble thing. He was trying to lead me to a place where we could talk."

"There is no place except inside the bubble and if he were a nightmare, he would have simply created one for you and slipped you inside." Keme sat in thought for a moment. "Who is Rich?"

Luk repeated the name, adding the man's signature.

The nightmare blinked, staring at Luk in disbelief. "That's Ricardo. Tell me you didn't know that."

"Rich is Ricardo?" Luk asked, stunned. He stood up. "Meg."

Keme rose with him and placed a hand on the dustman's shoulder. "Be still. She's safe for now."

"How can you know that?"

"I have her. She's currently sorting out her emotions about you."

"But you don't understand. If Rich is Ricardo, then there is no safe place for her."

Keme narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Rich is after her." Luk stood up and paced the room. "He wants her to marry him. He was most insistent about that in the graveyard. Oh my, God," he said, turning toward Keme. "He's trying to kill me as a dustman, and he knows I'm with Meg."

Keme shook his head. "She's safe."

"He was here, Keme," Luk yelled. "How can you say she's safe? He has access to all of Dreamland. How can you keep her safe unless you're there protecting her? Are there clones of you?"

"No one has ever taken one of my–" He stopped. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Meg was confused. She wondered what in the world the nightmare was talking about. Her nightmare? People had nightmares now?

Of course people had nightmares. They complained about them all the time. They were like dustmen? She shook her head. She was having a hard time digesting that thought.

Soon dark silence filled the deep caverns of her mind and left little room for thought. She had no idea how long she'd been in that state, when there was a noise.

She pulled herself out of sleep and opened her eyes, but saw only darkness. There were limits to it, like walls she could sense but could not see.

There it was again.

She stood up, her ears straining to pinpoint the noise.

A footstep.

Her heart raced. Was this another dream? She shook her head. It didn't feel like it. She looked around, frustrated. Why couldn't she see anything? Then it hit her. She was in Dreamland. Whatever she wanted she had the power to create.

So with a very solid thought, she wished to see the whole room. In the blink of an eye, the room was filled with white light and she stood upon a solid, concave floor.

Footstep sounded again.

It was outside the wall. She backed away from it, putting her hand to the opposite wall. It was sticky and not very substantial. It almost felt like a web. She looked behind her again and made her decision. She curled her fingers like claws and began to rip at the fabric of the wall.

A great hole opened beneath her fingers. She nearly fell forward, but caught herself, the thin, sticky film of the structure barely supporting her weight and stared in horror.

All around her were oddly shaped, gray bubbles and all of them were making strange noises that sounded bad. She looked to either side of her. The bubbles went on as far as she could see and they were stacked up past the cloud-covered ceiling. She looked down. The ground was far below.

She had no idea where she was. This was not Dreamland. Her Dreamland was nothing like this. This was scary and drab. This was straight out of a horror movie. The only thing she knew was she must get away.

She heard the footstep again. She looked in the direction of the sound. Her eyes widened in horror and surprise. It was her monster, the old man with the long, white hair and tattered robes

His head came up. His pale, cold eyes met hers and his decrepit face smiled in icy satisfaction. He flew up toward her, his brittle hair and tattered robes fluttering with the wind of his arrival.

Her eyes grew huge with fear. She fell back into the bubble, scrambling to get away. There was no place to hide. She hurriedly eyed to the opening, looking for any escape routes. She was too far above the ground and she couldn't fly. She had nowhere to go.

"I've found you again." The old man stepped through the tear and grabbed her arm. "Do you really think you can hide from me? You will be mine."

"Ricardo," a welcome voice called, drawing the old man's attention behind him. Her nightmare floated into view. "What are you doing here?" he asked with a smile. "I would think you would rather tend to your dustmen, not the nightmares."

Ricardo sneered at the other man and turned toward Meg, his cold eyes scanning the bubble behind her.

Meg smiled. She'd never been so happy to see a nightmare before in her life.

"Ah, there you are, Meg," the nightmare said, maneuvering around the old man to grab her arm. "I was just looking for you." He saw the damage done to her structure and frowned. "What have you been doing?"

"I, ah–"

"There is no need, Keme," Ricardo said smoothly. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of your charge. Just leave her to me."

"Unfortunately, you can't, Elder," Keme said calmly, standing between his charge and his boss. "You are not a nightmare. She is due for another session, which we need to finish. Her alarm clock will be going off soon. We really must hurry."

Ricardo's gaze narrowed on the other man as the Elder backed off. His icy glare fell on Meg again. "Soon, Meg child. Soon."

Keme and Meg stood where they were and watched the Elder disappear behind more of the structures.

Keme's wide shoulders relaxed a bit. He took in a deep breath before turning around to face her. "What do you think you were doing?"

"I–" She shook her head. She was so confused. "I heard footsteps and it was dark. I got scared."

The nightmare stared around the room in shock. "You did this?" He turned to the hole in the wall. "You did that?"

Meg shrugged. "Well, yeah. I guess. I mean, it's easy. Right?"

"If it were easy, everyone would be dustmen and nightmares."

Meg shivered. "I don't know what you mean. I could never be a nightmare."

Keme advanced on Meg, the expression on his wide face intense. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be a nightmare?" He stepped closer.

Meg backed away from him.

"I have to listen to everyone's problems, help them solve their worst fears and, in cases like yourself, I have to deal with the same problems again and again until I'm sick of hearing about them."

"What do you mean? You help me?"

"Who do you think set up your nightmares? I do." Keme shook his head. "I make sure you're in your mountains, the place you feel most comfortable. I make sure you always know what I'm trying to show you. Nothing too scary for you. I take everything you can't face during the daylight hours and put them in a safe environment for you to face at night. And what kind of thanks do I get?" Keme stopped and shook his head. "'I couldn't ever be a nightmare.'"

"I'm sorry."

"You never move forward," Keme said softly, like a parent at the end of his patience. "You stay in the same rut forever. You always have the same nightmares because you never truly face what you fear so you can grow."

Meg was filled with embarrassment and more than a little shame. "I'm sorry."

Keme sucked in his lips and shook his head. "Sorry doesn't cut it. You have so much potential. You need to be a mother to your children. You need to pay your bills."

"But I work so hard," Meg yelled at him. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be the only parent, the only paycheck, the only person to be counted on?" She shook her head and advanced on the taller man. "No. I doubt you do. You think it's as easy as facing my fears? Really? I don't have time for such luxuries."

"Sounds like more excuses to me. What's the real reason?"

Meg licked her lips.

Keme quietly watched her, waiting.

She swallowed. "What if I fail?"

Keme said nothing.

She needed this answer because this one question terrified her. "I've been a mother for so long, for thirteen years, and yet–" She looked around her, her gaze resting on the jagged hole in the wall. "What if I can't do it? What if I mess it up? What if I fail as a mother the same way I failed at paying the bills? All I've been in the past eight years is one failure after another. I don't think I could bear it if I failed them."

"Well, if you run away from it, you will fail," he said softly, gently taking her arms, forcing her to meet his gaze. "I can promise you that."

She closed her eyes, exhaled. She knew that. "I'm so afraid."

"And that's why I'm here," Keme said firmly. He raised his eyebrows. "However, right now, we need to get you home."

Home. It had been a long time. She was ready.

8

THEY'D finished the last leg of the trip in record time and in relative silence. Meg wasn't sure she could believe what had happened in her "nightmare", but she knew she couldn't turn a blind eye to the facts much longer.

Her dustman was upstairs in her very real shower.

She looked around, seeing nothing of her new home.

Having Luk in her shower rattled her brain. Her mind pictured his rock-hard body drenched in cleansing water, bubbly soap sliding down his skin, making it shine. The hair that covered his body glistened in the steam. His eyes were closed as he soaked in the glorious heat, allowing it to loosen knots from the long drive. Water cascaded down his angular face. As he breathed out, water sprayed around him. He shook his head, sending water flying everywhere. Determined droplets clung to his water-darkened eyelashes.

With a moan, Meg opened her eyes and pulled her reluctant mind out of the gutter. She stepped outside, letting the squealing screen door slam into place.

The crack of the door brought her mind home. As she looked around, safely alone, tears welled in her eyes. She refused to let them fall. Looking at the splendor around her, she thought the tears were warranted. A smile lit her face as she took in a shaky breath.

She was home.

The pines and sagebrush whooshed in the chilly wind. The scent of earth and cedar wafted to her nose. As the wind played, played with her hair, she caught the scent of cattle and the horses corralled nearly a quarter mile away. She looked out over the rocky, scrubby lands around her where fences, though present, were not kept up. Open grazing was too necessary for most of the ranchers in this harsh land.

Her mountains stood in craggy, powerful splendor all around her, promising harsh protection in their watchful silence. Green blanketed their heights to the shoulder of the great mountain where brutal winds stripped all but the most determined vegetation.

She breathed. The Rocky Mountains were her home. They were hard and soft, ruthless and forgiving. But above all, they were home.

Meg walked to the end of the driveway and drank in the view of her mountains, Lambs Born Peak, Orchard Valley Ridge and Cedar's Mountain. Past Orchard Valley Ridge was Bear Valley and the tiny town of Somerset, a rough and tough coal mining town surrounded by mines and filled with coal miners when mining was good. Some of them were still open. Some were waiting for the funding to open again. Others would have to wait until they had burned themselves out. Her valley was not an easy valley. Neither was it harsh.

Turning, she spotted all the things Jo had added. The gardens and bushes hadn't been there when she'd left almost fifteen years before. The bench now sat between two fairly new weeping white birches whose fluttering, turning leaves rested lazily against the bench's unfinished surface. The tall cottonwood tree, old and leafless, was missing more arms than she remembered.

She sighed. Things had changed.

A gust of wind threw a scattering of notes into the air. With a happy grin, Meg noticed her wind chimes adorning the old, weeping willow standing in motherly guard over the half-filled creek as it babbled past.

Meg blinked, content. It was good to see some things hadn't changed.

She turned her attention to the old, steadfast and cantankerous house that served as the Whispering Pines Inn. The house was like an old friend, strong, reliable and dependable with a few quirks that could never be fully worked out.

She shook her head. After living in this house with such character for so long, she doubted she'd ever be able to live in a new one.

The house stood tall and straight, three spired stories into the sky. Big picture windows were scattered along the front to display the breathtaking view before it. Vines attached their tenuous hands to the poorly painted wood siding and reached as high into the sky as the weather would allow.

As she looked passed the old inn, she stared into the sprawling, mountain valley below where her tiny, eclectic hometown was nestled. Paonia was an odd mix of coal miners, retirees, orchard owners, hard-land ranchers and hippies.

She chuckled. The hippies had moved in for a weeklong convention, full of love and bugs and bad breath, and had fallen in love with the little town. Once there, most never left. The size of the town had more than doubled in less than a month. She wondered how many more bumpers George had had to fix due to old ladies driving by and seeing naked men in the car wash.

"It's really beautiful here, isn't it?"

Meg turned her attention to the open front porch.

Luk stood there, towel in hand, rubbing the last of the water from his chest and hair.

She "hmmed" to herself, watching him. His jeans were snug and well worn. His arms rippled as he worked the water off his body. The wind, almost like a chatty girlfriend, brought the clean smell of soap to her nose.

As Luk walked over to the railing and propped one bare foot on the coarse wood, the screen door slammed into place. Resting his elbows on his leg, he smiled at her. His eyes twinkled so brightly she could see them from across the yard. "Like the view?"

Meg smiled with a shrug and tore her eyes away, looking instead at the valley. "Mmm." She could feel her ears turning red. "Yes."

He chuckled and strutted toward her. As he drew nearer, he watched her with a power she felt, making her shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other. He stopped next to her and joined his gaze with hers, watching the valley. "The water should still be hot. I didn't take it all."

She nodded. "Thanks."

"Course, you might want to take a bath."

"Somehow, hmm, no." She looked away with a blush. Just because she imagined him in the shower did not mean the thoughts were mutual. "There's still a lot to do."

Luk chuckled and backed away. "Always working."

"There are lots of things to do."

"And only one person to do it all."

She clucked her tongue and glared at him. "The kids are going to be gone for a week."

"And you want everything to be perfect by then."

"Is that wrong?" she asked, looking at him.

He looked away, biting his lip. "It is a little."

She stared at his boyishly charming face, her eyebrows raised. "Oh, really. What are you trying to tell me?"

He looked her square in the eye, his eyes boring in to hers. "You're one woman, Meg."

"Who has a lot of things to do."

"And who can't conquer the world on her own."

Meg sighed and headed to the house. She couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to do just that.

Luk followed closely on her heals. "Meg, they're kids, not a life sentence."

It took half a second for his words to register. She stopped and turned on him. "What exactly does that mean? I've never felt that."

"Well, you treat them like they are."

She let out an incredulous chuckle. "I do not."

Luk watched her for a long moment. "Yes, Meg, you do."

She settled her weight in her hip, tired of explaining herself to people who just did not understand. "I'm going to go take a shower now."

He apparently wasn't letting her off that easily."You don't have to be super-mom."

She turned at the stair, her head level with his. "I love them, Luk. They're my world. Until now, I've failed them every single day."

Luk watched her as silence fell between them.

She turned back to head up the stairs.

His hand stopped her.

She met his eye, not sure what to say or do. Her mind was still struggling with the fact that he was her imaginary friend. There was no way that was possible, yet here he was.

He leaned forward. Taking her bottom lip in his, he swallowed her mumbled words and wrapped his long arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him.

Her body refused to relax. Her lips would not relent. She just wasn't ready.

He set his forehead against hers and breathed her breath as he closed his eyes, holding her.

She had no idea what was going on here, or what she wanted, or _if_ she could have what she wanted. She put her hands on his bare waist.

He lowered her head to his chest, his hands brushing her temple.

The world around them stilled as she listened to his heart beat. His heart. A real one. She closed her eyes and sank into him.

He pulled away. "Go take a shower. I'll make supper."

Meg stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

Upstairs, as the scorching water coursed over her, she remembered the supportive warm feel of his arms. For one moment, she'd felt as if her burden could be shared.

She snorted, wiping the shampoo from her eyes. Perhaps Luk wasn't her dustman. Maybe he'd found some of her old stories she'd left with Aunt Jo. It could have happened. Maybe that was the reason he knew about the berries. That was easier to believe. Reality said it was impossible to have her imaginary best friend become a real man.

She shook her head. She knew better. In the deepest corners of her heart, she knew. He was her Luk.

She let the water flatten her hair with its weight as she stood in the rising, breeze-tossed steam. She listened to the water slap against the drum of her hair.

Having the dustman here was a nice dream, but it was impossible. Imaginary men simply didn't materialize out of thin air.

She sighed and let her head clunk against the cold, tiled wall. How did a man just appear out of nowhere –

She shook her head. Imaginary men were not real.

Then how could she explain the exploding milk jugs?

She shook her head and shut off the water.

Nothing made sense. Wrapping a towel around herself, she stared at the open box of bathroom stuff she'd packed from her house. She had a lot of work to do. Playing around with a man was nowhere on her agenda for the evening. It was time to get dressed.

Robust aromas assaulted her about halfway down the second flight of stairs.

She stopped on the landing which looked down onto the entry of the house. Little homemade Raggedy Ann's sat in happy disarray on the shelf-lined walls. Peak-a-boo dolls in crazy cowboy outfits adorned each corner, both the ones she could and couldn't see. The brick-butted-chicken stood guard at the door, keeping it open to allow in the cooling night air. The breeze floated in, carrying the warm scent of freshly cut hay and the pending rain.

She continued down the stairs, shaking her head. Oh she'd missed this house. She reached the bottom step, prepared for the wobbling of the broken platform that had always spilled her.

It remained firm.

Aunt Jo always said she couldn't raise a hammer for fear of killing herself and those around her, and it was a good idea to keep her away from them.

She shrugged. Luk might really be a handy-dandy handyman. Odd. Who knew dustmen were so capable? Was that proof that he was real or proof that he was a liar?

And why was she so eager to see him as a liar? Because she couldn't believe he could be telling the truth?

She walked into the dining area and stopped.

Candles sat at one end of the long, custom made table, the flames flickering in the breeze from the open windows. Soft music played, calming her ears as she entered the room.

Plates were set for two. Wildflowers sat in a single vase close to the chosen seats. A covered pot sat between the two plates. A bottle of wine stood on one side of the table with two glasses. She sighed as she felt her resistance slipping. She was weak.

He walked into the room and looked at her with a boyish startled look. A warm smile lit his face. He'd slipped on a white, button up shirt that he hadn't bothered to button up all the way. The aroma was visibly wafting up from the rolls in his hand. He raked his hair from his face, drawing her attention away from the snug fit of his jeans. His smile warmed as he moved toward her to place the rolls on the table.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, his voice soft as he pulled out her chair.

She numbly sat. "Um, yes." She looked at her plate, trying to get her priorities straight.

He dished out the casserole he'd made. "Hand me your plate."

She glanced into his warm, blue eyes shook her head. She was hopeless.

9

SHE blinked and handed over the plate.

He handed it back filled and allowed the silence to settle as he sat down.

It was really good. She smiled at her food. He did a good job.

He sat his fork down with a sigh and looked at her. "Meg, what happened to you between yesterday and today?"

"What do you mean?"

His blue eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "I think you know what I mean. Yesterday, you were starting to believe in me and today you're back to–" He shrugged, waving his napkin at the ceiling. "—to pretending you don't think I am who I say I am."

She sucked in her lips and released them with a sucking noise. Her eyebrows raised as she looked away, idly pushing food around on her plate. "I went to sleep and woke up with reality."

"Reality, huh?"

"Hmm," she replied around a mouthful of chicken.

He cocked his head at her and frowned, setting his knife down with a loud clank. "Would you like to quiz me?"

"Why, when you have the full story from Jo?"

"So, you've created the whole story in your head," Luk sat back. "Care to fill me in on what I've done?"

She shook her head. "It just isn't possible. Why don't you just tell me and surprise me."

His blue eyes narrowed. "With what?"

Meg propped her chin in her hands. "I don't know. So far, you've given me things that were straight from my children's stories."

His mouth flat, he set his hands on either side of his plate, raising a single eyebrow. "I don't know what you want, what will make you believe."

Meg sighed and sat back. "Me either, but if this is real, I need proof. I had to give up the make-believe for reality. It's second nature now."

Luk looked at her and pushed away from the table. He shook his head. "Why should I? You've made up your mind."

She looked up him, her hazel eyes narrowed. "Are you my Luk?"

He breathed before saying softly, "Was I ever your Luk?"

Heat cascaded through her body, the intensity of his gaze making her insides feel like a slushy. She couldn't lie. "Yes."

He stood up and started clearing away the dishes.

Meg sat, her food cooling on her plate. When he was in the kitchen, she could think. When he was near, his blaring presence caused her mind to recall distant conversations, past memories of a man her mind refused to admit could be real.

He came back but stopped. He cocked his head in question and flicked a frown at her.

She blinked. "If you're Luk, then why are you here? Why aren't you in Dreamland?"

He clenched his jaw and looked at her. "Everyone stopped believing."

Meg breathed, letting his answer sink in. "But how?" She looked him in the eye. "The Ol'Lukoe I knew had tons of kids all the time."

He shook his head. "After you left, everyone stopped calling."

"After I left?"

He nodded, his body tense like a hunting tiger.

Her heart raced. "I don't understand."

He set a hand on the table. "I don't either. That's why I'm here."

"You're telling me after I left, everyone else did too?"

He breathed deeply and nodded.

"You stopped coming." She breathed. " _You_ left me."

Luk frowned, his nostrils flaring. "You hid yourself."

"What? How did I do that?"

"How the hell should I know?"

She sat there, taking his story in, pondering the validity of it. Finally, fed up with the preposterous battle inside her head, she stood, her plate in hand, shaking her head. But the thing was this. She had two kids that depended on her and she couldn't fail them. Not again. There was no way in this world that any of this could be real. "It's not possible. Ol'Lukoe was not real. He was never real. He will never _be_ real."

Luk's chest collapsed in frustration as he followed her into the kitchen. "Why can't he be—why can't _I_ be real?"

She scooped the remainder of dinner into the garbage and set her plate in the sink. "You were a figment of my imagination. Dreams aren't real."

He flinched as he stepped out of her way.

She ground her teeth. "Fantasies are just fairy tales." She opened the dishwasher, not remembering when it had been added. "Bills are real. Bosses are real. Alarm clocks are real. Coffee is real. Children..." She turned toward the door, walking around Luk to gather the rest of the dishes. "Children are real."

"You'd have them grow up without dreams?" he asked from the doorway.

"I'd have them grow up with reality so it's not such a rude awakening when they leave my house."

"What about now?" Luk asked as Meg walked by him. "Why can't they just be kids?"

She frowned at the dishes in the sink. "I want them to be happy, but my responsibility is to help them become good adults."

"So, why can't they believe in dreams and still be good adults?"

She stopped in front of him. "Why? What's the point?"

He looked at her, his blue eyes sparkling with confusion. "You would banish their hope?"

The weight of broken dreams, heavy responsibility and too many years of all work and no play settled on her shoulders. Her eyes were weary as she looked at him. "What's the point? When you're forced to wake up, it hurts like hell."

He looked at her, a note of understanding blanketing his expression. He cupped her cheek. "You want to live like this?"

A frown settled between her eyes. "You don't understand."

He raised his eyebrows, his body still. "I do."

She rolled her eyes, her shoulders stiff and turned away.

Without warning, she found herself up against the wall, her body sandwiched between it and Luk. She felt every breath he took in and expelled out as he looked at her. She looked up, blinking under the intensity of his gaze.

He lowered his head to peer deeper into her eyes. "What you've lost is belief in yourself."

She opened her mouth to deny his words.

He held up a hand to shush her and moved deeper into her, pressing his entire body into her. "You let yourself fall."

She felt herself melting, but knew she couldn't allow that. She brought her hands to his chest and pushed.

He took her hands and held them firmly by her head, recapturing her gaze, daring her to break contact again. "You took care of everyone else, but forgot you."

She breathed, his words screaming down the hallways of her mind. "Luk, stop it." If she allowed herself to bend she might break and she couldn't afford that, not when she had people relying on her.

He just stood there looking at her. "What do I have to do to make you believe?"

Her entire body refused to move. "I want to."

He brought his mouth down to hers, allowing her no time to rethink. His lips touched hers, kissing them into velvety acceptance. His eyes held hers, daring her to stop him, egging her to deny him.

Her doubts slipped away as if his lips had dispersed them. She knew she couldn't stop even if she tried. Her body thrilled with the feel of his lips, his hands, eager to feel like a woman again.

Her eyelids fluttered closed in surrender.

His kiss deepened with desperation.

She understood that and met it with her own.

A groan escaped his body as she melted into him. His hands settled on each of her hips, large and protective as they cupped her, pulling her into him. She pushed her pelvis into the rock-hard mound residing in his pants.

He growled, leaning heavily into the wall and pulled away, his sapphire eyes searching.

She stared up at him, a slight smile on her face. This was what she wanted, wasn't it? This was what she needed.

He had to be her Luk. But how crazy was she to believe?

A breath escaped his body as he captured her lips again, but this time with an aggressive hunger. His dusty eyelashes rested lazily on his angular cheeks. His hands came up to grip her face, deepening the kiss, sealing the unspoken agreement and demanding more.

Her hands moved without command, reawakening sensationsa and emotions Meg thought had been long buried. She'd been cold for so long. She had smothered her passion for so many years she'd often wondered if she were truly a woman anymore.

But now, with Luk, she was.

His hands were like a sunray skimming across her skin, sending rivers of fire coursing through her body. Her skin sizzled with energy too long pent up. Her stomach churned with newfound excitement. Her heart beat rapidly.

She refused to let her mind room enough to think.

This wasn't smart. This wasn't right.

But it wasn't wrong.

He pulled away, his forehead leaning against hers.

She watched him breathe, his eyes barely open. Was he having doubts now?

His hands continued to run down the length of her arms, only to run up her thigh, and along her rib cage.

She breathed in the cool air, bringing her temperature down minimally.

He was looking at her through hooded eyes, his hands no longer demanding responses from her body.

She took her hands and slid them under his shirt, refusing to allow her mind to bring any doubts into this moment. Her hands splayed across his abdomen as she inched his shirt higher and higher.

He covered her hands with his, bringing her gaze to meet his.

She looked at him, a question rising in her eyes.

He brushed her springy, frizzy hair behind her ear, ignoring the fire they'd ignited.

"I don't understand."

Luk swallowed. "I don't either." He closed his eyes.

How typical. She let out a frustrated breath and stepped around him. "What do you want?"

He met her gaze and sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"You–" She stopped and turned away, her temper rising. "You woke things I didn't want awakened." She turned on him, her eyes flashing to a bright sea green. "Do you know what it's like to be alone and to yearn for things you can't have?"

His eyes raked the length of her body. "Yes, I do." He met her gaze, his expression closing. "Do you really _want_ to turn it off?"

"I was surviving just fine before you showed up."

His hands clenched. "Do you call your life surviving?"

"You wouldn't understand."

His eyes pierced hers. "So you keep saying."

She shook her head. "What do you _want_?"

With an almost feral, untamed energy, he captured her against the door frame, his lips flirting with hers, playing, stoking the fire he refused to put out.

She moaned, her body begging him to relent.

He pulled back and whispered in a husky voice, "I want you to believe in me."

What a frustrating, annoying man. She searched for patience before she opened her eyes and really looked at him. She touched his face lightly, his eyes like blue steel. "You can't be my Luk." But she wanted him to be more than anything. "Imaginary people just don't become real."

His mouth descended and trailed feathery kisses along her jaw line. "Tell me," he whispered in her ear, "I'm not real."

And then he left her, stalking out of the house and into the cool autumn air with a sharp whack of the screen door.

She stood where he'd left her, blinking, her body filled to overflowing with energy she was helpless to dispel.

She turned to the kitchen and began putting everything to rights. When a boarder came, it was her responsibility to keep everything clean and orderly. It was her responsibility—

She threw a plastic cup in the sink, angry tears popping up to the surface. She was so tired. She was tired of keeping everything together, making _every_ thing work, sacrificing everything for one tiny morsel of...

She looked around.

For five blessed minutes with her kids.

But lately, she'd been so stressed even those cursedly short moments with her kids seemed like a chore.

She pressed her hands onto the sink and squeezed her eyes shut to the flood of emotions. What was she thinking? Her kids were burdens now? Was she really that selfish?

What she needed was to just suck it up and drive on—

But her body and soul were at their limit.

The power of her sobs was so intense, Meg wasn't sure if she could breathe, but they wouldn't stop. Her soul needed to expel the crap she'd kept in for so long.

She turned and sank to the floor, her body purging her emotions in the only way it could without destroying something. She was fed up with doing everything by herself. She was fed up with every dream being dashed by the ever-present winds of reality.

She was sick of being alone.

Strong arms took her and wrapped her in warmth. The cold kitchen cabinets were replaced by the enveloping cocoon of a body. "Shh," Luk crooned, brushing her hair with his fingers. "I'm here."

The "shhing" didn't come until much later. Her head felt like it was going to explode from the pressure of snot packed around her brain.

She sighed and placed her ear over his heart. "Tell me you're my Luk."

Luk swallowed and raised his head, silent for a moment."I'm your Luk."

She closed her puffy eyes. She allowed her heart to momentarily leap before she reeled it back in again. She shook her head. "How is that possible?"

He sat, brushing back her hair. "Trust me. It just is."

"Tell me how."

Luk looked around. "Should this discussion be held on the kitchen floor?"

Meg, her mind still wading through snot, said nothing.

"And, I might add, the cold, kitchen floor."

Meg snorted. "My dream man, a wimp."

He hrmphed, moving to help her stand. "Call me what you want, but my butt's numb."

She stood and looked around, her nose releasing a small airway, with an almost audible pop. "I think I could use some tea." She moved to fill the kettle. "Want some?"

He stood, leaning on the counter, watching her. "Yeah, sounds fine."

Meg dug in the cupboard above the stove and pulled out boxes of tea.

Luk reached around and chose his own, setting the bag in his cup.

They stood in silence. As Meg watched the heating kettle, Luk watched her. They could almost feel the turbulent thoughts racing through each other's minds.

"Do you know how long I've waited for you?" he asked softly.

That didn't make any sense. She hadn't gone anywhere.

"You left so suddenly." He shook his head. "What happened?"

"Tom died."

"I know ."

She breathed, her chest surprisingly light.

His gaze bored a hole in the side of her head. "I was one of the first people you told."

"I don't remember." She shook her head. "A lot happened then."

He stood right behind her. "I do."

Meg bowed her head.

He ran her shoulder length hair through his fingers. "Nick was in bed when you found out. The police knocked on your door and told you. You were in shock when I came for Nick, so I came back and we talked."

Her lips popped as she looked up to stare blankly at the wall.

"You didn't cry. You just stood tall and strong." His hand fell to her shoulder. "I went with you to the funeral. Jo was there and Tom's family showed up."

Startled, she twisted to look at him. "You were there?"

He nodded. "That was the first time I broke the rules, but I knew..." He looked at her. "I knew you needed me."

"But–"

The kettle's whine turned into a whistle. They took their cups and sat down. They sat in silence for a long time.

"The Elders were furious with me when they found out."

Meg looked up.

"They threatened to make me mortal." He looked at the wall. "I wanted to talk to you. I thought...well, it doesn't matter, but I couldn't find you."

Meg shook her head. "I was still at home. I never left."

Luk looked at her. "It was as if you disappeared. I couldn't Call you. I couldn't come back to the real world to look you up in the phone book because of the Elders." He shook his head and stared into his mug. "They're message was pretty clear."

Meg frowned at him. "But you're here now." She shook her head. "What if they find out?"

Luk clucked his tongue and squirmed in his seat. "They have."

Meg looked at him and fished out her tea bag. "And you're still here."

He was silent as he sipped his tea. He set the cup down. "I came back to find the dreamers and to bring them back to Dreamland."

Meg nodded. "Noble effort. Have the other dustmen been equally affected?"

"Yes." He flexed his hands and tapped them on the table. "Though not quite as badly. Most of them, anyway."

"You had no one?"

He chuckled, playing with his spoon. "There was a definite dry spell."

"Finn?"

"Fine."

"Good."

He breathed. His blue eyes shone with hope as he looked up at her. "Do you believe me?"

She looked at him and blinked. "No."

His gaze sank back to the table as he nodded.

"But I can't... not believe you either."

"What are you saying?"

She looked at his nose, unable to meet his gaze. "Only–" She stopped and looked at her mug, the tiny tea-floaties sinking to the bottom of her cup. _It's not real,_ her mind ranted. _Imaginary men do not–_ She shook those thoughts away. "Only that I _want_ to believe you."

He grabbed her hand. "Then do."

She licked her lips. "How can I? It's all so unbelievable."

He grinned, fidgeting in his chair. "Come with me."

Her head moved forward on her neck like a robotic tray. "Where?"

He nodded slowly, never releasing her gaze. "Come with me."

Her lips slid into a grin of her own. "To Dreamland?"

"Yes."

She narrowed her eyes through her smile. "What happens if I don't remember?"

"Have you ever forgotten a dream I gave you?"

She thought about that. "No."

He smiled and rose to his feet. "Good. Then, come on."

She paused, but only for a moment before rising to her feet.

He took her shoulders and guided her out of the chair.

She grabbed the door jam. "Don't you think this is silly for a grown up?"

He walked around her, grabbed her hand and pulled. "No."

She followed him as he continued up the stairs.

He left her at the door to her room and leaned in, whispering against her lips, his blue eyes bright. "Sleep quickly."

She smiled, still not quite believing what she was doing.

He pulled back, thumping the door. "I'll be by to pick you up in an hour."

"An hour?"

He stopped at the stair. "Do you think you're the only one going?"

She bit her lip, closing the door and leaned against it for support, her mind reeling.

Lord and Lady, she was gullible.

10

SHE woke to find herself eyeball to...well, not even close to eyeball with a dragon.

The huge, clear black orb was as wide around as she was tall. The thick, blue-scaled eyelid blinked. He pushed his head away, the Dreamtime sun reflecting off his metallic skin enhanced hues of blue, purple, and green over his large muscled body.

"Telfgar?" Meg asked, taking a step back in surprise. When had he grown so big?

His beaked, equine head seemed to go forever into the pale blue sky as he rose on his powerful haunches. His short clawed arms pawed the air as huge opalescent black wings beat the air, blocking her view and sending the wind to pummel her.

She looked around for a place to hide. Had he turned feral?

His beaked mouth turned up as he lowered himself back to the ground, his weight supported by his short arms and long, powerful haunches. His long, spiked tail swung out, narrowly missing a multitude of boulders and rocks around his home near the peak of Rocky-Faced Mountain.

She dodged him and a few rocks. She eyed him warily. Why was he so quiet?

As Telfgar returned his head to the ground, he expelled a sigh that hit Meg like a hurricane wind. She resettled herself and stared at her old friend in what could only be described as shock.

Telfgar chuckled. The boulders around him shook slightly with the movement of his body. He settled his monstrous wings along his back and tipped his head.

"It is good," Telfgar said in a deep, surprisingly soft voice without moving his beak, "to see you again, Meg."

She let out a relieved chuckle. That was the voice she remembered.

His huge eye blinked as his eyebrow ridge rose. "You have grown, child."

Meg blinked back with a tentative smile. "It's good to be back, I think." She looked around. Down below lay the meadow with Grandmother Willow swaying in the gentle breeze. Over there was Forever Forest. Those had been her two favorite hideouts. Everything looked the same. She turned back to Telfgar. "You've grown, too." She stepped back to take in his immense size. "When did you get so big?"

Telfgar chuckled, his head rising to accommodate the boulder-rumbles traversing from his chest. He closed his eye, his shoulders shaking.

She snorted a chuckle. He was laughing at her.

He stilled his bobbing head and settled it on the ground again. He pulled his ear ridge back, breaking into a smile. "So, you noticed," he said, gleefully, each word well thought. The human language was hard for a dragon whose tongue was as big as a house. "I had wondered if you would."

"Well, yeah," Meg said, looking toward the place she used to sit at the base of his skull. "It was kinda hard to miss."

He chuckled, whoofing plumes of hot air and dust through his nostrils. "Well, I grew when I was remade."

Meg looked around, a frown on her forehead. "Remade?"

"Yes," Telfgar said, his smile fading.

Meg blinked, looking down. "What do you mean?"

"We were..." He picked up his head, rising to his haunches, his head rising gracefully on the long, muscled neck. "We were forgotten."

"Forgotten?" Meg spun around, looking into the meadow. Everything was the same. Everything was there. "Luk also said he was forgotten."

"After you left, our dustman took it..." Telfgar brought his mouth near her ear, the beak immobile. "...rather badly. He is the Keeper. When he forgets, all his creations are forgotten."

Meg looked up at him with fresh concern. "Telfgar–"

He cocked his head and peered at her through the one, black eye. "Do not worry." He looked out again. "It was a relief to go, since so many other things had been lost. The forests were gone. The meadow was barren. Few creatures were left before the storm came to take me."

Meg looked at him. "The storm?"

Respect flooded his body, changing his whole posture. "Yes"

Was that the storm she kept seeing in her dreams?

Telfgar chuckled. "It appears you have been remade as well, Meg." He drew his head closer to her, making her feel small. "You've become quite a strong woman." He pulled himself up, stretching his wings. "You should be proud."

"Some days I am." She looked into the sky to peer at his face. "Some days, I just wonder who I pissed off."

His grinning face fell, his sapphire ear-fins flaring. "Climb aboard like old times." He wuffed through his nose, his beak snapping. "Let us see how well our dustman recreated this place."

She looked up at him in apprehension. He was _lot_ bigger than she remembered.

Feeling far from graceful, she pulled on scales and ear-fins to mount his bulging neck. She gasped from exertion. "You really _have_ gotten bigger, haven't you?"

He chuckled, sending her bouncing. "You forget the pleasure of Dreamland, little one."

She sat on the back of his neck, her legs straight out in front of her, unable to straddle it. She looked down, which was a mistake. They were as high as a really tall house. She gulped. There was nothing for her to grab onto. She grimaced and tried to remember how she once stayed attached to him in flight. "When I fall, I don't break, right?"

A seat materialized underneath her butt with a horn for one leg to prop over like a sidesaddle with a back.

"You can make anything happen with a simple thought."

She knew that.

As his neck lifted higher and higher off the ground, Meg clenched the saddle horn tighter and tighter until her legs and hands hurt. Her eyes focused on the ground nearly three stories below. She bobbed with his head as he unfurled his wings and tentatively – well, for a mountain-sized dragon–beat the air.

His leap unseated her and she scrambled to retain it as he claimed the air. If only she had a seatbelt.

"Duh," she muttered to herself and imagined into existence a high-backed, cushy seat with a wide, thick belt strapping it into place. As she settled into it, she added the final touch, a five-point harness. She was ready.

Riding a dragon was _so_ different when you're thirty-five with wrinkles and graying hair. But as the wind whooshed by her, threatening to take her breath away, none of that mattered.

They gained the air with rolling bumps, his wings pumping forcefully, his head bobbing with the effort to push enough air under his immense body. Once Telfgar was a wing's span from the mountain side, he straightened his wings, neck, and body and plummeted down the slope, making Meg very appreciative of the safety harness.

About halfway down, he pointed his head to the horizon and soared above the tree line of Forever Forest, brushing the tops of the very tallest trees with his belly and the tips of his wings.

"Let me know if anything has changed," Telfgar roared.

Meg nodded against the rushing wind. Like she could see that.

Forever Forest began at the base of Rocky-Faced Mountain and continued as far as the eye could see. To the right lay the Meadow where Dreamer's Creek flowed and Grandmother Willow stood with bowed head.

On the other side of Dreamers' Hill lay Crazy-Top Forest, a small forest of short, knarled trees with frizzy, rainbow assorted leaves. They spoke to each other very rapidly and were confusing to listen to. Meg had stayed out of that forest when she was younger.

Dog, a big yellow lab, ran out of the squealing forest, barking at the trees as he left. He gave one last, indignant yelp, punctuated by a leap and trotted off into the Meadow, his tongue lolling from his mouth.

Telfgar let out an earth-quaking roar. Dog looked up and ran after them, barking happily. Meg had always known he'd be a car chaser.

As Telfgar beat the air, gaining altitude, Meg noticed a new mountain range on the other side of Forever Forest. "It has an end," she shouted, pointing to the mountain range.

Telfgar nodded, taking Meg with him. The base of his head wasn't the best place to sit. "Luk's Dreamland changed when it was rebuilt. He has an ocean, too."

He glided around the perimeter of the Meadow, his wings glided with a wind pocket.

Meg pointed off to their right. "What's that, Telfgar?"

He swung his head in the direction she pointed, taking her with him again. He chuckled and swung back, preparing to land. "Only Luk goes there."

"What's it called?" she asked, twisting to glimpse the soft birches and tall oaks standing in a small, round cluster in the middle of the forest of pines. It was hard to see anything around Telfgar's tail.

He was silent as he scanned the ground below, searching for little people who might be hiding in the tall grass. "I don't recall."

Meg frowned at the back of his head. "You?" She fought not to get tossed even with the body harness. "Bigger body, smaller brain?"

He wuffed a puff of smoke. "Watch your tongue, youngling, before I forget you're not lunch."

Meg snorted, but after remembering how much bigger he was, decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

He landed with surprising gracefulness for a moving mountain. She still felt like she was riding a bronco at a rodeo. After head, tail and wings were all tucked in, Meg released the harness and slid down his neck. The slide down was a little faster than she'd planned.

Telfgar winked–or blinked. She only saw the one eye. He began preparations for liftoff, his big head blocking the bright, Dreamtime sun. "There are many children I might play with." With a huge beat of his wings, he lifted himself from the ground slightly. "It is good to see you again, Meg." He rose higher and higher, reminding Meg of an old elevator. "Come back. You're missed."

"Meg," a bright voice greeted.

She spun and spied a dark man strolling up to her with what he called the "Irelan' strut". Finn's black hair was feathered back and his dark eyes were hooded. He was wearing his normal dark clothing of maybe blue or purple, but definitely dark, punctuated by various, brightly colored patches. His strong chin and jaw line were cleanly shaven. He looked the same way, respectable and sensible.

Dog ran beside the dustman, his tongue lolling as he jumped and nearly knocked Meg down. She grinned, scratching her old friend behind the ear. "Hello, Dog. It's good to see you, too!"

He eagerly licked her face and arms and hands and anything else his tongue could catch.

Finn pushed Dog aside and hugged Meg tightly to him, tucking her head to his chest. "Ah, lass, ye've been gone fer too long."

She smiled with a sigh as they pulled apart. "Things got a little crazy for awhile."

He held her hands and looked at her from arms-length. "I was sorry to hear abou' Tom."

"It was a long time ago."

"Is tha' why it's been so long since you've been back?" He raised an eyebrow, his blue eyes twinkling, a slight smile on his narrow face. "An' why yer own kids havena called?"

Meg breathed and looked around, dropping his hands to pet Dog. "I still can't believe I'm back. I must be dreaming."

Finn chuckled. "Aye, ye are a' tha'."

Meg rolled her eyes and popped the dustman on the arm. "It's just weird to be back."

He chucked her chin and winked. "Aye, lass. I know." He squinted into the sun. "So, wha' has kept you away fer so cursed bloody long?"

She shrugged, walking in an aimless direction. "Tom's death, mostly, I guess." She shook her head. "It was a real shock."

"But ya came a couple of times a'ter ."

She looked up at him, trying to recall those foggy days. "Things became so overwhelming and..." She blinked and stopped. "When _was_ the last time I came?"

"I dinna know." He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Time is different here. Ye'd left early, sayin' somethin' about a break in the night before. Then ye ne'er came back." He looked at her. "I ne'er got the chance to tell ye how sorry I was about Tom."

She nodded, squinting up at him. "I remember now." She frowned. "About a week after Tom died, someone broke into our house."

"Was anythin' taken?"

Meg shook her head. "No, but it really went downhill from then. I realized I had to buckle down and really get serious."

Finn shook his head with a powerful frown. "Ye never tried to come back after tha'?"

"Oh, I did," Meg said, touching his arm. She turned, taking in her surroundings. "But he..." She shrugged. "He never came for us."

"He said ye' disappeared."

"Disappeared?" she asked, with a frown and shook her head. "He did mention that, but it still doesn't make sense. We never moved. He knew where I lived. He came with me to Tom's funeral."

Finn's entire body stilled as he watched her. "He went? Physically went?"

She looked at him, trying to remember. Finally, she sighed. "I don't know, Finn. I think he did, but everything's kind of a blur. I wasn't my best then." She looked down and scuffed the ground with her toe.

"Do you recall an'thin' funny about those days?" he asked, looking at her through narrowed eyes.

"Finn," she said, looking at him as if he were stupid. "It didn't even dawn on me Luk was there in the flesh." She shook her head, looking away, muttering, "If he was there."

Finn looked at her, silent. She could almost see the gears twirling busily in his head. "Have ya come close to findin' Luk's light, then?"

She looked at him, puzzled. "His what?"

"He hasna asked ye yet?

"No, I have not," Luk said, coming down Dreamers' Hill. Luk tipped his head and cocked a frown at his friend. "Finn, if I didn't love you so much, I'd hit you right now."

"What're we talking about?" Meg asked, looking from one dustman to the next.

"Nothing," Luk said quietly.

"The Elders ha–" Finn started, catching Meg's gaze.

"Nothing," Luk repeated softly.

"—if he's real."

Luk reeled on his friend. "I'm real, damn it," he growled. "I don't need anyone to tell me if I'm real or not."

"Maybe ye'd better figure out a way to tell tha' to the Elders before they take ye to be unmade."

Luk glared at his friend.

Finn gave as good as he got.

"I won't be unmade."

Meg stepped between the two friends, putting a hand on Luk's chest. "You've said this before. What do you mean unmade?"

Luk's breath hissed through his teeth as he turned away, leaving Finn to explain the fine mess.

"Lady Storm would come an' take 'im away, but the dafty lad thinks himself above everyone else."

Luk met the other man's gaze, his jaw tensed in anger, his fists clenched at his sides. "I haven't disappeared yet, have I?"

"'Tis a bloody wonder to us all." Finn turned to Meg, ready to leave. "If ya e'er need me, just call." He shot Luk one last look before leaving. "I don' want ta lose ye, Luk."

Meg and Luk watched Finn walk up the hill and disappear like the fog. Meg swallowed and looked at Luk. "What do you need to ask me?"

Luk frowned and turned away, heading into Forever Forest. "It's just what the Elders said."

"What exactly did they say?" she asked, following him.

"Something about a light."

"Right, but why me?"

He turned so abruptly, she nearly tripped over him. He looked down at her, his expression full of pain and wonder as he cupped her cheek in the palm of his calloused hand. "Because when you left, I lost everything." He looked around. "It all disappeared."

"But you built it back up," Meg said softly.

He looked back at her, his gaze warm, his blue eyes sizzling her blood. "I know."

She breathed, trying to think around the sensations coursing through her veins. She was on fire and melting fast. "Aren't the Elders happy?"

He took her face and stepped closer to her, forcing her to step closer to him, her body pressed to his. His gaze crept over her face as she waited. "It appears I've broken one too many rules to be with you."

"But–"

He laid a single finger over her lips, making a soft shushing noise as his hand wrapped around her waist and traveled down. "Not now." His lips descended, his breath playing where his lips promised to be. "I had other plans for tonight. We can worry," he said, his lips brushing against hers, "tomorrow."

She was standing in a place of dreams and make-believe. There were no boxes to be unpacked, no bills screaming her name, no house demanding to be cleaned, no kids yelling for her attention. In short, there were no more excuses. And she was tired of making them.

He clasped her to him as he felt her relax and held her tightly.

This moment being in his arms, in her favorite place, was fabulous.

He pulled away and took her hand with a smile. "Come on. I want to show you something."

She smiled. "What?"

He threw a wink over his shoulder. "It's a surprise."

They walked through the rocky terrain and deep undergrowth in silence until Luk stopped and looked into her eyes, searching, but for what, Meg didn't know. She frowned at him before he covered her eyes.

"Don't peek," he whispered, guiding her along.

"Luk," she warned softly.

"Shh. There's a root, now. Watch your step." She felt him turn. "We're almost there."

"Luk, I really don't like being blind."

"Just trust me."

"Hmm," was her only reply.

She took a step and no longer felt the pull at her ankles from the underbrush or the tug at her hair from the trees. The sun caressed her cheeks and she pushed her face towards its warmth with a smile. "Can I peek now?"

He was silent for a long moment. "Yes."

She opened her eyes and saw a quiet, cozy, comfortable little meadow surrounded by birches and oaks. The trees sprawled into the sky while their roots rambled across the ground. Comfy moss and soft grass at their bases formed cozy places to sit and relax or...

She looked at her dustman, other thoughts coming to mind.

He turned away from the meadow and looked at her expectantly. "Do you like it?"

She nodded. Happiness tugged at the knot her heart had been. "When did you do all this?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked toward a shady patch of wild flowers. He reached down and plucked something from one of the bushes growing near them and offered his treasure to her.

She looked and laughed. Muddleberries.

"You always said you'd stay forever young by eating these," he said softly.

She chuckled, her hand flying to her hair. "Am I showing my age?"

He smoothed her eyes with the pad of his thumbs. "On the inside."

She looked at him, blinking before turning, nibbling at the treasure she took from him. "What's this place called?"

"Meg's Meadow."

She turned and stared at him.

He shrugged. "I was hoping..." He looked into her eyes. "I was hoping you'd come back and you did."

Luk lead her to a tree with a cradle of roots.

She smiled up at him. Forces of energy had been ignited by the berries, and the freedom to set aside all her responsibilities made her feel incredibly light of heart. She spun, feeling like a girl again. "Luk, this has been so wonderful."

He smiled at her, rubbing one of her arms with the tips of his fingers. "I'm glad. I hoped this would help."

She stared into the towering leaves as they turned and sparkled in the sun. She captured his gaze. "Even if this is only my imagination, I feel much better."

Luk devoured her with his eyes. He tucked a strand of bright copper hair behind her ear and brushed a kiss across her lips.

Their lips stayed close, careful not to demand too much.

Meg pulled back. "What about all the kids?"

Luk chuckled and glanced at the trees. "I think the ladies of the forest have that covered."

Meg watched the lady birches stretch their arms as they giggled with the wind, a touch of playful conspiracy filled the air. They made a protective screen of leaves, branches and underbrush all around them.

Meg giggled and turned to Luk. "I guess we don't have to worry about intruders."

Luk grinned at her, unbuttoning her shirt. "Do I hear a yes?"

She giggled harder, absolutely giddy. "This is insane."

He took her chin in his hand. "This is what we want."

Her hands stilled as she looked at him. Yes. It was.

"Is this what you want?"

Her mind screamed no, but her body and soul overrode it. Her hand moved with a will of its own as she took his head and gave him her answer.

That kiss left no room for question.

11

MEG came slowly to her senses. She felt the sun struggling through her window to warm her cheek, unable to dance across her eyes just yet. The sounds of birds filled her ears and the breeze blowing through her open window was full of pine and chill.

Her dream came to her as she lay in bed and she hummed to herself with a slow, smiling stretch. She felt as if years had been lifted.

Her hand touched something soft and warm, causing a frown. She didn't remember bringing anyone to bed with her. Her eyes opened to further investigate.

And when they did, she got an eye full of Luk.

Okay, not quite an eye full. He was buried in blankets up to his chin so her eyes were filled with the back of his head, but–

Luk...was...in...her...bed!

A scream literally ripped itself from her throat, where it had been lodged at the very bottom of her lungs.

Luk shot straight out of bed in a tangle of sheets and blankets, rising to his feet only to fall as the blankets wrapped themselves around his legs.

Meg's scream could only last so long, especially when using that much force. She sat panting on the bed, sitting in what was left of the blankets.

Luk popped his head up and propped it on his arm that rested on the bed. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Is this how you wake up every morning?"

"Did we—did you—how did–" She stopped and looked at him. "Are you naked?"

He grinned, his chin sliding down his arm, his cheek scrunching into his eye. His hair, wild and disheveled, looked more like a lump of hay than hair. His blue eyes twinkled brighter than Meg had seen them since they'd been reunited. "Would you like me to be?"

She looked at the window, then back at him. "How did—no—what about—wait–"

He laughed, disappearing behind the bed.

"Luk!"

He popped back up, a boyish grin on his face.

"I'm serious!"

His grin softened as he cocked his head at her. "Do you remember us doing anything?"

She blinked, her face turning beet red. "Well..."

"In Dreamland," he said softly. He blinked slowly, his long, dusty lashes rising over sensuous, blue pools. "Trust me," he purred, pulling himself onto the bed. "When we do," he continued, pushing her back into the pillows, "you'll remember."

His kiss bowled her over like a sixteen wheeler. He straddled her hips, taking her arms and pinned them to the pillow.

She couldn't help the smile.

His lips captured hers with power and force as if to seek and devour.

Meg wasn't about to stop him.

His lips trailed the length of her jawbone, back...back and oh! Soft warmth enveloped the lobe, his breath whispering along her throat. The heat from his tongue energized every single nerve, turning her on like a switch.

A moan escaped as she pressed her torso into the feathery reaches of the bed in order to arch herself into him.

She felt his smile against her neck. "Do you think you'll remember this?"

Her eyes closed so she could concentrate her attention on the sensations he created.

He pulled her shirt to the side and raked his teeth over a shoulder. Her eyes shot open, her body jolted, demanding more.

He chuckled. "Would that be a yes?"

Guys.

She looked at him, her stormy eyes not quite focused. "Mmm." His roaming hands lifted her shirt and found an alert nipple. He touched it softly, sending ripples throughout her body.

His calloused hands circled her breast, running the rough palm over her taut nipple. She whimpered as he continued on to the other, lonely, pouty breast.

It was too much. She lifted one hand and tried to remove her shirt. Her other hand was freed as he stopped to help. She arched beneath him, feeling his worn jeans run across her skin.

She brought her hands to his chest, lightly touching soft skin and hard muscle. He leaned into her touch. His hands were still, his breathing quiet. His body felt tense, coiled.

Meg opened her eyes, afraid he was changing his mind.

His eyes sparkled like sapphires as he watched her, his expression serious.

_Not again,_ she thought to herself.

He must have heard her thought or read it in her eyes. A corner of his mouth lifted. "Do you want me to stop?"

Meg growled low in her throat. She reached up and grabbed him by the back of his neck, dragging him down to her. As soon as he was within reach, her lips stole his, devouring him as if she were starving.

Okay, so she was. He'd awakened something in Dreamland that urgently needed attention.

She lifted her hips and pushed off, flipping him onto his back.

He smiled up at her as she pulled away. "Well, if I'd known you liked the top..."

She smiled. "I just didn't want you to change your mind."

She licked and nibbled along his neck and shoulders. He had magnificent shoulders.

Glancing up, she saw his eyes watch her as she moved. It made her stomach clench. Those eyes could melt ice at twenty meters.

She cut a path back to his neck, raking her teeth along his ear lobe. His body jerked beneath her. "Foreplay," she said, sucking the lobe of his ear into her mouth, "is fun." She rose a hair's breath to whisper huskily, "But I want more."

With a growl, he flipped her onto her back and shed his jeans. His hands found her apex, stroking lightly, teasing.

He obviously wasn't hearing her demands.

She grasped his manhood firmly in one hand, her hips moving to a rhythm of their own, courting the feel of his fingers, begging them to stroke harder, move further, delve deeper.

His fingers would not do as she asked.

But she knew what would.

She moved her hand up, feeling his shaft harden and jump in her palm. She ran the length of it, her breath quickening. She cupped the head, rubbing its velvety softness.

His fingers twitched. His eyes flew open with a groan. He set his hands on either side of her and leaned heavily onto them, bowing his head as she continued her assault.

Sweat beaded over his body. His eyes were closed with effort. His breathing was harsh. He was in need of her, she knew. She nipped at his shoulder, drawing his attention to her.

He looked at her lazily, his dusky eyelids heavy, his sapphire eyes dark with desire.

She guided him toward her. She could almost weep wanting, needing to feel him inside her. She needed to feel like a real woman. A real woman who had a real man.

And she was about to have him.

She closed her eyes, a content smile on her face as she felt his tip touch the opening to the center of her being. She thrust her hips forward to allow him entrance, but his hips moved back at the same moment.

She moved back.

He followed her.

She moved forward.

He backed off.

His shaft would not enter.

She was about ready to scream.

He just smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.

That damned cursed man. She grabbed hold of his head and crushed his lips against hers. Her teeth nipped, her lips left no room for misunderstanding, her tongue whipped him into submission.

He pulled away, his smile wide, the fog of passion still clouding his eyes as he pushed her into the bed.

She moaned with frustration, pushing him up with her hips.

He chuckled, his head lowering, his lips lightly skimming over one shoulder. "Don't rush," he murmured. "I want," nibble, "this," suck, "to be," he continued, raking his teeth along the slope of her breast, "memorable."

Her breath caught in her throat, her body arching as he took her nipple in his mouth and pulled, his teeth sliding off slowly. She sobbed, the pleasure unbearable. She was going to explode and his teeth kept sliding.

They scraped the tip, her breast her own again. A wild scream was building deep inside of her in a place she'd never explored before as he laid a bridge of kisses to the next breast, his teeth searching, looking, and finding her taut and ready nipple. As his teeth caught, her scream built. As his teeth slid, her passion rose and as his teeth raked their way to the tip of her breast, she roared as her body exploded.

The force rolled over her again and again, leaving her quivering in the aftermath. She moaned, unable to control herself. Her body was ablaze even more than before. The nerves, once tantalized and awakened were heightened to any and all movements. Hands fanned down her abdomen. Breath whispered across her flesh.

Heat engulfed, deep, hot, wet heat.

Her hips bucked without command.

His tongue flicked the lips of her core, engulfing her clit, suckling it in his mouth. His tongue thrust inside, promising, teasing.

She was out of control.

He chuckled against her, his hands cupping her buttocks to keep her from escaping the onslaught. His teeth lightly raked against her. She bucked wildly sobbing moans escaping her. Her hands sought him out as he enjoyed her torment. She ran her hands through his shaggy hair. His tongue thrust out. She grabbed fistfuls of hair and pressed herself deeper onto him, her sobs turning into growls.

"Damn—Jesu–" she gasped, mindless from the sensations. "Luk!"

With a ferocious, claiming growl of his own, he lowered her hips to the bed and rose over her. His manhood found her ready, weepy and needy apex.

Their breathing quickened as he sheathed himself slowly.

Her hips stilled as he filled her. A rush swept over her.

She was a woman again.

They moved together, finding their rhythm. His eyes were squeezed shut as he lowered his head to hers. "Slow down," he whispered.

She couldn't. She needed him now. She needed released.

"Not yet," he fought, raising his torso to plunge himself deeper.

She grabbed his shoulders, pulling herself up to meet him halfway. Her lips claimed his. She devoured him as he filled her, sending pulses of passion ricocheting through her body. "I want you now."

She pushed him into the bed and rode him, faster, harder, until she felt his body tense beneath her. She thrust herself down hard, arching back, taking him deeper than she thought possible. Their cries mingled, hers a moan, his a growl.

Passion pummeled them, rolled up and over them again and again.

Sighing, her body her own, she lowered herself to lie on top of him, her ear over his heart. Her eyes closed, the wild tha-thump of his heart rumbling in her ear. She smiled and fell asleep, his arms wrapped around her.

She woke up to a room warmed by the sun, nearly halfway up the sky. Her bed was empty. She blinked, pretty sure she hadn't dreamt it. Scooting to the edge of the bed, she nodded. Nope. She was sore in places that hadn't been used in quite a while.

She looked around. Her t-shirt lay by the bed. Her undies were by the far wall and socks—his socks—were tossed by the dresser.

She walked quickly to the closet and grabbed her ratty pair of jeans, which sported two torn knees and a couple holes in the butt. They were still hung on a hanger. She looked at them. They screamed, "Pretty panties!" so, she obliged and picked a pair she hadn't worn in ages, the lacy maroon ones, and because they'd show through in spots she picked a pink shirt with a deep, scoop neck which begged, "Perky, give-me-boobs bra." She shrugged. That couldn't hurt either.

She looked toward the bed as she wriggled hastily into her clothes. Maybe she'd even shave her legs tonight. She saluted the bed on her way to the bathroom. After all, it wasn't every morning a girl got lucky. She'd celebrate and really treat herself. She'd use the good-smelling lotion she saved for bad days and celebrations.

She went down the tight, attic stairs and down the long, dark hallway to the bathroom.

Luk popped his head through the dining room doorway, his sandy hair combed back, still wet, his eyes twinkling, his mouth thoughtful. "I thought I heard you."

Meg acknowledged that with her eyebrows.

"It was either that or an elephant."

Her eyes shot open in mock outrage. Her mouth gaped as she stared at the now empty doorway. She hadn't been that loud. "I didn't want to startle you by sneaking up on you."

"No danger of that," Luk called from the kitchen. "I heard you from the time you woke up."

He breasted the doorway separating the kitchen from the dining room with a smile, carrying two steaming plates. He wore no shirt.

She smiled appreciatively.

He set her plate by her chair, looking down her shirt. He peered up at her, his blue eyes aglitter, his lips nearly touching hers. "I like the outfit." He took his plate to his seat, leaving her to catch her breath.

She sat down and picked up her fork. "Luk."

Luk made his best effort to ignore her, his attention on his food. After all, bacon was man's best friend.

Meg tore off a piece of toast and dipped it into the yoke of her egg, it's yellow creaminess spilling into her hash browns. "Luk, we need to talk."

He took a sip of coffee and looked up. "About what? Are you going to tell me that what we did this morning was a mistake?"

She finished chewing her toast. "No."

"Good." He folded an egg, stabbed it with his fork and inserted the whole thing into his mouth.

Meg looked at him horrified. He outdid Nick and she never thought that would have been possible.

He chewed the egg enough to stuff into his cheeks and sipped at his coffee. He looked at her, his expression open. "Anything immediately come to mind?"

She took her cup of steaming coffee and held it under her nose, letting the pleasant aroma awaken her. "The milk in the gas station."

Luk rolled his eyes with a sigh. He set down his cup and his fork and swallowed what was left of the egg. "It was a magical build-up."

Meg gestured with her hand. "And?"

"That day–" He tossed his head back and forth. "When we kissed, I was," he paused, looking heavenward, "trying to make you believe in me."

"Right." She took a bite of bacon and propped her elbows on the table, her chin in her hands. "Your lips were quite real. I just don't understand why the milk had to explode." Her head moved up down as she chewed.

"Basically, I lost control of my magic."

Meg frowned. "How did you become a dustman?"

Luk closed his eyes. He sat back, his plate forgotten and stared into the late morning sun. "Once upon a time, a long time ago in a far away land called Ireland, lived a man called Lukoe O'Rourke."

She watched him. His breathing was slow. His eyes never blinked. His mind was visibly elsewhere.

"I came to manhood during the great potato famine. My family were hard working farmers who had once owned their land. But we were Protestant and lost our lands to the English Catholics."

She set her fork down. "That was all real, then?"

He nodded with a blink. "I died on a boat headed for America." His eyebrows rose. "The garbage land. The land of the free and home to the unwanted."

"That would make you almost two hundred years old."

He chuckled dryly, picking up his toast. "I guess. Anyway, the next thing I remember, I'm standing on Dreamers' Hill, having the laws laid down for me by one of the Elders and then he turns and he looks at me and he says, 'Now, Lukoe, you're a dustman. You're the light that mustn't go out. You're the one, Lukoe O'Rourke, who must keep the dreams and hearts alive.'"

Her eyebrows rose when it was obvious he wasn't going to say anything else. "What did he mean, the one?"

Luk shook his head. "I have no idea." He frowned. "I was the first dustman created in centuries and then, nothing."

Meg shook her head, not sure if this was all supposed to make sense. "Telfgar said he'd been forgotten."

Luk shifted away, grabbing his cooling coffee and muttered into it, "Yes. I failed, Meg. I failed as a dustman. My heart dimmed when you left and I couldn't find you."

Guilt churned in her heart as she sighed into her coffee.

He gazed disheartened at the table where shadows of trees danced on the white tablecloth. "It was so barren, so dead. I couldn't bear to look at it."

"It was proof..." She trailed off.

"That I'd lost."

"So, you came here." She looked at him. "How?"

"When we are in Dreamland, we use our soul as our body."

"Right. The good old out of body experience."

He nodded. "And when I'm here collecting kids, I believe my soul into a semi-physical form, making my soul into a body."

"So how are you able to be a dustman with kids and still be here? How many hours do you have in a day?"

"My kids are all in this area, so they're all in the same time-zone."

Meg studied Luk for a very long moment. "What does this mean? Can you stay? Are you going to have to leave again?"

"I don't know."

She blinked and looked at him, really looked. "How many rules are you breaking by being here?"

Luk stared at her quietly for a moment. "A lot."

"Finn asked if you'd asked me yet. Asked me what?"

He didn't immediately answer. "The Elders say I've lost my light."

"But the kids–"

"Aren't enough." He rested one hand on hers. "It appears I broke too many rules to be with you."

Her heart sank, knowing what those words meant. He was going to leave her.

"The kids don't count anymore."

A flame of fear sparked in her heart. "How much time do you have? Why haven't you left yet? Why are you still here?"

He looked at his plate and took back his hand. "A month. I have a month."

She stared at him, searching his face. She'd just found him again.

He breathed, his hands clenching and unclenching. Finally, with a bowed head, he looked at her. "Where's my light, Meg?" His body trembled. His eyes nearly burst with emotions; anger, hurt, loneliness, ache and confusion. "When did I stop being a dustman and how do I get back?"

"How would I know that?"

He shook his head and looked away.

Meg reached up and rubbed her nose. "What can we do?"

He chewed on his cheek. "Maybe the answer is somewhere in your stories."

Meg nodded and scooped some hash browns onto her fork. "Maybe? I mean, you think I might have captured something in my writing?"

"I only know the Elders said you have my light."

She shook her head and met his gaze. "I don't know what that means. If it means I have your hope, you're toast. I barely have my own."

"Maybe if you start writing, more people will hear about me and my light will come back."

She gave him a disgruntled look. "You want me to write again?"

He nodded. "For the dustmen." He looked down. "For me."

She looked down at her own plate. "I've got the time now."

He clicked his tongue. "Yup."

She picked up her plate and walked into the kitchen, her plate still nearly full.

He followed her. "You need to eat more."

She chuckled, rinsing off her plate. "I've spent the last eight years with little time to eat." She put the dish in the dishwasher. "I wouldn't know what to do."

"Hmm, Maybe we should fix–"

He was interrupted by the sound of shattering of glass. They turned and ran into the living room. The big picture window had been shattered. Meg looked up at the sound of flying gravel. A shiny, new sports car sped down the dirt road.

Luk walked further into the room and stooped over.

Meg walked over to him as he stood, a rock in hand.

He pulled off a piece of paper and read it. With a growl, he crumpled it and threw it to the floor.

"What did it say?"

Luk ground his teeth and threw the rock back through the broken window.

"Luk," Meg said in her Mom-voice, a hand on her hip. "What did it say?"

He looked at her. "Rich followed you home."

12

"WE should let Joe know."

Meg shook her head. "Let's just wait until she comes back. There's nothing she can do about it now and besides, she doesn't have a cell phone."

He stopped what he was doing to look at her, his eyebrow raised. "Sheriff Joe."

"Oh. He's still sheriff?" Meg swept the larger shards of glass into the dustpan. The sun shined brightly on them, occasionally zapping her in the eye. "So you're saying we should call the police _now_ as to before when I thought the police should get involved?"

Luk threw her a mom-look of his own.

Meg shook her head and walked toward the back door. She let the glass clash and tinkle into the beat-up, aluminum trash can outside the back door. When she came back in, she reached for her boots stashed at the back door. "Are you ready to go?"

"Just waiting for you."

There was a slight, autumn nip in the air, so they both grabbed flannels and walked down the gravel driveway. The old Ford sat fat and happy. It was rusted and held together with little more than hope. It had been fixed with bubblegum, silicone, and duck tape. Bailing wire held the tail pipe in place. George, the mechanic in town, cringed at the sight of the old beast. He kept wanting to fix it for real, but Aunt Jo maintained it would hold.

They climbed in, slamming the doors into place. Luk took the wheel, peddled the gas three times, hit the steering wheel in the magic spot and turned the engine over without too much complaint.

That truck just wouldn't give up.

Luk ground the truck into gear and backed out onto the dirt road.

Meg craned her head to peer around the tight curve at the end of the drive. It was hard to see if anyone was barreling down the gravel road with all the trees. When the road was muddy, she couldn't see the tell-tale dust cloud.

Luk went ahead and pulled out, heading away from the sharp, blind curve and on toward town. It was currently hidden by a hill. The old Ford climbed it, gathering more mud and spewing more rocks before taking the top where they were met with another sharp curve and a glimpse of town.

The dirt road was full of switchbacks and hairpin curves. If you weren't watching closely or were unfamiliar with them, they could throw you off the hill. The dirt road met pavement about halfway down and they followed the paved road around lazy curves and pansy hills until they reached The Crossing.

The Crossing was the only railroad crossing in town that could be hit at 40 miles an hour and gain airtime.

God, it was good to be home.

Luk turned left in front of the Kroger and right turned, heading down the main street. One would think the grocery store would be on the main strip.

Wrong. The Kroger was too big to _fit_ on the main street.

Paonia was actually fairly big for a small town. Everyone who came to the Orchard Valley stopped there. It was green and rich and breathtaking, surrounded by beautiful mountain peaks, pines, cedars and fruit orchards.

The main street was dominated by two centers of activity at opposite ends of the street; the post office and The Cave.

Everyone had to go to the post office because there were no mail boxes in town. People in the country had boxes at their houses, but usually stopped by to see who was in town and get the latest gossip. A lot could happen in a small town

And The Cave? Well, The Cave was a restaurant with no windows except one. It boasted low lighting to help with the cave-like effect, and the worst burgers ever known to man. Newbies and tourists were told to go there. The burgers gave a person the runs. The fries, on the other hand, were the whole reason The Cave stayed in business. Those fries were the greasiest reason for a heart attack.

Luk flipped a U-turn and parked in front of the sheriff's office, newly built exactly in the middle of the two communication hubs. Sometimes, more things happened than gossip.

Luk's door squealed open and slammed shut, sending the rust bucket truck to rocking. Meg got out with a squeal and a slam and watched the window slide down.

"Luk," she said, stepping onto the sidewalk, looking at the truck with a frown. "When did it start doing that?"

He looked to where she was looking and shrugged. "A month or two ago."

She turned to follow him. "It's not gonna hold." Dang, the place was affecting her speech already. She hadn't even talked to anyone yet and her twang had come back.

He flicked a glance at the old Ford. A flake of the rusted bumper fell off. He pushed his lips out and sucked them back in. "It'll hold."

"Hmm."

Luk looked at her. "How about I go talk to Joe and you go ask around about Rich."

Meg nodded. Good plan. And she could see who'd left the valley and who'd come back and generally catch up on the gossip.

She looked down the short street. Where to start. Hmm. Decisions.

She decided to cross the street and hit the Three Sisters.

The Three Sisters was a...well, anything off the beaten path kind of store, closer to occult. The cowbell clanged to announce her presence. She stopped and took in the store. Things hadn't changed much.

There were still candles of every shape, size and color. There were still "new age" dresses that added twenty pounds to the average woman's figure. There was still the eclectic collection of jewelry. And the spell books still sat next to the Bibles.

She chuckled to herself. Pastor Ron must still live in town. He'd started the religion war, saying witches could not be Christians. He claimed a woman could not hold a witch's broom in one hand and the Bible in the other.

June had had other ideas. She was a Christian and a witch. So, every Sunday, she'd go to church and then practice a very wordy, very showy spell in front of her house, which stood prominently across the street from the church.

June looked up from her embroidery and smiled. Her brittle, graying brown hair was pulled back away from her eyes and was left to stream down her back. She remained sitting as she said in her guarded, you're-an-outsider fashion, "Look around. Let me know if I can help you."

Meg took stock of herself. Holey jeans. Check. Rugged, country hair. Check. Sturdy boots. Check. Flannel. Check. She felt like an insider. She sighed. Maybe June just couldn't see her very well.

"Well, actually," Meg said, walking closer, "I was hoping you _could_ help me."

When June glanced up, a look of irritation played on her lips. Then her gray eyes opened wide. She tossed her embroidery down and walked around the jewelry counter. She wore a long, gathered, denim, country skirt, sensible boots and a raspberry peasant blouse. The billowy sleeves came up and wrapped themselves around Meg's neck. Brightly colored, thin lips planted themselves on her cheek.

June held Meg tightly for a long moment, her thin nose buried in Meg's hair.

That's what home felt like.

She pulled away and took hold of Meg's auburn mess and let it filter through her fingertips. She clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Is it really my Meg?"

Meg nodded. "You look good."

June pulled back, took in the pants, narrowed her eyes at the cleavage-showing blouse, and stared at the hair. "Who's the man?"

Okay. So it was easy to understand the slut outfit. "Luk."

June's eyes grew huge. "Luk? Our Luk?" She clutched her throat and headed back to her seat behind the counter. "Do you know how many women Darla has thrown at him?"

Darla was June's "sister". They'd come to the valley together, along with their other "sister", Ruby. Nobody knew their story except for them. They were the spinsters. June's mission in life was to give Pastor Ron an early heart attack. Darla was the town matchmaker. Ruby? Well, her mission in life was not to have a mission in life. She made things grow. Ruby didn't get out much.

Darla and June made up for her.

"Luk is a very special boy," June said with a wink. "We'll do fries and coffee at The Cave sometime and catch up."

Meg chuckled. "Sounds good."

"Tell me about those kids." She gave Meg a level eye. "And when am I going to meet them?"

Meg beamed. "Nick and Nali should be home in a couple of days. Two at the most."

"Home, hmm?" the older woman asked, her brown brows rising. " _Are_ you home?"

Meg looked around and breathed with a smile. "Yeah." She nodded. "I am."

June nodded briefly. "That's what I wanted to hear." Her hands couldn't be still any longer. She picked up her embroidery. "What brings you here?"

Meg rifled through the box of rings on the glass counter. "Actually, I came to ask you if you'd seen someone new in town."

"Well," June said, raising her eyes in thought. "There's the couple from Michigan. They're visiting some friends. You remember Mindy?" June's hands were flying. "Mindy went to Grand Junction after high school and went to college there. A couple of years ago, she came back here with a husband and a baby."

To be perfectly honest, Meg didn't really remember Mindy.

June looked up. "If you're having a hard time snaring young Luk, just get pregnant." Her attention returned to the project at hand. "Works every time."

Meg raised her eyebrows and blinked. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Aside from them... Oh," June said, looking up at Meg. "I don't know how I could forget about _them_. There was a man come by with a traveling zoo. I think it might have been his family?. They all looked relatively the same."

"How many of them were there?"

"Eight plus the man, so nine."

"Do you know where they're staying?"

June shrugged. "The family was gabby, but the man was very reserved. Spooky." Her hands stopped. "He reminded me of The Grandfather."

That sounded like Rich. "Did he say anything?"

"Only that he'd come to take his wife home." The older woman shivered. "He felt wrong."

Meg stuck her tongue in her cheek.

"He felt..." June's gray eyes dimmed. "...like a ghost."

Hmm.

"Why are you looking for him?"

Meg chewed her upper lip. "He's looking for me."

June held her gaze for a long moment. "Stay away from him, Meg." She sighed and broke eye contact. "He had car troubles. George has his car."

"Car troubles." Meg took in a deep breath. Some things never changed. "You mean the we-don't-want-your-type-around-here kind of car troubles?"

June just shrugged. "Ask George. He'd know."

George's shop was around the corner, next to the antique store and across from the Kroger. She bid good-bye to June and walked around to the shop.

He was grumbling when she opened the glass door and quietly closed it. He looked up and glared out the big window, staring at the car wash. "It's autumn, for Christ's sake," the old man muttered as he watched a cloud of spray form in front of one of the bays. "You'd think them damned hippies'd freeze."

"One could wish, I guess," Meg said with a raised eyebrow.

George jumped. He jumped every time. The reason he didn't have a bell on his door was because the tiny office was no bigger than a large bathroom. "Meggy," he said, his bushy, gray beard hiding the smile his gray-blue eyes were crinkled with. "I heard you were back in town."

George was a country boy. Born and bred in the valley and it showed. He was one of the old fashioned people who didn't believe in giving all his hard-earned cash to the dentist. All in all, he was only missing one tooth, right in the center.

"Heard, too, you were lookin' for a queer sort of man."

Meg rolled her eyes. How did word travel that fast?

He took a rag and wiped his hands.

"You've got his car?"

"Yup." He walked into the garage.

Meg followed him out, her thumbs hooked in her back pockets.

"Didn't recognize you there for a bit," he said, walking around a black, shiny new sports car, one of those really expensive looking ones like a BMW or Mercedes.

Meg snorted. She didn't know anything about cars. The thing had four tires, two doors and wasn't shaped like a box. What more did a person need to know? "Been kind of a long time."

George looked at her, his chin tucked in. "You've been citified."

Meg's eyes widened. "I thought I looked rugged."

George snorted and opened the driver's side door. "That there's an outfit if I ever saw one."

"I used to wear it all the time."

"Not like that, you didn't," he muttered inside the car. The hood popped up.

"So, maybe not this shirt."

"Is a shirt or is it paint?"

She growled. She'd wanted Luk's attention, but it seemed she'd gotten the town's instead.

"And another thing," he continued, walking around and popping the hood up, "your pants have shrunk."

She pinched him on the arm and stood next to him staring at the engine. She shoved her hands into her pockets. Okay, so it was a tight squeeze. "I've had two kids, you know."

"So, you're going to dress like one?"

She let out a breath and stared at him incredulously. No one had George-hitting privileges but his wife and she was gone, gone to the happy hitting grounds. This was the part about living in small towns that wasn't great.

"If you're trying to snare Luk, try wearing a dress."

She looked at the exposed innards of the sports car. "I didn't have one suitable for the weather."

His gray-blue eyes widened as he backed up to take in her holey and ripped jeans. He stepped up to the car again. "Yup."

She scowled. "What's wrong with his car?"

He picked up a hose and looked at her. "He's got a part that needs replacing."

She chuckled. She didn't know much about cars, but even she could tell all the thing needed was to be popped back into place. "How long will it take to get it fixed?"

He shrugged and set the hose back down. "Depends on how long it'll take to get the part in."

Meg raised her eyebrows with a smile.

He pulled his ears back and sucked in his lips, further hiding them behind his beard as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "And, then if the snow flies, who knows how long it could take."

Meg snorted, shaking her head.

He looked at her searchingly. "How long do you need him to stick around?"

She looked up at Lambs Borne Peak. Clouds were forming over it, growing as she watched. "Actually, I need him to go. Where's he staying?"

"The Hotchkiss Inn."

She sighed, frustrated. Hotchkiss was the neighboring town, down by the adobes and there was rivalry between the two towns. Hotchkiss didn't have a theatre and Paonia's Kroger wasn't as big nor as good as Hotchkiss' City Market. But, mostly, it was because the high schools needed the rivalry for sports and nearly everyone who graduated never moved out of town.

Help wouldn't be coming from Hotchkiss.

"He smells like a cheap whore," George said, closing the car up again.

"I'll keep that in mind."

He ushered her to the garage door. "He mentioned to June he was after his wife and was asking around about you."

Meg sighed.

His stormy eyes narrowed at her. "Is he your husband?"

She shook her head and looked to her mountain. "He wants me to marry him. He threatened to kill Luk."

George nodded, a calm silence enveloping him. "Luk's a good kid. He keeps the young inside all o' us."

Meg heard what he didn't say. _Luk's one of us._

He looked into her eyes and nodded. "Sorry to hear about Tom."

Meg nodded. "It was a long time ago."

"He was a good kid, too."

Code for, _He was one of us, too. Keep pickin' 'em._

Large hands took hold of her waist. Her eyes opened as she was molded into a strong, warm chest. Her face grew red at George's chuckle. He turned away. "Good to see you, Luk."

"Good to see you, too."

George was almost inside the garage when a crash, tinkle, tinkle was heard echoing down the street. All three of them turned. Miss Ida's old, steel blue Buick was parked with the hood kissing the trunk of a tree. George took his hand rag and threw it down on the ground, stomping up the street where old Miss Ida was trying to pry her hefty, frail body out of her car.

"Those damn hippies," he shouted. "This town ain't been right since they came!"

Meg and Luk watched with twitching grins as Ida pulled out her walker and stood staring into the car wash, slapping at George's hands as he tried to pull her away.

Luk pulled Meg toward the old Ford.

She sighed. It sure was nice to be home.

13

THE trip back to the inn was silent. Well, except for the constant complaining made by the truck as it was forced to travel up hill, of course.

"What did Joe say?"

"Not a whole lot," Luk said over the truck as it bounced them around like a wild buck. "He's coming by in a little while to check it out, then he'll have us fill out a report."

"But there's no way to trace this to Rich," Meg said with a frown. "It's all—uh. Just forgot the word." She frowned and looked down. "Big word, more than two syllables, starts with a soft 'c'."

"What is this?" Luk asked, shooting a grin in her direction. "Pictionary?"

Meg threw a frown at him. "You could start guessing." She looked out the window, mentally walking backward in their conversation. "Means not concrete. It's not coincidence."

Luk raised his eyebrows. "Circumstantial?"

Meg smiled, relaxed. "Yeah. That's it."

Luk just looked at her, his eyebrows in his hairline, his face twisted with a frown. "You worry me."

"I worry a lot of people." She looked at him with bright eyes. "I'm good, though."

"Riiight." He turned his attention back to the road. "I'll call up Doc Murphy when we get to the house and see if he has anything he can prescribe."

Meg shook her head. "I don't need drugs."

Luk nodded, his blue eyes glued to the road. "You do need drugs."

With a sigh, Meg turned her attention to the road too. They turned onto the windy, gravel road and bumped their way up and around the hill that hid the inn from town.

"What did June say?"

Meg blinked and settled more comfortably into her seatbelt. "She wants to see the kids when they get to town." Her heart twinged. She missed them.

Luk just looked at her and nodded. "Did she say anything else?"

Meg sighed and frowned. "Yeah. You know June is...well, different."

Luk nodded, a look of agreement on his face. "Definitely one way to put it."

"Well, she claimed Rich wasn't..." Meg craned her neck. "Wasn't of this world."

He took the old Ford around the last curve and let it putter down the hill and into the driveway of the inn. The Ford stopped bucking and sailed into its normal place. It almost sighed when it died.

Luk and Meg both shook their heads.

"So, what else did she say?"

"She said he felt like a ghost," she said, tripping out of the truck and up the steps to the front porch. "Do we have plastic to cover this?" she asked, pointing to the open and broken window.

Luk shook his head. "Charlie's coming over with a pane of glass."

The screen door squealed open and the front door creaked. It would take awhile to get used to not locking the doors. "Why would Rich need eight people with him?" The screen door whacked into place on Luk's boot heals. "He brought his entire friggen family!"

Luk looked at her, standing up straighter. "How many?"

"Eight," Meg said, walking into the dining room. She shook her head. "Did he need someone to hold his hand?"

Luk followed her, pensive. "Rich seemed familiar in an odd sort of way."

Meg nodded slowly, her eyes wide. "That didn't make sense at all."

Luk quirked his lips. "I saw him in Dreamland."

Meg looked up at him and frowned. "Who? Rich?"

Luk nodded.

"You know," she said, narrowing her gaze in thought. "I did, too."

"There was a night you came for only a second, but you were running like you were scared of something." He looked at her intently. "What happened?"

"You were really there?" she asked incredulously.

He didn't move or blink.

She ran her hands through her hair. "Well, there was this really old, scary man chasing me and then you and Dreamland disappeared into a cloud. And then he turned into Rich. And then the cloud said it wasn't time yet or something. It was a very weird nightmare."

Luk was silent for a long moment. "Well, after you appeared and disappeared, I went to talk to a nightmare who claims Ricardo, the head Elder, and Rich are the same person."

She pushed away from the sink, took one last gulp that nearly drained the glass and set it next to the sink. "Rich is an Elder? This is getting to be too much."

Luk raised an eyebrow.

She opened the fridge and pulled out some sliced ham. "Why is he here? Why is his whole family here?" She pulled out a bowl of sliced tomatoes and a bottle of mustard. "Sandwich?"

Luk grunted in agreement and pulled the bread out of the breadbox. "I don't know, but I doubt it means good things."

You have a very strange talent for the understated."

He smiled. "I'm trying to think of two words. Sounds like bird."

Meg snorted, pulled away from the counter and sat down in a chair, allowing him to build his own sandwich. "Thanks. And here I thought I was the only one with that disease."

"If we're lucky," he replied, working on his sandwich, "you are."

"So you got any ideas about what to do with Rich?"

Luk shrugged. "Kind of."

Meg turned, one cheek full of sandwich. "You gonna share?"

Luk's eyes took on a horrified look. "That's disgusting."

Meg just shrugged.

Luk took in a deep breath and smeared a glop of mustard onto the bread. "Did I tell you Katrina and Phil were Elders?"

Meg stopped chewing. Her old neighbors? "Nope. What does that mean?"

Luk shrugged and looked at the sandwich in his hand. "It means Rich is important to them." He shook his head. "Somehow Rich belongs to Dreamland."

"That seems like a no brainer." Meg paused and bit into her sandwich, musing. "Is Rich after you or me?"

"Both, I think. I don't know. He threatened you in the cemetery, and he tried to kill me in Dreamland."

"He tried to kill you? How?"

"He threw me in the Lake of Dreams."

Meg set her sandwich down and looked at him. "What exactly does this mean? He's trying to kill you and wants to marry me and he followed us to Colorado and he dragged the Elders with him." She looked at him.

Luk bit into his sandwich.

"I thought you had a month."

Luk shrugged.

She let out a long sigh. "I need to find my box of stories. You gonna come help?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I'm going to wait for Joe."

She nodded and left the kitchen.

14

MEG woke up a little disoriented. She remembered being at the computer but had no memory of going to bed. Yet, here she was, fully clothed and in bed. She tried to turn herself over, but found her blanket weighed down.

Luk was asleep, lying on top of the blanket she'd slept under.

She moved her hand to touch him. She wanted to take his face in her hands, bring her lips to his, but stopped.

He was asleep and he was a dustman doing the out of body experience thing. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Meg remembered. A person could get lost if they were awakened at the wrong time while they were on an out of body voyage. If they woke up unexpectedly, they could lose the link to their body. Since Meg wasn't sure about how his body became real anyway, she didn't think it would be a good idea to tempt the hands of fate.

She sighed, especially not when fate didn't appear to be on their side anyway.

So she did the one thing that was safe for her. She watched him breathe.

She was stuck. She'd poured over everything she could from the stories she'd written about him. She'd dug into her heart to find what she could. She just didn't understand what it was she was looking for. A light?

She'd come across some candles in her boxes, but somehow she just didn't think that was the light everyone was so hot for.

So what was it about him that set him apart from all the rest?

She looked at his sculpted chest and angular face. He was absolutely the most handsome man she'd ever met. But there were lots of other handsome men about.

She turned to face him better, taking the blanket he was lying on top of and tucking it up to her chin. He had a great smile, beautiful blue eyes, a warm touch, a soft shoulder, a sympathetic ear.

She stopped. No. He'd _had_ all that.

But now, he didn't.

His eyes were stormy more than they were blue. His smiles were rare and not nearly as bright. His touch was nearly nonexistent and burned with power and ferocity. His shoulders were like his soul, hardened.

But he still listened.

She reached out and tentatively traced a line on his shoulder. That was his light. He'd lost his laughter. He'd lost his love. He'd lost the one thing had made him different from all the rest. He'd lost his heart.

She wondered how that was possible.

The last time she remembered seeing him, he'd had the bright smile and the light eyes. Somehow, after Tom died, so did his laughter. How was that possible?

She shook her head. She'd been over this too many times. She didn't understand what she was missing. Events were so foggy. Tom had died. The bills had piled up. She had no job and no money. She'd had a child growing in her womb. She was alone.

Then, there had been the break-in.

She sat up and tried to recall that day. She'd been in a stupor. She'd been talking to someone. She shook her head. She couldn't remember who. That's when the break-in had occurred. She'd walked into the kitchen. She remembered looking at the broken glass on the floor and the counter. She recalled asking herself what she was supposed to do. And then she'd heard her son scream.

The person who had broken in had disappeared. Nothing but her pride was taken. In her grief stricken stupor, it had sunk in. She was her children's only protector.

That's when the world had closed in around her, blocking her out and leaving her unutterably alone. That's when she'd told the voices inside her head to shut up and leave her alone. That's when she'd decided she didn't have time for her hobby.

That's when Luk disappeared and both their lights went out.

She shook her head and set her hand on his shoulder, as her wandering mind stopped. What was she missing? The little, annoying voice in her mind kept nagging at her, telling her there was something she just wasn't getting.

She searched the angles of Luk's sleeping face as it pointed skyward. Her mouth was set in frustration and determination. She would lose him unless she could figure this out.

And, damn it, she wasn't about to lose him now. She'd never felt so alive.

He inhaled deeply and shifted, stretching his legs. He tucked his chin into his chest and raised his arms high over his head, narrowly missing her nose. His long lashes opened, blinked, and turned toward her.

As she looked at him, she noticed something had changed. Something was different.

Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

His eyes seemed dimmer. His skin was transparent. His lips were set in a tight frown. Gray shot through hair that had once been sun-touched.

As she watched, he grew older.

She took his head in one hand and brought it to her, forcing him to rise on his elbow. Their eyes locked. He seemed lost. It felt as if he'd given up, as if he'd resigned himself.

She narrowed her gaze. She wasn't having any of that.

She took his head and gently touched her lips to his, breathing what life she could spare into him. She didn't have a lot of energy herself. She was still trying to dredge it up from goodness only knew where. She had more than he did.

He closed his eyes and brought his hands up to cup her face. His lips molded themselves into hers more fully. His teeth raked against hers. His tongue delved deep.

He rolled over her, pressing the weight of his body into hers.

Her hands gripped his head tightly, not letting him go. She spread her legs and wrapped her knees around his hips, the blankets keeping her from fully claiming the man as hers. For now, that was okay. She had other things to take care of.

Her lips devoured his. She took his bottom lip between her teeth and ran her tongue along its length. He groaned and ground his pelvis into hers. His eyes closed as he squirmed within her grasp.

She pulled his head closer, her lips trailing his jaw. She licked and nipped until she found the lobe of his ear. Finding it, she enveloped it in warmth, running her tongue along it. She raked her teeth against his neck, holding him as he bucked above her.

His hands found her hips and pushed her into him, growling at the boundaries. He fought the leash her hands made.

She pulled away and looked at him through hooded eyes.

He stared at her, pleading for her forgiveness, willing her to understand.

"I don't know what happened between yesterday and this morning." She narrowed her eyes and shook her head firmly. "But you're mine."

"You don't understand."

She nipped at his lips and raked her gaze along the curves of his face. "I don't want to hear it."

He pulled back as far as her unrelenting hands would allow.

She jerked him back with a slight shake. "We'll figure this out."

His eyes pierced hers. "Someone's waging war on the dustmen. We're losing."

She touched her nose to his, drawing his attention back to her. She smiled up at him. "You were sent to me for a reason."

He looked at her and shook his head. "I left because I was a coward."

"You left because you lost something."

He breathed, his blue gaze searched her face, his expression softening. "Have you found it?"

She took one hand away from his face, digging the fingers of the other into his hair. She held him, pulling her shirt to one side, the button slipping from the old, tattered buttonhole.

He watched as her breast was slowly revealed. His breath caught in his throat as he watched its pink tip rise into view. She pushed his head toward it as it rose to meet him. He closed his eyes and wrapped his warm mouth around the excited tip of her breast.

She gasped and rose higher, holding him tightly to her, refusing to let him go.

He released her breast from his mouth and looked at her.

She lowered herself to the bed and met his gaze.

He breathed, blowing on her wet nipple, watching her.

She gasped and wriggled beneath him. She refused to take her gaze from his, but she needed... oh, she needed. She closed her eyes. She needed to let go. She needed to feel him. She needed him inside.

She looked at him, her body moving to an ancient rhythm she could not control. "I have your light, dustman," she said, her voice full and husky.

Her hand fell away from his hair as he pulled himself level to her eyes, their noses touching and their lips teasing each other. He nipped at her lips once, and pulled away. His eyes caught hers as he brought his lips back down to claim her more firmly. "Oh, really," he whispered along her neck. "Where have you hidden it?"

She connected her forehead to his and brought his face to meet hers again as she rocked against him. She took his hand and held it to the bared breast that hid her heart. Her eyes flared, shooting light and love into him as she whispered into his lips, "It's here. My heart is yours." She paused as they both breathed. "Take it." Her eyes stared into his, pleading. "It has always belonged to you."

Pain and relief flashed across his features. He growled, capturing her lips. He pulled back, searching then smiled. He held her tightly and breathed. "I will take it." He flipped onto his back, and pulled her with him.

She stared down at him with a slight smile.

New life surged through him as he took her intent on putting his mark upon her. His light was inside of her, so inside her he would go.

You'll find it again in the heart of the dreamer.

He took her old flannel shirt and slowly, carefully released each button, watching as her flesh was exposed to him inch, by careful inch. She sat, straddling his hips, a smile on her face. She _was_ the light. He slid the shirt off of her shoulders.

She brought his hand to her breast, eager to feel his body bond with hers. She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the edges and tipped her head. She was the sun coming from behind a cloud.

Breathing like a dying man, he reached up and took her head, bringing it down to meet his. He captured her lips and drank in her light. He inhaled her warmth. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her full, bared body along his.

He gripped her head, taking fistfuls of her red hair and deepened the kiss. It was a kiss that spoke of lust and hunger, of need. It was the kiss of a desperate man. His lips took hers with a powerful possession.

First left. Break away for breath and then right. Breathe again and back to left. He could not stop. His heart was about to burst.

Before long, something else was going to burst as well.

She moaned into his mouth, taking her hand and rubbing it along his clothed and weeping instrument. She wriggled her hips and slipped one hand to the back of his neck. She tugged, her lips never leaving his, moaning and whimpering her need to him.

He flipped her onto her back. Their lips still gnashing at each other, he attempted to relieve the cloth barriers between them. His pants were easily shucked, two pairs of hands pulling at them. The blanket was rather uncooperative.

Meg growled and broke away. She pushed him off of her and further away so he could maneuver his body off the blanket as it was being pulled. She gave it one final tug and sent it to the floor, mumbling, "This would never happen in a romance novel."

Luk pulled himself across the bed and pushed Meg into it. He took her hands and intertwined his fingers with hers. His mouth captured hers. His hips settled into her center. He took his member and touched its tip to her weeping and ready opening.

She bucked beneath him and moaned into the cavern of his mouth.

He was desperate to find his light.

He plunged into her, rocking against her again and again. They found their rhythm.

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself higher, forcing his manhood deeper.

Their passion built, rising higher and higher until it cascaded over them.

They lay beside each other, catching their breath and regaining control of their bodies.

Luk tucked her head to his chest and sighed. He didn't feel any different. Meg didn't have his light.

"I love you, Lukoe O'Rourke," she whispered into his chest.

His chest stopped moving beneath her head.

She looked around for a moment, wondering if this was the reaction she'd been looking for. It wasn't. She started to rise onto her elbow to give him a piece of her mind when his body tensed and jerked beneath her.

She shot straight up and turned to look at her dream man in horror.

His lips were closed grimly. His fists were clenched. His muscles jumped in his arms and chest. His eyes were squinched shut as if afraid to peek.

Then he did. His eyes opened just a bit.

And light came pouring out.

"Luk," Meg called, her voice shaking. She didn't know what to do.

She was beginning to panic. She looked around, her hands rising, but to do what she didn't know. What was she supposed to do? Call for an ambulance? No! What would she tell them? "Ah, hello. I have an emergency. Can you send someone over? This man's head is about to explode."

"Think, Meg," she whispered softly, shifting uncomfortably. She didn't do well in an emergency situation.

Luk closed his eyes as his body jerked.

She stared at him in horror.

There was only one person she could think to call.

"Finn," she cried out, tearing her eyes away from Luk, peering into each corner of the room. "Finn, please! I need you."

Luk's hips bucked, knocking her to the side. His jaw was clenched and his hands gripped fists full of anything he could grab. His veins were popping out as guttural groans were ripped from his throat.

She was beyond panic. She was veering into stupid woman syndrome. "Don't cry. Don't cry." She looked away from him and blinked away her desperate tears. "Just think."

His head rocked back and knocked against the metal headboard as his entire body arched into the air.

Something was building inside of him. She inched further and further away until her feet overhung the edge of the bed.

His eyes were closed and light was streaming through his ears. His arched body rose higher and higher, his head shifting on the pillow to accommodate his weight. Meg sensed a power rising inside of him, building and growing.

Suddenly, she was afraid. She knew nothing about dustmen and even less about magic.

Was she about to lose him?

"Heya, lady lo–" Finn's soft voice said, as he stepped off the windowsill. "Wha' in the bloody He'–"

The dark dustman stood, staring as Luk's body arched in pain and power.

And then, Luk exploded.

Light forced his eyes to open. It shot forth through every opening it could find. It poured from his eyes, his ears, his nose, even the pores of his skin.

A deep, dark, chilling sound grew. Luk's mouth opened wide releasing light and the sound of his scream.

And then it was gone and so was Luk.

Meg and Finn looked at the empty bed.

"Well," Finn said softly, "it'd appear our lad found his ligh'."

Meg stare at Finn horrified. "Where did he go?"

"Now lass," Finn said with his hands upraised. "I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation for all of this."

Meg got up onto her knees, "Finn –"

Finn yelped and turned, covering his eyes with one hand. "Meggy," he said breathlessly.

"Finn." Her heart was still with fear. "Have I lost him?"

"Yer bloody well naked, Meg," he shouted with a bit of force.

Meg took barely a second to gather the sheet around herself. "Where is he, Finn? Have I lost him?"

"Are ya decent?" he asked his voice cracking.

"Yes," Meg growled. "Where has he gone?"

Finn turned. "Well, Meg, I would say he's back in Dreamland." He blinked. "Ye see Meggy, tha' was his first light."

Meg frowned. "I don't understand."

Finn ran a hand through his hair and scanned the room with tired eyes. "He'd never gotten his light, Meggy."

She just stared across the room at him with sad eyes.

"Meggy," he said, disbelief covering his face. "Luk's never been a dustman."

15

MEG looked around, blinking. "Wha–" She shook her head. "What do you mean, Finn? He's never been a dustman? He's been playing the part of a dustman up till now."

Finn just shrugged. "I don' know wha' ta tell ye, Meg. All I know is tha' performance," he said, looking at the bed. "Tha' performance was the first ligh', no' a lost ligh'."

She shook her head. "But–"

"No' now, Meg," Finn cut in, walking toward the door. "Righ' now, ye've got ta get dressed cause I refuse ta take ya to Dreamlan' dressed like tha'."

Meg shook her head "I'm going to be sleeping. Don't you think I should be sleeping right away?"

Finn stopped, his hand on the door knob and looked at her. "Ye may be my friend, but..." His eyes drifted towards the bed where she sat barely covered. "There are times where I woudn' care one wit if ye were Luk's girl." His lips tightened in resignation. "Yer a bonny lass, Meg."

Meg sat stunned.

He turned and closed the door behind him. "I would appreciate it greatly if ye'd put somethin' on un'erneath yer sheet."

The click of the door sent Meg into action. She ran across the room to her closet, the sheet trailing behind her. She grabbed the closest thing, not even noticing what it was. She shoved the shirt over her head, grabbed a pair of underwear out of the drawer and hopped into them on her way back to her bed. Pulling them into place, she smiled at herself. Let Finn get all hot and bothered over her granny panties, she thought to herself.

Of course, saying she was going to go to sleep so she could save the man of her dreams was one thing. Actually falling asleep so she could save the man of her dreams was an entirely different matter. Her mind raced wildly, turning in more circles than a mad dog chasing his tail. Was Luk dead? Had the Elders caught him and dragged him back to Dreamland for sentencing?

Her breath caught in her throat. Did they kill people in Dreamland? She stopped as her eyes scanned the room. She didn't know. Dreamland was supposed to be a safe place where kids spent their night time hours, safe and nurtured and fun. Dying wasn't safe. Dying wasn't nurturing.

She blinked. Then again, how would she know if dying were fun? She'd never tried it before. She shook herself. Of course dying wasn't fun. If it were, more people would be dying to try it.

God, she had to pull herself together. She was getting batty. She looked at her alarm clock. It stared back at her with angry, red numbers. She'd been trying this sleep thing for thirty minutes now.

She flopped onto her back and stared up into the rafters. What was it Telfgar had said about Lady Storm?

There are no doors or locks, but there is no escaping unless you're let out by the Lady.

Crap. So if he was in Dreamland, how was she supposed to drag him back out again?

Somewhere between the words "back" and "again", she'd fallen asleep and "woke" with Finn hovering over her bed, an odd look in his eye. "I'm dressed. Really, I'm dressed."

Finn just nodded, a slight smile on his face. He turned and stepped toward the window. "Come on, then," he said. "We've go' a long way to go."

Traveling to Dreamland instead of simply waking up there was quite a trip. She got out of bed, leaving her body behind, and followed Finn to the window.

He took her hand and smiled down at her. "Are ya ready?"

What she really wanted to do was to say no. It was a long way down from her window, but she refused to allow herself the luxury. She swallowed and nodded.

He leapt from the window sill, sweeping her high into the air.

Meg's breath caught in her throat as she blindly held on. She wasn't Wendy and he wasn't Peter Pan and she was too freaking old to be flying around the – aahh!

She'd made the dreadful mistake of opening her eyes. Pikes Peak was coming closer and closer. She looked at Finn. "Don't you think we should pull up now?"

He just looked back at her and smiled. "Ye've got ta loosen up a bit, Meg," he called to her. "Yer an old stick."

Meg nodded. Great. Now, she was an old stick. That was just fine, but at least she was still an alive old stick.

Finn waited until Meg could see the eyes of a big horned sheep before pulling up and heading into the clouds which kissed their skin with promise and ease. They shot straight up, bits of wispy clouds sticking to them and rolling around them as they passed through. The dustman laughed heartily as he spun the two of them around. He paused in mid-flight, then pointed them straight towards the ground hidden from their sight.

The trip down through the clouds wasn't as easy as the one going up. The clouds didn't feel as cool and refreshing. There was a subtle kiss of darkness. Meg heard voices echo back at her. Looking around, she didn't see just thick walls of white. She saw slight, shadowy shapes moving and talking and the sounds of people crying.

She looked around. "Finn? What's going –Finn?"

His hand disappeared.

The world of clouds solidified. She landed on her feet.

Meg turned, listening to the sad sounds around her. She watched the listless movements of the wispy figures encased inside the folds of the clouds. Her breath caught in her throat. The clouds eddied and swirled in front of her as a shadow emerged.

Holding her breath, Meg stepped back, waiting to see what was approaching. The clouds parted their misty door and a slim, petite foot appeared. A long, lithe leg followed, draped in a shimmering, silken material similar to the clouds.

A woman stepped forward. She was tall and slender, impossibly thin for a human. Her breasts pressed tantalizingly against the sheer material, small, and perky.

Dark, lustrous hair flowed over her small shoulders and traced down her long arms, adorned only by two gold circles of lightening.

She opened her arms to Meg and tipped her long, angular face at her with a sultry smile. Her dark eyebrows arched, making her eyes seem more innocent, yet conniving in the same instant.

Meg stared at this woman in surprise. She tried to think of something to say. She was speechless. This lady was all woman and—well, even on a good day, Meg couldn't compete.

The lady's smile deepened as she embraced Meg. The woman's touch was cool and soft. Her voice was smooth like the wind as she pulled away and spoke. "I have heard much about you, Meg." She blinked her dark eyes at the mortal woman. "I had hoped you might pass through."

Meg cleared her throat. "Um–" She shook her head, her mind racing. "Uh–"

The lady laughed a soft, musical laugh. "I am very sorry. How rude of me." She stepped back and offered a slim, long-fingered hand. "I believe you know me as Lady Storm."

"I had figured that out." Meg took the woman's hand in her own and gave it a firm shake. She looked around. "Finn–" She looked back at the lady. "Dreamland—Whoa. _I've_ been sucked up into the storm? How is that possible?"

Lady Storm chuckled. "Impossible as this may seem to you, I understand you perfectly." She tipped her head and pointed to a wispy seat. "Please, sit. There is much to discuss."

Meg shook her head. "But–"

The lady held up her hand. "Sit. I will explain."

Meg stared hard at the lady. Finally, she blinked. There was little she could do besides listen. And perhaps, just perhaps, Lady Storm could answer a few questions for her.

"Meg," Finn called, staring up at the clouds from on top of a small hill in Meg's Meadow. "Meg!"

"Finn," Luk called, breaking through the trees. He came and stood next to his friend, looking up into the dark underbelly of the immense storm hovering over them.

Finn spared a glance for Luk before looking again at the storm. "That's bloody eery, tha' is."

Luk's eyebrows rose. "I know. She's been here ever since I came back. However, she's taking nothing and no one."

Finn turned to Luk. "Does that mean you've settled your end of the bargain, then?"

Luk shrugged. "I have no idea. Since Lady Storm isn't doing anything, I was going to ask Grandmother Willow a few questions."

"Luk, have ya lost yer bloody mind?" Finn asked, following his friend. "You do not go chat it up with a tree when Lady Storm is camped out over yer lands."

Luk shrugged as he walked. "There's not a whole lot I can actually do about her being camped out over my lands, now is there?"

Finn raised his eyebrows. "Ye could talk to the willow in a different land. She's everywhere, you know."

"No, Finn. We're safe, I think. If Lady Storm wanted me, she would have me already."

"Well, Luk," Finn said, following his friend. The woods were filled with uncomfortable silence, the creatures standing quiet in the shadows, whispering to each other in worried circles, waiting for the storm to take them. "Lad, there's a few thin's I think we should talk abou' first."

Luk did not pause as he traveled through the forest of pines. "What?"

"Had ya had a ceremony where ye were gifted with yer light?"

Luk stopped. "No." He looked at Finn over his shoulder. "That's the second time I've been asked that."

Finn chewed on his lip. "Have you seen Meg?"

Luk stopped and looked at Finn, his eyes huge. "She's probably pissed right now."

Finn looked around. "Uh, no' really, no. She was... well, I'd say she'd gone a little crazy. Not pissed, though. No. Definitely no' pissed. Scared, I'd say."

Luk stopped and looked at Finn. "Where is she?"

Finn looked up. "Well, I was takin' her here, but when we came down, she stopped half-way up."

Luk looked at his friend. "You mean she's in the storm."

Finn nodded. "Yeah."

Both men were quiet as they stared up at the storm.

"She doesn't suck up the dreamers," Finn said.

"I know. Did she send Meg back home?"

Finn shrugged. "Should I go an' check?"

Luk blinked in thought. "I don't know. Lady Storm is still going to be there when you go to get her again." He narrowed his gaze at the dark, still clouds. "I wonder why she let you through but kept Meg."

Finn shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking in the direction of the Meadow. "Who knows? The fact tha' I've always had a hard time dealin' with is tha' Lady Storm is, after all, a woman." He shook head. "An' after all, who understan's the ways of a woman?"

Luk had to agree. "We should see about Meg."

Finn nodded. "She's your dreamer. I'll let you do the honors."

Luk's eyes dimmed as he focused his attention inward. He reached out with his dustman senses and called, using Meg's signature. Energy overwhelmed him, flowing all around and under him. Hundreds of voices clambered inside his mind. He blinked and looked at Finn in surprise. "Why is it so loud?"

"Wha'?" Finn asked confused, looking around the nearly silent land.

"When I called, it was as if a huge door opened up and there were hundreds of people suddenly there."

"Tha'," Finn said with a deep sigh. "Is wha' we have ta talk abou'. Did ye find Meg?"

Luk shook his head and tried again, concentrating harder on Meg's signature this time. His eyes widened in surprise. He focused his gaze on the dark storm above him. "Finn," he said quietly. Alarm shot through his body like an electric current. "What does the lady want with a dreamer?"

Wonder and amazement flashed in Finn's blue eyes as his gaze joined Luk's. "How in the bloody blue blazes am I s'posed to know?

They were both silent for a long moment. "Do you have any bright ideas on how to get her out?"

Finn looked over at Luk. "No' a bloody clue."

Fear flooded Luk's chest. "Then perhaps, we'd better think of something. Quick."

"I want to show you something," Lady Storm said. She took Meg's hand and started walking the way she'd come.

Meg's attention was grabbed by the voices and the shadows. "Lady Storm, I have a question."

The lady turned with a smile, still walking.

Meg felt like a giant compared to the slim woman.

"They are the forgotten ones. They are here to heal, to see if they can believe in themselves regardless of someone else believing in them."

"Come again?"

Lady Storm sighed in thought and stopped. "Do you remember when you first learned to swing?"

Meg kind of nodded. "Sort of. No. Not really. It's been too long ago. I think I might have slept since then."

Lady Storm laughed. "You have had a couple of bad years, haven't you?"

Meg's eyebrows went up in response.

"Well, try to recall when your little ones were learning how to swing then." She smiled as the light entered Meg's eyes. "Yes. I thought you might remember that. Do you remember how you would always try to help them learn to push themselves?"

Meg groaned. "Nali refused until she was five."

Lady Storm nodded. "It was because she loved the feel of swinging, but she thoguht she still needed help. She didn't think she could go quite as high as you could push her. She didn't think she was strong enough."

"And this is relevant how?"

Lady Storm tipped her head mockingly. "You disappoint me, Meg. You are a writer. Use your imagination."

Meg stared at the shadows around her. "Dreamers are simply the ones pushing the people of Dreamland."

The lady nodded. "Quite so. Dreamland is able to exist independently of the dreamers. We are a realm separate from the land of men. We do not need humans and their dreams to stay alive, but the dustmen have been lead to believe so."

Meg peered at the woman in front of her. "How old are you?"

The lady chuckled and continued to walk, her hands clasped in front of her as she stepped with her head bowed in merriment. "You told Nick not to ask that very question just a week ago, yet now you ask it of me."

Meg's face burned.

The lady took in a deep breath as she raised her head and looked around. "I was here when the Mother and Father created our world. I was here when the first Elder was born. I was here long before the first dreamer even set foot here."

"And you heal them?"

The lady nodded. "Yet now, I have a man who would use me and my center of power to destroy our home."

Meg stopped and grabbed the lady's gaze. "That's what Luk and I and Finn were trying to figure out. If Dreamland falls, then–" She caught the lady's gaze again. "I lose Luk forever."

The lady's expression opened.

Meg's eyes grew wide. "Oh my God! Luk! He disappeared from my bed this morning, and Finn said he'd never been a dustman, and something about his first light. Oh, Hell—Shit. I can't cuss in Dreamland. Fuck. Is he here?" Her eyes pleaded with the lady. "Do you have him?"

Lady Storm laughed. "No. Your Luk is fine."

Meg let out a breath and ran her hand along her hair.

Lady Storm grew serious once more. "You have an appointment with a tree I don't want you to miss." Her gaze fluttered to the ground. "But there is a place I would show you first." She turned and disappeared into the clouds.

Meg stood for a moment. One day the roller coaster of emotions would stop and she could continue to be plain old, solid Meg again. She recalled her past actions the last two days and groaned. She really missed the old Meg.

The lady popped her head out of the clouds. "Please, Meg. Follow me."

Meg took in a deep breath and walked through the cloud-like door. She choked on her breath as she took in the wonder of the room. "What is this place?"

She stood in a small domed cavern of clouds, thousands of tiny bright orbs floated around her, filling the spaces with light and the murmurings of sound.

The lady smiled in pride as she watched the many twinkling glowing balls float around the room. "This is the room of lights."

The orbs looked more like fireflies than anything else. A few of them moved about. Others did not. A buzzing undercurrent laced the room. Meg stared in amazement.

"Each light is a moderator, or a moderator potential."

"A moderator?"

Lady Storm glanced at Meg with a soft smile. "Dreamland has three different types of moderators; dustmen, nightmares, and Elders."

Meg stared at the many orbs in disbelief. "I didn't realize there were so many."

Lady Storm blinked with a smile. "Dreamland is a very big place."

"Oh."

"Do you see the green aura around most of them?"

Meg peered at the light closest to her. She could almost see a face. Could she hear a person's voice as well? As she focused harder on the tiny ball of light, she could just make out a slight tint of green to the bright yellow. She frowned and looked at Lady Storm.

The lady studied the room with a frown. "An Elder has been in here warding them."

"What is a ward?"

"A shield of magic." She looked at Meg. "He used magic to block the dustmen's ability to see their dreamers."

Meg's eyes shot straight open. "I don't understand what that means."

The lady nodded and turned her gaze away. "This Elder was looking for another to share Dreamland and immortality with, someone who would love him and believe in him, cherish him."

Meg snarled. "Who would want to do that?"

The lady looked at her, stilling her snarl. "Everyone deserves to be believed in."

Meg blinked. "So you're telling me an Elder lost his light?"

The lady looked away. "Ricardo had your husband killed."

Meg reeled as if she'd been physically punched. "What?"

The lady nodded and looked down at the floor. "He broke into your home after Tom's death and warded your house, cutting you off from your dustman. He was hoping, I think, that it would bring you closer to him, make you desperate to fill the emptiness of both Tom and Luk leaving you behind. He didn't realize how strong you were."

Meg shook her head.

"If it hadn't have been for your aunt calling you and forcing you to come home, he would have married you and forced his light upon you like he did Elizabeth."

Meg shook her head. "I don't understand."

She looked up, desperately holding on to Meg's gaze. "He was warping your life. He forced you to hate life and to be broken by it. He was forcing you to stop believing in yourself so he could have you."

Meg shook her head. "I don't understand. If he needed someone to believe in him–" Meg shook her head again, shifting her weight to the other foot.

The lady continued. "I cannot believe his psyche is entirely whole anymore." She licked her lips, looking about the room. "I had thought, as had everyone, he was after Luk. Luk is his son, so it was only reasonable."

Meg's gaze glazed. "His son?"

The lady nodded. "Luk did not receive his first light was so he would be strong enough to replace Ricardo as Elder."

"That doesn't make sense. How does a dustman without his light make him strong enough to be an Elder?"

"Because," the lady said with a sigh, "he learned how to do everything the hard way. He created his Dreamland without any help from creators, mechanics, or fixers. Only Elders can do that, and if he were able to discover his light on his own without the help of the Elder Council, he could take on the responsibility of an Elder Light."

Meg frowned and ran a hand through her bed-head hair.

"He's been planning this for quite some time. He's given life to several babies after Elizabeth –"

"Whoa. Stop the bus. Who the hell is Elizabeth?"

Lady Storm shrank in on herself. "She is the one Rich tried to give the gift of light to." She shook her head. "But she wasn't able to become a dustman. She wasn't a light." The lady's dark gaze watched the blinking orbs momentarily before taking it back to rest on Meg. "He couldn't make her take it. She didn't have the abilities. Ever since then, he's been set on trying to find someone to love, someone capable of sharing this with him."

"So he killed my husband?"

The lady nodded. "Yes."

"And he conceived a son."

Again, the lady nodded.

"And other children as well, I'm assuming?"

"Yes."

"So what's going on now? I don't think he's trying to share this anymore. It seems more like he's trying to destroy this place."

Lady Storm was silent for a long moment as she watched the lights. "I don't have an answer." She blinked and looked at Meg again. "I wanted to show you this room to give you hope."

"Hope?"

"Yes. Hope. You are a light," she said, cupping her hands around a ball and bringing it over to Meg.

As Meg peered into the lady's cupped hands, her reflection stared back at her. She looked at the lady, startled.

"What this means is you will not lose your Luk and your Luk will not lose you. More importantly, _we_ will not lose _our_ Luk."

Relief blanketed Meg's rocking emotions.

"Dreamers became an infection." The lady closed her eyes and shook her head.

Meg didn't know how to respond to that.

The lady stared off into the clouds surrounding them. "I can't get them to believe in themselves, but they believe in Luk. They look up to him." Lady Storm looked up at Meg, her eyes filled with hurt. "And you. You two are legends in Dreamland. You must make Dreamland believe in itself again, Meg."

Meg returned the stare with a baleful one.

The lady caught herself and let the ball of light go, pasting on a pleasant smile. "You will have your man forever and always. If you can handle him for that long."

A chuckle escaped Meg's chest. She looked up at the lady. "I'm going to be a dustman?"

Lady Storm's smile widened. "If you choose it, yes."

Meg blinked and nodded, looking around. "I'm going to be a dustman."

"Dustwoman," the lady corrected.

Meg smiled.

"But there is more." The lady cupped her hand and drew more of the lights toward her. "The man who shot your husband was once a dustman, turned by Ricardo's magic. In the last few years, Ricardo has been gathering other dustmen to him. I do not know where they go. I only know the dustmen are disappearing, leaving their lands to be forgotten."

Meg looked at the lady. "If a dustman is forgotten, you take them."

The lady returned Meg's stare with one of her own.

"No?"

"Normally," the lady acceded. "But not lately." Lady Storm blinked and turned, leaving. "I think Ricardo is gathering an army."

Meg's gaze followed the woman as she disappeared into the clouds. She stepped toward the bobbing lights Lady Storm had gathered. There were faces. Were these the men Rich—Ricardo was gathering to take over Dreamland? And to what end?

16

SHE studied each face and committed them to memory.

"Meg," the lady called. "Let us find a place to sit."

"I'm coming," Meg called, watching the lights drift away. She turned to follow the path Lady Storm had made, the lights shifting like water out of her way until she stepped into a warm, bright room.

With a wave of her hand, Lady Storm created two soft, comfy chairs. "Please sit."

Meg took in a breath. "How exactly are Luk and I legendary?"

Lady Storm sat and smiled quite unabashedly. "I must admit to having a certain hand in the matter. As more and more dustmen began loosing faith in themselves, I began spreading word of your love."

Meg's eyebrows shot up. "What? How long has this been going on?"

"The dustmen have been falling ever since Luk was brought up here nearly two hundred years ago." The lady flushed slightly and looked down. "It was easy to paint Luk as a hero. He was brought here quite mysteriously. No one was informed of his birth as a dustman. We each found out quite by accident. And he remained aloof after his creation, except for Finn, bless him, which only added to the mystery."

Meg shifted in her seat. "I can kind of see that."

"And then you came along," the lady said with a beautifully warm smile. "Your love for one another has been quite heart-warming."

"But—" Meg shook her head. "I just told him I loved him. You speak as though its been years."

The lady gave her a knowing look. "Hasn't it been?"

Meg blushed.

"Your Aunt Jo asked if you might be assigned a dustman."

"Aunt Jo?" Meg asked incredulously.

"You don't honestly think you're the only one with a dustman, do you?"

"Well, I–" Meg shook her head in surprise. "Well, I mean, no. But–" She looked up at Lady Storm, meeting the other woman's eyes. "Aunt Jo? I mean, come on. Where's her dustman?"

The lady's expression dimmed as she looked away, her expression sad. "Her dustman is now among the forgotten." She caught Meg's gaze and held it. "He's buried beside your late husband."

"What? Wait." Meg closed her eyes and rubbed her face with one hand, crossing one ankle over her knee. "But I thought you said Rich—I mean—Geez. Whoa." She put her foot on the floor and worked the arms of her chair with her fingers, her empty eyes scanning the room. "Why? How? Don't you keep better tabs on your dustmen?"

Lady Storm licked her lips, shifting in her seat. "Ricardo singled you out and I can only speculate as to the reason why. I think he wanted to share his light with you, but then he saw his son fall in love with you and his thoughts changed."

"Right. And how did he find out about us?"

"Before you married Tom, Luk asked the Elders if he might marry you."

"I know," Meg said, resting her head in one hand and peeking at the other woman between two fingers. "He told me."

"But it's not allowed," Lady Storm said with a sigh, steepling her fingers. "I think you can see why." She watched Meg for a long moment.

Meg wasn't sure what she should say or do. There was just so much information. Why was she smack dab in the middle of everything?

Finally, the lady closed her eyes, taking in a calming breath. "How can one man be in two places at once?"

Meg flopped her hand on the armrest. "What do you mean?"

"Luk." The lady tipped her head. "He is in two worlds. He's wearing himself thin. He gets no rest. When he should be resting here, he's there. When he should be resting there, he's here. Eventually, he will use up all his strength."

"But–" Meg's gaze fell to the floor as reality hit her. "I am going to loose him, aren't I?"

"I did not say that," the lady said firmly.

Meg looked at the woman accusingly. "You–"

Lady Storm held up a hand. "I haven't told you yet why I think he'll succeed."

Meg stared hard at the woman for a bit before falling back into her seat. "I'm listening."

"Good," Lady Storm said softly. "If I'm wrong, Dreamland will depend on you."

"I'm going in to get her."

"Luk," Finn said with a frustrated sigh. "Yer a dafty lad. And bullheaded as hell. How are ye goin' to ge' in there?" he asked, pointing to the storm. "But, most importantly, how are ye going to ge' back out?"

"I can't just leave her in there, Finn," Luk said firmly. "Lady Storm is getting desperate if she's kidnapping dreamers."

"Now, Luk," Finn said, following his friend. "Be reasonable. She's never hur' a dreamer b'fore, now has she?"

"A lot of things are happening that have never happened before." He entered the Meadow, staring up at the roiling clouds above his head. "Lady Storm," he yelled on the dead wind. "Let me enter."

The clouds parted to allow an alluring woman to exit. She walked down an angled beam of weak sunlight, her dark hair waving with each sensuous stride. "Luk," she said in a soft voice. It filled the air around him with her soothing lilt. "You have much courage to demand entry into my realm."

"You have Meg," he said simply.

"Indeed," she said, stopping before him, a soft smile on her lips.

"She's a dreamer, Lady," he said through gritted teeth. "You know you cannot keep her."

She raised a gentle hand in a sweeping motion. "Be assured, Luk, I have no intention of keeping her. You need information only I can give you."

"Then come down here. With Meg."

"Unfortunately, even though I can be in many different places at once, I cannot stay long outside my home. I am over burdened enough already."

Luk frowned and threw a look at Finn.

Finn only shrugged with raised brows.

"Why Meg?"

"Because she is not a dustman, dear Luk," she said gently. "You know what the consequences are for a dustman to visit my realm."

"Bu' she's a bloody dreamer, Lady," Finn said impatiently. "Ye canno' take them either."

"Indeed, you are right, friend Finn."

"But you have her in there," Luk said succinctly.

She captured his gaze with a smile. "Indeed."

"What's changed then?"

"She has." The lady turned and left, walking with a sultry swagger, her filmy skirts brushing her ankles sensuously. "She is no longer a dreamer," she called to them. At her doorway high in the heavens, she turned. "She is our light." With that, the lady disappeared.

Luk and Finn stared after the woman in surprise. "Wha' in the eleven bloody blue hells do ye make o' tha'?"

Luk ran a hand through his hair. He blinked, his mind racing and turned his gaze to his lands. "God, I wish I knew."

The lady's dark gaze grew vacant for a short moment. She smiled and focused on Meg. "Luk sends his love."

"What?" Meg asked, standing. She flung her gaze around the room. "I thought you said–"

"He's in his lands and safe," the lady said reassuringly. "He wanted to save you from me," the lady said with a slight chuckle. She met Meg's gaze, her expression sobering. "Does he need to save you?"

Meg shook her head, confusion flooding her expression. "You're not going to keep me, are you?"

Lady Storm rose and approached Meg. Her gaze held the other woman in place. "Do you know why you are here, Meg?"

Meg shook her head, breaking eye contact. She took an involuntary step back. "No."

Lady Storm stopped in front of the mortal woman. "Dreamers, Meg," Lady Storm said quietly, "do not come into my home. They have no need to be here, inside this realm of disbelief. They do not need me to force them into believing in themselves again. However, any creature of Dreamland is susceptible to my power."

Meg's heart began to race as she stared at the powerful woman. She swallowed. "I don't understand."

Lady Storm raised an eyebrow, her expression serious.

Meg cleared her throat and backed up again. "I'm a dreamer, nothing more."

"You are more, Meg," the lady said. She reached out and took Meg's chin in her hand, forcing the woman to stare deeply into her abyss-like eyes. "And in order for us to win, you must believe in yourself again."

Meg wasn't given any time to think about that. She was jerked into a rushing flash of memories.

She stood in Dreamland, looking up at Luk, the sunlight glistening behind his head. "You've just told him you're pregnant," the lady's voice said, echoing in Meg's mind. "What do you feel?"

Meg watched the scene play and vaguely heard what was said. But it was as if the volume was turned down and the memory of her emotions was turned up. "Guilt."

"Why?"

"Because," Meg whispered. "I loved Luk and not Tom. But Tom was real, and I did love him. He was wonderful and supportive and he was there for me."

"What's more? Go deeper."

Meg closed her eyes, but the vision continued to play. There was no hiding from it. "I believed in Luk," she said finally. "I remember praying he would take me to Dreamland and marry me." She opened her eyes. "I didn't believe in him enough to wait."

The vision rushed forward to Tom's funeral. "What are you feeling now, Meg?"

She stood over Tom's grave, holding Nick's hand. She felt her baby move inside of her. A large, warm hand enveloped her empty one. She looked up at Luk. _Please don't leave me, Luk. Please stay._

"What are you feeling?"

"Guilt," Meg said around a painful lump. "I feel guilty for being happy Luk was there. I felt as if I didn't love Tom as much as he deserved."

"But you did love your husband."

"Yes."

The vision rushed forward to the night of the break-in. She'd cleaned up the mess and had ventured back to her room. She stood at her window and called for Luk, but he didn't answer. She called for Finn, but he didn't come. She tried to find Dreamland in the way Luk had taught her only to find her way blocked.

"What are you feeling now?"

"Alone."

The visions disappeared, leaving Meg standing in a room with Lady Storm. "You're not just a dreamer, Meg, and Luk is not just a dustman. This guilt is stripping away your self-confidence, and your lack of self-esteem is blocking your belief in yourself."

Meg breathed as she silently studied the woman before her.

"You and Luk are the only two people in all the history of Dreamland able to travel to this dimension without the use of dustmen, nightmares or Elders. They are what we call our Bringers. You're special. If anyone can save Dreamland, you can."

Meg swallowed, trying to take the strength the smaller woman offered.

Lady Storm swayed, her eyes closing momentarily.

Meg reached out to catch her. "Are you all right?"

The lady caught herself, waving off Meg's hands. "Ricardo thinks he can control me with these wards. You must stop him." She gripped Meg's arms. "For now, you have a date with a tree."

And with that, the ground opened beneath Meg's feet.

Finn and Luk had been staring at each other when Meg's scream filled the air. They both looked up to see Meg falling from the sky.

Finn looked at Luk. "Quick, man. Thin' of somethin'. Think up a magic carpet or somethin'."

The pine trees boomed above their heads as their branches swept around and up to break her fall. Meg reached the ground with a surprised yelp. She stood, rubbing her rump and glaring up at the sky.

"Well, that was fast," Luk said, as he rushed over to her. He took her by the shoulders and stared into her frowning eyes. "Are you all right?"

Meg hmphed at him and continued to rub her butt.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and crushed her to him. "I didn't mean to disappear on you." He pulled away and looked at her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Meg nodded with a thoughtful, distant look in her eye.

Luk's gaze narrowed as he took another step back. He looked at the sky and then back at Meg. "What happened up there?"

Finn came up beside Luk. "Yeah, lass. Wha' did the lady ha' ta say?"

Meg winced and looked around. "Let's get to Grandmother Willow. We have a lot to discuss."

"Like what?" Luk asked, turning as she brushed by him.

"You'll see when we get there."

Luk and Finn shrugged at each other and followed her as she stooped to enter the protection of the tree branches.

"Wha' did she say?" Finn demanded, sitting next to the tree.

Luk wrapped himself around her, tucking her into his chest. "What's wrong? Why the long face?"

Meg shook her head. "I don't know."

Finn looked at her expectantly. "Well, you survived. Tha's a good sign."

"I have some really interesting news you are going to absolutely love."

Finn's expectant expression didn't let up. "And? Are ya gonna tell us or make us guess?"

She let out a long breath. "Rich is your father, Luk."

Luk's body went rigid behind her. "He's my what?"

Meg nodded. "Yup. Lady Storm seems to think he was trying to get someone to replace him as Elder. He didn't give you're your light so you would have to find it yourself."

Finn looked at Luk. "You?" He shook his head and lay down on the ground, perching his head on one hand. "I just can' picture you as an Elder. Yer too bloody rash."

Luk sent him a warning glance. "Anything else?"

"Well, that and there's a whole army of rogue dustmen."

Luk threw Meg a frown, but didn't get the opportunity to question her further.

And she was quite right, you know.

Meg nearly leapt out of her skin.

Luk held her tightly and chuckled into her hair. "I'm sorry. Let me introduce you. Meg, this is Grandmother Willow. Grandmother, this is Meg."

_So,_ a soft voice whispered through their minds. _This is what Luk is all a twitter about. He's been acting like such a stud lately. I haven't known what to do with him._

Meg chuckled and turned to study the tree. She looked just like an ordinary tree. Meg expected a talking to have a face or something, but no such luck. "A stud huh?"

Luk's nose and ears burned red.

Meg cocked her head to the side. "I have a question for you. How is it that Rich is able to have a body down there. Does he have the same ability as Luk, able to believe his body into existence?"

The wind whooshed in the willow's branches. _I really don't know. Much is unknown with the Elders. Since they all left, I have not been able to watch them. I can tell you it does not matter what is done to their Earthan bodies. Landor's body, for instance, was killed in a war some time back, but he was perfectly fine. If a dustman's body is awakened prematurely, his soul is lost._

Meg looked at Finn and took Luk's hand.

"Do you know what Rich wants?" Luk asked.

Remember when I asked you what might be gained?

The group was silent.

"Is there any information you can give us that might help?" Meg asked. "I mean, give us some direction. Something. What are we doing? What are we trying to solve?"

"We were tryin' to fin' the lad's light and we've foun' tha'. Now wha'?"

The willow seemed to breathe, her branches swishing and sagging around them. _We wait to see what it is Rich is planning because no one knows._

Meg nodded and looked around. "I guess that means our guard has to be up at all times until this thing plays itself out."

_I recommend you get some sleep,_ the willow said quietly. _I would suggest you do that while you still can._

They all nodded.

"Grandmother, how old are you?" Meg asked.

The willow seemed to laugh. _I was created by the storm to keep an eye on all of Dreamland. I do not know how old I am._

"Older than the Elders?"

Much.

Meg nodded and looked at Luk. "Okay. So, I guess we'd better go?"

The wind snuck through the protective branches and nipped at Luk's hair. He looked up. "We have visitors."

"Who in the bloody blazes is it?"

_Katrina and Phil,_ the willow whispered. _And another._ There was a pause. _A nightmare. Dustman, why is a nightmare here?_

Finn looked over at Luk in question. "A nightmare? Why are you associating with them?"

Luk stood. "It must be Keme. He's been popping up rather unexpectedly right when I need him." He walked out of the branches. "This has to be important. Stay here. I'll be right back."

He didn't wait for their reply. Standing atop Dreamers' Hill were two Elders and Keme, just as he'd expected. With a sigh, he walked to meet them half-way. "Elders," he called as he approached. "How can I help you?"

The female Elder looked at the storm, her ancient body slow with age. Her long, brittle white hair fluttered slightly in the soft breeze. She blinked her antique blue eyes and smiled at Luk. "Is it not odd for Lady Storm to be sitting here without action?"

Luk bowed his head as he stopped before the Elders. "Yes, Elder."

"You do not seem worried."

Luk looked into the sky. "I think we have an understanding."

"And that is?"

Luk sucked in his lips and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "We're still piecing that together. Meg was up there for a bit."

The male Elder nodded knowingly.

Flicking a questioning frown at the ancient man, Luk said, "I was about to ask her in more detail what the lady wanted."

The male Elder's balding head shone in the sparse light. What little hair he had was thin and nearly as long as the woman's. His light blue eyes held Luk's gaze for a long, hard moment before he turned his attention to the other Elder. "You were most correct."

The female Elder smiled softly. "You doubted me?"

The male rolled his eyes. "We must talk." He looked toward the tree. "I feel Finn and Meg are close. Let us join them."

Luk stepped aside and motioned for them to lead the way. "What are you doing here?" Luk asked Keme in a low whisper. "I mean, no offense, but I'm wondering."

"Usually, when a dreamer needs me, I get a call."

"I'm no dreamer."

"True," Keme said, watching the Elders. "But you still called. What's going on?"

Luk shrugged. "We have got a situation."

"Why? What's going on?" Keme asked with a frown as they neared the willow. The Elders disappeared inside, murmuring to Finn and Meg.

"I found my light, for one thing."

Keme stopped and looked at Luk. "Did you have any help?"

"No." He stopped shifting uncomfortably. "Meg and I were having a moment. She told me she loved me and suddenly I was filled with this–" He licked his lips and turned to stare out at his lands, his eyes bright. "I was filled with such love and warmth and hope and optimism." He smiled. "I finally feel like a dustman ."

"Well, that's great." Keme cleared his throat and clasped Luk's shoulder in his hand. "Congratulations, Luk. Good job."

Luk's smile widened with embarrassment. "Thanks."

The male Elder's head poked out from the branches. "Anytime you ladies are ready."

"Hey," Meg called, her tone laced with insult. "Watch who you call lady."

"No insult intended," Phil said, stepping aside to allow Luk and Keme inside the arms of the willow.

Meg rolled her eyes and scooted aside to give Luk room to settle beside her.

"I'm getting too old for this," Katrina said, procuring a very comfortable chair for her decrepit body. "You may not recognize us, but I am Katrina," she said. "This is my brother George."

"Everyone calls me Phil."

Meg raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "I'm not going to ask."

"Do I look like a George?" he asked, humored.

"You look like a dinosaur."

Katrina chuckled. "Live as long as we have, and you will change as well."

"So, you're my old neighbors back in Alabama?" Meg asked, eyeing both of them curiously.

Phil nodded. "We look better there, don't we?"

Meg smiled. She'd thought being in the presence of the almighty Elders, she would feel fear or awe from their wealth of power. But with Katrina and Phil, knowing they were her old neighbors, she felt only ease. "Changing the subject," she said in her mom-voice. "Why were you camped out by my house?"

"Ricardo," Katrina said softly, "has been acting strangely for some time. He is our leader and the first Elder. However, he does not control all of us. We've been following him for only a few years."

"And yet," Phil said, eyeing Luk. "He still surprises us from time to time."

"We followed him to your house one night," Katrina said, looking at Meg. "He broke into it and left quite suddenly. Since that night, he seemed to be courting you."

"Buying you things," Phil said, settling into a soft, comfortable chair that materialized out of the air. "Paying for your rent."

"My rent didn't go down?" Meg asked incredulously. "The landlady said she was helping."

"Ricardo must not have wanted you to know," Katrina said thoughtfully. "There is good in him still."

"Right," Luk said unconvinced. "Where?"

Information was clicking into place for Meg, the puzzle starting to make a picture. "He wasn't trying to give me light. He wants me because I _am_ the light."

Katrina's eyes gleamed as she smiled.

Luk looked at Meg. "What does that mean?"

"I can be a dustman, Luk."

Luk was quiet.

"Wha' is a nightmare doin' here, Luk?" Finn finally demanded, shooting scorn at Keme.

"He's a friend," Luk said firmly. "He's done nothing but help."

"But he's a nigh'mare," Finn said, hitting Luk with his hard gaze. "He stands for everythin' we try to stop. He stands for fear and–"

"He's more of a psychiatrist," Luk said, looking up at the nightmare. "Come on, Keme. Sit. You're welcome in my land."

He remained standing. "I'd really like to know why I'm here."

"An army," Meg said softly. "Ricardo is creating an army of rogue dustmen. I don't know what he's going to do with them, but he's gathering them."

"How do you know this?" Phil asked.

"Lady Storm." Meg swallowed and shifted her weight. "Apparently, he's trying to use her to destroy Dreamland. She said something about a center of power?"

"Lady Storm and the Lady of the Lake are the two centers of power in Dreamland," Katrina said, her tone hard and serious. "Lady Storm holds the power of the future of dreams. Her influence is with the dustmen. When someone needs help to find their hope, she takes them and immerses them in power to reawaken their light. The Lady of the Lake," she said, looking at Keme, "is the center of memories of hope and dreams. Her influence is over the nightmares, showing them through past experience how to rekindle hope in the face of fear."

Phil sank back into his chair. "This explains a lot."

Katrina pursed her leathery lips and nodded.

"Who do we gather?" Luk asked. "We're starting to run a little thin on dustmen."

"They're droppin' faster and faster," Finn added, his gaze never leaving Keme's.

"What about the nightmares?" Meg asked, looking up at the tall man. "Would they help?"

"This is a fight between an Elder and his dustmen," Keme said, folding his arms over his chest. "I don't think it's a good idea to get the nightmares involved."

"Let me explain things," Katrina said patiently. "Dreamland has a balance. The storm and the lake balance each other. The willow and the creek keep everything seamed together." She penetrated the gazes of everyone around her. "Imagine what will happen if he takes Lady Storm's energy source. Imagine what would happen if he drained her and changed her. Everything, Keme," she said, her gaze stopping on him, "would change. No one is safe."

The nightmare swallowed, his eyes growing vacant. "There are a lot of us, but some of us will have to stay on call." He licked his lips and met Katrina's gaze. "I'll ask around."

Katrina nodded with a smile. "Excellent." She stilled, her gaze flickering to the ground. "Luk," she said quietly. The wind had to carry her words to the people around her, her words were so soft. "We must talk about what you need to do."

Luk stared at her. "Just tell me and I will do it."

"It cannot be forgotten you were brought to us without anyone knowing. It cannot be forgotten you were capable of fulfilling the dustman qualities, accessing the dustman dimensions, without the help of your light." She looked at him. "You are special. We haven't seen anyone like you in centuries."

Luk flinched. "Okay."

She took in a deep breath, her smile tight. "You must take his light."

Luk shrugged. "All right."

"Luk," Finn said bluntly. "Tha' means tha' you'll be an Elder."

Surprise washed over him.

"But," Meg said, sitting up in alarm. "The lady said I wouldn't lose him. She said–"

Katrina held up a shushing hand. "Do not be alarmed. There's no doubt in my mind that with such talent, he will be able to find a way to be both here and there. But know this," she said, standing, "it will take more energy for you to continue to live such a double life once you become an Elder."

Phil stood with her. "And know this as well." He met each gaze in turn. "You are not the only hope we have. In this circle of friends lies a lot of rebel spirit." He looked at Meg intently. "If you should fail, Luk, there are others who could do this as well."

Meg stood and swayed, blinking furiously as she looked around.

"What's the matter?" Luk asked.

Meg shook her head. "I don't know. I'm dizzy."

Luk looked at Finn. "Her body is being wakened."

Meg's world was fading fast.

"Just don't fight it," Finn said as she slipped away from Dreamland and into the comforts of her own bed.

"Mom," she heard Nick's voice say.

She opened her eyes and yawned. "Yes, Nick. What is it?"

Nick was silent for a moment. "How could you?"

Meg opened her eyes. "How could I wha–" Her eyes shot open and she sat up as Luk began to stir beside her, gloriously naked except for the sheet draped somewhat across his body. Her gaze flew to her son. "Nick–"

He didn't give her a chance to say anything else. He turned around and bolted, pushing past his sister and his aunt who were both standing slack jawed in the doorway.

"Nick," Meg called.

Luk groaned and stretched, the sheet nearly falling off his naked body.

Meg grabbed the sheet and pulled it back in place, her eyes on her daughter. She opened the corner of her mouth and whispered heatedly. "How the Hell did you get back in my bed?"

Luk looked at her through confused eyes, a partial "hey, baby" smile on his face.

Meg scowled at him. "And why did it have to be right now?"

17

"WELL," Aunt Jo said, her eyebrows raised, "I was going to ask you two how things were going, but I see," she said, peering over her glasses she used only when driving, " things are going well."

Meg just stared after Nick's retreating back.

Luk stretched and rubbed his eyes. "Things _had_ been going well."

Aunt Jo nodded. She took Nali by the shoulders and guided her toward the stairs. "Let's let Mom and Luk get dressed while we unload the car."

The screen door slammed shut with a whine and a whack.

Aunt Jo closed the bedroom door behind them.

Meg looked at Luk.

Luk looked up at her, folding his hands beneath his head. "Well, reality has moved back in. What do you think?"

Meg thought for a moment. "I don't know what to think. I've just ridden on a dragon, made love to my dream man, then lost him to a bursting cloud of light. Then I had a very interesting conversation with a storm, a tree and a nightmare. Now my son thinks _he's_ the one having a bad day."

Luk chuckled and lowered his eyelashes. "If you want me to back off, I will."

Meg yawned and got out of bed. "Nick's a big kid now. He'll come home. When he does, we'll talk. We're in Paonia. He's safe here."

Luk nodded and got out of bed. He picked his clothes off the floor and dressed. "You think Nali's okay with this?"

Meg shook her head, her eyes closed in prayer as she pulled some real clothes out of the closet. "Let's hope so. She can be quite silently vocal about her dislikes."

He grunted.

She stepped out of the closet fully dressed to see Luk finishing the last couple of buttons of his shirt. She leaned against the door. "You okay with the whole Rich-dad thing?"

Luk's eyes focused inward as his fingers paused. Finally, he shrugged. "Yeah. I guess. It feels a little cliché though. I feel cheated."

Meg chuckled and opened the door to face her family.

They were met on the other side of the door by Nali. She looked up at Luk with a serious expression on her eight-year-old face. "Are you going to marry Momma?"

Luk's face split into a grin. He ducked his head, ruffled her hair and took off down the stairs. "I'll leave you two girls to talk."

Nali dogged her mother's footsteps, her romantic heart beating double time. "Do you think he's your prince, Momma?"

Meg chuckled, her face getting red. "Well, maybe, I guess. Its complicated."

"You guess?" Nali leapt in front of her and bounced, reminding Meg of a puppy, her face lit with girlish dreams. "You mean there's a maybe?"

Meg leveled a slight smile Nali's way. "There's a maybe."

Nali jumped and clasped her hands in front of her as she followed her mother down the tight, attic stairs. "I knew it!" She seemed to pause for a minute. "And he's the dustman, isn't he? The real dustman, not the pretend one."

Meg snorted. "Butter," she said stomping down to the landing. "I don't have a good answer for that. So I'm going to answer that later."

"You were in bed with him, right?"

Meg turned at the landing her finger raised. "About that.."

Nali sighed patiently. "Mom, Mom, Mom." She didn't know how to handle this situation. She wasn't the type of mother that allowed her kids to find her in bed with some strange man. Yet...here she was.

Meg raised an eyebrow. "Nal, Nal, Nal."

Nali cocked her head to the side. "I'm in school, you know."

Meg's shook her head expectantly. "And you're learning what again?"

The young girl opened her big, brown eyes and looked at her mother, a look of self-discovered brilliance lighting her face. "It doesn't take a scientist, Mom. You felt him so it makes him real. We know he's real because he's here." She turned and bugged her eyes out at her mother. "It's logic, Mom. Even I get it."

Meg chuckled and shook her head. So that's where she was taking it. She sagged with a small amount of relief. "Okay. I'm sorry. I got it now."

"Meg," Aunt Jo shouted up the stair. "Get down here right now."

Meg, hearing the tone, rolled her eyes and shouted down, while she pointed her daughter toward the tight attic staircase. "Yes, Mom."

"Don't, 'Yes, Mom,' me, lady," Aunt Jo shouted. "Luk," she yelled, "you'd better get down here, too."

"What's going on, Jo?" Luk called from outside the house.

"Just get your butt over here," the older woman yelled.

Meg rolled her eyes again as she clomped down the stairs. "That woman."

Meg stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Aunt Jo?"

"Out here."

"Meg," Luk said, a dark tone to his voice as he stood next to Jo. They stood looking up at the house; her arms crossed over her large chest, his hands on his hips. "You should come look at this."

Meg raised her eyebrows and looked at the two of them. She walked down the steps and stopped next to them.

"Mom," Nali exclaimed. "Look."

Meg turned and looked at the inn. Her breath caught in her throat at what she saw.

Rich had been there. He'd spray painted the inn.

"'She's mine'," Luk read. "Like hell she is."

Aunt Jo looked at the two of them. "When did this happen, or did you even notice?"

Luk and Meg just looked at each other and shrugged.

"We were inside all morning," Luk said gruffly.

"We were busy last night, too," Meg added.

Aunt Jo looked at the two of them over her glasses. "I really don't need to know ."

"No," Meg stuttered, her face flaming, again. "We didn't—I mean—oh, God, Aunt Jo. We weren't–"

Jo quirked her mouth and nodded, "Save it."

Luk sighed. "We'll clean it up."

"Good," Aunt Jo said, walking over to the SUV and grabbing an armload. "Cause we have someone rooming at the inn tomorrow."

Meg's eyes grew huge as she followed in her aunt's footsteps. "Tomorrow? You should have called us."

"I'll get the paint," Luk said.

"I could have," Aunt Jo muttered, "but I think you guys were probably too busy to answer the phone."

"I'll call the sheriff," Meg said, pushing her daughter toward the house, ignoring the other woman.

Aunt Jo raised her stubby-fingered hand and shook her gray, frizzy head. "I don't want that man on my land."

Meg rolled her eyes. "Aunt Jo, he's the sheriff."

"I don't care," the older woman said, stepping up to the porch. "It's paint."

"It's a threat," Luk said gruffly as he reappeared with a ladder.

"Momma," Nali said, wrapping her arms around Meg's waist. "What's going on? What does that mean?"

Meg looked down at her. "Rich followed us."

Nali narrowed her big, dark eyes, her full, thick lashes fanning out. "The icky man came?"

Aunt Jo's eyebrows shot up as she crested the door. "'That's a good name for the creep."

Meg sighed. "I know."

"Why did you go out with him in the first place?" Aunt Jo asked, walking into the living room.

Luk walked through the door and closed it behind him. "I'd like to know that, too."

Meg looked from one person to the next. "It was a long time ago."

"Honey," Aunt Jo snorted. "It was three weeks ago."

"It was only three weeks?"

"Mom," Nali asked, tugging on her mother's hand. "Why did he follow you? Why can't we just keep Luk?"

Meg and Luk looked at each other over Nali's head and smirked.

"If only Nick had been so understanding," Aunt Jo muttered.

Meg clucked her tongue.

"Hey, Joe," Luk said into the landline phone. "Rich came back."

Aunt Jo flapped her arm at him, trying to tell him to hang up.

"Yes," Luk said, turning his back to her. "Would you come on out?"

The older woman pulled her ears back and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't want that man out here."

"Aunt Jo," Meg said, softly so Luk could hear the conversation he was having on the phone, "he's the sheriff. We need to file a complaint."

Aunt Jo just shook her head and stomped past Meg and Nali into the dining room and kitchen. "I don't want him here. It's paint."

"It's my daughter," Meg said softly.

Jo turned at the doorway and captured Meg's gray gaze. "I understand that." She chewed her lip and studied the rug under Nali's feet. "Who knows what that man is capable of?"

If Aunt Jo only knew. "I don't know."

The older woman nodded and turned, thumping her hand on the doorframe. "I don't want to be here when he comes. So, warn me," she yelled from the kitchen, "so I can be busy doing something."

"Okay," Luk said. "Thanks." He hung up the phone and turned to Meg. "He's on his way."

Meg nodded. "Let me know if I can help."

"Why did that awful man like you?" Nali asked.

"Sometimes," Meg said, taking her daughter and leading her toward the front door, "it's better not to ask."

"Someone needs to get a guest room ready," Luk said on his way out the back.

Meg turned and headed up the staircase. "Okay. Good idea."

"I like Luk," Nali said, following her mother to the stairs.

"Me too." Meg took her daughter by the shoulders as they walked up the steps. "Me too."

The phone rang. Meg looked around, trying to find Luk or Aunt Jo. Neither of them were around.

"Could somebody get that?" Aunt Jo shouted from the kitchen.

Meg rolled her eyes and trudged back down the stairs. She walked around the pile of blankets and bags that had been dumped in the middle of the floor. "Nal, I need you to go dust the room at the top of the stairs for me. I'll be there as soon as I get off the phone. There are clean sheets in the closet right next to it."

Nali sighed and nodded. She hiked up her pants and stomped up the stairs.

Meg shook her head. Someday, that girl would have a pair of pants that fit. She picked up the ringing phone. "Hello, this is Meg."

"Meg," the voice on the other end said softly. "This is June."

"Oh, June," Meg said cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good," the older woman said, not quite as cheerful. "I actually have a reason for calling you."

"Oh, okay. What's wrong?"

"Um," June said. "Are your kids home?"

Meg nodded, her eyes flickering around the room. "Yeah. They just came in today."

She could almost see June nod. "I thought I'd seen Jo come through town. She must have been driving your car, though."

"I was thinking of coming into town some time tomorrow and showing them off." Meg raised her hand to the window. "I have to enroll the kids in school, anyway."

"Uh, well," June said, taking in a deep breath. "I think I saw your boy just now."

"Oh, yeah?" Meg asked. "I was wondering where he'd gone. Is he at The Cave?"

"No."

Meg nodded slowly and looked around, waiting for the other woman to continue.

June was quiet on the other end of the line.

Meg shook her head and rolled her eyes. She really hated talking on the phone. "Where is he, then? There aren't too many places in town for him to go."

"Well, he ain't in town no more."

"June," Meg said, her patience at an end. The mad Amazon woman threatened come out. "You'd better tell me where he is, right now."

The other end of the line was silent for a bit. "Someone came through town in a strange car. He came down off the mountain. I saw him stop and talk to Nick." She paused. "Nick got in the car."

Meg's heart started hammering in her chest. She put the phone to her chest and shouted. "Aunt Jo! Get in here." She spoke into the phone. "Do you know who it was?"

June shrugged. "No." There was paper rustling on the other end. "It was a strange car. That's all I know. I'm sorry."

"Do me a favor, June," Meg said, her throat tightening. "Call the sheriff. He's on his way here."

"No, he's not," June said. She grunted as she stood. "He's over across the street talking to Smith." The cash register rang. "I'll go over there and get him. Are you coming down?"

"You're damn straight I am," Meg said, the lump in her throat nearly closing off her vocal cords. "I'm going to take that boy and strangle the bloody life out of him."

"Get off the phone first," June said. "Get Luk or Jo to drive you. I don't want you driving right now."

Meg just grunted.

Aunt Jo came up behind her. She took one look at Meg's ashen face and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" she mouthed.

"All right, I'll see you down here in a jiff," June said. "Drive safe."

Meg grunted again and hung up.

"What's going on?" Aunt Jo asked, taking both of Meg's shoulders in her hands.

She didn't know if she was going to cry or rip something apart. "Nick–" She stopped, her throat clogged.

Aunt Jo's gaze narrowed. "What did that boy do now?"

"He got into a stranger's car and–" She stopped and looked around, her gaze desperate. "With Rich in town and not knowing when he'd left the graffiti–"

Aunt Jo shook her head. "It was here when we got here." She took in a breath. "I was going to grill you two about it when we found you, then other things took precedence."

Fear filled Meg's eyes. "Then it could have been–"

Understanding shone in Aunt Jo's eyes. She breathed, her face closing in a stony glare. She turned. "Luk!" She grabbed her jacket and the keys to the Ford. "Get the gun!"

"Nal," Meg shouted. "Get your coat and shoes and get them on now."

The small girl appeared at the top of the landing, a face full of intrigue and worry. "What's going on, Mom?"

"Don't ask questions," Meg said, grabbing her jacket and heading out the door. "We're leaving. You'd better hurry your little butt up cause I ain't waiting."

Luk came through the dining room door, nearly bumping into Meg, shotgun in hand. "What's wrong?"

"Come on," Aunt Jo said, popping her head back through the front door. "I've got the truck started."

Luk frowned. "Where are we going?"

"Nal, let's go." She stepped out the door. "It sounds like Rich might have Nick."

"Oh shit." He pushed forward, hopping in the SUV.

If Nick didn't get himself killed, she was going to do it for him. She shook her head, opening the car door for her daughter.

The trip into town was silent.

When they pulled into town, they had to park in the middle of the street in front of the sheriff's office. Everyone was there. People had come down the mountain and in from the residential side of town. They were milling around the sidewalk, talking to each other in worried whispers. The air was filled with concern. Women clutched their chests as they talked to one another. Many of the men were walking around with rifles with a protective look on their face.

"Mom," Nali said, a little worried as she watched the growing crowd of people. "What's everyone doing here?"

June and Sheriff Joe walked over to the SUV, elbowing people aside. The sheriff's graying hair dulled in the gathering gloom. June looked toward the sun as it tucked itself behind the mountain.

"Joe," Luk said, taking the sheriff's hand in a firm handshake.

The sheriff nodded grimly, pulling his pants up over his slightly paunchy belly. He looked at everyone around them, squinting his tired eyes. "Everyone's come to help find your son, Meg."

Meg nodded, her anger and her fear keeping her back rigid and her mouth firm. Her only thoughts were exactly _how_ she was going to kill, first Rich and then her son.

June shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I told him I knew right where he was." She took the worried mother in her arms and squeezed. "But you know men, they didn't believe me."

Nali looked up at Meg as she was released. "All these people are here for Nick?"

Meg nodded. "Yup." Her eyes scanned the horizon toward the west where Hotchkiss lay. Her mother-senses were telling her that was where her son was.

George elbowed his way in, his rifle held lovingly in his big, calloused hands. His eyes were steely as he nodded at Meg. "You know who has him."

Meg nodded. "I take it the part came in?"

"You said you wanted him out of town."

"I did, but I was hoping he'd leave without my son."

"I wouldn't trust that man for as far as I could throw him," George said gruffly. He took Meg's shoulders and squeezed.

Nali looked around in confused wonder.

George nodded and stepped back. "We'll get him, Meggy. Don't you fret none."

Meg nodded.

"Well, sheriff," Luk said, standing close to Meg. "What's the plan. We're here. Let's go get him."

The big man nodded and turned.

A large crunching sound and the tinkling of glass filled the air.

Meg and everyone else turned.

Shaking his head, Joe he walked to the corner where Miss Ida was pulling her walker out of her car.

Everyone else just ignored them. Several people took that opportunity to take Meg and Nali by the arms and grill them for information and to offer support.

Miss Ida ignored the fact she'd parked on the light pole as she puttered over to Meg. "So, when are we gonna get the creep?"

"You, lady, are not going." Joe helped her onto the curb. "Are you alright?"

Ida waved him off. "Of course I'm alright! It'll take more than that to get me out of this world." She smacked his hand away. "'Sides, this car don't go fast enough to do any real damage."

Joe turned toward Luk. "There are two directions he could have gone."

"Three," Luk corrected.

Joe shook his head. "I would have seen him. So we head out towards Somerset and Hotchkiss."

"Good," Ida said, turning back to her car. "I'll follow."

Joe leapt to block her path, his hands raised. "You are not going on the highway, Ida."

She stopped and looked at him as if he were an impertinent, little boy. "The Cave is closed." She thumped her walker. "If I can't get fries, then I'm gonna catch all the gossip first-hand."

Joe blinked a sigh and looped his thumbs into his belt. "Maggie. Chuck. We need The Cave reopened."

Chuck looked at Miss Ida for a moment before shaking his head. "I'll go start the grill."

Ida sighed, disappointed, but followed as the crowd opened for her.

"All right, folks," Sheriff Joe called over everyone's heads. "Let's move out. We're not going to cause any trouble."

Everyone nodded and started talking as they headed to their cars.

"No fighting," he shouted.

A few people answered him.

Meg doubted anyone would listen.

"Meg," Joe called. "You're with me. Come on."

The sheriff led the convoy out to the highway. The stretch of cars went on for at least half a mile. He took the CB and radioed ahead. "Yeah, Mike, this is Joe."

"What's going on, Joe?" Mike's voice crackled back.

"Paonia's coming to Hotchkiss."

The other end was quiet. Meg looked at it, waiting. She just prayed that man didn't hurt her son before she could kill both of them. She blinked and looked up the face of the mountain.

Joe looked over at her, his lips tight. "We got us a newcomer, Mike."

"Yeah, I know," the crackling voice said. "They're staying over at the inn."

Joe slowed the truck to go around the last, tight bend separating the two towns. "Do you know where he is right now?"

"I'm staring at him. He's over at the Wild Coyote with a boy."

They went over the railroad tracks that made up the town line. "Thanks." Joe set the CB in its cradle. He looked over at Meg. "Are you going to be okay?"

Meg nodded. "I'll kill 'em both quietly."

Joe's eyebrows went up. He pulled into the Wild Coyote. The place was a lot like Sonic, only purple and white and a little worse for wear. "Don't you do anything stupid, now. You hear me?"

She spotted her son. She took in a deep breath and nodded.

Rich sat across the table from him.

Meg's nostrils flared as she got out of the truck and walked over to them.

"Nothing stupid, Meg," Joe reminded her.

She leapt over the short, decorative fence and took two steps to stand behind her son. She set her hands on his shoulders and squeezed, her eyes locked onto Rich's.

He sat back on the concrete seat and smiled up at her, his expression flooding with arrogance as he brushed his suit jacket. "Well, Meggy," he said with a sickening charm. "How very nice to see you."

She bared her teeth and leaned in. "What in the hell are you doing with my son?"

18

RICH folded his hands and smiled at Meg. He looked at her with big puppy eyes. The dark, full lashes made his brown eyes seem bigger and more sincere.

Meg's eyes had turned from a yellow-green to a dangerous feral yellow the instant she set her hands on the boy. There was no womanly urge to cry. She felt only the bitter, all consuming need to kill. This man had threatened her, left messages, had her looking over her shoulder, and now, he'd taken her son. She wanted to know what in damnation he expected. Why in the cursed, bloody, fucking hell did he follow her home when she'd obviously meant to leave him behind?

Joe came around the table, one hand on his pistol. He placed the other hand on her back. "Meg, now," he said calmly. "Nothing stupid, you hear?"

Meg just growled. She had other things on her mind. In fact, her mind had shut down, replaced by something more base, more inhuman. Her thinking abilities had been kicked out and pure animal instinct stepped in. She breathed, her gaze never leaving Rich's. He was the prey and she was the lioness willing and waiting to devour him.

Rich's smile settled as he watched her with a cocky self-assuredness.

Meg's pupils grew smaller.

He raised one regal eyebrow.

Her eyes flared.

"So," he said softly, leaning in slightly. He looked up at her through his full, thick lashes. "Here we are." He ran a hand through his perfect hair. "Finally."

"Meg," Luk said quietly in her ear.

She clenched her jaw and looked at her son.

Nick glanced up, blushed and grabbed his book bag. "Sorry, Mom."

Rich's hand shot out to claim Meg's. The suave sophistication was gone. The perfect, dominant male had been replaced by raw, pure fury.

Meg met it with equal measures of her own.

He shook his head, his fingers tightening around her arm, reeling her in. "You're mine, Meggy. Don't forget you're mine."

Luk's hand fell firmly on Rich's arm. "Actually...dad, she's not."

Rich's gaze slid to the dustman with a sneering disregard. "I have plans for you, boy."

Luk nodded once. "It would be nice to know what those are."

Rich just smiled.

"What are you doing to Drea–"

"Nuh-uh-uh, little boy." Rich said with a triumphant smile. "Don't go breaking more rules then you already have."

Luk looked down at Meg.

She shook her head before looking over at Rich again.

Rich clasped his hands together. "Oh coo," he said with a sarcastic twist to his lips. "The lovebirds want to stay together. How quaint." He looked at Meg. "Have you figured out how to keep him yet? Once my business here is done, he's unmade."

Luk took a step forward. "That brings up several good points, like why I had never received my light."

Rich's glance flickered over the gathering crowd. "Did you bring the entire town, Meg?"

She shrugged. "Sounded like a good idea."

His gaze pierced hers. "As if they could protect you from the likes of me. I have power. I could make your nightmares come true."

"Too late. I've met my nightmare, and they're not really scary."

"What are you doing here?" Luk asked. "What is your business here? Why aren't you upstairs protecting–"

"I don't care if you find your light or not," Rich said softly. "I'm going to destroy you."

Meg leaned forward, her expression hard. "Why?"

"Because there can be only one of me."

Meg and Luk stood in stunned silence.

By now, most of the town of Paonia had found places to park.

Of course, with all the people of Paonia crowding their turf, Hotchkiss was crawling out of the woodwork as well. With the small size of the two towns, it was hard to imagine there being quite this many people.

The Hotchkissians were staring at the Paonians.

The Paonians were glaring at the Hotchkissians.

Then, there was the one, shared whisper, and suddenly, it wasn't about old rivalry, it was about a stranger coming in and threatening one of their own.

"Momma," Nali exclaimed breaking away from the crowd. She ran to her mother and latched onto one arm. She stared at Rich with all the innocent hatred an eight-year-old could muster.

Nick gave his baby sister a look of chagrin and headed toward his Aunt Jo who stood at the edge of the gathering crowd.

Rich was ignoring everyone except Meg and Luk. He sneered at them, his true colors showing through the mask of perfection. "Come home with me, Meg. He will die, but I will not."

She shook her head. "No."

The fury dissolved as he painted his mask back into place. He closed his eyes and breathed in a deep, full breath before expelling it. He opened his eyes slowly, taking her in with his subtly seductive eyes. "No?"

She shook her head decisively and straightened. "Never."

Rich smiled, reaching out to caress Nali's cheek.

Nali flinched and hid behind her mother.

Meg reached out, her hand lightning fast, the lioness in full reign. Her teeth were clenched. Her heart was filled with protective rage. Her body was filled with the primordial, purely animal power.

He looked up at her and smiled, cocking his head to the side. "Never, Meggy," he breathed, "is a very, very long time."

"I need to know, Ricardo," Luk said softly. "Why did you bring Frank Mozzelli down here?"

Rich smiled cruelly. "He'd learned too much of my plan. He'd turned dark." He looked at Meg. "And I found something I wanted."

Luk narrowed his eyes and growled.

The towns' people had enough. The energy was rising. They were starting to get riled up by the things they were hearing and witnessing. All they needed was someone to start things.

Joe set his teeth, flared his eyes and put his hand on his gun. "I think we've had quite enough."

"Joe," another uniformed man said, elbowing his way to the front.

Joe nodded at the warning, but kept his hand on his gun.

Rich tossed his head. His gaze moved to those around him, seeming to recognize every single one of them. His eyes fell on Luk and a deep calm came over him. Brown eyes met blue.

Luk breathed and shook his head, his eyes like ice as he met the other man's stare.

Rich chuckled and stood up from his chair. He walked around the table, brushing past the sheriff. He leaned past Luk to whisper into Meg's ear, "I have things planned for you too."

"I don't know what your beef is, Ricardo," Luk growled. "But if it's between you and me, leave it between you and me."

Meg twisted to look at Rich.

His gaze lay on Luk, standing protectively next to Meg. He rolled his jaw. "That was unexpected." He raised an eyebrow in salute.

Luk frowned.

Nali shimmied away from the intimidating man.

Rich's eyes fell back to Meg. "But don't worry, Meggy." He bent down again. "It doesn't change a thing."

Meg turned, holding her breath. She kept her daughter protectively tucked behind her as Rich turned into the crowd.

Luk sucked in his lips and shook his head. He cocked back his arm and punched Rich in the eye. As he reeled back, Luk stepped in and landed a hard jab to his abdomen.

Rich looked up, his eye swelling and grinned.

Luk stepped back and took Meg and Nali in his arm.

"Hey, stranger," Joe said.

Rich looked up from his stooped position.

Mike approached him, one hand on his pistol. "I think it's time you left town."

A murmured agreement spread throughout the gathered crowd. Rifles were caressed. Rolling pins and hammers were tossed in hands.

Rich scanned the crowd and sneered. They parted, allowing him to cross the highway toward the inn.

They'd won that battle, but at what cost?

19

AS SOON as his feet touched the sidewalk on the other side of the street, the crowd exploded.

Meg, Nali, Nick, and Aunt Jo were grabbed by anyone close by. Questions were thrown at them from every direction. Worried faces crowded into theirs.

Luk stayed close to Meg.

June latched onto Meg and drew her away from Luk's protective touch.

She smiled at him, but nodded.

He nodded back and took Nali by the shoulders, steering her toward Aunt Jo and the waiting crowd.

Meg's eyes stayed on her children and the man she loved. They were surrounded by people she'd known her entire life. She forced herself to look away.

"I have to speak with you," June muttered into Meg's ear.

Meg stopped and looked at the older woman with a frown. Her gaze kept skipping to her children who had been drawn into the warm arms of the town and were being bathed in support. She sighed and looked at June with most of her remaining attention. "Yes?"

June looked up at the slightly taller woman and narrowed her eyes. A lock of her thin hair blew into her face. "Are you all right?"

Meg nodded. "I'm fine."

June raised a knowing eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest.

Meg closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. So maybe she wasn't quite right, yet. Her every instinct was still telling her to kill that man. "I thought this would be a safe place," she said softly, her walls and her anger and her drive to kill melting away.

June placed a kind hand on Meg's arm and smiled up at her. "It is safe."

Meg let out a long breath through pursed lips. She blinked back tears. "June, he had my son."

June nodded. "Yes. He did."

Meg looked at her. The tears were winning, though she had no idea why. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked toward the bright, clear, autumn, Rocky Mountain sky. Her lips were tightly held together as she took in shaky breaths.

June took Meg firmly by the arms and gently shook her. Her face was filled with steel, honed by a life of hardships. "You're home now, Meg." June's gaze left no room for misunderstanding. "You're here and we'll keep you and the kids safe."

Meg swallowed and nodded.

"Now we know what kind of trouble Rich really is, we won't let him anywhere near you and the kids."

"Okay."

June cleared her throat and looked around. "So, what's the deal with Luk?"

Meg looked at her. The first thing that came to mind was to tell her about the troubles in Dreamland. But June didn't know Luk was a dustman. _She_ was referring to the fact they were... well, somewhat an item. She shrugged, a confused look on her face.

June motioned for her to speak, her eyebrows high, her expression open.

Meg rolled her eyes and turned, facing the milling and disappearing crowd. She opened her mouth. She closed it. She opened it. She closed it. She quirked her mouth. She didn't make a good fish. Running her tongue along her lips, she said, "Well, let's just say that when Nick caught us being together, he was less than appreciative."

June nodded. "I had wondered about that."

Meg ducked her head in embarrassment. "He wasn't supposed to find out like that."

June blinked and stared at Meg. "However, that wasn't what I was talking about."

Meg frowned at her. "Then what are you talking about?

June tucked a fly-away piece of hair behind her ear. "He's not quite human, is he?"

The breath left Meg's body. She looked at the woman, her mouth open.

June smiled knowingly at her. "Rich isn't either and neither is his family."

Meg's vision narrowed. She took in a long, deep breath and peered across the street to the inn tucked behind houses and trees and the one, lone gas station. She cocked her head and returned her gaze to June. "He's not?"

June shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "My question is, what is he?"

"Who, Rich?" Meg shook her head, her gaze skipping across the street again.

June rolled her eyes and shook her head, taking a deep sigh of patience. "No, you silly girl. Luk." She opened her hands imploringly. "I want to know what Luk is."

"Oh." Meg shook her head, her eyes wide with surprise. "Yeah, well, um, he—well, uh." She stopped and sighed, puckering up her lips to look at June. "Uh, he's a handyman."

June just shook her head. "You forget, Meg. I know better."

Meg frowned, her gaze darting to the sky. "Right. Uh." She closed her eyes and shook her head... again.

June sighed and turned a level look at the woman. "Look, Meg. I'll tell it like it is." She paused to lick her lips and gather her thoughts. "This Rich character is after Luk, not you. The reason I think this is because neither of them feel very real, but they both feel similar to each other."

Meg's eyes flashed.

June leaned in. "He's an angel, isn't he?"

Meg shook her head, but stopped herself before she continued, unsure what to say. With a burst of laughter, she looked away.

June's lips tightened. "You can't tell me? Me? I practically helped raise you."

"The whole town did, June."

The older woman just shrugged.

Meg sighed. "Okay, so–" She rolled her eyes and faced the other woman. "He's a dustman. He helps people dream and maintain hope."

June stopped, the wheels in her head turning faster. Her eyes flitted from one place to another. "A dustman. A dustman." She took in a startled breath, recognition lighting her eyes. "A dustman." Her gaze lit on Meg. "Our Luk?"

Meg nodded. "Yeah." She kept nodding. "Yeah. I feel a little insane right about now."

June shook her head eagerly, looking around. "No. Not at all." She chewed on a nail. "Actually, that makes a bit of sense."

Meg chewed on her own nail, scanning the crowd for her kids. "It does?"

June's gaze caught Meg's. "But what about Rich? Is he a dark dustman?"

Meg's eyes widened as she took her finger from her lips. She looked for Luk. "No. He's an Elder."

June nodded.

Someone came up and tapped Meg on the shoulder.

She turned and faced Sheriff Joe. "Hmm?"

He lowered his chin and put his thumbs in his belt. "We'd best be going." He looked around. Thankfully, no one was trying to start anything, but it was never wise to tempt the hands of fate.

"Right." Meg turned back to June. She blinked. She really just wanted to tell June everything.

The older woman looked at Meg, her eyebrows lowered. "You'll keep me informed?"

Meg nodded. "I will."

She couldn't see Luk anywhere, but Aunt Jo was still surrounded by a crowd of people. She turned to the sheriff. "I'm going to get Nick. I'll be right back."

He nodded. "I'll be in the truck."

"'K." She turned and headed toward her aunt.

A hand fell on her arm.

Meg stopped and looked up, startled. It was a familiar face. She was jumpy. She had to calm her nerves.

"Meg," the warm face said. The woman, though familiar, had no name. The two towns were small, but they weren't tiny. She worked in the City Market and was a heavy-set woman in her mid-twenties with a pleasant smile and warm eyes.

Meg returned the smile. "Yes?"

The woman took Meg in her arms and squeezed. "I just wanted to let you know. Even though you're from Paonia," she said, letting go, "we're still here for you." She scrunched a smile. "We won't let an outsider in again. He'll have to find a new way through."

Meg smiled. She was unable to say anything. She looked away.

The woman continued. "Hotchkiss guards the highway into Paonia. We'll keep a watch for him."

"Thanks. I really appreciate that."

The woman winked and turned away.

On the way toward her aunt, Meg received quite a few calls of support from the dispersing crowd. Meg saluted some and called out thanks to others.

"Jo."

Meg turned to see Sheriff Joe behind her, tipping his hat to her aunt.

Aunt Jo sniffed at him and turned away.

Joe just sighed and turned to Meg. "Are you ready?"

Meg looked at him through narrowed eyes. "I thought you were going to the truck."

Joe's eyes flickered over to Aunt Jo and back. He shrugged, one hand on his pistol. "Just wanted to make sure you were coming. Women take so long, you know."

Aunt Jo's eyes flared as she rounded on the large man. "Women take so long? After all these years, that's the best you can come up with?"

The sheriff raised his eyebrows.

"I don't believe _I_ was the one who was late, now was I?"

Meg's eyes grew wider as she looked from Joe to her Aunt Jo. "Is there something going on I should know about?"

Both of them answered a most decisive, "No!"

"Oh," Meg mouthed, a knowing smirk on her face. "Riiight. Well, I'm going to go collect my son. I'll leave you–" She chuckled at the two birds, their chests out. "I'll leave you to it, then."

Her son stood against the building, brooding by himself. He saw his mother watching him and slumped, his hands in his pockets, his backpack slung over one shoulder. He dropped his gaze.

She took in a deep breath that helped her stand straighter.

Someone stepped in front of her and smiled. It was Bob. He ran the used bookstore in Hotchkiss. He carved and painted and sold everything in his small, two-room cabin at the outskirts of town. He looked down at her with a concerned, though happy look and took her hand, pressing it between his. "I talked to that boy of yours."

Meg smiled tightly. "Oh, that was sweet of you." All of the town kids went to Bob when they had problems. He was a good listener and had good advice. He was a warm person with a very pleasant presence.

He sighed and backed away. "He's just going through something right now. He's at that age where changes are hard to handle."

Meg clicked her tongue and patted his hand. "Well, that's one way of putting it. The boy thinks he's ready to be an adult."

Bob held her with his eyes and tucked in his lips. "He's ready to be a teenager. It's his mom that's having a hard time letting him."

Meg sucked in her breath. She looked at Nick over Bob's beefy shoulder. She just had to get to him, lay her hands on his body—

Bob just shrugged. "I haven't had a chance to talk to you, Meg," he said, stepping aside to let her through. "But I will tell you this. There are a lot of single parents in the valley who do the same thing to their kids." He shrugged when she looked up at him. "I think—and this is just me, now and I don't have any kids, so I don't know how this'll go—what you're sufferin' from is you were always working so hard, you never got to see him grow up."

"Bob."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not the fact he hasn't grown up."

She cleared her throat.

"It's the fact you haven't had a chance to grow with him."

Meg let out a breath for patience. "You should write a book about that."

He just shrugged and looked away. "I'll let you write it for me."

She chuckled, the grimace falling from her face as soon as he left.

"Mom," Nick said, his hands raised.

She looked at her son, as he stood sunk within himself by the corner of the slightly dilapidated building. Bob was right about one thing. Nick wasn't a boy anymore. Somehow, he'd grown up.

She walked over to him and just stood there, wondering what she should do with him. She couldn't beat him. He was too big. She doubted she could, even if she wanted to. She could yell at him, but she doubted that would do any good either.

She cupped his cheek and raised it, looking deep into his chocolate eyes, his father's eyes. He had Tom's face and Tom's hair and Tom's stocky body. Nick had been close to his father. When he'd died, Meg had flown headlong into fending for her family, supporting them, and feeding them. She'd forgotten some important things.

Her son needed her to love him.

She took Nick in her arms and held him.

He withstood the hug a bit longer than usual. He patted her back and stepped away. "Well, should we go?"

She looked at him a bit before nodding. "Don't think this gets you out of a severe beating when we get home."

He rolled his eyes and walked through the crowd to the sheriff's truck.

She turned and scanned the thinning crowd. Aunt Jo and the sheriff were still standing together, their conversation heated. Aunt Jo was growling up at the sheriff who was starting to look a little hot-headed himself. He stood over the robust woman, his hands on his hips. His words held a fire that couldn't be ignored even from here.

Nick came up beside Meg and frowned. "What's the deal between those two?"

Meg shook her head. "I don't know. They've been like this forever." She sighed and walked toward them. "Well, we'd better save them. The last time they did this, he ended up throwing her in jail."

Nick looked impressed. "You mean there's a jail in Paonia?"

"Well," Meg said, uncertain. "You know? I don't know. He's got the new office. I don't know if it has a cell or not."

Nick raised an eyebrow at his mother. "But you just said he'd thrown her in jail."

Meg nodded, within hearing distance of the pair. "That was when the jail was in Joe's basement."

Nick's eyes popped out of his head. "He did what?"

Meg shrugged. "If the criminals messed with his washing machine during their stay, it was extended."

Nick shook his head in disbelief. "The town isn't that small, Mom. I think you're making this up."

"Sheriff Joe," Meg announced coming up behind him. "Didn't you used to lock people up in your basement?"

Joe stared down at Aunt Jo, the promise of a hundred furies raining down on the woman.

Daggers shot from Aunt Jo's grey eyes.

He nodded slowly. "As a matter of fact your aunt got to spend quite a bit of time in my basement."

Nick chugged his aunt's arm. "Go, Aunt Jo."

Jo hrmphed and turned away. "I'll go get Luk and Nali and meet you at the inn." She gestured toward the sheriff. "He'll bring you home." She set her steely glare on Nick. "You'd best have your attitude adjusted before you come home or I'll introduce you to the woodshed."

"I'll send social services over in a heartbeat, old woman," Sheriff Joe threatened.

An old pain flickered in the older woman's eyes before she turned to find Luk and Nali. "Do what you think you have to, old man."

Sheriff Joe stood, his hackles settling down. "I didn't mean that."

Meg just looked at the sheriff. "What's the deal between you two?"

He stared after her, his eyes unfocused. He shook his head and turned away. "Come on. It was a long time ago and it's time to be off. I have other things to do than to baby-sit her kids."

Luk came over. The crowd had thinned a bit. He looked at Meg. "Is Joe taking you and Nick home?"

Meg nodded and looked up at him. "You take Aunt Jo and Nali, okay?"

He nodded. With a glance at Nick he bent and placed a kiss on Meg's cheek. Stepping back to cup her cheek he said, "No matter what Rich says, I'm not going anywhere."

They all piled into the sheriff's SUV in silence. Meg opted to sit in the back with her son. They sat on opposite sides of the long, bench seat. They went over the tracks surrounding the town of Hotchkiss and up the winding highway to their own town. Her mountain came into view as they turned off the highway and into the valley where Paonia was nestled. They drove through town, nearly deserted now. Miss Ida's car was still parked a little too close to the light pole in front of the library. The Cave was open and starting to fill up.

They drove right through town. He turned and headed up the mountain. He hit the railroad crossing a bit rougher than usual, jarring both of his passengers.

Meg looked at Nick. "I'm sorry I wasn't around more when your father died."

Nick shrugged and looked down at his lap. "I understand. You had a lot of things you had to do."

She cocked her head, tracing the seams of the upholstery. "Yes, but–" She scrunched up her lips and looked out the window. "I shouldn't have forgotten about you. You were the most important thing in my life. You know that, right?"

Nick ran a hand through his hair and looked out his window. "I know you love me."

Meg looked at her son. "There are a lot of things I would do differently if I could."

"But you can't."

"I know."

They turned off the paved road.

"Mom," Nick said softly. "You loved Dad, right?"

She nodded and looked at him. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I did."

He scratched his ear. "It was a shock to see you in bed with Luk." He shrugged. "I don't know. The last time I saw you, you were still crying over Dad. The next thing I know, you're lying in bed with Luk."

"A lot's happened this week."

"I guess."

Meg sighed, unsure of what to say or do.

He turned to her, his bag clasped in his hands. "I don't mind you loving Luk." He stopped and looked at her. "You do love him, right? You're not just fooling around with him?"

Meg's eyes opened with shock. "Nick, where do you get these ideas? What are they teaching you in school?"

He cocked his head at her. "Mom."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. Yes, I love Luk."

He nodded decisively. "That's good." He tossed his head from side to side, uncomfortable. "I guess what I'm trying to say is it was just a shock and I'm cool with it. As long as you don't forget Nal and me, I'm cool with it."

Meg looked at Nick and sucked in her lips. "We won't forget you, I promise."

He unconsciously mirrored her expression and looked around. "Okay. Well, um." He paused and looked out the window. "Has he asked you to marry him yet?"

The wind was knocked out of Meg's lungs. "No, uh, we—uh, no. Um, we, uh–"

Nick looked at her with a knowing grin. "You've been too busy?"

"Where do you learn these things?"

He shrugged. "School, I guess."

She expelled a deep breath. "It's a good thing we moved back home, then."

"Well, maybe not, Meg," Joe interjected from behind the wheel. "The pregnancy rate has risen in high school."

Meg's eyes got bigger. "Great!" She sighed and sat back in her seat, shaking her head. "Just what I needed to know."

Nick chuckled and settled into his seat as they rounded the last curve and the inn came into view. "He's sticking around isn't he?"

Meg grew quiet and looked out the window.

"Cause I don't want Nal to fall in love with him and then have him leave her."

Meg nodded. "I'm going to try my best to keep him, love."

Nick nodded and looked at his mother. "He's the dustman, isn't he?"

Meg turned to him, surprised. She threw a look at Joe. His eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. "What?"

"The picture you had drawn when you were a girl." Nick shrugged. "He looks just like him. _And_ I met him in Dreamland. He's been taking me and Nal every night since he showed up."

"Well–"

"So, the rumors are true, huh?" Joe rumbled softly, a slight tone of disbelief in his voice as he pulled the SUV into the driveway and turned the vehicle off. "I knew the man was odd, but I hadn't reckoned on that."

Meg expelled a breath and opened the door and got out. "Joe, it's not like that."

The sheriff closed his door and leaned over the hood. "What kind of man makes up that kind of story to get into a woman's house?"

"He's not–"

He silenced her with a look. "All I want to know is whether or not Jo is safe with him in her house."

Meg met his gaze. "Yes. She is."

"Mom," Nali yelled, throwing herself off the porch and flying into her mother's arms.

As they hugged, Meg watched the sheriff give the house a searching look. Movement caught her eye. Aunt Jo was in the living room window, looking out.

Gravel flew on the road in front of the inn as another car parked in the driveway. Meg frowned and set her daughter down. It wasn't a car she recognized.

The rear passenger door opened and a slight, sophisticated older woman stepped out, her eyes on the inn. She took in a deep breath and smiled.

"Katrina?" Meg asked.

Her old neighbor lowered her face and looked at Meg with a beaming, warm smile. "I'm here to stay at your inn. You have a room reserved for me?"

20

KATRINA's power radiated from her, leaving Meg in awe.

How had she missed that before?

Katrina turned her odd eyes from the clear sky and the inn to look at Meg.

Meg smiled and walked to the woman. "Katrina, what brings you here?"

The old woman wrapped her arms around Meg in greeting. "I've always wanted to visit Colorado."

Nali watched the newcomer without her usual extroverted enthusiasm. She shied away and tucked herself behind her mother.

Nick came around the hood of the SUV, brushing past the awestruck sheriff to stand next to his mother.

Meg wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. "Well, um, neat. Glad you're here."

Katrina chuckled. "Are you?"

"Well," Meg said, ducking her head. "I'm a bit confused. Are you here for business–" She raised her eyebrows expectantly. "—or pleasure?"

Katrina sighed.

Meg clucked her tongue. "Business."

Katrina's long, slim face was transformed as her lips stretched out in welcome and her eyes, those pale powerful eyes, engulfed Meg with love and understanding.

Meg winced. "Are we in more trouble?"

The older woman grasped Meg's hands. "I think maybe so."

With a worried expression, Meg looked up and was drawn into the woman's gaze. "Katrina, what's going on?"

"My name is Katrina." She said to Nick and Nali.

Nick looked up at his mother and hitched his backpack more firmly onto his shoulder. "You're our neighbor from back home."

The old woman's face lit up. "You noticed."

He nodded with a well-duh look.

Meg nodded. "Why are all the Elders here instead of in Dreamland?"

The screen door squealed and whacked, announcing someone's arrival. Luk came up behind Meg and put a hand on one of her shoulders.

The lady's blush was less a motion of coloring and more of a girlish embarrassed smile. "There is much we need to discuss."

Luk blinked at her over Meg's head. "What's wrong?"

Katrina, like the ever-knowing school marm, turned to Nick and beamed sweetly at him. "Are you enrolled in school yet?"

Nick's gaze narrowed, his grip tightening on his book-bag still slung over his shoulder. "I wouldn't know. I just got here."

She tipped her head at the dark-haired child. She smiled, warmth touching her lips, sadness filling her eyes. "I've never met you, though I have heard quite a bit about you."

Nali's face brightened as she took a half-step away from her mother, the strange woman's smile comforting. "Mom, why is she so creepy?"

Meg winced at the old woman.

Katrina smiled in apology. "My social skills are rusty."

Sheriff Joe cleared his throat, pulling his pants up over his belly. He looked at Luk then Katrina and finally at Meg. "Do you need my help?"

Meg shook her head. "I don't think so." She smiled in thanks. "I think we can get her settled in, no problem."

He turned to leave. Before he'd gotten halfway around the hood of the SUV, he turned and pierced Luk with his gaze. He took one hand and laid it gently on his pistol and pointed the other one at Luk. "Don't you bring any danger to this house. You understand me?"

Luk met the sheriff's eyes.

"I've heard the rumors," Joe said gruffly. "I don't put much stock into the idea you're a dustman. I don't want to believe you'd take Meggy's dreams and twist them around for your own purposes either. You have to know she's been covering this town with stories of her Luk for years. There are many here who believe in those silly stories."

Luk raised his chin.

"Meg seems to think you're not a threat." Joe narrowed his gaze at the man. "All I know is something isn't quite right with you and this house had better not be threatened by your presence."

Luk and Meg watched the sheriff climb into his SUV and pull around the long, black car parked behind it. They looked at each other, sharing a worried glance.

The driver of the car had gotten out, pulling Katrina's luggage out of the trunk. He slammed the trunk shut and walked over. "Now, wha' in bloody hell are we doin' standin' aroun' out here when we should be inside?"

Meg let out an excited shriek, a wild grin on her face. "Finn?"

The dark dustman grinned. "I more'n figured it was about bloody time I high-tail my arse down here a bit for m'self."

Meg chuckled.

"'Sides tha', I've a few questions of m' own what need answered and that ruddy tree didn't help at all."

Luk stared at the other dustman in surprise. "Finn, what are you doing here?"

Finn cuffed the sandy dustman on his way past him. "Ye've gone softer in the brain than I'd thought, or there's a problem with your ears."

Luk followed him toward the house. "No, you damned dustman, I heard what you said. I just didn't understand the implications."

Finn marched up the stairs of the house, opening the door like he owned the place.

"You stay away from my coffee maker, Finn," Meg called after the man.

Finn waved her off.

Nick looked at his mother. "You know the driver?"

Meg nodded. "Yup."

"Is it just me, or are things getting really, really weird?"

She took Nali's shoulders and herded the girl toward the porch. "Remember when I said a lot had happened in the past week?"

Nick nodded walking beside her. "Yeah."

"Well, he's one of the things that happened."

Nick thought about that for a minute. He shot a glance over his shoulder to their new guest before looking at his mom incredulously. "Mom, tell me you're not–" He let it drop.

Meg gave her son an incredulous look. "I'm not even going to ask where you're going with that or why _you_ would ask that." She turned to watch their progress. "I'm afraid I'd have to hit you."

Nali twisted in her mother's grasp. "Who is Finn, Mom?"

She opened the door for her kids. "He's a dustman, butter."

Nick looked at Meg and threw his book bag in the corner by the door. "Another one? Where do you keep finding them?"

"Nuh-uh," she said, pointing at the bag. "Put it where it belongs."

"Mom, we haven't even moved in yet. I don't know where it belongs."

She shook her head. "I'm not tripping over that thing. Find a place and put it away."

Nick grumbled, but followed his mother's direction.

Meg rubbed her eyes. "You'd better hurry back so you don't miss anything. You deserve to know what's been going on."

Nick frowned and clunked up the stairs in his big untied boots.

Meg rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning to Nali. "Where's Aunt Jo?"

Nali shrugged. "How would I know? I just walked in the door."

"Can you go find her for me?"

The girl shook her head. "I want to stay here with you, Mom."

Meg leveled a look at her daughter. "Go find your aunt and then hurry your butt back so you don't miss anything." She sighed and ruffled the girl's dark locks. "Don't worry. We won't start without you."

Nali huffed and went to the base of the stairs.

Meg stepped aside to let Katrina into the living room.

"Aunt Jo," Nali yelled at the top of her lungs. "Aunt Jo."

Meg turned, shaking her head, her hands on her hips.

Nali saw her mother watching her and gave Meg an impish smile.

"I believe I could have done that."

"Yes, Nali?" Aunt Jo shouted back from the kitchen.

Meg tapped her toe, her eyebrows raised.

Nali shrugged, her smile drooping slightly, taking on more of an uh-oh look than an aren't-I-cute.

Meg sighed and straightened, resigned. "Aunt Jo," she said as she walked into the dining room. "Our guest has arrived."

The robust woman walked through the kitchen doorway, wiping the water from her hands with a towel as she walked around the dining room table. "Really?" She set the towel on the table before she walked into the living room. "She's early."

Meg shrugged and followed her into the living room. "Have a seat. We all have a lot to talk about."

Jo narrowed her eyes at Meg then looked at Katrina with interest.

Katrina motioned toward the couch with a resigned sigh.

Jo licked her top lip, but sank into the old sofa.

Meg sat down in one of the high backed green chairs.

Katrina found the handmade rocking chair which sat in the far corner and claimed it.

Finn seemed too keyed up to sit. He walked back and forth from the sofa stretched out in front of the big, picture window to the fireplace gracing the back wall.

Meg took Nali's hand. She perched the growing girl on her lap, wrapping one arm around the slim girl's waist.

Aunt Jo looked from the pacing man in the dark chauffeur's suit to the regal woman sitting by the fireplace. She looked at Luk who joined her on the sofa.

Nick tromped down the stairs and entered the living room. He scanned the room for possible perches and slouched with a sigh, parking it on the floor.

Meg waited until everyone was settled and ready before she looked at Katrina and Finn. "What's going on? Tell me you have new information."

Katrina looked up at Finn who had stopped before the fireplace. "Well," she said softly. "There is much going on." She folded her hands in her lap and leaned back, gently rocking her chair. "And –" She looked at Luk who was sitting pensively on the edge of the sofa. "We don't have a lot of time."

Aunt Jo raised her eyebrows, sitting back comfortably in the over-stuffed cushions of her sofa. She stared at Luk's back and sucked on her teeth.

Luk ran the palms of his hands together, his elbows on his knees. He looked at Meg.

Meg tipped her head. "Well, um, thank you for being vague, but we already know that. Has something else happened? Has the time table moved?"

Katrina met her gaze. "What new developments happened on your end?"

Luk thumped his thumb against his other hand. "I got my light."

The Elder nodded, her silken hair cascading over one shoulder. "I know." She took in a deep steadying breath. "And that's one of the things that concerns me."

Aunt Jo and Nick shared a confused look. The older woman held up a beefy hand from her relaxed position. "Hold up. Go back to the beginning."

Meg, Finn and Luk all looked at each other.

Finn shook his head and pointed at Luk.

Luk looked at Meg, his eyes opening wide as he opened his hands in a shrug.

Meg shook her head and shrugged back at him, giving him the it-ain't-my-story look.

Katrina cleared her throat, her gaze sliding over Nick who sat perched beside her. "To begin this story, I will introduce myself." She smiled, the world filling with sunshine. "I am Katrina. I am one of the Elders of Dreamland."

Nali bounced in Meg's lap.

She motioned to Finn and to Luk. "Finn and Luk are two of my dustmen, the gentlemen who take the good boys and girls to Dreamland."

Nick's gaze flew to his mother.

Meg shrugged. "I know it's hard to believe. It's one thing to say he's my dustman. It's another thing to look at him and say, 'Dude, you're the guy in the fairytales my mom used to tell.'"

Nick pulled his knees up. "You said it."

Meg nodded, her smile tight. "I did."

Aunt Jo looked at everyone around the room. "I've read your stories. I guess I don't understand what the trouble is." She looked at Katrina, a look of askance on her face. "There is trouble, isn't there?"

The Elder nodded and looked at Luk. "The dustmen are disappearing faster now."

Meg shook her head. "Lady Storm said that Dreamland will survive without dreamers."

Katrina held up a finger. "But not without dustmen. We can find no one to replace them. Our believers are being warded for reasons unknown to us."

Meg groaned.

Katrina stared at the floor. "Dreamland is disappearing."

Nali's eyes rounded as she turned to her mother. "No," she cried. "That can't happen."

Nick looked at Katrina, his gaze narrowed. "You said the dustmen are being forgotten?"

Katrina nodded at him.

Nali looked beseechingly at Luk. "I believe in you, Luk."

Luk gave her a smile of thanks.

Nick looked at Luk and cocked his head. "So, I don't get it." He unfurled himself and gestured to the dustman. "If dustmen are being forgotten and Dreamland is falling, what is he doing here?" He looked at his mother. "Don't tell me this is some sick, girly fairytale where the love of the fair damsel frees the handsome prince."

Nali's face brightened. "Do you think?"

Nick rolled his eyes.

"Just tell him you love him, Momma," Nali implored. "Make it so he doesn't go away."

Finn stopped pacing, staring at the girl incredulously, fighting hard to hold back his laughter.

Meg's face flamed red.

"Somehow," Aunt Jo said dryly, "I think that happened all ready."

Nali twisted around to send her mother a frown. "And it didn't work?"

"We need to get back to the point," Katrina interjected gently. "Since you gained your light, Dreamland has been falling faster."

"Why is that?" Meg asked.

Katrina sighed and looked at her lap. "Over a century ago, our eldest, Ricardo, started making trips to your world, sometimes staying for very long periods of time." She blinked. "On one of those excursions, he brought back Luk."

Meg looked over at him.

She looked up at him. "He didn't warn us he was bringing you in. He didn't ask us to prepare a new level for you. He didn't ask us for help with your first light. He didn't communicate with us at all about you."

Nick shrugged. "So what? He just showed up with him?"

Katrina nodded at him. "Precisely. That was year Grandmother Willow became ill."

Finn looked at her startled, unfolding his crossed arms. "Got sick? Why is this the first I've 'eard o' this?"

"We tried to keep it quiet. However, you noticed it, I'm sure of it." She looked at the dark dustman. "Tell me you did not notice she would periodically disappear from certain levels at times."

Finn shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose I did at tha'." He looked at her, his eyes unfocused. "But I could ne'er understan' the why o' it. She'd even disappeared from my level once until I though' her back into place."

"Yes, well, it has only been in the past several days I found out the why and the how."

Meg shifted in her chair. "Does it have to do with Luk?"

She shook her head. "She was warded away."

"Ricardo," Meg said with an irritated sigh.

Katrina raised her eyebrows in tribute. "This is also the reason for my haste. We've run out of time. He knows I'm here."

Luk shook his head. "Why would he ward the willow?"

She looked at him. "He set up wards on the different levels of Dreamland and that's why Grandmother disappeared." Her eyes were unfocused as she rocked. "Why? Well, the only thing I can say is for every dustman who had Grandmother disappear from his level, one that dustman was forgotten."

Finn and Luk stared at each other. "Wha' abou' me, then?"

Katrina shrugged. "Except for you and I don't know why."

"And me?"

She looked at him. "You weren't a dustman until this morning."

Luk looked at Meg, both gazes thoughtful.

Nali turned to her mom, pensive. "If Luk is forgotten, does that mean he goes away?"

Meg nodded, silent.

Nali quietly took that in. She looked at Luk. "You can't go away. I don't want you to. Momma loves you."

Luk nodded, meeting the girl's gaze. "I love her, too."

Katrina shook her head. "That brings me to my next point." She looked at Luk. "The method used to give your first light hasn't been seen since the Elders were created."

Meg looked at her. "Why not?"

The other woman shrugged. "Well, mostly, I think, because there simply weren't enough people to watch over us and to protect us when we got our first light."

"Ye said mostly."

"Yes, Finn, I did." Katrina took in a deep breath.

"Well, in that case, we have an answer," Luk said. "My father was training me to take his place."

Katrina's eyebrows rose.

Luk stood. "I'm tired of sitting around and talking. It sounds like we have the information we need. We need a plan. We need to figure out how to stop him. How do we do that?"

Katrina raised her chin, her eyes twinkling. "I want you all to go to Dreamland."

Meg shrugged. "How's that going to change anything?"

"I want you to see what Rich has done." She looked out at the darkening sky and rose, becoming agitated. "You must go to Dreamland, immediately."

Meg set Nali on the floor. "I still don't understand why. We _have_ seen what he's done."

The Elder ignored her. "Don't worry about your dreamers tonight. Fly. Now." She looked outside the window again. "You must hurry."

"What are we looking for?" asked Meg.

"Nothing," Katrina said softly. "I just want you to see what it is we are losing and how bad our losses are."

Aunt Jo leaned forward, beginning to stand up. "Well, I ain't going." She stood. "I'm too old to go gallivanting off to a fairy land. I'll stay here." She turned around and peered out the window. "Guard the fort."

"I will stay with you, Lady Jo," Katrina said softly. "You might need my protection."

Meg shook her head and stood. "I still don't understand what we're looking for."

Nick looked at his mother like she was stupid. "We might find a clue, some weakness this dude has."

"There is no time," Katrina said, rising from the chair. "Each of you, get comfortable and I will take you to sleep."

Meg looked down at Nali and over at Nick.

Nick just shrugged and lay down where he sat.

Nali looked up at her mother, waiting for some guidance.

Luk took the couch, sprawling out on it, throwing one arm over his eyes.

Finn looked around and shook his head. He settled himself in front of the fireplace.

Meg sat back down and threw a leg over the arm of the somewhat stuffed chair. She pulled Nali into her lap. The long, lithe girl no longer fit like she used to. Meg threw Nali's legs over the arm and tucked the dark head onto her chest. Meg looked at Katrina. "Does this seem odd to anyone else we are in the living room of my aunt's house, waiting to be put to sleep by a magical Elder?"

Katrina looked at her, her pale eyes hard. "That," she whispered as the dark fog of sleep started seeping in, "is the reason we might yet fail."

The darkness crowded in, allowing Meg to think of nothing more than the feel of Nali's warm body next to hers.

"Watch, Meg, and learn," she heard reverberating in her mind. "Do not let Dreamland fall."

That was the last thing Meg remembered before sleep fully claimed her.

21

MEG woke to find herself on Dreamers' Hill of Luk's realm. She looked around finding herself alone. She sighed and decided to wait without turning into the worrying harridan.

She took in a deep breath and stepped to the side. This hill acted like an elevator between all the levels and if she were to stand there for too long, she might find herself bumped into by an unsuspecting traveler.

She looked around the meadow. "See what we're losing, eh?"

She shook her head as the tall, wispy grass bobbed and swayed in the wind. It didn't look like anything was missing here. Grandmother stood where she always had, or at least close to it. The creek still ran through the meadow, again close to its original course. The forest of pines stretched out to the horizon, where it was met by the new mountain range. Rocky-Faced Mountain loomed over her still. It didn't look like they were losing any kind of battle here.

She heard the footfalls of someone behind her and turned.

Luk came and took hold of her waist, turning her so she could continue to look out on the land, her back to his chest. With a deep breath, he rested his chin on her head and hugged her closer.

She wrapped her arms over and around his as she cuddled in, resting her head on his chest.

Talfgar soared over a distant peak. The wind tugged at their hair.

"I'm not going to disappear on you again." Luk murmured softly.

Meg nodded, her lips tight. "I know. We're going to figure out what Rich wants and then we're going to kick his butt."

Luk nodded, giving her a gentle squeeze. "Yup." He let up, not quite letting her go and stood up straighter. "I can't have Nali falling in love with me and then just leave her, now can I?

Meg turned in mock outrage, a smile lighting her eyes as she swatted at his shoulder. "Yeah, thanks."

He chuckled and turned her, cupping her cheeks in his hands. "I know, girls can't help but fall in love with me."

She narrowed her blue eyes at him, giving his chest a slight push.

He cupped her face, his expression serious. "I love you, Meg." He breathed as she stilled. "I feel as if I've loved you all my life."

She chuckled self-consciously. "But you were born a long time before I was."

His eyes focused inward as he watched her for a long moment. "With this new light, a lot of things have become clearer. There are things I'm not afraid to face anymore." He brought his nose to hers, his eyes focusing on her again. "Like my feelings for you."

Meg swallowed.

"I thought by loving you, I was cheating Dreamland." He smiled into her lips. "But now, I realize I'm doing them a great service by loving you."

She frowned at him and backed away as far as his hands would allow. "A service?"

He winced. "Well, maybe not a service, but the love we share will help Dreamland eventually."

She looked at him, her eyes narrowed. "How, exactly?"

"You'll see," he said, dropping his hands and looking at her with an all-knowing look. "You'll see."

She shook her head at him. "Uh-uh. You're not going to just leave it like that, my man. You're telling me what you mean."

He just smiled at her and cocked his head. "I can't. Eventually, you will tell me."

Meg sighed at him, flabbergasted. "What does that mean?"

He winked and walked a bit down the hill, out of the way. He turned toward her. "You'll see."

"Mom," Nick said, appearing on the hill. He frowned at her before turning his eyes to the surrounding landscape. "This is weird."

Finn appeared next and walked down the hill to meet them.

"Where's Nal?" Meg asked, watching the hilltop.

Finn shrugged. "She's–"

Nali appeared on the hill and stumbled. She looked around with big, deep eyes, her mouth shaped in a shocked "o".

"Here," Finn finished.

Meg motioned for her daughter to join them. Taking the girl by the shoulders, she turned toward the men. "Okay, so now what?"

Luk shrugged. "I guess we start moving and see what we can find."

They all turned and looked at the landscape. It all looked fine.

"Okay," Meg said with a sigh. "This level obviously looks good. Let's go to the next one."

Finn shrugged. "Sounds good."

"I really like the way you talk," Nali said dreamily.

Meg snorted. "Keep that to yourself. His head'll swell."

Finn smiled at the girl and took her by the shoulders.

Nali gladly went from her mother to the darkly handsome dustman.

"I'll take wha' I can ge'."

Meg rolled her eyes and turned to Nick.

He gave his mother a rounded-eyed look and stepped closer to Luk. "Mom, I'm too big to be hugged and you're giving me the hug-look."

Meg shook her head and took a step back. "I haven't seen you in a week. I need to hug my kids. I'm suffering through withdrawals, here."

Nick just shook his head at her. "Withdrawal over Nali."

Meg looked at the slim girl who was staring up at Finn as they talked quietly together.

Luk came over and took Meg by the shoulders, a grin on his face. "Looks like you're stuck with me."

"I've _been_ stuck with you for the past week," she grumbled in good humor.

"Are you complaining?"

She shrugged. "Oh, I guess not."

"Oh, I know it's hard to be stuck with me." He sighed theatrically.

She leveled a look up at him. "If you only knew."

He just beamed down at her.

The group settled themselves on top of the hill and took each other's hands, prepared to leave.

A movement caught Meg's gaze. She turned her head slightly to the meadow. She took her hand out of Luk's. "Wait."

Finn paused. "Wha' is it, Meggy?"

She pointed, her face filled with disbelief. "Look."

Everyone looked into the meadow, following her finger.

"Momma," Nali said. "I don't see anything."

"I know, butter," Meg whispered. "That's my point."

"Where in the hell di' the tree go?"

"Finn," Meg whispered, afraid to make a sound, "Are you allowed to cuss in Dreamland?"

"We've no' been censured yet," he said, softly stunned.

Luk took a step forward. "My tree."

Nick looked at his mother and at Luk. "Which tree?"

"Gran'mother Willow," Finn stated simply. He scanned the horizon. "Do ya see the storm anywhere abouts?"

Meg looked around. "No. No storm."

Luk stood stunned. "I don't understand. I have kids. I have my light. Why is Grandmother gone?"

Finn looked at Meg. "Rich's been 'ere. Katrina said he'd been goin' aroun' wardin' levels." He looked out. "We'd best be fer hurryin'. I'm willin' ta bet tha' he's up ta somethin'."

Meg looked at her dustman with worry. This thing was starting to get a little more serious than one woman needing to dream. This was... She shook herself. This affected many other people as well. She looked at her children who stood staring at her.

"Luk's going to disappear, too, isn't he?" Nali asked.

Meg shook her head and took Luk's hand. "Not if I have anything to say about it, he won't."

Luk turned to her, his eyes vacant.

Finn looked at him. "Doncha worry, lad," he said. "'Tween you and me, we'll figure ou' wha's goin' on here, eh?"

Luk's gaze narrowed. "He's trying to get me out of the equation. But am I the last one? Are you?"

Finn blinked, his lips flat. "Let's go, lad."

Luk nodded and took Nali's hand, completing the circle once more. "Let's see if we can figure out what Katrina wanted us to find."

Meg and Finn nodded.

Nali looked up at her big brother, her face filled with worry.

Nick squeezed his little sister's hand and looked at the adults. They were ready to get the show on the road.

Finn nodded and closed his eyes.

Meg looked at her children. "You might want to close your eyes, too, loves. It gets a little dizzy in here."

Luk's eyes were already closed.

Nali looked at the two dustmen, nodded and followed suit.

Meg raised an eyebrow at her son, who was doing his own thing. She shrugged. He'd just have to learn the hard way.

Within the blink of a thought, they were no longer standing on firm ground anymore. Their hair wasn't flying like it would if they were falling. Meg opened her eyes to get a glimpse of their surroundings. They were surrounded by a blackness that seemed to move. She wasn't sure how she'd formed that impression. She couldn't see even a shadow within the shadows.

It was her stomach that informed her she was moving. It was caught somewhere in her windpipe. That was enough for her. She closed her eyes again.

Her stomach lurched and stumbled, her eyes flying open. Before them was a rocky landscape filled with cedars and woodland animals. The scene seemed peaceful enough to Meg on the surface. However, as she watched, she sensed a growing level of anxiety.

Luk's gaze followed hers. He shrugged. "Looks good. Whose land is this?"

Finn and Nick's eyes were wide with emotions tinged on fear. Meg and Luk looked at each other and turned.

Behind them was a huge and powerful cloud. The cloud was sweeping over the land in a wild whirlwind of activity, sucking up anything in its path.

"Roger," Finn whispered over the fury of the approaching wind.

"Momma," Nali said shakily, twisting in her mother's grip in order to stare behind her. "What is that thing?"

"Uh–" Meg said in shock. Her mind stopped. It was one thing to talk about it. It was an entirely different thing to watch it in action.

"Tha's the storm," Finn said in awe. He swallowed as he watched the lands being sucked up into the storm's depths. His face had turned ashen. His eyes searched the disappearing terrain. "This's Roger's land." He breathed, as the storm grew bigger, descending upon them. "I was jus' here this mornin'. How could i' be gone?"

Luk turned and looked at the dark dustman. "Roger was one of those forgotten, right?"

Finn nodded slowly, in shock. "Aye."

Luk chewed his lip and looked at the group. He turned back to the storm. The wind lashed out at them. It's hungry tongue tugged at their hair and clothes. The volume rose as the storm sped toward them. He turned. "Finn," he shouted.

The dark man didn't appear to hear.

The wind grew louder and louder, pummeling each of the people in the circle.

The woodland animals watched the approaching storm with wild eyes. They didn't run. They watched with fear, but stayed their ground.

Luk leaned into the wind. "Finn," he shouted louder.

Finn looked at the dustman and leaned into the circle to better understand him.

"We have to leave, now," Luk shouted as the wind pulled at his shoulders, tossing his sandy hair into his eyes.

Finn nodded and straightened. He closed his eyes, preparing them for departure.

The wind screamed around them.

Finn's eyes flew open as he stared into the storm.

A forceful stream of air caught Nali. It threatened to sweep the slight girl away from the circle. "Mom," she cried, her chocolate eyes wide and filled with fear.

Meg tightened her hold on her daughter's hand and reeled her in. She suffered a glance at the dark dustman and yelled in a blood-curling roar, "Finn!"

Finn looked at the girl hanging by his hand. He nodded and closed his eyes again.

The silence was deafening when they entered the hill. Nali fell beside Meg, forcing her and Finn to stoop to maintain their hold of her. Meg heard her whimper somewhere in the deep confines of nowhere. Meg tightened her hold, her heart constricted to the size of a raisin in her chest.

They lurched forward, but opened their eyes to a land of nothing. They were surrounded by a black void. There was no sun. There were no hills. There were no trees, no animals, no stream, and no willow.

Meg looked at Finn. He was so pale; she swore she could see his veins through his skin. He looked like the vampires on the movie screen, his eyes dark and distant and full of vengeful sorrow. She looked at Luk, gauging his mood. She saw much of the same in his eyes as well. His blue eyes were dark with sorrow, his breathing was shallow, his skin was pale.

"Where are we?" Nali asked.

Both dustmen were quiet for a long time.

"This used ta be my–" Finn stopped, unable to say anymore. His blue eyes were filled with tears of pain. He breathed.

Meg looked around with a new understanding. "This is Finn's place, butter."

Luk shook his head as he twisted to see more, his expression filled with shock. "How, Finn?"

Finn shook his head, his gaze not moving. "I don' know. I was jus' here righ' before Katrina called me ta be her driver." He took in a deep, ragged breath.

Meg wanted to reach out to offer comfort but wasn't sure what she could do that would help.

"It was all here, Luk. It was all here." His grip visibly tightened on Nick and Nali's hands. "How coul' i' jus' disappear like tha'? It was all bloody here!"

"Finn," Meg said softly, afraid the dark man would erupt. "My children." She stared at her children's hands and at their twisted faces. They were too afraid to speak. They were exhibiting signs of pain. "Finn," she said more firmly. "My children need their hands."

He didn't seem to hear her. He took a step forward. He pulled his head back and roared, the tendons and muscles standing out on his neck. "Why?"

Meg shook her head, unable to stand the look of pain on her children's faces. The man was a big boy. Her children were not. She started slipping her hand out of Luk's to pry her children from the overwrought man.

"No," Luk said sharply, keeping her hand and gripping it firmly. He looked at her. "If you let go, you'll be lost."

"But, Luk," she said, her eyes full of motherly fury.

He took her gaze firmly in his own and looked down.

Her gaze followed his. She gasped and looked up. They were standing on nothing. Below them was the same void that engulfed them. She looked up at him. "Luk."

He kicked the other dustman hard in the shin.

Finn looked at him, startled, the grief hiding behind a thin veil of forced reality.

Luk took the other man's gaze and pointedly looked at his hands and the cringing kids.

Finn moaned and loosened his hold. "I'm verra sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Nick said, grimacing. His glance flickered at his mom. "It's understandable."

"Finn," Luk said softly. "What does this mean? When the storm comes, she doesn't suck it up quite like this. This–" He paused to look around at the startling, non-existent landscape. "This is amazing."

"I'm still 'ere." Finn looked at Meg and blinked. "I'm still 'ere and m' land's gone. Wha' does that mean?"

Luk shrugged and opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes grew wide and startled as he crumpled to his knees.

Meg watched, holding his hand tightly. "Finn," she shrieked. "What's going on?"

Finn went to his knees next to his friend, taking the kids with him. "Luk."

Luk looked at him, his face ravaged with pain, his eyes focused inward.

Finn," he whispered.

"Luk, wha's–"

Luk disappeared.

Finn looked at Nick and Meg and shouted. "Take each other's hands, now."

Meg reached for Nick's hand, but before she could grip it with hers, pain ripped through her head. She collapsed, her hand gripping her head.

"Meg," Finn shouted over the pain. "The kids."

She nodded. She knew she must protect her children or they could all be lost. She took Nali's hand and forced it toward Nick's.

"Momma," Nali screamed.

"Take his hand, butter," Meg moaned over the hammer in her head. "I'll be okay."

Finn nodded at her.

Then, she was gone and the world was blank.

Her body was awakened by the sounds of country music, a bumpy road, and the feel of her bound hands jammed uncomfortably into her back.

"Ah," a sickly familiar voice said from the front seat. Meg was able to see a pair of eyes looking at her from the rearview mirror. The world outside was dark. His eyes were lit by the green lights of the dashboard. "You're awake."

"Rich," Meg groaned, sitting up. Her legs weren't taped together, just her hands. From the feel of it, he'd used duct tape. It was pulling the hair on her arms. She tried to arrange herself around her bound wrists, but failed. So, she propped herself against the door and peered out the window. They were just outside of Paonia, heading up the mountain to Somerset. She narrowed her eyes at the dark shadow of the mountains tucked below a marvelously big, full, yellow moon. "Where are we going?"

He shrugged his shoulders and turned down the music. "Does it matter?"

Meg's eyebrows shot up. "It does to me!"

He shook his head, replacing his hand on the steering wheel. His many rings shone in the bright, moon light. "No, it does not. You won't make it back in time anyway."

The breath caught in Meg's chest. "In time for what?"

The man chuckled evilly. "You'll see." He paused, taking the car around a sharp curve. "No, no you won't."

She swallowed. She had to keep him talking. Meanwhile, she searched for anything that might cut through the tape. "Rich, why didn't you make Luk a dustman?"

He threw his head back and laughed. "You found out." His hand wrung the steering wheel as he took the speed up a notch through a straight section of road. "I wondered how long it would take you."

She was staring out the window. They had just passed the entrance to the Bowie Mine.

"I guess I can tell you." He settled back into his seat. "Now, how is it you start out your stories? 'Once upon a time, there were two kids?'" He nodded. "Yes, well, there was a little girl. Her name was Elizabeth."

"Like the Queen of England?"

He nodded. "From England, but a little before her time, I would say." He took in a deep breath. "I had been an Elder for a very long time when I met her. She'd come to Dreamland and I fell in love."

"Nice. Don't know what this has to do with Luk, though."

His eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. "Shut up, if you want to hear the story."

Meg grimaced and shrank back and reminded herself she was trying to buy herself some time here.

"I watched her grow from a young girl, to a woman."

Meg could see his profile from where she sat. He watched the road in front of him as he took the car through the last few turns into Somerset.

"As she grew older, she grew more lovely. As she grew more beautiful, I felt the need to have her."

"You fell in love."

"Yes." He nodded. "Yes. I loved her." He cocked his head, slowing the car down for the last, final curve into the small town of Somerset. "And then one day, she died."

Meg was looking out the window, searching for anyone who might be out in town. Somerset was a town where the houses looked a lot like the tents the original miners had lived in when they first arrived. Most of them had one room. There was no downtown. There was no post office. The backdoor of Somerset was the mountain. The front door was the mine. There were no hippies. There were no orchard workers. Just miners. And when miners weren't working, trying to tear apart the earth, they slept, resting up to go back to work again the next day. Meg was feeling desperate.

Rich arrowed the car through the curve that wound around the coal-pile, heading east out of town. "When she died, I asked her to be a dustman. The Lady Storm told me not to. Grandmother Willow told me not to. But what does wind and a tree know anyway?"

Meg shook her head. "I don't know?"

"So, I brought her to Dreamland, showed her the space I was going to give her, told her we could live happily ever after–" His story stopped as the car sped up, heading toward McClure Pass. "And then I gave her my light."

Meg was beginning to understand this piece of the puzzle. "The light rejected her."

He breathed, taking them faster and faster.

Meg watched the mile markers fly past her window faster than she'd ever seen on this particular stretch of road.

"She refused to take it." He swallowed. "When she refused, the light fractured and scattered. It destroyed a whole section of Dreamland."

Meg looked at Rich. She was starting to see him differently. She blinked out the window and caught the moon staring down at her.

"I realized then I didn't want to be an Elder anymore. I wanted to retire."

She smiled. "So we were right. You created Luk to save Dreamland." When she caught his reflection in the rearview mirro, she realized she was wrong. "You're destroying Dreamland."

Rich met her gaze in the mirror. "Yes, I am, aren't I?"

The sympathy that had been gathering in her heart as his story unfolded disappeared instantly.

He chuckled. "I thought I'd find a successor to take my place. But then I had a better idea."

Meg took in a long, deep breath. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to hear this. "What was that?"

"Do you know what Dreamland is made of?"

Meg shook her head and let out a puff of breath that fogged up the window. "Dreams?"

He scoffed at her. "Energy." He slowed and squealed around the corner, turning off of the main highway and over the reservoir. "Lady Storm can only handle so much of the energy she's taking."

"So, you think you control her?"

He shrugged. "In part. She existed long before I did. All I do is point her in the direction she needs to go."

"But she's the Storm of Disbelief. She's sucking up things and people who aren't forgotten."

Rich chuckled again, and pulled onto a dirt road just past the dam. "Yes, I know. That is the beauty of wards."

"So that's the reason for the wards. You're tricking her into believing they've been forgotten."

He nodded. "So simple. So elegant. She's running over, with far too much energy. What she can't handle, I take." He sucked in a deep breath through his nose. "And I like it."

Meg shook her head. "So you really want Dreamland destroyed?"

Rich nodded. "Lady Storm is going to take everything because I tell her to."

"And then you're going to kill her."

Rich turned to shoot her a glance. "You're very good at this game, Meggy."

"And you're going to take all of her energy."

He nodded and lowered his voice with a promised threat. "Yes, Meggy."

Meg shook her head. "What do I have to do with any of this?"

Rich stopped the car, the headlights shining on the face of the mountain. He shifted in his seat to look at her. "I watched you grow up, Meggy," he murmured. "I saw you turn into a young lady and then into a woman. I watched you marry Tom and flirt with Luk." He cocked his head, his face in shadow. "I killed your husband, Meggy," he whispered softly. "I killed him and then I warded your house to separate you from my son."

She took a deep breath. . "Why? What was the point?"

He propped his arm on the back of the bench seat and stared at her, his eyes hard. "You were supposed to come to me. I was going to support you and help raise your kids. But no, little, Miss Meggy had to show the world she could do it all alone."

"The first time I saw you was a few months before we moved back here."

He shook his head, sending a smile over the back of the seat.

Meg stared at him, confused.

"I realized then that I had to be more forceful with you. You are so very literal for such a creative mind."

Meg nodded. "I'll remember that."

"I was going to try again, to have you with me forever." He turned away and sneered. "And then _he_ came back. The worst twist of fate."

She shook her head. "Why Luk?"

Rich turned to her, a sick smile on his face. He turned away and got out of the car, walking over to her door.

She scooted out of the way.

The door opened and his hand reached in to take her arm. Pulling her out, he smiled down at her, his teeth glowing in the moonlight, his large, dark eyes full of shadow. "Oh, yes. I went to Ireland and found a woman. I knew she wouldn't last long in those times." He stopped and turned to her. "Those were the times when you could kill your woman by the spawn growing in her belly." His savage glance traveled to the mountain.

Meg's breath was coming in shallow stutters. She swallowed, the back of her throat feeling like a cotton ball. She looked around. "Where are you taking me and why?"

Rich pulled her to an old, boarded up entrance in the mountain and pulled away the rotted boards. Heat engulfed them as it swarmed out of the mountain to eddy around them. He turned toward her and pushed her inside. "You're going in the coal mine."

She looked around. "But you can't. This mine has been on fire for years."

He looked at her and nodded, prodding her forward. "Exactly. That way no one comes to get you before I have my way with your lover."

"What are you going to do with him?"

He laughed evilly, the sound of it hitting off dull and deadened walls. Coal didn't echo.

Nor did it produce light. The further he prodded her, the further they went from the light of the moon. She had no idea how he could see in the mine. She couldn't.

"He is a man with great power and now that he has his light, he has even greater power." Pride touched his voice. He pushed her forward as she stopped to look at him in horror. She couldn't see him, though, because everything was a large cloud of shadowless black. "The cloud has him. It is only a matter of time and then his power shall be mine."

"But if he's so powerful, don't you think it might be just possible he could beat you?"

He yanked on her arm, turning her and forcing her into him. His breath raked across her face. Eyes she could not see in the pitch black, shadowless depths of the mine pinned her with a force she could feel, but not see. Her breath caught in her chest as she stared into the darkness.

"I am an Elder and above that, I am the oldest." He paused, his fingertips tracing her jaw line.

She flinched from his touch.

He shoved her away at arm's length. "He is my son. I brought him into this world. I can remove him from it."

Something hard came down upon her head and the world around her dissolved.

22

LUK was whirling in a mad wind, going up, up into the abyss of nowhere. His eyes searched the thick gray fog of nothing. Shadows moved. Words floated by. Rancid rain fell on his tongue.

Suddenly, it stopped.

He turned himself right side up and looked around. Clouds without shape or depth or solidity surrounded him. He frowned. He knew where he was.

He was inside the storm.

What he didn't know was why.

"Lukoe O'Rourke," a soft voice rang out, surrounding him with love and understanding. "There is much you must learn and quickly before all is lost."

Luk looked around and swallowed. This wasn't exactly what he'd expected. Could it be he hadn't put all the pieces together right? He knew he was inside the Storm of Disbelief.

So, what did it mean for a dustman who hadn't been forgotten and had just found his light to be inside the storm?

"That, Lukoe," the ethereal voice said, "is what we must discuss."

Aunt Jo pulled herself off the floor and groaned. Her head felt as if someone had hit her. She fingered her scalp gently and found the egg at the back of her head. She narrowed her gaze and looked around. Nothing looked broken. Everyone lay sleeping where they had been when she'd heard the intruder. She shook her head and stood up.

Turning, she did a head count. Finn, Nick, Luk. Katrina lay sprawled on the floor. Aunt Jo took a hurried step forward, but stopped when her head screamed with a flaring pain. _Okay, Jo,_ she said to herself. _No sudden movements._

She knelt next to the woman and shook her shoulder. Katrina stirred and moaned as she opened her eyes. With a groan, she turned her head toward Aunt Jo. "What did he take?" she asked softly, pain etching the tone of her voice.

Aunt Jo frowned and shook her head. "I didn't see anything. Are you okay?"

"Rich came." Katrina twisted to look around with a groan. She held up a hand to her head. She sighed and lay back down, staring at the ceiling. "He took something. What did he take, Jo?"

Aunt Jo scanned the room behind her and shook her head. There was Nali and—

She stopped and started to rise, ignoring her head. "Meg."

Katrina looked at the older woman from the floor. "What about her?"

"She's gone." Aunt Jo was off the floor and on the way to the phone.

"Are you sure she isn't somewhere else, like in the bathroom or something?"

Aunt Jo looked around the rest of the house. "Meg," she shouted.

Nick and Nali stirred, stretching and grumbling. Finn made movements of the same shortly afterward.

Aunt Jo returned to Katrina. "Rich has been in the house. Meg is missing. I'm calling the sheriff."

Katrina nodded.

Finn opened his eyes and sat up. His eyes caught Katrina's as she started to move. "Luk," he said softly. He walked over to the couch. "Luk," he called, taking the man's shoulder and shaking him.

"Finn," Katrina warned, a pained edge to her voice. "You could draw his soul away from his body."

Finn looked at Katrina. "I thin' the cloud has taken him."

Katrina's eyes widen in surprise. "Well," she said, "that happened faster than I expected."

Outrage flared in Finn's eyes. "The storm has him, Lady," he said through his teeth.

"The storm is not our enemy," Katrina said firmly.

Nali stood and looked all around her, her chocolate eyes huge. "Momma," she wailed.

Nick pulled himself from the floor, took his sister in his arms and hugged her close. He looked at his aunt over the girl's curly brown hair. "Where's Mom, Aunt Jo?"

"Hush," Aunt Jo said and turned to the phone. She dialed the sheriff's number. "I'm on the phone." She needed Joe now. Their disagreement had to be set-aside for now.

"Hello. Sheriff's office."

"Joe."

The other end was quiet for a long moment. "Jo?"

"Yeah." She looked down and gripped the phone, her knuckles white. She moaned. Her throat was tight. She couldn't say anything else.

"What's wrong, Jo?"

She sobbed and grabbed the table for support. "Meg. She's gone."

Nali whimpered behind her.

Jo straightened and wiped her tears. She had to be strong. She could fall apart later. She swallowed the lump wedged in her throat and sent it into her stomach. She tried her best, but her voice still came out strained and heart-stricken. "Rich came back. Meg is gone."

Joe was quiet a moment. "Do you know where?"

"He hit me on the head." Her eyes scanned the wall in front of her. "I didn't even know she was gone until I woke up."

"All right." He paused as paper rustled. "Do you know if anything else is gone?"

Jo licked her lips and looked up to the ceiling. "Doesn't look like it."

The sound of his grinding teeth could be heard over the phone.

"Joe," she whispered.

"Yes?"

She swallowed and ran a finger along the base of the phone. "I really need you today."

He was quiet before he grunted. "I'm on my way."

Sheriff Joe hung up the phone and stood. He grabbed his gunbelt and hurried out the door. He'd just gotten home from his rounds at the bar. He hadn't settled down quite yet. The office phone had been forwarded to his house so he wouldn't miss any calls coming in. Paonia wasn't known for it's crime, but he wanted to make sure if something unexpected did happen, he was there to help.

Today was the day for him.

He shut the front door behind him and clomped down his porch steps, slinging his belt on as he walked to his truck.

"Joe?" called a small, frail voice. "Sheriff Joe."

"Not now, Mary," he growled. He thumped the hood of his truck as he strode by it.

"What's wrong, Sheriff?" Mary cried from her porch, her bathrobe held closed in her hands.

He stopped with a sigh and looked at her from around the open, driver's-side door. "You might as well let everyone know. Meg has gone missing."

"Fight with Luk?" she asked, pulling the curlers out of her strawberry blonde hair. From the light of the porch and the dark contrast of the deep, night sky, she looked flamboyant with her red hair and flaming, pink robe.

He shook his head. "Nope. That new guy came and took her."

Her hands stilled as other heads popped out of front doors all along the street. Porch lights flickered on to join the one, lone street lamp guarding the end of their road.

"But how, sheriff?" one man called, stepping down from his porch to walk within hearing distance. He hung up his cordless as he stepped into the street. "We've been watching the highway."

Joe just shook his head and climbed into his truck. "That, folks, I don't know." He closed the door and opened the window. "What I do know," he said over the roar of his truck, "is Meg is missing and we need to find her."

Everyone in the street looked at each other, nodded and turned back to their houses, shouting and gathering clothes, guns and flashlights. This town was going to be busy tonight. They had business to take care of.

"I don't understand, Lady," Luk said, staring at the dense clouds around him. "Why am I here? Has Ricardo warded me or something? You know I haven't been forgotten, right?"

Lady Storm materialized from the clouds with a proud smile. "Yes, I do know."

"Then why am I here?" he asked, shaking his head. "I don't belong here."

"I called you up here to help you through the next part of your journey."

He narrowed his gaze at the woman. "Is there a reason you're being so cryptic?"

She looked at him with a smile of surprise. "I'm not being cryptic. I'm saying exactly what needs to be said."

"All right," he said slowly. "So, then why do I feel as if I only have half of the puzzle?"

"I sometimes forget," she murmured, shaking her head. "The details are so clear to me I sometimes forget you know so little. That's unfortunate, really."

"Great," he said, unimpressed. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"Perhaps I would know best where to start if I knew what you know."

"Okay," Luk said, his ire rising. The last couple of weeks had been harrowing, but the last couple of days had exceeded that. He was edgy to say the least. "What's going on down there?" he demanded, recalling Finn's lands disappearing. "Are you getting a little greedy?"

The lady closed her eyes with a tired sigh and folded her hands in front of her. "Lukoe, I am not your enemy."

"Finn's fighting to keep his land alive," Luk yelled, flinging a hand to one side, his patience lost. He was losing a battle he didn't know how to fight. He was losing friends he didn't know how to save. Patience was such a tiny thing comparatively speaking. "And how do you repay him? By taking his lands."

"Lukoe–"

"There was nothing left," he said forcefully, taking a solid step toward the petite, fragile-looking woman. "You really sucked his lands dry. You _unmade_ them, Lady." He stopped, his jaw set, shooting daggers at the woman. "How can you claim you are not our enemy?"

Hurt filled her deep, dark eyes as a lone tear slid down her porcelain cheek. "I tried to save them, Lukoe," she whispered. "You must believe me. I'm overwhelmed. He is too strong."

Luk narrowed his eyes and took a step back.

She paused, staring into his eyes, daring him to doubt her sincerity. "It wasn't me."

Luk stared at the woman. The power of her conviction calmed his bluster. He blinked before he lost his anger. "Then who did this?" he asked quietly, his voice rumbling like the subtle growl of a cornered tiger.

"Your father," the lady said simply.

"How could he possi–"

"Come," she said, interrupting him. "I'll show you."

Finn took in a deep breath, and looked at Katrina who still lay on the floor.

Aunt Jo came back with a wet rag. She'd just hung up after talking to the doctor. She knelt next to the woman and peered at Katrina's head wound. She took the other woman's gaze. "Are you feeling light-headed?"

Katrina shook her head.

Aunt Jo raised her eyebrows. "Well, just sit there for a bit. It looks like he clocked ya good."

Katrina leveled a look at the agitated woman. "And what about you?"

Jo shrugged. "Let's go get ice."

Finn shook his head. "Because of Luk?"

Katrina looked at Finn and Aunt Jo. "I don't think this is about Luk anymore. I think he might be after Meg." She shook her head. "I'm so confused. I don't know what he wants. She is a light. That could be it."

Finn took in a breath and rocked back on his heels, his eyes unfocused.

"You're righ'," Finn said with a sigh. "But why Meg?" He looked at Katrina. "He wants Dreamlan' gone, so why does he need her?"

She shrugged. "I don't know." She groaned as Aunt Jo's ministering touched the large bump on the back of her head. "What I do know is Luk has to get out of the cloud quickly."

"Why?"

She took Finn's gaze. "He's not ready."

Meg woke to darkness deep it surpassed dark. She pulled herself into a sitting position, stretching all of her senses to the limits. A coal mine was never quiet. It groaned and popped. One could feel the weight of the earth all around. The bore in the mountain spoke, recalling days when it had been unmolested, before it had been raped by the machines of man.

And somewhere within the mountain, fire raged. Meg could feel the heat surround her. The walls popped as if in pain. The mountain howled deep inside. It wept.

And Meg needed to find a way out of there before the darkness overcame her, but first thing was first. She needed to get out of this duct tape. Her hands groped the warm walls, searching for a jagged edge. There. It took forever, but the duct tape snapped, freeing her hands.

She got on all fours and started crawling. She didn't know where she was going. She just had to go. Her head throbbed, but she breathed the pain away. Now was not the time for a headache, rock-induced or not. Luk was in trouble. All of Dreamland was at stake.

Her heart caught in her throat. It was starting to sink in, this whole Dreamland thing was real; horribly real. She stared into the full, black void surrounding her. She moaned as visions of Dreamland floated before her eyes. Dreamland was disappearing. And if Dreamland disappeared, so would Luk. Despair filled her heart.

Her head smacked into the rock wall with a dull thunk. She groaned and turned to sit against it, rubbing her head and trying to decide which direction to go next.

And what of Nick and Nali? When she'd left Dreamland, they were standing in a void. Were they safe? Was Finn okay? What had happened to Luk? Rich had said something about the cloud sucking him up. Was he already a forgotten one? He'd just found his light. How could he have been forgotten already? She still believed in him.

She stopped and sat up. She did believe in him, right? She loved him. She was willing to accept the fact he was here, in her world. She knew she'd gone to Dreamland with the others.

But that logical voice that kept her feet on solid ground was also trying to disprove Luk. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, something was holding her back. Her heart wasn't truly in this battle. In her mind, Dreamland was this place that might or might not exist. If Dreamland fell, she wasn't sure if she really believed Luk would disappear as well. But now, her children might be caught in Dreamland. She blinked and breathed, listening to the eerie popping and cracking of the mine. Could this thing be real? If her children were in danger...

She let out a frustrated breath, in danger of what? What would happen if they got lost in Dreamland? Their bodies were at home at the inn.

Her mind's eye conjured a picture of Nick and Nali, lying in a sterile bed, their eyes blank, their souls lost.

She shook her head and swallowed. Oh, God, what if this thing was real? She had everything to lose; her children and the man she loved.

She had to get out of this damn mine. She stood up and felt along the wall of the mine, hoping to discover an exit.

And then she had a bright idea. Finn was still at the inn. If he wasn't lost in Dreamland as well, she could call him. It was time to call Finn and get out of here.

And so she did. She called and called and called.

No one came.

"Nick?" Nali asked, as she pulled her brother to the front door. She looked up at her big brother, her eyes filled with tears. "What are we going to do, Nick?"

Nick shook his head and licked his lips. "We're going to find Mom and we're going to find Luk."

She looked over at the couch where Luk lay unresponsive. "But Luk belongs to Dreamland."

Nick rubbed his ear and scuffed his toe in thought. "I'm beginning to wonder if Mom doesn't, too."

Nali looked up at her brother. "What do we do?"

Nick pursed his lips in thought, and looked at his baby sister. "Do you really like Luk?"

She nodded. "Momma's happy with him. He's nice to us." She looked up at him, thinking about it for a moment. "Do you?"

Nick nodded in agreement.

She shrugged and looked away, towards Luk. "I really want a dad."

Nick looked at Luk's slumbering body and then at Finn. He nodded again. "Yeah. Dad's are good to have around." He narrowed his vision and tapped his chin. A brilliant light entered his eyes. "Luk got lost, right?"

Nali nodded.

"He's lost in Dreamland, right?"

Again, Nali nodded.

"Mom's lost, right?"

Nali sighed, but nodded.

"Well," he said, taking his sister's arm and looking into her eyes. "If Luk is in Dreamland, he's probably been sucked into that storm cause it's after him and everything else. If Mom is out there, we can find her with Finn's help."

Nali frowned. "How can Finn find Mom?"

"Cause he's a dustman," Nick said in the duh-tone of voice.

Nali nodded, a slow light dawning on her face. She continued to think about it, but finally just shook her head. "I don't get it."

"We'll have Finn take us to Dreamland," he said. He turned toward Luk's prone form. "From there we have a chance to save Luk from the storm and restore Dreamland." He turned back to his sister. "What do you think?"

With all the somberness of an eight-year-old, she nodded and looked at Luk. "Sounds crazy." She chewed on a nail. "But I'm willing to try it."

Nick nodded and took his sister by the shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze. "We'll get them back, Nal," he said softly. "Don't you worry about a thing."

Sheriff Joe hurried, stepping through the doorway, to find Aunt Jo talking quietly to Nick and Nali.

He narrowed his eyes at the prone form on the couch. He walked over to Luk and cocked his head to the side. "If you are the reason trouble came to this house," he rumbled softly, for only the comatose man and himself to hear, "I hope you never wake up."

He turned and watched Jo. She idly swiped a stand of her salt and pepper hair back into the bun she kept at the nape of her neck.

He watched the thorny, old crone as she wrapped the two kids in her arms. Her world revolved around Meg, more a daughter than a niece. Those two kids were more like grandchildren to her.

They shared a troubled history. Even though they were in love, he been able to give her the children she'd wanted. They should have grown old together, watching their grandbabies grow up on their porch. He looked back toward Luk. He had many regrets. His life was full of them, but he'd be damned if he allowed some stranger to waltz into his woman's life and threaten her safety.

The sounds of cars pulling into the driveway caught his attention. He leaned back to look out the main window and saw several cars parking in the driveway and along the road. It looked like Sunday services. Paonia had been written down as having the most churches per capita. There was a church on nearly every corner of town.

He shook his head. Looked like they were all here.

His ears perked as an anxious excitement ran through the crowd.

"Sheriff," someone called.

He turned and caught Jo's attention. Her gray eyes met his over the tops of dark brown heads. He jerked his head toward the door. From the urgency of the voice, someone had found something.

He and Jo stepped out the door and onto the porch.

Karen ran to the front of the gathering crowd. She was breathless with excitement as she climbed the stairs. She stopped and leaned against the railing, turning so both the sheriff and the rest of the town could hear her. "I just heard from Mark before I left the house. He said he'd heard from Janet who had heard it from Mary who got it from Sharon who had heard it from Heather, who had heard it from Kris who had heard it from Mike – our Mike – who had heard it from Mike – the other Mike –" she said, pointing up the valley.

Joe rolled his eyes, stepping protectively closer to Jo. Karen could go on like this forever. "Just get to it."

Karen threw him a glare and took a breath. "Well," she said, looking into the crowd. "Gary said there was activity up at Bear Coal."

"There's always activity at Bear Coal," someone shouted as the crowd grew. "It's the biggest damn mine we got around here."

Karen rolled her eyes. "No, you ninny." She paused. "At the closed entrance. You know, the one they closed because of the fire."

Everyone started talking at once.

Joe held up his hands. With a crowd this size, he had to stay calm. If he, the leader, were to show his anger, someone would end up dead. "What kind of activity?"

Karen shrugged. "He said a shiny, black car drove up, and then came back down about a half hour later."

Joe noticed Jo flinch beside him. Half an hour was a long time. He nodded and stepped in front of her, shielding her in case she felt the need to fall apart. "Okay, people, let's go. Some of us will go in the mine. It's not safe though, so stay out until I get there. The rest of you, search the woods around it when you get there."

Everyone started dispersing, battle-plans in place.

"Karen," Joe called.

She turned to him from the base of the stair.

He nodded his head toward the inn. "Get Gary on the radio and tell him to get some miners in there. We've got someone inside."

She nodded.

He looked at Jo. They both knew. A burned out mine was a dangerous place for civilians.

He took her shoulder in one hand. "She'll be fine."

Jo looked up at him and nodded.

He watched her as she turned toward the inn. Though her spine was straight, her eyes were empty. She was a strong woman.

A strong woman who had just reached her limit.

Nick watched the door as everyone arrived. Cars were pulling up, their headlights shooting into the room. When Aunt Jo and the sheriff walked out the door, Nick knew it was their moment. He tugged on Nali's arm and motioned for her to follow him.

She followed her brother toward the living room with a serious air.

"Finn," Nick whispered as he drew near. Finn was hunkered by Luk. The doctor was directing Katrina through the door.

Katrina looked at the trio, Finn, Nick, and Nali, and nodded.

Finn narrowed his eyes at her, confused.

Nali tugged on Finn's sleeve. "Finn," she whispered, bringing him to her level.

Stooping, he raised his dark eyebrows and peered at both kids. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew one thing, he was in trouble. "Yes, lassie?"

She gave him her best puppy-dog look through her long-lashed, chocolate brown eyes. She tipped her head to the side. "Finn, we have to go back to Dreamland."

Finn looked to Nick as if they'd gone mad.

"We have to go back now, Finn."

Finn looked from one then to the other and shook his head. "Under no circumstances am I allowin' the two o' you ta go back in there." He flung a hand behind him. "Didn't ya see wha' was goin' on?" He pierced both of them. "Dreamlan' is gone. There ain' nothin' left."

Nali's chin rose a notch.

Nick stepped up to the dustman, his chest puffed out. "Look, Finn, somehow Mom's tied to this whole Dreamland thing." He looked down at Luk. "And we've got someone who might make a good dad stuck up there, too." He met the dustman's gaze evenly. "You're still here, so Dreamland isn't gone."

Finn shook his head. "No. It ain' gonna happen through me."

Nick shrugged. "Fine." He took Nali by the shoulders and stared at Finn. "Like you're the only dustman around."

Finn's gaze narrowed as he watched the two younsters stare back at him, one challenging, the other pleading. He closed his eyes and shook his head. If they were to get lost, what was the worst thing that could happen to them? They would be sent back to their bodies. He opened his eyes and looked at them. "All righ'. Wha' did ya have in min'?"

Nick grinned into Finn's gaze. "I plan to take Dreamland by storm."

Finn raised a solitary eyebrow. "Ya do, do ya?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah. I do."

Finn sighed. "Well, then. Ya'd best be fer tellin' me how yer plannin' on that, I thin', or we've no deal."

Nick just grinned.

23

MEG was lost. She didn't know which way was which. She'd never had to survive without her eyesight before and not having it was dizzying, and definitely disorienting. She strained her ears, trying to find any hint, any clue as to where she was or where she was going. She knew she was in a coal mine. She knew which one. But what she didn't know was how to get out.

And she was starting to panic.

Her children could still be stuck in Dreamland. A Dreamland that was being sucked into a cloud, a Dreamland that was more than just disappearing, it was being unmade. What if her children were there? Would they be unmade as well? She hoped to God they would not. If she lost them on top of losing Luk...

She stopped herself. She was already preparing herself for losing him. What was she thinking? She wasn't going to lose anybody. She was going to Dreamland. If her kids were there, she had to save them. She would find Luk and she would take him out of there. If they could save Dreamland, they would.

The only thing was, Finn wasn't answering, and she didn't know how to get there alone.

She sat and stared into the darkness, her mind churning, flying in a million different directions, until it hit her.

Luk had never been a dustman, yet he'd been able to get to Dreamland. Lady Storm had said she'd done the same.

A slight smile touched her face and she nodded. Well, she didn't remember ever having done so, but there was only one thing to do.

With a deep sigh, she set about finding the road to Dreamland.

Nali stepped out and looked around. She had no idea where they were. She'd never been here before. The landscape around her was red and orange. The large sun was setting over tall, craggy, desert mountains. Sand drifted in the Dreamtime wind and settled around her feet.

Nick looked down at her, suddenly a young man. He nodded, comfort and defiance rivaling for the top-spot in his dark, brown eyes. He took her arm and brought her protectively toward him.

Nali turned and looked at the setting sun over the sparkling, red desert and sighed.

Nick propped his chin on her head and looked out onto the landscape as well.

Finn came up from behind them and set his large, long-fingered hand on Nick's shoulder. "Well, now." He took in a deep breath, the sun's fiery rays lighting their faces and reflecting in their eyes. "We're here. Do ya suppose we'd better be fer goin' on?"

Nick nodded and turned to the dustman, taking Nali with him. "How do we get in?"

Finn shrugged. "We wait."

Nick nodded.

"What are we waiting for, Finn?" Nali asked.

"The storm, booger," Nick said, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly and scanning the horizon.

Nali twisted to look up at her brother. "But, Nick, I thought we were going to get Mom."

Nick nodded at Finn. "You and me are going up in the storm because it can't hold us forever."

Nali scrunched up her face. "I'm confused."

Finn scanned the horizon one more time. With a sigh, he turned and knelt before Nali and took her hands. "Well, punkin," he said with a sigh. "If I go up there, I'm gone. I'm fergotten." He shook his head. "I belong to Dreamlan' and the storm can take me an' ne'er give me back."

Nali's eyes rounded as she shook her head. She looked up at her brother. "No."

Finn shook the girl's hands and took her gaze. "Bu' yer no' of Dreamlan'. You can go up there and fin' Luk and bring 'im back."

Nali's wide eyes sought Finn's face, then Nick's and back again.

Finn looked at her, his lips tight. "Please, honey." He gripped her hands and stared into her big chocolate eyes. "Please, fin' Luk and bring 'im back."

Nali's eyes filled with confused, eight-year-old tears, but she tightened her lips and stood up straighter. She visibly swallowed and nodded solemnly. "I'll bring him back, Finn."

Finn closed his eyes, relieved and rose to place a kiss on her forehead. "Thank ye, lovey."

Nali nodded and blinked back her tears.

Finn stood and turned to Nick. "Now, I don' know wha's inside the storm, for I've ne'er been there. Wha' e'er ye see, though, keep yer back and watch yer mind."

Nick nodded as he looked at the dark dustman.

"Don' let yerself fall into despair. Ye find our Luk and ye bring 'im back, now ye hear?"

Nick nodded.

Finn looked down at Nali and set his hand on her head. "I'll find yer mum, love. I promise."

Nali raised her wobbling chin as she held back her tears. "I really want my mom back, Finn."

Finn nodded.

"It's here," Nick said. His body was ramrod straight as he watched the far horizon.

Nali and Finn turned their gazes to join his. There was the storm, entering the land they stood on, the landscape slowly disappearing beneath its raging wind.

Finn turned to Nick as the wind touched tentative fingers to their clothing and hair. "Yer sure, then, eh?"

Nick nodded, watching the storm gain speed. The wind grew in velocity and in power. Clouds started developing over them. Fear flickered across Nick's face. The wind was whipping around them, grabbing hair and clothing and flinging it every which way.

Finn looked up at the storm, watching the darkness grow. The sands rose all around them, sucked into the storm cloud above them. He looked at Nick. "This is yer last chance, lad."

Nick just stared into the cloud and shook his head, gripping his sister's hand.

Finn turned to Nali and yelled over the raging wind. "And you?"

She shook her head, her tears gone, a fierce determination taking their place as she stared the storm down.

"Nick?"

Nick pushed Finn away to shout over the deafening wind, "Go, Finn. Find my mother."

With a shaky breath, Finn nodded and disappeared.

The lands continued to be sucked up around them as they stared into the angry cloud.

"How do we get in, Nick?" Nali yelled.

Nick shrugged and shook his head, watching in confusion as the sand around their feet was sucked up, leaving spots of nothingness. He looked up. "I don't know, Nal."

Nali took in several frustrated breaths, her hair stinging her eyes. Finally, she cocked her head back and shouted. "You've got our dustman, Lady, and we want him back."

The wind howled around them. It engulfed them, lifting their limbs and stealing their breath. Their ears were filled with intense sound. The wind wildly whipped around them. It felt as if they were flying. Without warning, the red sands disappeared.

And then there was silence.

They turned in awe. They were standing in the middle of a cloud.

Meg sighed in frustration and slumped against the cold, stone wall. She growled low in her throat as her eyes pierced the blackness around her. Luk might not have been a dustman, but he must have had some kind of help to do the dustman thing. Meg could not figure it out to save her life.

She took in a shaky breath. The air felt stale and thin. Her lungs were having a hard time finding anything to breathe. She didn't know if it was the oppression of the mountain around her, or if the air just wasn't there. She put her hand to her forehead and let out a sob. _Won't somebody help me?_ she thought to herself.

She was starting to get a little light-headed. She needed to get out.

She'd done everything she could think of. She'd thought of all the places in Luk's little land she could remember. She had tried to will herself there. She'd called upon the elements like June and Gloria had taught her when she'd been very young. She'd even tried to consecrate the dirt at her feet, and throw it over her head to take the place of dustman dust. It was all for naught.

She was stuck while the people she loved were in jeopardy.

Suddenly, her heart twisted in her chest. She tipped her head, piercing the darkness with her eyes. Her mother senses were on full alert. Nick and Nali were in danger.

She used all the power in her heart to find them.

She breathed, concentrating, finding the center of her being to focus on her children.

They were in Dreamland and Nali was scared.

Meg's eyes flashed. Her breathing slowed as calm settled over her. She closed her eyes, relaxed.

Butter, I'm coming.

_Magic_ , she remembered Gloria telling her often. _Magic is the belief you can make a difference using the power of your heart._

Meg nodded. She could believe in that. She closed her eyes.

She breathed deep, the underground air filling her nose with dust. She tried to find her inner calm. She thought of her children. They needed her. They needed her in a realm that couldn't be measured, only the believer could see. She found the calm she was looking for.

The cold, rock wall and the dark emptiness that engulfed her disappeared, replaced by a light, warm wind that caressed her cheek. She opened her eyes. Surprised, she opened them wider when it registered where she was.

She was in Luk's meadow. She took in a deep breath. She was in her meadow.

She took in another deep breath. It was time to find her children and the man she loved.

Luk narrowed his gaze at the woman as he followed her through the billowing clouds. Occasionally, the mist moved aside and allowed him to see the people the lady was harboring. Creatures sat, talking softly to each other, looking like the casualties of war. As he passed, conversations stopped. The people of Dreamland turned to watch him pass, hope flickering in their eyes.

Eventually, Lady Storm stopped and motioned for Luk to be still. Her eyes scoped the room. Secure in the fact they were alone, she stepped into the room, motioning Luk to follow. There was only one thing inside; a large ball of boiling light.

Luk frowned. "What is this, lady?"

"This is my energy source," she said, gesturing toward it, her gold arm bands flashing in the light. "This is the energy of all new hopes and dreams."

"When I was in the Lake of Dreams, the lady showed me this," he mumbled thoughtfully. "Ricardo was here, though–"

"Draining the energy source," she finished for him. She turned to him and set a hand on his arm. "Lukoe, there is something you must know. What I do–" She turned to the light source. "I take those who have stopped believing in themselves."

"I know this, lady," Luk said darkly, watching the woman intently.

"Yes," she said, glancing up at him and back down again. "But you don't fully understand why. You see, if they forget themselves, they unmake themselves."

"But I thought–" He stopped himself and frowned at her. "Can you unmake people?"

She shook her head. "No. That would go against everything I do here. I do not have the appropriate energies."

"But the Elders said you would unmake me."

"Ricardo said that," she said, holding up a stalling hand. She turned and walked closer to the light. "What I think he meant was he would ward you away from me so I could not save you." She ran her fingers lightly along the ball, the energy flaring and parting around her fingertips. "But you never stopped believing in yourself. You convinced yourself you didn't believe."

Luk shook his head. "Wait. I'm confused. What happened to Finn's land?"

She turned to him. "Every time Ricardo takes light from the source, he takes the light of what was created. I took Finn's lands to keep them safe and instead–" She swallowed and bowed her head, her shoulders taut. After a few moments of shaky breathing, she looked up, her eyes studded with tears. "Instead, I helped him destroy them."

Rich smiled to himself as he drove away. Meg was out of the picture. He was sure there would be no heroics during his time of victory. Meg and Luk were firecrackers he hadn't anticipated. Luk should have dimmed years ago when he'd failed at what Rich had originally planned, to take his place as Elder so Rich could retire. Even though Luk had ruined his plans for retirement, the blasted man had refused to disappear, even when he thought his love was lost.

When Rich had met Meg, he'd known instantly why Luk had fallen in love with the woman. She was bright and vibrant, smart, strong-willed and beautiful in a way unmarked by beauty divas. At first, Rich had only wanted happiness for his son, but then he'd started coveting the woman his son loved. Luk's failure had been the turning point for Rich's intentions. He no longer wished to see his son happy and married and taking his place as Elder. Rich wanted back what he'd once offered his son; power, happiness, life-eternal.

Rich researched the mechanics of Dreamland. He'd found a way to take Dreamland and it's powers for his own. He would destroy the whimsical place and rule with the power he acquired from the lands with beautiful, wonderful Meg at his side. Her love for Luk would die eventually. He would see to it. He wanted her. He would have her.

Coming down off the mountain, his attention was drawn to the long stream of on-coming traffic. Fury flooded through him. Nothing was going according to plan. Luk had finally gained his light. Meg had found the strength to release herself from Rich's web. And he was fairly certain people in Dreamland had caught on to his plan.

He turned onto the road which led to the Electric Mountain Lodge and drove through the first couple of bends in the road, out of sight of the highway. He stepped out of the car, and signaled with his mind. He slammed the door shut and sat on the hood, waiting.

Bodies materialized around him. This was Rich's army, the rogue dustmen he'd warded and effectively warped with mind games and lies. He didn't care. He hadn't been entirely sure of their need when he'd first set his plan into motion, but he was most positive now, and grateful for his intuitiveness. It appeared the town of Paonia was being it's pesky self, another thing he hadn't counted on, and were off in search of Meg. And if the people of Dreamland were suspicious, they could have a trap ready for him in the ethereal plain as well. He now needed all the hands he could get.

When everyone was assembled, a group of nearly one hundred dustmen of every nationality and state of dress stood around him. They looked at him, weary and feeling the dark hand of defeat.

Rich growled and stood up. "You are the defenders of Dreamland," he called out to them, pacing in front of them. "Dreamland is falling. You know this to be true. You were the few who survived through sheer will and determination."

Nods of agreement and murmurs stretched through the gathered men.

"You are the most powerful dustmen we have," Rich continued. "You are Dreamland's last defense and it's last hope." He stopped and looked at them, meeting the gaze of as many as he could. "We have a need for you, brave men," he called. "There is a woman with a twisted soul who wants Dreamland to fall. I have stashed her in a mine not far from here, but there are people coming to free her. We cannot allow this to happen."

The men in front of Rich shifted, hope and life flaring in their eyes.

"And I have another mission," he murmured, stilling the voices of the dustmen about him. "The other Elders have all turned rogue and have teamed up with this woman. They have gathered an army who will do anything to ensure Dreamland is destroyed."

Shock and anger ran through the crowd.

"I will need two teams," Rich said. "I need one team to make sure Meg does not leave the mine, and I need one to come with me to Dreamland to fight the rogue dustmen."

"Meg," one man called from the crowd. "But she's special. She would never want to hurt Dreamland."

"Yeah," called another. "She's supposed to be fighting to make sure Dreamland doesn't disappear."

"She's our savior," another cried above the murmurings and shouts.

"She has turned dark," Rich growled over everyone. Silence met his words. "She has turned dark. The power of the nightmares is too strong."

"The nightmares?" asked someone. "What do they have to do with this?"

"The nightmares," Rich said quietly, a look of pure malice on his face, "want the dustmen out of Dreamland. They want Dreamland all for themselves."

The gathered dustmen stared at each other for a long moment. "What are you waiting for?" one cried out, stepping out of the crowd. "Come on. Let's go save Dreamland. Who's with me?"

A cheer went up through the crowd as they chose who was going and who was staying.

Rich smiled darkly and folded his arms over his chest. No one would stop him now.

Keme took in a deep breath as he stepped onto the nightmare plane. An army, Meg had said. He shook his head. How was he supposed to assemble an army? The nightmares rarely spoke to each other. Who knew if they would actually fight together. He tightened his lips with resolve and gave a blanket call. Hopefully that would work. He'd never had to call his fellow nightmares before. They had never had a need to.

One by one, the nightmares appeared. Not all of them were in human form. Some of the nightmares had taken great care and imagination to invent their forms. There were demons and lizard-creatures, horses and dragons, monsters looked more like crazy, crayon sketches of the boogey-man. They were in all colors and all shapes. They came in all different sizes. They were supposed to be scary looking. They had a reputation to uphold.

When the nightmares were gathered, Keme took in a deep breath and began. "There's a war being waged on Dreamland," he said.

The bubble-filled room exploded into exclamation. "Who's doing this?" someone asked.

"There is an Elder," Keme said. "Ricardo."

"One of the dustmen's Elders," someone said with disgust. "The weaselly wimps."

"Of course it was a dustman Elder," someone else added. "A nightmare Elder could never do anything like this."

"The dustmen are not our enemies," Keme shouted.

Silence filled the room instantly.

"Have you gone over to the dark-side, Keme?" a short, demon-like nightmare asked, his fanged mouth twisting in dislike.

"How many of you actually know a dustman?" Keme demanded.

"Why should we know them?" someone in the back demanded. "They get all the credit and leave us with nothing."

"When did it become important we get acclaim?" Keme asked. The crowd parted. No one wanted his gaze landing on them.

The lady in question was a tall, Viking of a woman. She glared with all her might through her blue eyes.

"We are nightmares. Nightmares are here to help the individual face their darkest fears. We are supposed to take light in the fact we help. When did it become necessary we get awards for doing our job?"

The Viking-woman crossed her arms over her chest. "And the dustmen are supposed to make a happy place for everyone to go. They take all the good boys and girls, leaving the bad ones for the nightmares. Technically, the dustmen aren't supposed to get rewarded either, and yet all the stories on Earth are told of them. What of us?"

"We don't need stories," Keme said softly.

"Maybe it would be nice to have one," she replied, her voice less stony.

"Are you telling me you are weak?" Keme asked softly.

She narrowed her gaze and pursed her lips.

"I didn't think so." Keme turned to the others. "It's true. It would be nice to have the dreamers look at us and know our names. We know so much about them. We know their most intimate thoughts. We know their fears and hopes. We know them better than they know themselves, but we have to hide from them."

"Why is that?" the Viking asked above the growing murmur.

The gathered nightmares stilled their concerns to hear Keme's answer.

"If I knew that, do you think I'd still be a nightmare? I'd be retired or an Elder."

The Viking shook her head, her gold hair tumbling around her hard face.

"What is your name?"

"Shey."

"Shey," Keme said quietly, pleading. "I am Nightmare Keme Redbird."

The group murmured in surprise.

"Dreamland is under attack. It doesn't matter from who. It only matters that Dreamland is not safe."

"If the battle is being fought with the dustmen, let it stay with them," someone shouted.

"I agree," Keme said. "But Ricardo goes too far. He is draining the energy source inside of Lady Storm."

"And if he successfully bleeds the lady dry," a hard voice said behind Keme.

He spun around and spied Phil, the balding Elder. He sighed with relief.

"—then all of Dreamland falls. The Lady of the Lake is the balance Lady Storm requires. They each carry unique qualities to Dreamland. Without one, there is not the other." Phil majestically glided to Keme's side amidst the mutterings and leaned over to murmur, "I know these men and women. I thought you might need some help."

"Thank you," Keme muttered. "Don't ask me how I got involved. I have no idea. And I particularly have no idea how I was going to get everyone to tag along."

Phil shrugged. "I'm just here for moral support."

Keme rolled his eyes. "Well, thanks a lot." He turned to the nightmares gathered around him. "You can stay here and do your nightmare duties. You can be petty and ignore the dustmen's need for help." Keme pierced the gaze of anyone willing to meet his. "But I will tell you this. When Dreamland falls, don't let me hear any of you complain. Don't let me hear any of you say how you should have helped. It will be much, much too late."

The crowd of nightmares seemed thoughtful, but still undeterred.

"If you hate the dustmen this deeply, then I guess there is no hope for Dreamland," Keme said, disappointment filling his eyes. He lowered his eyes and turned. "It's fine, I guess. I had always thought nightmares were better than this."

"Keme," Shey called. When he turned, she was standing in one hip, looking at him with doubt. "This is real? This war is real?"

"If you care enough, you'll follow me so I can show you."

"What about the dreamers?" someone asked.

"Decide who stays and who goes. Some will have to stay here and help those who need it the most." Keme looked at the nightmares gathered around him. "But know this; Dreamland shut down permanently unless we act now."

"Come on, people," Shey called over the growing rumble. "We can't let him have all the fun."

Sheriff Joe pulled his truck to the side and parked in front of the old mine entrance. Several trucks were parked there already, He knew those trucks. They belonged to the mine. He nodded. That was good. One thing he didn't need tonight was to have his town inside the mine and have trouble. He didn't want to have to report how he'd lost the entire town in a cave-in.

Jo opened her door and stepped out, fear visibly etched on her face as she stared at the old, condemned entrance. She joined the sheriff by the hood of the truck. "Joe," she whispered. "Tell me she's not in there."

Joe looked down at her and sighed regretfully. He took a step closer to her and stuffed his thumbs in his belt. "I'm sorry, Jo."

She nodded. Other cars pulled in around them.

Aunt Jo stiffened her shoulders and took in a deep breath. She was silent for a long moment.

Doors slammed. The people from town milled around them, talking in excited whispers as they greeted one another and gathered in circles within circles.

"Find her for me, Joe."

The sheriff looked at her. "Does this mean a truce between us?"

She looked up at him, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Her gaze fell to the badge he wore over his heart. "Find her for me." She turned away. "We'll talk about truces later."

He nodded.

"Hey, Joe," a burly man called out.

The sheriff stepped away to meet the man, who wore a beard and had longish hair covered with a hardhat. A lamp rode the brim of the red hat and he was covered in black dust. He looked around at the growing crowd. He motioned toward the excited town's folk. "What are you going to do about them, Joe?" the man asked.

Joe shrugged and turned back to see them. Facing the man again, he pointed to the mouth of the mine. "What can you tell me, Mike?"

Mike shrugged and turned to face the mountain. "Don't know, Joe. part of the mine has been closed for years. We haven't examined the timbers in a very long time." He shrugged. "The fans don't even work anymore. If she's too deep, she could be losing air."

Joe turned to the man and leveled a finger in his chest. They stood nose to nose. The sheriff stood just slightly taller than the miner. "You find her, Mike. You find her and you bring her back safe. You hear me?"

Mike nodded solemnly. Respect flooded the miner's dirty face. "I'll bring her back to ya, Joe."

The sheriff stepped back. "Don't bring her back to me. Bring her back to her," he said, motioning to Aunt Jo who had been overwhelmed by the still growing crowd.

Mike followed the sheriff's gaze and nodded, looking back at the tall man of the law. "I'll do ." He turned to the miners who had gathered near the hole in the mountain. "Come on, guys. Let's go in and get her."

Jo looked up at the sheriff as he approached and then back down.

Joe looked at the gathering crowd. It was hard for everyone to stand around and do nothing.

June elbowed her way to the front. "I just heard Luk is in trouble, too."

Jo looked at the woman, her eyes vacant. She nodded.

June looked at the crowd gathered around her. "Luk is Meg's dustman."

Everyone murmured. Most were God fearing men and women, but they believed in heaven, in hell and in a land of dreams. They had listened to Meg's stories since she was a girl. In a rough coalmine town, dreams were sometimes all a person had.

Then again, that was what the entire town needed.

24

"MEGGY," Finn called, surprised.

Meg spun around.

He came up to her and grabbed her hands. "I've been lookin' all over the bloody place fer ya." He looked around and frowned. He looked down at her. "How in the cursed, bloody hell di' you ge' up 'ere?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, Finn, but I figured if Luk could do it, so could I."

He opened his eyes wide and shook his head. He turned around and watched what little sky could be seen above the swaying birches. "We don' have much time."

"Where are my children, Finn?"

He turned and looked at her, a hint of fear reaching his eyes. He remained quiet.

She looked at him and understood, her heart hammering inside her chest. She turned away. "They're inside the storm, aren't they?"

He nodded.

She didn't see it, but she didn't have to. She looked up to the heavens, the light still shining, lighting the crystal, blue sky.

"Meggy," Finn said, stepping toward her. "This is the only part of Dreamlan' still standin'."

Meg looked around and nodded. "That's good." She turned toward Finn. "We'll need a place to start over again." She took his hands. "Take me to him."

He looked around. "To Luk? But wha' of yer kids, Meggy?"

She shook her head and suddenly knew. "They're dreamers, Finn. They can't be hurt here." She searched his blue gaze and brushed a dark lock of hair from his eyes. "But Luk is a dustman. He's already dead, Finn. He can be unmade."

Finn swallowed. He turned and looked to the sky. "Do ya wan' me ta go in with ya?"

She stared at him. "Are you scared?"

He met her gaze. "I admi' I am. I don' want ta be unmade yet, Meggy." His gaze pleaded with her.

She smiled and remembered. "Telfgar said it was a wonderful place," she whispered up to him, cupping his cheek. "There's nothing to be scared of."

His gaze met hers. "He came back."

She nodded.

He pursed his lips in thought and caught her gaze fiercely. "All righ'. I'll take ya there, but on one condition." He held up a finger and leaned into her. "Ye promise to bring me back."

She nodded. "I promise."

He stared at her for a very long moment before closing his eyes. She closed hers as well.

When she opened them, the wind was howling around them. She tossed her hair out of her face and stared into the clouds above her and stepped away from Finn. Her eyes pierced the cloud.

Meg narrowed her eyes. "Lady," she yelled with all her might. "You have something that belongs to me."

A face appeared in the clouds above her. The face was beautiful. The winds stopped whipping around Meg and Finn as a beautiful, ethereal voice surrounded them. "Yes, Meg," the voice said. "I do."

Meg didn't remember blinking, however she found herself immediately surrounded by a bank of clouds and could not for the life of her imagine how had happened so quickly. Finn disappeared from her side. She turned, finding herself alone. "Lady?" she called, the power of her heart in her voice. "Give him back to me now."

Lady Storm appeared before her and took her by the hand, walking in the direction she'd come.

The lady stopped and turned to Meg. She smiled lovingly and cupped the mortal woman's face. "You have come so far, Meg," she said softly. "I am so very proud of you."

Meg breathed. "Is Luk in danger?"

The lady smiled and tipped her head to the side. "No, he is no longer in trouble." She beamed brilliantly and turned. "Meg," she said, walking toward her, "you have done well. You have stepped up, proven yourself and handled the situation as it came."

"I've done what I've had to do," Meg said warily.

"Precisely." Lady Storm stopped. "But if you are the one who must take Ricardo's light, you cannot do this as you are now. This is not a spur-of-the-moment decision."

"Wait. Luk was supposed to–"

Lady Storm held up a stalling hand. "Stop."

Meg closed her mouth and frowned at the other woman.

"The light can repudiate you."

"But I'm a–"

"Stop," the lady cut in again. "Before, you were a good candidate."

"But I'm–"

"No," Lady Storm said forcefully. "You stopped believing in yourself."

"I believe," Meg ground out.

"Do you?" Lady Storm demanded. "If you were alone and on your own again, would you believe enough?" The lady stared hard at the other woman as the silence grew. "Would you believe you're a good mother and supporter of your children?"

"What does that have to–"

"Would you want your daughter growing up to be you?"

"We all have our weaknesses."

"But would you be proud?"

"I would be proud of Nali, whatever she does with her life."

Lady Storm looked at Meg for a long moment. "We shall see." She set her hand on Meg's arm. The world of clouds disappeared. They stood in a room of mirrors and water and white, sandy beaches. _The Lake of Dreams. The Lake of Memories. Before you join the battle, you must come to terms with yourself._

Meg opened her mouth to speak, but no sound issued forth.

_Only thought and emotion are heard here,"_ Lady Storm said. She gestured to the lake. _Gaze into the waters. Speak with the Lady of the Lake. Come back to me when you are ready._

Suddenly, Lady Storm was gone, leaving Meg alone with a lake.

The willows were the thread holding all the dustmen's lands together. So was the creek. Without them, the lands would drift off and eventually disappear all together. It wasn't the way Rich preferred, but it did work amazingly well now that the storm could take no more refugees.

He chuckled to himself. And the storm had no idea what he was doing. The wards were working well. He was a very cunning man. He stepped into the room of lights. There was not reason to ward more lights now. His plans were too close to fruition. With a nod, he turned to leave. Something caught his attention. He turned, advancing on a bobbing, yellow light. "Meg," he said in surprise. "How did you break out of my ward?"

A cry went down the line to reach the crowd gathered around the mine entrance.

"We found her."

An excited cheer lit the night.

A dirty, ragged miner walked quickly from the mine entrance, Meg slumped in his arms. A thunderous growl erupted from the woods, startling everyone there. The townspeople stilled, alert.

Aunt Jo let out a startled cry and rushed to her niece's side, ignoring the ruckus. "Meg," she said, taking the woman's hand.

Meg's head was thrown back. Her eyes were closed. She was covered in a fine layer of black and white dust. She was barely breathing.

"Step back, Jo," Mike said softly.

Aunt Jo looked up at him, her eyes shining in the bright moonlight as she clutched her chest.

Mike set Meg's lifeless body on the ground. "We found her deep in the mine." He looked up at the sheriff who had come to join them. He eyed the group of people milling around them. "Back off, people," he shouted. "She needs air."

"We're under attack," someone shouted. Sheriff Joe looked around. The townspeople close to the edge of the surrounding woods were in battle with oddly dressed men and women. They used their fists. Others were shouting, pushing children from the fight, and grabbing rifles hidden in their vehicles.

"What the hell?" the sheriff muttered. "Jo," he said to the older woman who hovered near Meg. "She'll be fine, but we've got to get her out of here."

"Move aside," a deep voice boomed over the crowd. "Make a hole."

The agitated crowd stepped aside in their scramble as a team of emergency mine rescuers hustled to Meg's side.

"Mike," a tall, scruffy miner said, setting down an oxygen tank and settling near Aunt Jo. "Where did you find her?"

Sheriff Joe took Aunt Jo's beefy shoulder. "We've got to get her out of here."

Mike looked over to his friend. "She was in deep, Chuck," he said, his voice low. "We had to wear our masks to go in there."

Chuck shook his head. "How did they get in deep?" he asked, taking a mask and attaching it to the hose.

Mike shrugged. "It would have been okay for a while, I guess."

"There she is," someone cried. "We can't let her get away."

The newcomers centered their attention on driving the townspeople away and headed toward Meg.

Sheriff Joe narrowed his gaze. A movement caught his attention. "Don't shoot, Mark," he shouted. "You could hit one of us."

Mark eyed the sheriff down the barrel of his rifle. He flattened his mouth and lowered his weapon, looking at it. He shrugged and sent the butt of it into the face of an opposing, strangely dressed man. The other man stumbled back, a hand raised to his face. Mark smiled apologetically at the sheriff before jumping back into the fray.

"Come on, guys," Sheriff Joe said gruffly. "Make sure she's okay. Then let's go."

One of the strangers made it to the group surrounding Meg. He threw his fist at the sheriff who didn't dodge quite in time. Joe grunted and swung back, but the man deftly dodged and slipped to Aunt Jo's side. He took her by the shoulders and pushed her out of the way.

Aunt Jo came up sputtering. "What the–" Her eyes widened in amazement. "Kowum?" she asked.

The man stopped his attack. He turned toward her. "Jo?" he asked. A slight smile brightened his features. "It is so good to see you."

"What in the hell are you doing?" she asked, pushing herself up to her knees again.

"Trying to save Drea–" He stopped himself and looked around. "I can't talk about it here."

"Do you two know each other?" Sheriff Joe asked, touching his swollen jaw gingerly.

"He used to be my dustman," Aunt Jo said crossly. "You're trying to save Dreamland? By fighting us?"

"It's Meg," he said quickly. "The Elder told us Meg's trying to destroy Dreamland."

"What?" Aunt Jo asked incredulously. "She's trying to _save_ Dreamland from Rich or Ricardo or whoever it is he's trying to be right now." She got to her feet. "Let me guess. Ricardo told you Meg is trying to destroy your world."

Kowum frowned. "He is our Elder. He saved us."

"Let's go," one of the mine rescuers said. "She's stable. Let's get her out of here."

Mike gently lifeted Meg. He led the group through the battlefield to one of the mine vehicles.

Aunt Jo shook her head. "I can't believe you'd stoop so low." She turned and followed the mine rescuers.

Kowum stood where she left him, staring after, an odd look on his face. "She's really trying to save Dreamland?" he shouted.

Aunt Jo stopped and turned back around. "It used to be the dustmen brought us hope." She shook her head. "Now it appears we need to give it back to you." She turned and walked away. "She's a dreamer, you lack-wit," she shouted over her should. "What do you think?"

Nali looked at her brother and frowned. "Uh, Nick," she said softly. "How are we going to find anything in this?"

Nick's eyes were open in wonder. He shrugged. "I don't know, sis."

A shadow formed in the mist. Both children watched it approach with huge eyes. The most beautiful lady they had ever seen parted the clouds in front of them and stepped forward. Lady Storm smiled at them, her smile so beautiful, it was like the sun.

Nali looked in awe at Lady Storm in her cloud-like dress.

Nick's gaze stuck on Lady Storm's chest, where her breasts nearly shown through the material. He was a growing boy and with growing interests and he'd just seen the most beautiful woman in creation. His brain effectively stopped.

Lady Storm's gaze widened as she stared at Nick. She let out a surprised yelp and put her hand to her chest. "Oh, dear," she said softly, her voice like music. "I am so sorry. I forgot." She dipped her head, her long lustrous hair hiding her face and torso before looking up again.

Nick's gaze shot up from her chest and was captured by her green eyes. Looking back down again, he realized she'd fortified the material, shielding her breasts from his adolescent-boy eyes. He sucked in his lips and looked away.

"Who are you?" Nali whispered.

The lady smiled brightly at the girl and set a graceful hand on her chest. "I am Lady Storm." She looked to Nick. "There is something I may need your help with."

Welcome, Meg, a soft, feminine voice said, ringing inside Meg's head. I have been expecting you for some time now. Though, I had hoped you could do this on your own.

Meg closed her eyes and sighed for patience. She shifted her weight to one foot and crossed her arms over her chest.

You are a juxtaposition, Meg, the Lady of the Lake said. So strong, so driven, and yet so unwilling to believe in yourself.

It's gotten me to this point hasn't it?

Indeed, the lady said, with a tone did little to hide the note of disappointment.

Hey, Meg said defensively. I've survived, haven't I, and my kids have turned out okay.

Because of you?

Meg held silent.

That is what I expected.

They were good kids to start with.

All kids start out good.

Meg tipped her head and switched her weight to her other foot.

But your kids remained good. The Lady of the Lake paused. Why?

I picked good nannies? Meg asked bitterly. It wasn't as if I was there for them. The lady was quiet for a moment. Meg uncrossed her arms and looked into the magnificent room. Perhaps you could tell me why I'm here.

You have chosen a battle.

I know this, lady, Meg growled, losing her patience. She had a feeling they were about to delve into places of her heart she did not wish to visit.

This battle is not about surviving.

Without dreams, lady? Meg snorted. Sometimes that's all that keeps us alive.

True. And we both know you are a survivor.

Meg rolled her chin and tapped her foot.

The light of an Elder is powerful. It will eat away at you if you are too weak to hold it. It is a power, and will willingly go through the path of least resistance.

Your point?

Your bitterness lends an easy path to self-destruction.

I'm keeping it together.

Your bills have been ill-paid for several months. You have no idea how to raise your own children. Other people have taken up that responsibility for you for too long. You do not remember how to live. You know only how to work.

Such is the life of the sole-supporter," Meg said harshly, folding her arms over her chest. She clenched and unclenched her hands around her arms in agitation. Do you know what it's like?

I do not, the lady said off-handedly. Do not think you are alone.

I know this, Meg said, her gaze following the trail of the waterfall into the sky far above. Few have done so poorly.

Really?

Why are we here again, lady?

The Lady of the Lake was quiet for a long moment. Watery hands rose from the pristine lake. A woman made of crystal clear water emerged before Meg. You must forgive yourself. You cannot take this light with these belittling thoughts controlling your heart. You would be no help to Dreamland, your children, or yourself.

Meg stared in wonder at the woman before her. There is too much to forgive.

The lady of water took Meg in her arms. You have done more good than bad. Come to me. Let me cleanse you and bring you to rights.

Meg's world evaporated into water as memories flooded her mind. She'd betrayed so many people; Tom, her children, Luk, Aunt Jo. She didn't know if she were capable of forgiving so much, but she'd to try.

"What exactly is it we're doing again?" Keme asked the Elder named Phil.

Phil shrugged as they stood on the one lonely island of Dreamland and stared into the storm above. "Hell if I know. All I know is Ricardo is up there and if he's going to have an army, it'll be there. Luk is in place." His eyes grew vacant. "As is Ricardo. Meg's children are even in the fight. What are we doing down here?"

Keme shook his head. "Do you know of an elevator?"

Phil looked up at him with a twinkle in his eye. "You live to be as old as I am, and you know the secrets."

The nightmare looked over his shoulder to the assembled "army". "Well, let's get in there, save Dreamland and get going. We all have jobs to do tonight."

Phil just smiled. He turned to the storm. "Lady," he called. "May we come up?"

"Ricardo must be stopped," Luk said fiercely. "What must I do?"

Lady Storm looked deeply into Luk's eyes, her own eyes still studded with tears. "You must take his light."

"But if I take his light–" Luk started.

The lady nodded. "Yes. If you take his light, then you become an Elder."

"But what of Meg?" he asked. "It's taken so long for me to find her. She was my light, lady," he said earnestly. "I just can't leave her."

"Dreamland needs you, Luk."

"But–" He looked down. "What is life without Meg?" He met the lady's gaze. "And those kids finally trusted me enough to let me in. They want a dad so badly. How can I just disregard all that?"

"Because Dreamland needs you here." Lady Storm straightened, her face very solemn. "You belong to Dreamland. You get your energy from here. If Dreamland dies, then so do you."

He shook his head.

"Think of all your friends here. Think of all the creatures."

He took in a deep breath.

The lady's body went rigid. She grabbed his hand and jerked him into the clouds. "We must go."

"Wha–" Luk found himself huddled in the mists staring into the room of energy. Ricardo floated into the room, a gloat twisting his ancient face as he raised his hands to the orb of swirling energy and began drawing. Luk started to rise. "I must stop him."

"Luk, please," Lady Storm said weakly.

Luk looked down and found the lady laying next to him, her lids nearly closed.

"He's killing me, Luk."

He looked toward the Elder and back again. "Let me go. I'll–"

"No," she whispered. "Wait."

Luk took in a deep breath and settled next to her with an impatient frown. The adrenaline was rushing madly, making the decisions easy. "What, lady?"

"I knew you were different," she said with a soft smile. "And Meg too. I will do this one thing for you. I will allow you to keep this double life you lead until such time as Meg is ready to take her place as a dustman."

"You would do this?"

The lady opened her weary eyes and smiled at him. "I love you, Luk. I am very, very proud of you." She closed her eyes and released his arm. "Now go get him. Save us."

You refuse to acknowledge your value, Meg, the Lady of the Lake said with a smile in her voice. But you are a hero to those around you and especially to your children.

Meg took in a long, deep breath, free of the long-suffered bitterness. She was tired. Ridding herself of so much garbage in a matter of minutes could do to a person, she guessed. Am I ready now? she asked.

The lady laughed and released Meg from her watery embrace. I think you are. Remember, Meg, the lady said, only do this if Luk fails and if you are entirely certain.

Meg nodded and straightened her shirt. Right.

Good luck, Meg, the lady said. Be well and go in peace.

"No," Nali said breathlessly. She looked up at her big brother. "No."

Lady Storm looked at the children, a sad understanding in her eyes. "It may come to pass Luk can take Ricardo's light. If that happens, then you have nothing to worry about."

"But Luk was living down there," Nick said, staring at the lady, a hard disbelief in his eyes. "Why would you ask this? You've already said she can't do this."

"I didn't say she couldn't," the lady said softly. "I only said she may not be successful."

"An Elder," Nick said. He shook his head. "As leader of Dreamland."

"Yes," the lady said with a nod.

"Leading takes a lot of time. She'd have to spend most of her time here."

Lady Storm looked down. "Yes."

"But Luk did it," Nali said, pulling on her brother's hand. "Right? If he can, then Mom can too. Right?"

"It takes a lot of energy to live such a double life, child She would never have time for rest. She would always be awake and working."

"Then no," Nali said firmly, staring at the lady with all the seriousness of a child her age. "No."

Nick said nothing, his brown eyes dark and blank as his mind raced.

The lady straightened herself and licked her lips. "I don't think your mother would even consider doing this if she thought she would lose you."

"Luk could still do it," Nick said.

The lady nodded. "Yes, he could."

"But Mom is still the best bet?"

Again, she nodded.

Nick shook his head. "Why don't you think he can do it?"

"He is–" The lady stopped and took in a deep, thoughtful breath. "He is not as strong as your mother. There is still doubt inside of him. There is still darkness. If he were to take the light now, it could consume him."

"And Mom doesn't have this?"

Lady Storm shrugged. "She does." She looked at each of the children. "But she has you. You are her strength."

"And if someone can't take this light?" Nick asked.

"Then Dreamland could very well fall."

Nick looked down at his sister. "She would have to die on Earth, wouldn't she?" he asked. "I mean to be a real Elder."

Lady Storm nodded.

Nali shook her head at her brother, her mind following the emotions in his eyes.

"She's not dead yet," he said firmly, looking at the lady. "I know my mom. She would never leave us."

"You are right," the lady said. "She never would. I just thought you had the right to know what she might be facing.""Luk's strong," Nick said.

"Nick," Nali said, her voice beseeching.

"I believe Luk will take the light," Nick said, "and we won't have to worry about losing Mom."

The lady smiled. "Perhaps you are right. Perhaps–" She closed her eyes, and collapsed slowly to ground. She knelt, her head bent. She placed one hand on the ground, and breathed.

"Lady," Nick said, alarmed.

She held up a restraining hand. "It has begun. I must take you." With great effort, she rose. Pain blanketed her face. "Come."

Luk looked down at Lady Storm as she lay panting beside him, her face contorted with pain. "My request to have Meg here with me seems so petty now."

Lady Storm looked deep into Luk's eyes, her pain shuttered for the moment. "Never belittle the power of love."

He smiled and rose.

"Thank you, Luk," Ricardo laughed. "I never could have done this without you."

"How do you figure that, father?" Luk asked as he stepped fully into the room.

The ancient figure of the once great man turned, malice twisting his already decrepit features. His brittle, white hair, floated around his stooped shoulders and his long, pale robes fluttered about his ankles. "Luk," he sneered. "How nice of you to come." He tipped his head to the side. "This truly makes this moment perfect."

Luk shook his head. "How does one become so twisted?"

Ricardo raised his head as if he'd been struck. "Are you here to stop me, then?" he asked cruelly. "You, who didn't even have his light?"

"Amazing, don't you think?" Luk asked. "That even without my light, I was able to be a fine dustman."

"You failed," Ricardo growled as he slowly advanced on the much younger man. "You were supposed to find your light and take my place long before this. But you failed." He tossed his head, stopping mere steps away from Luk. "You failed me as a dustman. You failed me as a colleague." He lowered his head, and growled, "You failed me as a son." Ricardo leapt the last couple of steps toward Luk and wrapped his long, gnarled fingers around the younger man's throat.

Luk grabbed the old man's wrists, pulling with all his strength. He felt his energy drain. Blinking, he stared in surprise at the man above him. His light drained away into the gaping maw of the Elder. "Ricardo," he whispered. "Don't do this."

"Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?" Ricardo asked, spittle flying from his aging lips. "How long I've dreamt of this?"

"Ricardo," Luk gasped, grimacing as he pulled harder against the man's grip. For someone so ancient, his strength surprised Luk.

"First you failed me. Then," Ricardo said, lowering his face until they were nearly nose to nose, "you take the woman I finally found to replace my Elizabeth."

Luk shook his head. "I didn't know."

"Of course not, you fool," Ricardo shouted. "Blind. You were always so blind to anything but yourself."

"But I–"

"Hey, Ricardo," Keme shouted as he entered the room, led by another image of Lady Storm. "How about you pick on someone your own size?"

Ricardo blinked his gaze slowly to the newcomer and smiled sickly. "Do you really want to play with me?"

Keme shrugged. "You're a weak old man. What can you do to me?" he asked with a smile and gestured. Behind him, his army stepped into the room.

Ricardo's pale eyes widened. "What is this?"

Keme shrugged. "You're trying to destroy our home. We thought we'd at least come to its defense."

Ricardo dropped Luk. He stood, his eyes going blank as he roared. One by one, rogue dustmen materialized around him. He smiled at Keme. "What could a nightmare do to an Elder?" He gestured to his minions. "Attack the nightmares, men. They're trying to take over Dreamland."

Kowum was the last to appear. He stood, visibly puzzled.

Meg entered, assessing the room.

Luk knelt on the ground, panting, his hands at his throat.

Ricardo stood over him as he shouted orders to his men.

Nightmares surged into the room, ready to battle the rogue dustmen.

"Lady," Luk whispered.

Meg saw Lady Storm lying on the floor next to him.

"How do I take his light?"

The lady did not answer.

Meg's eyes opened wide as she caught a glimpse of another version of Lady Storm guiding the nightmares into battle. She frowned and shook her head.

"She's a tough lady," Phil said as he sidled up beside Meg. "Being a cloud, she's able to be in many places at one time."

"What in the hell is going on?" Meg demanded.

"Ricardo is sucking her essence," Phil said softly. "If she dies, so does Dreamland."

"Luk?"

Phil shrugged. "Who knows? We don't know his potential yet."

Luk pulled himself slowly to his feet. The energy Ricardo had sucked from him was affecting him. He blinked, dizzy. He ignored the battle going on around him and concentrated solely on Ricardo who stood before him. He had to take the light from the Elder and save Dreamland. Above all else, he had to do that. With a growl, Luk lunged for the man's throat. They fell to the floor, Luk's hands around the Elder's throat.

Ricardo looked up at Luk and grinned.

Luk shook his head to clear it and focused all of his energies on finding the man's light. Like a piece of metal to a magnet, he found it, latched onto it and began to pull.

Amazement flared in Ricardo's ancient eyes as he stared up at his son. He shook his head and tried to break eye contact. A thin line of light trailed from his eyes into Luk's. The ancient man bucked beneath the dustman, trying to escape his clutch. "No," he roared.

Luk refused to break his concentration. The light was seeping into his soul, filling places he'd never known were empty. It raced down the corridors of his mind, filling him with a power not his own. He felt himself change as it subtly took over. He shook his head as doubt flooded his heart. Was this supposed to happen?

With a cry of triumph, Ricardo flung Luk away.

Luk landed in a heap on the floor at Meg's feet. He groaned and rolled to his side. Doubt filled his heart as he stood and faced the dark Elder who was now stalking him. He blinked and swallowed, trying to erase the doubt from his mind.

He had to succeed. He had no choice.

Meg watched in horror as Ricardo took Luk in his arms and visibly sucked the life right out of him. Taking a deep breath, she took the step between them and snatched Luk from Ricardo's embrace. She stared defiantly into the ancient man's face. She lowered her head, locked her hands on his arms and pulled, willing the power of her heart to take the man's light.

Nali and Nick rushed into the room. They took in the battle with only mild interest as they searched the room for their mother. "No," Nali cried and started to run to her mother.

Nick held her back as a nightmare punched a dustman to the ground in front of them. "Nali," he said quietly. "We need to talk."

She pulled at the her brother's restraint. "I'm not going to lose her," Nali screamed. "I want my mother."

Nick pulled her to him and hugged her fiercely. "We won't lose her, do you hear me?" he said in her ear.

Nali looked into her brother's eyes. "But look–"

"The lady said Luk doubted himself."

Nali shook her head with the what-does-this-have-to-with-anything look on her face. "Let me go."

He knelt in front of her. "You have a way of changing people's minds, Nal," he said softly, gripping her arms. "You have an ability to get whatever you want."

She stopped and looked down at him. "What are you saying?"

"Tell Luk there is nothing to doubt, Nal." He looked up at her earnestly. "I know you can do it. Gloria said the power of magic is in the heart. Go make him believe in himself."

Nali turned in her brother's grasp and watched her mother. "I don't want to lose her, Nick," she said, her voice small.

"We won't, sis," he said firmly, rising. "We won't."

Keme hit another man as he attacked. He shook his head. This was crazy. Who would have thought a bunch of mindless dustmen could help to destroy what they had sworn to protect? A movement caught his attention.

A dustman stood alone, surrounded by battle, watching the Elder and Meg. A lone tear slid down the man's face.

Curious, Keme maneuvered his way to the dustman's side. "What's going on?"

A dustman slid to his feet not far from them.

Shey bared her teeth in a grin and turned to the next one.

Kowum shook his head. "I always trusted him. He created me." His eyes glittered with tears. "He would kill me?" He looked into the nightmare's face. "We're here because Ricardo is trying to kill Dreamland," he said accusingly. "'That's right, isn't it?"

Keme slowly nodded. "Yes."

Kowum nodded and swallowed his tears. He looked around to his brethren as they continued to fight. "Dustmen," he called. The fighting slowed, but did not cease. "Fellow fighters for Dreamland," he shouted above the din.

The fighting finally paused as everyone looked at him.

"We are not here to save Dreamland from Meg as our Elder has told us." He looked at his fellow dustmen. "He has turned our hearts and made us doubt ourselves," he yelled. "Ricardo is our enemy." He blinked, Aunt Jo's words hitting him like a hammer. "Meg is a dreamer. We are supposed to be her light, not the other way around."

The dustmen and nightmares stopped and stared at one another for a long moment.

"Well said," Keme said under his breath as he gauged the reactions of the men and women around him. "What are you planning to do next?"

Nick and Nali made it to Luk's side.

Luk stared in horror as Meg's spirit filled with more and more light. She glowed, filling the room, killing all darkness or shadow.

Nali knelt down where he lay and grabbed his hand. "Luk," she whispered. "You have to stop this."

His gaze didn't waver as he watched the battle unfold. The room was silent as all the participants watched the scene unfold.

"I believe in you," Nali whispered desperately.

Luk's empty gaze left the scene before him and landed on the girl. He breathed, his energy nearly spent. "I don't think I'll be enough this time, button."

Nali looked up at her brother.

He shrugged and gestured helplessly. He was torn between his sister and his mother. He didn't know how to help either of them.

Nali swallowed and licked her lips. She gripped the dustman's hand tighter. "You're strong, Luk."

"I was losing," he whispered. He closed his eyes in defeat. "My own father." He shook his head, his breath faltering. "He wanted to kill me."

Nali gripped his hand. "Luk," she said firmly.

The man gave no reaction.

She gritted her teeth and took his face in her hands.

His eyes opened and stared into the too old eyes of the eight-year-old girl. Something flared to life.

"Luk," she said evenly. "I don't know what to do. I believe you can do it. I know you're strong. You found us," she said with all the conviction her heart could muster. "You have to help my mom!"

Luk's gaze drifted away, his eyes filling with thought.

Nali jerked his head, forcing the man to look into her eyes, again. She stared at him, shooting all the desperate power through her chocolate eyes that she could. "I don't want–" She stopped as tears closed her throat. She blinked them away and tried again. "Don't make me lose my mom too, Luk," she whispered. "Please."

Nick grasped her shoulder, watching his mother battling the old man. "She's winning."

Luk looked over at the pair. Determination filled his features.

"You're stronger than you think, Luk," Nick said, as the man got to his knees. "I—I wanted to tell you something."

Luk stood and looked at Nick silently. The determined, strong-willed man everyone knew and loved emerged.

Nick looked up at the man, pride filling his dark brown eyes. "You're my hero, Luk." He nodded toward his mom. "Don't let us down. Bring my mom back to us."

Luk nodded. He turned to Ricardo and Meg and walked to them, resolve settling deeper into his soul with every step. He took Meg's shoulder with one hand and gently pushed her to the side. "I'll take it, from here Meg," he whispered into her ear. "Your children need you right now."

The light wouldn't let go. Meg was too far into it and it was too deeply rooted in her mind.

Luk set his jaw and pushed, flinging Meg to her knees at the feet of her children.

Nali cried out and wrapped her mother in her arms.

Luk could spare no more time. He turned to Ricardo whose strength had increased since they'd squared off. "You cannot win this, Ricardo," Luk said softly. "I won't let you."

Ricardo sneered, his posture sagging wearily. "And you honestly think you can stop me?"

"I will stop you," Luk said firmly. "Just watch me."

He set his hands on either side of the old man's face and drew upon the light residing in his soul. The light coursed into his veins, filling him with all the life, the light and the knowledge Dreamland carried. He was filled as he'd never before, and he knew, he _knew_ he'd been born for this very moment.

Ricardo's face slipped from between Luk's hands as the ancient man fell to the floor. Luk pulled himself away from the power of the light and stared down at the man. This man had sired him and had brought him into Dreamland to be a dustman. He stared at the man with wonder and sighed with a deep sense of regret.

Ricardo smiled up at Luk, relief filling the old man's craggy features. "Thank you," he whispered.

Luk took the man's hand as life passed from the old Elder's lips.

"Thank you."

And as the one passed away, a new Elder was born.

EPILOGUE

THE main street was closed. No cars were parked on the two blocks of town. No words were uttered down the lonely street. A piece of paper floated on a quiet breeze and fluttered down the street.

There was, however, a wild thrill of excitement in the air. Down a side street past the gas station, whose closed sign swung in the breeze, and into the residences of the town, a growing buzz could be heard. Past the houses that lined either side of the street, excitement bounced from side to side with glee, tossing the overgrown weeds decorating the run-down fences.

Further down the street, the rows of houses were interrupted by an open space of tall, tall oaks. It was there everyone was gathered.

"In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit," a man in deep sleeved, white robes spoke, lifting his head.

A man in a plain, black suit and a cleric collar cleared his throat, closing his Holy Book and smiled at the pair in front of him. "I now pronounce you man and wife."

The entire group of Holy men gathered there to marry Meg and Luk closed their books and looked on with slight smiles on their faces. One of them hopped on his toes, his hands clasped behind him. He leaned forward. "You may kiss your man, Meg."

She laughed. The entire town was sitting on lawn chairs and blankets all around them, laughing with her.

Meg turned, her soft, white, informal dress fluttering in the wind. A stray bit of hair whisked across her face and she tucked it into the crown of wild flowers, which adorned her hair. She smiled up at him, all the happiness in her heart filling her eyes. Today, he was cleanly shaven and nearly busting out of his rented tuxedo. She wrapped her arms around the handsome, sandy man, before her and laid her lips on him, claiming him as the entire town of Paonia witnessed.

The town rose in a roar of applause, cheers and tears.

Nali and Nick rushed over to them, interrupting their kiss.

Nick looked handsome in his brand new suit as he raised an eyebrow at her. "I hope we don't have to see this all the time." He looked at Nali and chucked Luk on the shoulder. "We have a little girl here who should probably stay innocent for awhile longer, don't you think?"

Luk laughed and took the little chocolate-eyed girl into his arms and tucked a wild flower back into her wild tresses. He looked at Nick and nodded. "I think you're right, son."

Nick looked at Luk, his eyes empty for a moment and nodded. He hugged Luk briefly, squishing his sister. He stepped back, brushing a tear from his face as he turned away.

"Luk," sheriff Joe called coming up to the happy family. He pushed his way to the front of the crowd of well-wishers. He licked his lips and rolled his eyes. He sighed and held out his hand.

Luk looked at the man with a narrowed gaze, but took the offered hand firmly in his own.

Joe wrapped the handshake with his other hand and smiled uncertainly. "Welcome to Paonia, Luk.

The crowd erupted in cheers, again.

Aunt Jo elbowed Joe out of the way with a glare at the sheriff. "Took about damn long enough," she grumbled before leaning in to give Meg a kiss on the cheek.

"Ladies and gentlemen," June cried over the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen," she said again, more firmly.

Everyone quieted.

Meg looked on with happily suspicious eyes, as the faces of the gathered town grew happier, if were possible.

"I think it's time," June said, "to show Luk our little surprise."

The crowd murmured and turned away. The back of the park toward the street was heavily laden with cars.

It was then Meg and Luk noticed the tall thing at the mouth of the park, covered in a white sheet. Everyone gathered around it. Meg and Luk made it to the front to stare at the draped...thing.

Nali giggled in Luk's arms.

Nick snorted and covered his mouth. His dark eyes lit up as he watched his mother's face.

June walked over to the sheet and clipped the strings holding it in place. "Luk," she said solemnly. "This is for you." She looked over the gathered crowd. "This is for making us believe again."

With that said, she ripped the sheet away.

And there stood the statue of a man dressed in a long, trench-like coat, his floppy hat cocked on his head. The man's face looked up at the sky. It was full of love and belief and dreams. In his arms were two children, one girl in pigtails dressed in a nightgown, and a boy in his pajamas with hair rumpled from sleep. Their faces were filled with wonder as they took in what Ol'Lukoe was showing them.

June stepped aside, motioning Luk to read the inscription. She read it to the town anyway. "Bringing light to the heart of darkness. The Dustman."

Tears studded his eyes as he looked over the gathered crowd. He hugged his family to him, his lips tight as he tried to blink past the tears.

Meg wrapped her arms around him tightly.

Nick gripped the dustman's arm, his eyes threatening to spill again. He looked up and blinked.

Nali smiled hugely and wrapped Luk in her arms.

The crowd parted.

Finn stood before them, in his ragged, patched dustman outfit. He smiled at the man. With tears in his eyes, he took his friend in his arms and squeezed. "Thanks fer bringin' back the light, ol' man," he said, pulling away.

Luk looked at everyone, tears streaming down his face. "Thank you," he whispered hoarsely. "Thank you all."

With that, the entire town converged on the newly married family and carried them in the press of love and support to the potluck reception that awaited them in the center of the park.

FOREWORD

GOING BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE REALM

THE nightmares pride themselves on being completely self-sufficient. They don't ask anyone for help, they clean up their own messes, and they don't request anything to be created for them. It just happens for them as if by magic.

Let me introduce you to the "magic" of the Nightmare Realm.

We're in the mechanic's area right now, otherwise known as The Central. They're really the magic of all of Dreamland. I love this place! It's cramped and crowded and kind of dingy, but there's just so much going on here! The lamps shoot off a yellow-orange light and the bronze fixtures make the place seem to kind of glow. There are so many projects in here, my brain explodes with creativity!

I have no idea where this place even is in Dreamland. It's like a hole in the space-time continuum or something, a corner of a wormhole between plains, Dreamland's hidden, beating heart, and boy is it loud! There are so many mechanics and each one has their own "shop" lining the long, wide cobblestone street, each with their own plaque giving the name of the Master Mechanic and which area of Dreamland or the Realm is theirs.

Well, there's really only one mechanic who works the Realm. This is Aldo's shop. He's one of the oldest, most cantankerous people I've ever had the misfortune to meet. He's the only mechanic I know of who has the security clearance we need to get into the Realm.

Mechanics fix things that are broken. See over there towards the back of Aldos shop? There really is a table under all that and this old piece of junk is part of Luk's wading pool that broke down two years ago. This branch here? It's Grandmother Willow, back when she'd been infected with bugs. It's kinda creepy that it's still moving. I don't feel a breeze. Do you?

Mechanics are the ones who get the call when the creatures are hurt or injured as well. Somewhere in this disaster zone is a—oh, here we go. This is Aldo's doctor kit. Mechanics have to understand how every single thing works whether it be living, breathing, or a rock.

Oh, hey! Aldo just got the call I was expecting! Grab onto him before he disappears! The Central is connected to every single space of Dreamland and the Realm through the power of thought, but only certain people have the right security clearance for all of the areas.

Wow, that was fast. Okay, so, this is the Realm. It doesn't look like much. Hey, hey, hey! Don't look down. I know it looks like we're walking on air, but we're fine. Trust me.

All these spiky, murky, grayish bubbles are what the nightmares call dreampods. The dreamers are in there. The only people who can open them and step in are Elders and nightmares.

Well, and maybe me because this was _my_ dreampod this morning. I'm not entirely sure what happened. I was being chased by water and coins were being thrown at me and then all of a sudden I was standing out here. I forgot to pay my water bill. Again.

See this hole where I broke through? The dreampods are made of a sticky web-like substance that Aldo calls dreamwebbing. He says there are "spinners". I've never heard of them before I met Aldo, but he's the only one who knows how to put them back together.

We'll let him fix that without us. Let me just grab this from his tool belt while he's not looking. Great! Come on.

Look at all these dreampods! They stretch as far as the eye can see in every direction; up, down, left, right, caddycorner. Amazing.

Want to see what's going on inside? Using the device I took from Aldo, we can peak. Just don't tell anyone!

See there? The nightmare is standing off to the side, and everything else is like a holograph. Wow! Look at that.

This kitchen is amazing! Look at these pots. Oh my word, I would give my right arm for these pots. The dreamer is having breakfast with his kids at the table and the sun is shining and the birds are singing. Oh, wait! Look at that storm brewing outside. Wow, those clouds are really green. We need to hide! The door to the basement is right there. Make sure the kids are safe. Yeah, there we go.

Who is this dude? He is seriously creepy and scary and—HIDE! There in the closet. Go, go, go! Oh, shoot. Close the door, close the door, _close_ the _door_! That is the creepiest dude I've ever—

Why is he staring at us _through_ the door? Can he _see_ us?

I think that's enough! Wow, that poor dreamer has some serious issues. I think he forgot to pay more than just his water bill. Oh my word!

Moving on. If you were to look in each pod, you'd see a nightmare inside with his or her dreamer.

For all that they're supposedly creepy and scary, they really do care. Dustmen come, take their dreamers and then dump them in Dreamland to have fun and do whatever on their own. Nightmares take you and help _you_ work through your stuff. It's kind of nea—

A tall man in dark leather steps out from behind a dreampod, glaring at us. "What were you doing in my nightmare?"

Uh, well, um...

"Do you have any idea the damage you could have done? Do not _ever_ interfere again!"

I think our time here has expired. Where is Aldo?

Come back soon, though! They'll be needing _our_ help...

...even though they'll never ask for it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SM Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie and Mr. Bird, who's a real bird. She likes to hike the beautiful Rocky Mountains, and is learning to play the piano and guitar. Currently, she's trying to MURDER them both.

She's dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.

She's also an investigator with a local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!

Find out more about at: www.smblooding.com
