The light of predawn trickled in through the windows. Ellette noticed it with a hint of panic. They would be waking soon. This was the critical moment. Would he wake with her, or be lost here? It hadn’t happened last time they’d dreamwalked together, but the fear still lingered in her gut. Some part of her was undeniably sure of the possibility of it.

“I think we should be waking soon,” she voiced her concern, getting to her feet. “Put the guitar away,” she urged, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He obliged, finding the case in the closet and setting the instrument back into place. Ellette stayed beside him, thankful when he’d finished and she could entwine her fingers in his. They made it out to the porch and watched the forest come to life. A mist settled low along the ground, creating a fittingly dreamlike setting. Bird calls and the rustle of animals amongst the trees sounded all around them. Ellette leaned her head on his shoulder, savoring the peaceful moment they had together when she began to feel herself go.

She woke before him, as she had before. There was still that panicked feeling of fading, that tell-tale tingling at the back of her neck. Wakefulness came with a gasp and a fumbling uncertainty as she struggled to sit up within the confines of his arms. He was wrapped about her so tightly, his limbs dead weight around her, and yet so comforting and warm.

He seemed so peaceful, dead asleep, a slight smile upon his lips. She stroked his hair, fingers tracing along his cheek. She didn't dare breathe, waiting for a sign. Then, there it was, a flutter of his eyelids. Never had there been a more beautiful sight. She bent and kissed his forehead, and he sat up beside her, groggily blinking and rubbing his eyes.

"That," he said with a sleepy grin, "was the best night I've ever had."

She couldn't help but laugh, and he tackled her, kissing her and pulling the blankets up over their heads. "Let's play hooky," he whispered conspiratorially there in their little fortress of covers and warmth.

Ellette, already uneasy from the transition from dream to waking was uncomfortably aware of her lack of clothing, and his. She gathered the sheet around her, feeling herself flush. "I can't, Stella's on her own today. That place is a madhouse at lunch." She was doing her best to escape from the covers, to find her clothes.

"So?" he asked, thwarting her attempt by grabbing the sheet she'd wrapped about herself and tugging her closer to him. "It's not like she hasn't ditched you for the scumbag boyfriend of hers to go skateboarding, or buy records, or whatever it is that pierced little bag of cheerfulness does on her spare time." He ran a hand along her cheek, letting it come to rest at the back of her neck. "Besides. I think we should celebrate..."

She flushed scarlet at that and looked away from the intensity of those dark, deep eyes of his. "I... ah," she tried pulling the sheet up over her nose.

He laughed. "I'll call my father, see if he really does have that old cabin still. We can go for a drive."

She smiled, his mood contagious. "You don't even have a car!"

"Father does. He's got them to spare. He's so distracted with his new wife, his new kids, he doesn't even bother to resent me anymore. I'm sure he'll let us..."

Though he said it lightly, she could hear the bitterness in his voice, the pain of that old wound. She sighed and leaned into him, her forehead resting on his chest. He'd spent so much time, so much effort being who she needed, being there for her, she owed it to him. Perhaps he'd wrapped himself up in her life so thoroughly to avoid his own issues. She felt the pang of guilt once more. She was so selfish with him, taking all he would give, and he never questioned, never hesitated to give.

"Okay," She looked up to meet his eyes then and was greeted with a smile that was well worth sullen and bitter Stella that would greet her tomorrow. "I'll call in. But we better get moving. How far is that cabin exactly?"

He tossed the blanket aside, reaching for his clothes with little in the way of modesty. "Upstate. A good couple of hours at least. Oh, but you know what would be great? We could take a train there, then rent a cab..."

She slid off the bed, the sheet wrapped tightly around her. "And how would we pay for that?"

"I have enough..." he explained vaguely, coming around to her side of the bed. He held her by the shoulders, kissing her forehead. "I feel like I need to do this. I want you to come." He grinned and changed the subject. "So, you want the shower first?"

She nodded.

"I want my sheet back!" he called as she disappeared through the doorway.

She turned to find him holding up a towel before tossing it to her. Swapping sheet for towel, she wadded up the linens and hurled them in his direction before bolting for the safety of the bathroom.

* * *

No one was at the shop when she called, forcing hoarseness into her voice and claiming the flu would be keeping her home. Rand came out of the shower, in his robe and winked at her before going into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this new Rand, this domestic sort of comfort he had with her now. Did sex really change so much, or was it the dream?

She found herself flushing furiously as he returned to the living room. As he reached out to wrap an arm around her waist, she sidestepped, rubbing her arms. Yes, she was comfortable with him, yes she loved him, but who she was would not change overnight. It was too much, too soon.

He opted for ruffling her hair, undeterred. That was just who he was, so confident in a way she could never be, could never understand. "I'll call Father in a bit, too early to bother the old man right now."

"What makes you so sure he'll even be able to give you the key if he even has the cabin still?"

"He'll have one of the staff drop it off," Rand answered easily, thumbing through the contacts on his phone as he settled onto the couch. Ellette made her way to the bay window, curling up to watch the park come to life. There were joggers down there already, trudging through the early morning haze. She smiled as she caught a tumble of wild auburn hair. Jessie. Ellette couldn't help but wonder where the woman went at night. She practically lived in the park, and when she wasn't there, she was at any number of dives playing and causing all sorts of mischief.

While Rand was making the necessary phone calls and looking up train tickets, she jotted down the details of the previous night's dream. She had a number of journals filled with the stories of her exploits through the dreamworld.

She'd started writing journals when she had been put into Gloria’s home. She hadn't spoken in months, but through the journal, through Gloria’s patience and Dani's persistence, she'd eventually worked through her trauma. Now, the journal was still a release of sorts, but it also functioned as a record of where the dreams took her. There was always a chance that someone would find her, as Rand had. The more details she recorded in her dream journal, the more prepared she would be should she encounter someone she'd met in her dreamwalks.

"Father was surprised to hear from me, but he says the cabin is all ours. He wants to meet you first, though," he said with a chuckle.

Ellette's eyes widened and she held the journal to her chest. "Why?" she sputtered. She'd seen the cabin, and from Rand's casual mention of cars and staff, she knew she wasn't exactly the kind of girl his father would want him to bring home. "I don't have anything to wear..."

Rand had changed into a t-shirt and jeans, his hair still damp and sticking up. He pulled off the tousled, scruffy look quite well. "I'd say father wouldn't' care, but that be lying. You shouldn't care though. He's a judgmental old bastard. If you're worried, we can pick something up."

She shook her head, and went to the office, which had been intended to be her room, and dug through her closet. "Even my nicest clothes are threadbare," she muttered. He followed her into the room, slipping his arms around her shoulders.

"We have time. There's a shop on the way to the train station. What you've got on is fine, but we can still look if it'll make you feel better."