★★★

"Now you've gone too far!" Bastion, the second spirit, slammed his gray fist down hard on the mahogany table in front of him, his opaque eyes clouding with smokey blackness.

Aria sat cross legged on the other side of him, unphased by his tantrums; she had seen it all before. She twisted a strand of her long, shimmering blue hair around her tiny finger, and flashed her golden eyes back at him in defiance. She was currently in her pixie form, this was the form she most preferred. Her glittering wings were folded neatly behind her.

"Spirit beings are strictly forbidden from taking forms on earth!" Bastion shook his big gray head, so infuriated he'd taken on the form of an ogre.

"I believe the law states we are strictly forbidden from taking human forms on earth," Aria corrected, slowly unwinding the strand of hair from her finger.

"You're bending the rules!" Bastion raised his thick gray hands to his bald head. "You're always, unendingly, bending the rules! " He emphasized this last word with another bang of his fist on the table.

He jumped up and paced the room. "It was one thing to turn him into a dog, and set him in his past. That was bad enough! Now you've gone so far as to place yourself there with him! How do I deal with you!"

It wasn't really a room. It was what they wanted it to be at the time; a white marble floor with a large mahogany table and two oversized leather chairs in the center, completely void of walls; only endless blackness on all sides.

Two large golden goblets filled with dark red wine sat on the table. Aria wrapped her hand around one and brought it to her violet lips. She followed him with her large eyes as he paced back and forth.

"You deal with me because I bring a small bit of excitement to your dull existence," she said. "There was a time when you cared about these things as well. What harm will be done if I take the form of a lowly dog? It's simply to guide him."

Bastion stood with his back to her, staring out into the blackness. He wore a scarlet cloak that flowed in ripples onto the floor. His large body was tense with rage.

"This is no longer a game, or a petty pastime to keep you entertained, Aria." His voice was low and ominous. "Rules have been broken, laws ignored. It's only a matter of time before someone finds out, and the punishment will be severe."

Aria sprang from her chair and glided to his side. "I must do this." She placed her tiny hand on his forearm and locked her eyes with his, pleading. "I need to make this right. He's missing the memories, the dark ones. Without me, he's sure to fail."

Bastion stiffened. "And if you'd thought this through before you plummeted him down to earth, you would have remembered how it works.  He wasn't here long enough. He hadn't even made the transition yet! Where is the other side? You can't be sure of anything at this point.  Your actions were completely reckless!"

Aria sighed. She placed a hand against his rough jaw, her eyes holding his earnestly. " But still, it's been done. I couldn't wait, he wouldn't have gone on his own. I must help him succeed. You can't deny me this."

Bastion raised an eyebrow slightly. " And what makes you think he will want to succeed when he knows the truth?"

***

In her old white four poster bed, surrounded by billows of white bleached sheets and blankets, Winter lay staring out of her open window into the starry night sky. A warm breeze swept through the screen, setting her laced curtains to flight. She loved to listen to the sounds of the night; tree leaves rustling, crickets chirping, and the scurrying of night animals in the woods.

Barnabas groaned as he turned in his sleep on a woven rug next to her bed. She reached down to gently stroke his head. Barnabas had been with her since she was three years old. It pained her to know that his time was coming soon. Fourteen in dog years was a good long life, and he was aging quickly. His limbs ached so horribly when he woke in the morning, he moaned in pain when he stood. She didn't want to think about the possibility of putting him down.

Unable to sleep, her mind turned to Sheldon; a common theme of her thoughts lately.  Was it just her, or had they almost kissed earlier that day?  Her heart fluttered at the thought. There was something about him that captivated her. Of course, there was the fact that he was very good looking—those dark smoldering eyes—but, that wasn't the main thing. He was holding something back from her, she could sense it.  She was determined to break through his hard outer shell to open up the hidden box of secrets he held so tightly.

He'd told her a little about his life, enough for her to know that there were a lot of painful memories linked to his family. His mother was there in her presence only, her heart had stayed where she'd left it in Germany. She constantly regretted her decision to move to America and marry his father, and Sheldon's presence constantly reminded her of that decision. His father was a drunk and often beat him. A couple of times he'd been beaten to the point where he'd passed out.

Her heart ached for him because she had her father and brother, steadfast and dependable, no matter what. Two men who would risk their lives for her in a heartbeat. She couldn't imagine how life would be without her family.

He was a boy who'd never known what it was like to have a family.

She smiled to herself in the darkness, her heart fluttering. If she could rescue animals, who's to say she couldn't rescue humans too? She could show Sheldon what a real family was like, she could show him what love was like.

Her face reddened at the thought. She'd never had a boyfriend before. The whole thing was so new and exciting. She grabbed her pillow tightly against her chest and blew out a pent up breath.

Her dark hair spilled around her as she turned to stare up at the fan, looping slowly on the ceiling. She took a deep breath and told herself to slow down. He wasn't her boyfriend yet, was he? No—that hadn't been decided.

She frowned as she remembered her father's recent words. He and her brother wouldn't be happy if she and Sheldon were together. They'd both said he was no good, but she saw something different in him. She saw someone who desperately wanted to love, but was terrified to try.

She smiled again, propping herself up to look out the window towards the animal refuge. She wondered what he was doing at that very moment. A light shown from the second story window where he slept. A trill of excitement hit her body, he was awake.

A crazy, impulsive idea came to her.  She shot to her feet, pulling on her sweatshirt and jeans, lacing her worn tennis shoes. She was going to tell him how she felt, and see if he felt the same. She'd never sleep until she found out.

Barnabas grunted and pulled himself painfully to his feet, staring at her inquisitively. He followed her cautiously as she tiptoed down the stairs, gingerly opening the back door so that no one would hear.

She made her way down the path in the darkness, lead by the glow of the refuge light.  Her heart was banging against her chest with anticipation. She had never done anything that adventurous in her entire life. As her feet ground on the gravel, she started having second thoughts. Her footsteps slowed as she wondered how crazy she'd look showing up at that time of night. Just do it , she whispered to herself. If you don't do it tonight, It'll never happen.

She was halfway to the animal refuge when Barnabas let out a low growl. He placed himself in front of her, crouched down, in an attack stance—the hair on his back standing up. Winter froze. She suddenly felt watched. Panic crept over her, flooding through every inch of her body. Her breath halted in her throat, and she realized of how small and vulnerable she was in the darkness. Standing absolutely still, she held her breath, listening intently for any sign of movement. Barnabas stood his ground, continuing to growl, his head scanning the darkness.

She braced herself to run, but intuitively felt she would be chased when she turned her back. The thing  was moving towards her, she could feel its presence growing nearer.

"Who is it?" She'd meant for her voice to be strong, instead it came out in a pathetic squeak.

A shadow appeared fleetingly before her, a baseball bat in its hand. With a terrified scream, she turned and ran back towards the house, legs possessed with fear. At the same time, Barnabas pounced. She heard his snarls—an agonizing yelp—then silence. She screamed for her father at the top of her lungs, reaching the back door and throwing it open. Listless with fear, she locked it behind her.