End

"I'm positive. Thomas isn't supposed to know about her existence, and I know I'll spill it to them," Mike replied.

Fiona looked skeptical. "There's another reason."

He shook his head. She just stared at him. "Oh, all right, there is," he replied.

"Spill," she ordered.

Mike heaved a sigh. "Okay. My own guilt."

"Guilt?"

"For not being there. If I don't know she exists, I'll feel better about not being there for the first half," he confessed.

"Mike, it's not your fault. I didn't tell you about her," Fiona explained.

"I know," he replied. "It'll just be easier this way." He sighed again.

"I wish it was possible," Fiona commented with a sigh. "For me and her and you..," she trailed off, not wanting to speak it when it was so not possible.

Mike nodded. "Me, too. But it isn't. That's why I want you to do this. Make me forget. The way I forgot how she was conceived."

"You realize you might forget...us?"

He nodded. "I thought of that," he replied. "It's...it's a sacrafice, but if that's what it takes..."

"All right," she replied. "I'll do it then."

"Not yet," he interrupted. "Wait. Till tomorrow. One more night."

Davy slept calmly through the night but in the morning he had the strange feeling that he hadn't. He felt exhausted even though he had gotten nine hours of sleep.

'Man, I wonder what's wrong with me?' he thought to himself as he rose from bed to eat breakfast.

As he'd expected, he was the second one up. Joanne had awakened early and was seated in front of the television.

"Don't you two have school today?" he asked. Joanne nodded.

"Not until eight o'clock," she replied. It was barely seven.

Davy yawned in accpetance as he dragged himself into the kitchen.

Breakfast was ready by seven thirty, and Davy excercised his vocal cords to yell up the stairs and awaken Thomas and Micky.

By seven fourty-five, Thomas and Joanne had finished breakfast and went to find some clothes for school.

At precisely seven fifty three, they left the Pad with their school books and lunches (which Davy had wisely made the night before). Thankfully, it only took five minutes to walk to school.

Davy and Micky both heaved sighs of relief as the two left the house.

"Well, that wasn't so hard," Davy commented as he began to clean the dishes.

"Nah," Micky replied. "I think I could get used to taking care of a kid."

Davy chuckled. "Be careful what you wish for," he warned as he handed Micky a plate to dry. "It might just come true."

Micky just laughed and waved the superstition aside. "Doubtful," he replied as he put the dish away. "Where would a kid come from?"

Davy didn't reply. He didn't know the answer to that question himself.

"Hey, how was school?" Micky asked as the Pad's front door opened and Thomas and Joanne entered.

Joanne and Thomas both shrugged.

Both were in the middle of their homework when a loud knock came at the front door a half-hour later.

Davy strolled to the front door and answered it. A tall, dark-haired man stood there, grinning.

"'Ello?" Davy asked.

"Hi there," the man replied. "You must be Davy!"

"Ready?"

Mike nodded nervously. "I guess," he replied. Fiona handed him the glass.

"Just drink it all down in one gulp," she instructed. "Then you'll forget all about her."

He nodded again, gulping air. He stared at the cup for a long time.

"You don't have to drink it if you don't want to," she reminded him.

He nodded. "I know," he replied, but said nothing more. He made no move to drink from the glass.

There was a long silence. Then he put the cup down on the table and stood up.

"Just once before I go," he told her, and wrapped his arms around her.

Davy stared momentarily at the tall stranger in front of him. "I am," he replied. "Who are you?"

The man grinned good-naturedly and held out his hand. "Adam Stevens," he replied. "I came to check up on Thomas."

"Oh? And you are?" Micky asked, stepping behind Davy.

"My teacher," Thomas explained, appearing behind Micky. He introduced Davy and Micky to Mr. Stevens. "He was teaching me all summer," Thomas added.

"That's right," Mr. Steven's replied. "But now I'm afraid I have to be moving on."

"Moving?"

"That's right Thomas. You've finished your training with me and I need to move on to the next pupil."

"So you're leaving?" Thomas asked. He nodded. "Will you come back?"

"To visit, maybe," Mr. Stevens replied. He grinned and smiled at Thomas reassuringly. "You'll do fine, don't worry. You're ready."

Thomas nodded nervously.

"Well, I've got to be going now," Mr. Stevens said, excusing himself. "Nice to have met you both."

Davy and Micky both nodded and shook hands with him.

"Oh, and I hope everything goes alright with your mother," Mr. Stevens added to Thomas as he was leaving. "I'm sorry I couldn't have said good-bye to her."

With that he was gone.

"So, we going?" Peter asked as he entered the room.

Mike nodded. He looked at Fiona for a long while and then drank the glass quickly. Peter stared at him quizzically.

"What's that?" he asked. Mike shrugged. "Just a drink before we go," he replied.

"Okay," Peter replied.

"Well, you ready to try this?" Fiona asked. Both nodded in unison.

Peter took the stone in his hands and looked at Mike. Fiona raised her hands and began to chant. A white light surrounded them and then began to fade. Mike crossed his fingers behind his back.

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