Title: What Dreams May Come

Auther: Saint105@aol.com

Sumary: What happens when Tobias decides to become human. Everyone reacts differently to it, and then Tobias says why he did it.

Rating: oh, come on! This is an Animorphs story! How bad can it be! I'd say PG, maybe PG-13 at some parts, due to swearing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rachel, Tobias, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Ax, Visser Three, or any of these people. I dedicate this story to K.A. Applegate for being the best writer alive, even though it's not that good.

Now, the story!

Setting: Cassie's barn. Everyone is there but Rachel and Tobias. Ax is in human morph, sitting lazily in a foldable directors chair. Jake and Cassie are plopped on the couch she'd moved in there to make meetings like this one more comfortable, also so she could rest if she got tired while taking care of the animals. Marco is standing alone in the doorway, looking for any signs of Tobias or Rachel.

I sat on the couch next to Cassie, an unusual event. Both Cassie and I have been pretty nonchalant about our, uh, feelings for each other in the past. She's yakking to Marco about where Rachel and Tobias might be, and why they're so late. I'm in a bit of a trance, somewhat mesmurized by her, as I watch her eyes continually blink every minute or so.

I've never thought about Cassie like this before. I mean, sure, I've thought about going out with her, and I've had the occasional daydream, but nothing like this. This was me, looking at her, and just thinking.

"Jake?", Cassie called. "Jake, are you alright?"

Suddenly, I snapped out of my trance. Rachel and Tobias (in hawk form) had arrived, and everyone was waiting for me, the "leader", to wake up, smell the roses/coffee/Play-Do/whatever, and start the meeting.

"Uh, yeah...sorry.", I mumbled, shaking my head.

Knowing I had been off daydreaming, Rachel took charge and answered my question before I asked it. "Sorry we were late. We were at the Yeerk Pool Data Base.", Rachel informed, slyly grinning at Tobias.

"You found the YPDB? Where?", Cassie exclaimed, jumping up from her spot beside me, much to my dislike.

<It's not hidden very well. It's in a small room inside the old kitchen at the airport.,> Tobias "said".

"But no one ever goes there!", Marco said.

Rachel gave Marco a somewhat polite slap upside the head. "Well, duh! Did you think they'd but it somewhere popular?"

"First of all, ow. Second, if they put it somewhere popular, that'd be the last place us "Andalite Bandits" would look.", Marco pointed out.

"He does have a point.", I defended. As much fun as it is to make fun of Marco's slowness, he actually did have a point.

Rachel, never totally defeated, thought of something new. "Well, because no one's ever there, a group of kids would look pretty suspicious. And, also because no one ever goes there, they can have all the security guards that they want."

"Once again, Xena:Warrior Princess proves she's not just pretty."

A few seconds after Marco's taunting remark, Rachel smiled.....well.....giddily. I'd never seen her smile like that before. It almost made her look..........like a normal, love-struck girl.

Could've have been because of Marco? Nah, she doesn't really like him. And besides, it'd been a moment after he talked that she smiled. Maybe it reminded her of something.

Then it hit me. The reason she was smiling like an idiot wasn't because of Marco. It was because someone else had said something to her. Only we couldn't hear it. It was a private thought-speak from Tobias.

I saw Jake eyeing me in his weird way. Why would he be looking at me? Shouldn't he be gazing adoringly at Cassie?

Then I realized it. I'd been grinning like a fool. Like a little girl watching "The Little Mermaid" for the thousandth time. Only this was different. A little girl wouldn't understand. She might not even think anything of it. But I did.

After Marco's usual snide remark, Tobias set in to comfort me.

<Don't worry, Rachel. I think you're pretty.>

And I'd grinned like I'd never grinned before. No wonder Jake found it odd. Thankfully, Marco was having a somewhat-useful conversation with Ax (they were discussing the difference between a cow and a horse), so he hadn't seen the look on my face. Had Cassie? If she had, she didn't think anything of it. Cassie, of all people, knew how I felt about Tobias.

"Rachel? Are you alright?", Jake asked, inturrupting my train of thought.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." I studdered, wanting the meeting to end.

"Sorry, Rach. I didn't realize you'd take it so well.", Marco laughed. He had seen me smiling. But he thought it'd been because of him. All's I have to say about that is ew.

"Very funny, Marco.", Cassie broke in, knowing a fight could break out at any moment.

"As much fun as this meeting is, me and Rachel have dinner plans.", Jake announced.

"We do?", I asked stupidly.

"Yup. Your dad's in, so he's taking us to Planet Hollywood."

I lifted up my half-empty Coke can and smiled. "I'll drink to that!"

Everyone laughed. Everyone except Tobias. Sometimes I wondered if he ever laughed. If he ever would. Tobias had been through so much, yet he kept it all inside. If I were him, I'd be screaming to get out. But I wasn't Tobias, and Tobias wasn't like me.

Through a private thought-speak message, Tobias told me he'd meet me back in my room after dinner. He had something important to tell me, no doubt. Sure, he visited me often, but there was something in his voice that told me this wasn't just any visit.

"Rachel, can I ask you something?", Jake wondered out loud on our way to my house, where we would meet up with my dad and my two sisters, Jordan and Sara.

"Of course.", I replied, curious of Jake.

"Well, this is kind of a personal question."

"That's okay."

"Well........nah. Nevermind."

"Jake, come on! Just spit it out!"

"You'll kill me."

"Have I ever killed anyone?"

Jake gave me a Look.

"Okay....bad point. Just ask me already!"

"Okay, okay..........you see......um......do you......uh....."

"Just say it, will ya?", I yelled.

All in a quick sentence, words pushed together, Jake asked, "AreyouinlovewithTobias?"

I was shocked. Why would Jake ask me such a question?

"Excuse me?", I squeaked.

"You told me to ask you.", Jake pointed out.

He had a point, but why ask me if I was in love with Tobias?

"And you listened?!?!?"

"You made me ask, so now I'm gonna make you answer. Answer!"

"I'm not gonna answer that."

"Why not?", Jake whined.

"Why is it so important to you?"

"Because if it's true, then we have a lot to worry about."

"Oh, that makes me feel all better!", I screamed.

Suddenly, we stopped walking. Jake took my arms in his hands and looked me seriously in the eye.

"Rachel.........Tobias is.......well......he's a hawk. I know he's really a human and he can be a human for two hours at a time, but that's not my point."

"I know you're in love with him. And I know he's in love with you. But this won't work out. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Jake, this is a very crappy time for you to get all big-brother-like on me."

"You know you're my favorite cousin."

"And you are mine, but you can't tell me who to and who not to go out with."

"Come on.....I'm not trying to control you."

"Then what would you do if I told you it would never work with you and Cassie?"

Jake looked hurt, and I almost immediatly regreted saying that. Almost.

"At least Cassie isn't a hawk!"

I said nothing. Of course that would be the reason Jake didn't like Tobias. Because he was a hawk. I started to walk away, and didn't look back.

"Rachel! Rachel, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that!", Jake called after me. I ignored him. My eyes began to well up with tears. Crying isn't something I do a lot of, but right now it felt right.

Once Jake caught up with me (due to the fact that I'd slown down), he grabbed my left arm and wirrled me around to face him. He looked astonished to see me, Xena: Warrior Princess, crying, but said nothing. Instead, he put his arms around me and held me close.

But that's not what I wanted. I pushed him away, not knowing what to do. I looked him in the eye with a cold look, and started walking again. I wasn't going to dinner with him. I'd just have to lie to my dad.

Once we reached my house, I was about two feet in front of Jake. I slowly turned the doorknob and sagged into the house. Although I was so slow, I slammed the door in Jake's face as hard as I could.

"Rachel, you just shut the door on Jake.", my dad told me. Like I didn't know.

"Oops. Sorry.", I mumbled.

"Well, go get ready for dinner. Sara and Jordan are in the car with Tom."

Suddenly Tobias meant nothing. "Tom?", I choked.

"Of course. You didn't think we'd go without him, did you?"

"No....of course not."

My dad cupped my cheek in his hand and glanced me over. His expression turned from happy to worried. "Rachel, have you been crying?"

I panicked. "No, I yawned a lot. I don't really feel very well."

"Will dinner at Planet Hollywood make you feel better?", my dad asked, treating me like he did when I was Sara's age.

"Dad. I'm not a little kid anymore. I just need some rest."

He looked hurt. I felt bad for lying to him, but I didn't want to be around Jake. Not after what he'd said.

My dad gave me a false smile. "Well, you get some rest. I'll have Jordan order you something in a doggie bag."

I couldn't help but laugh. That's my dad for you. Always wanting to make his daughters happy, even if it was buying something that could make them gain ten pounds.

As I started up the stairs to my room, I heard my dad talking to Jake.

"So, Jake, what's up? How's that Cassie girl?"

I smiled to myself. My dad was the greatest. So why had I lied to him?

I watched Rachel's father's rental van pull out of the driveway. I knew I should be at home, hunting. I knew I'd be practicaly starving by the time Rachel got home. But I didn't care.

Sometimes I wish I was human again. That way, I could live a happy life, the way I'd wanted to. But even if I was still human, I'd never be happy. Not as long as the Yeerks were plotting to take over the universe.

Then, something unexpected happened. Rachel came pounding up the stairs and into her room. Not noticing me, she threw herself on her bed and began to weep. Rachel? Weep? Was that even possible?

I thought of calling out to her, letting her know I was already there. But something inside me told me not to. So, I sat there, perched in Rachel's window, watching her cry. My heart ached. I wanted to know why she was sad. I wanted to make her feel better. Most of all, I just wanted to be there for her.

After flying around the house a couple times to make sure no one was home, I soared into the garage, which was emty, car-wise. I hid behind a stack of newspapers (in case Rachel's family was to come home early) and morphed to human. I was sick of flying through Rachel's bedroom window, then have her scream until she realized it was me. This time, I was going to do it the human way. Through the front door.

The doorbell rang. I slowly rose from my bed and made my way to the front door. Expecting it to be an annoying door-to-door salesman, you can guess my amazement when I opened the door to find Tobias, in human morph.

"Tobias?"

"Rachel."

"Why are you here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

I bowed my head. Had Tobias seen me with Jake? Had he seen me in my room?

Tobias grasped my chin in his right hand and held my head up."Why stare at the ground? Then no one but the earthworms can see your beautiful face.", Tobias said.

I melted. Tobias always knew exactly what to say and when to say it.

"Tobias, come inside."

Politely grabbing my hand, Tobias stepped in my house. He looked around as if he'd never seen it before. Then I realized he never had seen it before. He'd only been inside my room.

"This is the hallway.", I explained. Tobias gave me a look telling me not to give him a tour.

"I am aware of what room is which Rachel. I did not come here to learn about various rooms in your house."

"Then why did you come?", I asked, half serious.

"Because I have something to tell you."

"Good or bad?"

"Depends on your perspective."

"Oh, dear."

Tobias gave me a friendly smile and led me into the living room, where he sat me on the big blue armchair. He kneeled on the floor, his knees over my feet. He pulled a ring out of his jeans pocket and held it up to me.

"My mother gave me this ring. My father had given it to her. She told me I supposed to give it to the girl I fell in love with."

"Tobias, it's very pretty.", I said, then realized. "Are you giving this to me?"

Even though I was confused, I laughed. Tobias could always do that, make me laugh.

Once again, Tobias held the ring up so I could see it clearly. "Rachel?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."