Disclaimer: I do not own Conor. Universal does. I do not own Heath. He owns himself. All the various other people belong to
themselves. I only own Jenny and Katherine. :)

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    Conor's wandering brought him through the woods and to a great mound. The sun was setting, and he was deep in thought.
There had to be a way to win over the Romans, and to have revenge for his family and Claire, and he was going to find it. Not
realizing what he was doing, he circled the mound three times. Then, on his third time around, he felt a tingling sensation. He
couldn't remember what happened next, just the black that enveloped his entire body.
    Conor woke up with a horrible headache. He groaned, and tried to sit up, only to make the pain sharpen as blood rushed to
his head. Fleetingly, he wondered if he was drunk. He didn't remember drinking any, but the scenery around him begged to
differ.
    It was the same mound he had been by, earlier, but things were a little different. Beyond the immediate area he was in were
some big, bulky things. He wasn't sure what they were, only that he would later find out they were called cameras. A curious
man with even more curious clothes on was kneeling beside him. He had on strange blue pants with a big tunic. On the tunic, in
what little Conor could read, read "Roar" on it. Conor blinked and was amazed to see a picture of him on it. How much did
they know about the roar? Conor, very suspicious, brought his hand to his sword. Was this man a Roman spy?
    The man grinned, and offered a hand to pull him up. Conor allowed him to help, and got to his feet, much to his head's
annoyance. "You're out here early, Heath, rehearsal isn't for another hour." The man was obviously curious as to why, but
knew he wasn't to question the creativity of actors. Especially ones like Mr. Ledger.
    Conor was confused. He blinked, and stared at the man. "Heath? What's that? And what is...rehearsal?" the word tumbled
uneasily off his tongue. What foreign language did this man speak?
    The man started to laugh, but stopped himself. Occasionally, actors did that: pretending they were the role they played and
not their true selves. "Ah, I understand, He... sorry, Conor. But, we'd better get you off to Ms. Smith, she's in charge of your
make-up... I mean war paint... for today."
    Confused, Conor followed the curious man to a little building, where a woman with big hair was applying a powder to a
man's face. The man, he discovered, was very frightening. Sitting in the chair looked impossible to Conor, for the man had on
tight leather pants that seemed to be part of his skin. He wore a blue shirt that was slightly lighter than the color of the tattoo on
his arm. You could see the knotwork plainly, for he had no sleeves. A little braid hung down from the man's tousled blond
curls. The curls, he observed, hung dangerously close to his brown eyes. He had Conor's earring and torq, too. With a start, he
realized he was looking at himself. The man must have realized it, too, for he widened his eyes, and his jaw dropped slightly.
The woman putting on the powder turned around, and dropped the brush, crossing herself. "Is this some sort of joke? If it is,
I'm not laughing." the man said, and Conor tried to place the accent that seemed so familiar, yet he had never heard it before.
    Conor shook his head. "No, not a joke." The man couldn't really figure this out. "If this isn't a joke, then who are you?"
    Conor wasn't quite sure of himself when he answered, "Conor, son of Derek." he added silently, "At least that's what I
think."
    The man couldn't believe his ears, or his eyes, for that matter. "I'm Heath Ledger." he muttered, and then continued his
inquiry, "If you're really Conor, you would know this. Who do you love?"
    Conor furrowed his brows. Why did he ask this? "Who do I love?" he repeated lamely. A name repeated in his head, and he
verbalized it. "Claire. But she's dead."
    Heath nodded, trying to figure this out. "And what's your brother's name?"
    "Aidan. He's dead, too. Why are you asking me these questions?"
    Heath ignored him for a moment, and then looked back up at Conor, who he was sure was who he claimed to be. He wasn't
sure how, but he was facing his role! "Welcome to the twentieth century, Conor." he said softly, almost unsure of himself.
    "Where am I?" Conor asked.
    "Australia." Heath answered.
    "Australia?" Conor repeated, another strange word rolling out. "Where's that?" he felt so stupid, not to know.
    Heath paused before answering. "Far, far away from Eire." he told him, running his hand through his hair, messing the curls
up even more. He really was Conor! He didn't wait for another one of Conor's questions to say any thing else. "We're going to
have to call off the rehearsal for today." he said to no one in particular. The man Conor had followed in nodded, and scurried
off to tell this tale and the actor's request to the director of the episode. Heath stood up, and put a hand on Conor's arm,
guiding him out of the tiny building crammed with costumes and tubes of cosmetics to another, even smaller building. This one
was even messier, with booklets strewn everywhere, various items of clothing lining the floor.
    "Give me a sec while I change my clothes." he first pulled off the torq, and lightly tossed it to a chair. "I don't see how you
can stand wearing those pants." he told him, and Conor tried not to watch as Heath attempted to get out of them. What he did
see before exploding in laughter was highly amusing. As was the attempt to get them of with the boots on. After a fall back onto
a chair, he finally succeeded in getting the offending pants off, promptly pulling on a loose, baggy pair of blue pants. "These are
jeans." he told him, zipping them up. He flashed him quick grin, and added, "I like wearing them loose because those leather
pants are so damn tight!" his fingers quickly pulled the fake earring off, and in the same motion, his tunic. He put the earring
down on a table, and bent over to dig around in the clothes to find the shirt he was wearing that morning when he came in.
Conor was embarrassed to catch himself watching Heath's every move. He had been curious about this strange man that
looked so much like he did that when Heath bent down, he saw, peeking out of the top of his jeans, the top of a strange white
under garment. Heath stood back up, and pulled a shirt over his head.
    "This is a T-shirt." he told him, untying the braid in his hair. He sat back down, and put on something he called socks. And
then, shoes that he called Nikes.
    Heath motioned towards the door again, and led him out. There, from the rumors of the real Conor having magically
appeared, Conor saw Catlin, Fergus, Tully, and a man and a woman that Conor didn't know very well. One, the woman, was
Diana, Gar's wife. The other was a man, Longinus, that he had seen once- in a nightmare. At least that's what he thought he
saw. Heath grinned, and waved at them. "Meet Conor." he told them, laughing. Conor noticed that when he found something
funny, Heath's face was never serious and straight. He always had a grin on. Heath then pointed out people, going around the
little gathering there. "And Catlin's Vera. Fergus is John, Tully is Alonzo- you came today!- Diana is Lisa, and Longinus is
Sebastian."
    Alonzo grinned, "Yeah, I came today, Heath. They replace me with a double, you know, when I'm not here. So, this is the
real prince. Heath, I'd swear that he was actually your twin. Are you sure he's not, and you two are playing a joke on us?"
    Heath shook his head innocently. "I don't have a twin brother. Even if I did, he'd be back in Perth." he turned back to
Conor. "You see, Alonzo talks a whole lot more than Tully does."
    Alonzo laughed. "They didn't give me any lines, you know that, Heath. Well, you don't need to worry about being Conor
today, the director called off the shooting for today. He thinks that you're sick. But, he wants an explanation for it as soon as
you go in, bright and early tomorrow morning."
    Heath groaned. "I hate getting up early in the morning. Even if it is fun being Conor..."
    John laughed, and started walking. The group followed as well. Conor couldn't believe his eyes when he came face to face
with a giant hunk of metal that Conor explained was a bus that they rode the short distance between the set and the hotel in.
The hotel, however, proved to be a totally different story.

    Heath steered Conor past Sebastian and Vera, whom he knew would at any moment nearly start drooling over each other,
and get all romantic over each other. He knew that Conor wouldn't take very well to seeing it. So, he showed him the way to
the elevator, which Conor was as yet trying to figure out. Conor was going to push a button in curiosity to see what it would
do, but Heath stopped him. Grinning, he pushed a button which had a funny symbol on it. Conor had never seen it before, and
silently tried to figure out what it meant. Heath led him to the room on the end of the hall, and before sticking a stick thing with
notches in it that he called a key in the funny looking door knob, Heath stopped him. "My home while I'm being you on camera.
It's much better than the first one, since they started filming more episodes again." He made a gesture with his hand, and
unlocked the door. He swung it open, and Conor beheld a very strange sight.
    It looked like no one lived there. Everything was in order, all nice and tidy, without any personal touches to bring it to life. All
the curious things that Conor saw were in their places, at least, he figured they were. Heath walked around, pointing to things in
turn, "This is the tv, this is a phone, this is a CD player, this is a..." it was just so many words to Conor, who had been digesting
information ever since he woke up. He just wanted to sleep, it all was so tiring, yet so interesting! The next thing Heath did
made his head reel, and his head throb trying to make his brain work fast enough.
    He pushed a button, and the thing that he had identified as a CD player came on, a little light shining on the face. He opened
a door, and put a little shiny orange disc, pushing a button twice, then pushing another button. "It's going to play track two, the
song is called 'I Want You' and the group that performs it is Savage Garden." there's a big grin on his face. Suddenly, the room
is filled with deafening music. The lyrics that the singer is supposed to be singing just sound like a big blur to Conor, who is
almost at the point of holding his ears.
    "That was a song?" is all he can say, first, then he stumbles out, "What in the world did they say? That was way too fast!"
    Heath looks at his face, and laughs. There is an expression of total confusion on his face. "It's really quite simple, actually,
once you hear it like a million times like I have. They are saying, 'Any time I need to see your face, I just close my eyes and I
am taken to a place where your crystal mind and magenta feelings take up shelter in the base of my spine, sweet like a
chic-a-cherry cola.' "
    This perplexes the blond prince to no end. "Chic-a-cherry cola?"
    Heath tries to keep from laughing, but can't. "I'll tell you about it, later. Right now, all I want to do is wash this make-up off.
And all these stupid fake tattoos. They drive me up a wall!" he walks over to the door by the room he called a bathroom. "I'll
be out, later, make yourself at home."
    Conor sighs, and sinks into the couch. Everything is so new to him, he can hardly contain his wonder. But, his head, still
throbbing, demanded some rest. He remembered all the details of meeting Heath, riding on the bus, and the music. Maybe if he
just laid his head back for a minute...
    Heath woke him up shortly after. At first, when he looked up at his 'twin' who's curls were dripping wet, he forgot that he
had met Heath, and was getting a little freaked out. Then, he remembered, and was relieved that he wasn't going crazy. Or was
he? "The shower's all yours. To turn on the water, pull the knob out, and to make it warmer, turn it to the left, and cooler to the
right. There's another towel in there for you, and in the bedroom, I've got some clothes laid out for you on the bed." Heath told
him.
    Conor nodded, and walked into the bathroom, which was a very cramped space. After marveling over the sink, toilet, and
mirror, Conor examined the shower stall. After removing all his clothing, which still proved challenging, all though he was better
at it then Heath had proved to be, he stepped into the shower, and turned on the shower. It would be just like bathing under the
waterfall at home. He reached for the soap, and much to his surprise, instead of the normal coarse stuff he was used to, his
hand met a smoother bar, which to his surprise, smelled pleasantly of lavender.
    He got out shortly after, feeling cleaner than he had in years. In the bedroom, as promised, were the clothes that Heath had
out for him. He put them on- a plain blue T-shirt, and those jeans Heath was so fond of- and felt truly weird. It was strange,
wearing the loose pants. That, and wearing the odd undergarments that he had seen peeking out of Heath's jeans when he
dressed. These new people were certainly odd. Conor rejoined Heath in the room where the strange music had played. Heath
was drinking something in an odd bottle, one with a long neck.
    "I promised you chic-a-cherry cola." he told him, and handed him a bottle.
    Conor thanked him, and took a little sip of the stuff. It burned his nose, but tasted good. The liquid was bubbly, and sweet.
"Is it called chic-a-cherry cola?" Conor asked him.
    Heath grinned, and shook his head. "Nope. It's called cherry Pepsi. I had room service bring some up." he chuckled, then
continued. "I invited my...uh...lady friend to come over. I want her to meet you, and maybe if you tell her what happened, she
might could figure out what got you here. And maybe what will get you back home. That is, if you want to go home..." he didn't
finish, and Conor shrugged.
    "I am kind of homesick." he admitted.
    There was a knock at the door. "That's probably her, now." Heath said, another one of his big grins on his face.
    Heath stood up, and walked over to the door. He swung it open for Conor to see three very attractive women. One was
blond, with long curly hair and green eyes, one was a red head, with blue eyes, and the other was a brunette, having brown
eyes. Conor wondered which one was the girlfriend. Surely he didn't have more than one?
    Heath showed them in, and grinned at the brunette. "This is Katherine," he said, taking her hand. "And her friends are Jenny
and Shea." he nodded to the blonde then the red head. "Katherine's my girlfriend and Jenny and Shea are writers for some of
the episodes. They started out as something called Fanfiction authors, but then they were told to turn some of their fanfics into
episodes. Almost all of the people that wrote fanfics got them turned into episodes. Right now, we're shooting Jenny's episode
that is a dream. Any ways, they came along with Kat because..." he turned to Katherine for an explanation.
    "They're better at explaining things than I am. From what I heard that you explained, this sounds like something that
happened in one of the books that Jenny tried to explain to me one day, but I just ignored her, taking in some of it. Sorry,
Jenny, but I thought it was boring. I don't really like hearing about the latest Celtic books that you read..."
    Jenny sighed, and cut her off. "We were roommates for a while, for this school that we went to. And of course the only thing
that she liked hearing about was something that involved her." she shook her head, rolling her eyes. "I'm not sure how we stand
each other."
    Katherine laughed, "Yeah, we are almost like, best friends."
    Shea shook her head, and giggled. "You two, best friends? That's one of the funniest things that I've ever heard of, Katie.
Very, very funny."
    Katie glared at her. "I guess that I brought Shea because she's another fan of that Celtic stuff..."
    Leaning over to Shea's ear, Jenny whispered to her, "I really don't see how Heath puts up with Katherine. Nor do I see why
we put up with her. She's just a little...some times..."
    Conor couldn't believe what he was seeing. These people were so different from what he was used to! They were so...
straight forward. They talked a lot, too. He couldn't say any thing, just sit there and stare.
    Heath noticed Conor, again, and sat down, Katherine following him, like she was watching his every move, and was
attached at his hip. From how close she sat by him, Conor guessed that she just might be! Shea and Jenny eventually sat down,
too, across from Conor, Heath, and Katherine. "So, Conor, can you tell them what happened?" Heath asked him, trying to
keep the three women from bickering. Conor glanced at Jenny, and followed her gaze to Heath. He would direct most every
thing to her, she looked and sounded like she knew something about it.
    "Well, it all started yesterday. I was walking through the forest, not really doing any thing, when I walked by this mound. I
guess I must've walked around it three times or something, I wasn't really paying any attention." he paused for a moment, trying
to remember what happened next.
    Jenny, who was listening, much to Conor's surprise (since her stare at Heath never really faltered), pounced on the
opportunity, asking him a question. "What time of day was it, just wondering?"
    Conor sighed, and rolled his eyes to the top of his head, trying to remember. "About sunset." he told her.
    "Really?!" she seemed excited about it. "The time between times..." she mused, smiling.
    Shea looked confused, and turned to Jenny. "The time between times? What's that?" she asked her.
    Jenny wasn't really paying attention to Shea, however, and almost visibly flinched when Katherine and Heath, who had been
engaged in a staring contest (that's the only thing that Conor could think of to call it), kissed. She shook her head, blinked, and
turned to Shea. "What did you just say? Sorry, my mind's wandering." her gaze wandered back to the couple.
    "I asked what the time between times was." she told her, turning Jenny's head. "Don't watch them." she told her quietly,
though loud enough for both Conor and Jenny to hear.
    "Oh, the time between times is this time when..." she trailed off, trying to think of an explanation. "Well... it's when the gates
of the Otherworld and our world are weakest. Normally, when you open these gates, like you did, Conor, by walking around it
three times, you go to the Otherworld. Obviously, something prevented you from going to the Otherworld, and brought you
here, instead. This is curious, if it brought you to this present time, that means that it would've left you in Eire, but instead it
brought you here." Jenny explained, a thoughtful expression on her face.
    "Why are there gates between the Otherworld and our world, Jenny?" Shea asked her, and Conor tried to figure out what
she was saying. He remembered the Druids telling him something about the Otherworld, he just couldn't remember what it was.
    "You see, our world and the Otherworld are connected. Without the Otherworld being connected, there would be no beauty
in our world, according to the Celtic people. This is a good example of proving what they say isn't just myth, but truth. Maybe
Conor did go to the Otherworld, and the faerie folk there wanted to play a joke on Conor and they sent him here instead of his
home. You did wake up at around sunrise, didn't you?" she directed this question at Conor, who nodded. Jenny grinned, and
turned to Shea, "Do you know what this means?"
    Katherine groaned from where she sat beside Heath. "This means that Jenny has found herself another topic of obsession,
and she's going to drag us all into it. I swear, sometimes..."
    Jenny ignored her, and directed her attention at Conor. "Have you met one of the faerie before?" she asked him, a serious
expression on her face. Katherine burst out in laughter, but Heath, Shea, and Conor remained silent.
    "Well..." he hesitated, trying to clear his muddled brain for a moment so that he could think to answer her question properly.
    "It's all right, I won't think you're crazy. I have." she admitted, grinning from ear to ear. "It was an awesome experience."
    With that said, Conor figured that if he was going to be called crazy, he'd be called crazy with this strange blonde. "I have."
he said softly. "It was around the Christian holiday called Christmas. First, some people came from the mound and attacked
me, taking my pants, then a woman called Gwen came to me..." he trailed off, not sure of himself. It had seemed like a dream,
but maybe it had happened...
    Jenny started giggling, and Conor turned bright red. She put a hand on his hand, and assured him, "It's not what you said that
was funny, it's just that on the Internet, there's this mailing list, and something similar happened. My name on there is Gwen."
    Heath started laughing, "So you're Gwen. I was wondering..." he looked at Shea, "And you're ConorSoul, if my memory
serves me right."
    Shea nodded, a grin on her face. "We were the crazy Roariors, two of the craziest there."
    Katherine made a show of looking at the clock on the wall. "Shouldn't you two be getting home? Aren't you going to be late
for something?"
    Jenny sighed. "I have that deadline for that script due tomorrow, I should get to writing it."
    Shea nodded, "And I've got one due this afternoon." she grinned, and winked at Jenny. "It'll get done, though. I wish it could
write itself."
    "One of the marvelous things that has yet to be invented. Why, if things could write themselves, I'd rank it up there with the
lavender soap." Jenny said, almost laughing so hard she couldn't stand up. Conor watched them leave, and didn't realize that
Katherine and Heath were watching him until he was through staring at the door. He blushed again when he noticed that they
noticed where his stare was directed.
    Heath grinned at Conor, "You still want to go back home?" he shook his head, wondering silently if Conor had learned any
thing, besides committing the faces of both women in his mind to a perfection.
    He shrugged, and turned a red face back to Katherine and Heath. "I am kind of lonely for home." he didn't know... Claire
wasn't at home... and neither were Jenny or Shea!
    Katherine snuggled closer to Heath, and her hand strayed to his curls, damp though they were. "Well, I guess it's just as
well... now there's two of you to love." she whispered to Heath, who was getting thoroughly distracted.
    He looked at her, wondering to himself why he had begun to see her in the first place. He had learned long ago that she only
wanted one thing from him, and couldn't stand any of his jokes, which made Shea and Jenny both laugh like there was no
tomorrow. He could turn up the charm and she didn't really get effected, it was only when he cuddled with her, or got
otherwise intimate.
    Sighing, he stood up, unlatching her fingers from various parts of his body. "Don't call me, I'll be busy... I'll call you." he told
her, moving his face away when she leaned for a good bye kiss. She left, a pouty expression on her face. Heath ran fingers
through even more mussed curls, his face looking distant and angered at the same time.
    "I need something to drink." he reached for the Cherry Pepsi, and began to drink it again, leaning back on the couch,
slumping down comfortably.
    Conor wondered why he let such a pretty woman get away, but then remembered the two other beauties that had graced
them with their presence before that had shown more knowledge and spirit.
    "Are you okay, Heath?" he asked, looking at his face which was currently blank and unregistering to his comment. He took
another swig from the soda, and looked over at Conor.
    "I'm fine. Jus' dandy." he was talking with a heavy accent now, one like Conor hadn't really ever heard, save that day. It was
so familiar... yet why couldn't he place it? The other man kicked his feet up on to the coffee table, flexing bare toes.
    Conor started twisting the clan ring on his finger around, and noticed in the corner of his eyes that Heath was doing the same
thing, an absent-minded gesture he had picked up while filming the second season.
    "Y'know something?" he asked, turning to Conor.
    Conor shrugged, "Wha'?"
    He grinned slowly. "I think playing Conor was the best role I've had before. I've been opposite some beautiful and talented
people in my life, but this cast just suits me." he sighed, content. "I'm incredibly glad that they picked Roar up after that year..."
    Conor wondered aloud, "What other things have you done?"
    Heath grinned at him, and walked over to the cabinet under the tv. He showed Conor how to use it, and walked off to the
bedroom, to "sleep off the thinking."
    Conor watched everything from the first school play down to the first episode of Roar, seeing where Heath was at his best.
His element was definitely on film, and he looked downright at home. The first episode, as he watched it, made him teary to
remember what he had just left behind. Heath came in when he started watching the movie titled, "Ten Things I Hate About
You." He curled up on the couch, and told him, "They're releasing that one soon. It's pretty new. The releasing party is this
Friday... that's about four days from now." he grinned at Conor. "Do you want to come, that is... if you're still here?"
    Conor realized he wanted to have his nonrelated twin there with him. He nodded.
    "Hey, could be fun." he grinned again. "What'd you think about Jenny?"
    "She's... beautiful... in her own way. She's really smart, too."
    "She's also an innocent that is wasting herself pining away on a guy that died..." he shrugged, "She likes to help make a
racket with me after midnight, though. We do it just to annoy the director who likes us too much to fire us." he laughed, "She
brings over her guitar, and I dig a set of drums out, just bang around on them."
    Conor grinned, trying to imagine him on drums. For some reason, it wasn't that hard.
    "Well, I guess it's time to just get ready to get some grub, then hang around 'til midnight. I'll find us some socks, and we'll put
on those shoes in the corner." he went off, and they went to go find where the crew was eating that night.
    Heath led him down to the lobby, and read the note on the glass doors aloud. "Gone for pizza- Roar Cast come at will." he
grinned, and told Conor, "Looks like your first food here will be pizza!"
    Conor furrowed a brow at Heath. "Pizza?"
    Heath grinned, and led him down the street, "Yeah. Pizza. I'll explain at the pizza parlor."
    They walked in, hailed by the cast already gathered there. Jenny and Shea beckoned them to their table, and Shea explained
the concept of pizza. "You see, Conor, pizza is this layer of bread on the bottom covered by this sauce made out of a vegetable
called a tomato and topped with this stuff called cheese and other vegetables, meats, and fruits."
    The waiter brought their pizza, and two cups for Heath and Conor. They already had a pineapple pizza. Heath would have
thought this strange, but remembered their strange tastes and let it be. He would try this pineapple pizza again, he had tried it
once before but had to leave prematurely, as Katherine hadn't wanted pizza for supper.
    Conor tasted it, along with some more of the strange bubbly soda, this time called "Coke". He fell in love instantly with this
cuisine of Heath's. They ate and joked together, until two pizzas were gone. Heath looked up at the clock behind Jenny's head,
and said, "Ack, it's already eight forty! And here I was, wanting to show Conor the video games."
    Jenny laughed to herself. "Goodie. Heath and video games. That's something we all have to see..." she groaned, and Shea
laughed. They would tease Heath more, but Conor didn't seem to like any one teasing Heath.
    "Video games?" Conor asked, convinced that there was no end to this learning process! Something new would be around
every corner!
    Heath's grin broadened. "Yeah. Video games. I'll explain it to you later." he hugged the girls, and then explained, "See ya gals
later, I have a show to catch." he laughed, and explained even further, "You see, they're showing the season premier of Roar
tonight... and well... I don't want to miss it, since they're supposed to show all the stupid commercials we all had to do during
it..." He chuckled, "And this is your episode tonight, Jen-Jen. Your Claire obsession fanfic inspired it..." he laughed. "*That*
was fun to film."
    Jenny grinned back, she had been in as Claire's "long-lost sister" in that episode. She sighed, and remembered how close
Conor and her character Gwen would have become if it hadn't just been a fake... She closed her eyes, remembering a kiss they
had to film. "Heath, until tonight?" she asked, his answer was a grin before he and Conor left.
    "I kinda don't want Conor to go back to Eire where he belongs... it's so much funner having him here, y'know?"
    Shea shared that opinion.

    Yet another marvel confronted Conor- his eyes, taste buds, and nose would never forget this smell. Microwave popcorn.
His mouth watered with the smell, even though he had never eaten it before. "Smells good!" he called enthusiastically to Heath,
who was getting the bag out of the tiny microwave oven.
    "Good." he sat down beside Conor, and turned on the television to the right channel. They watched the first episode of the
second season, which Conor was amazed at. It was so realistic... he couldn't believe how much it looked like the real
Sanctuary! He was entranced the whole time, watching Jenny's character the most. She was dazzling, and Conor couldn't keep
his eyes off her. She just seemed to be so at home with the characters... he was mesmerized.

    The hours passed quickly by to midnight, when Jenny and Shea came by, dragging musical instruments and thick volumes
with them. "What in the world is all that paperwork for?" Heath asked, helping them find a place to put things.
    "Well, we found a way to get Conor back home."
    Heath stared at Jenny, unbelieving. Conor dropped the bag of popcorn in his hands, blinking. He wasn't ready to go back!
Of all the odd things he had experienced so far, he rather liked it here! "You what?"
    Jenny smiled, flipping quickly through the sheaf of paper. "I... we... Shea and I... found a way to get Conor back home. It's
risky and I doubt it will work, but..." she trailed off, looking at Conor. His face was solemn, he didn't know exactly what face
he wanted on. It bordered between sorrow and amazement. "Do you even want to go back, Conor?" her voice was soft.
    Conor shrugged, not knowing what exactly to say. So instead of saying anything, he looked down awkwardly, twisting the
ring on his clan finger again. His voice eventually came back to him and he knew what to say. "I don't honestly know... I
suppose I don't belong here..."
    Shea was frowning softly, and swung down the guitar hanging from a shoulder strap. "It's not like it could happen any time
soon." her voice was picking up its old lilt, Irish by name. Heath and Jenny could tell that she was getting upset.
    Heath took the time to cross over to Jenny, taking the papers from her. "You do realize that more than half of this is written
in another language, right?" he paused to look at the script, written delicately in Jenny's flowing handwriting.
    She nodded at him, pointing to a long poem in particular. "I did research and a good deal of it is Irish Gaelic. Shea can read
it, at least. I can pick out bits and pieces of it..." Jenny couldn't help but look at Conor's face. "Are you alright, Conor?"
    Conor nodded vaguely, taking his seat on the couch back.
    Heath was still anxious as to what they had found out. "Well, what all has to happen?"
    Shea took over for Jenny, who was getting a little misty eyed. "Y'see, we have to wait for the next time that the barriers of
the Gates will be weak. And that's not til October, early November. Samhain."
    He nodded, and understood that much at least.
    Conor meanwhile was thinking all this over. "Samhain..." it just reminded him of the dead. It was like rubbing salt in a fresh
wound. Only very recently had his clan and love been murdered. Quickly, feeling the bite of a tear in his eye, Conor hid his face
in his hands. He could not let his 'brother' Heath and these two women see him cry.
    Jenny proceeded to give him a hug, which he shrugged off, drawing his knees to his chest. She let him be, knowing that
nothing right now could draw him from his grief.
    Shea continued. "We're going to have to go back to the mound and have Conor repeat what was done. We're going to have
to ask the Fae that were in charge of sending him here if he can be returned to where he belongs. I'm not sure it will work. But,
we're just going to have to find that out as we go along." her voice trailed off into a nothingness. Both she and Heath had eyes
on Conor, whom they were not sure of. Was he crying because he didn't want to leave or was it something else?
    "At least he's here for a while longer, so that we can show him around, bring him to the premiere of Ten Things..." Heath's
voice was rough with emotion that he wasn't sure of how to express.
    Conor looked up, his face tear stained. "When is the premiere?" he asked. Like Heath, his voice had become rough. It was
beginning to get uncanny as to how close their habits were.
    Heath shrugged, and sighed. "Friday. That's only two days away, counting tomorrow." he picked up the guitar that Shea had
left on the floor, strumming it idly, distracted. "And then, Samhain is a whole six months away."
    Conor nodded slowly, not letting the pain of not being able to go back home for six months hit him that hard. After all, he
was somewhere where the people were friendly and nice, and wonderful... yet it wasn't home. Home is where your heart
always is... Jenny tucked her knees under her chin and then stared up at Heath. She brightened slightly, and tried smiling. "Are
we going to make a racket or what? I sure think it's time!"
    He grinned at her, handing her the guitar. "It's an odd activity, but hell, it gets your mind off your troubles!"
    Shea laughed. "And what troubles do you have, curly?"
    Heath mock-hit Shea in her arm. "You." a tongue was stuck promptly out at him, which he laughed at.
    The rest of the night dwindled down slowly, and soon the rosy glow of the sun would break. During the course of the night,
Conor had fallen asleep curled up on the couch, Jenny at his feet. A lock of red hair was falling in Shea's face, where she
leaned down over a pad of paper, Heath leaning close to look at what she was writing. An alarm on her watch went off and she
checked the time. "Drat it, Heath, you realize what time it is?"
    Heath yawned, not really caring. "What time?"
    Shea showed him her watch, pointing at the face. "It's about a half an hour til you have to be at the set!"
    He jerked up with a start. Just as he jumped up, the phone rang. Grabbing it, he walked to the other side of the couch. "
'Ello?" he was silent. "Oh, hullo, Sara...you what?!"
    Shea looked up in alarm. Jenny, unused to that tone coming from Heath, jerked up. Conor was still dozing. Heath frowned
into the phone, shaking his head. He listened for just a while longer before saying something again. His face had relaxed. "Of
course, of course." a little chuckle. "Can you come up with an outfit that Conor would wear to the premiere while you're getting
the usual attire prepared?... No, I'm still going in whatever you have for me. I just... no, it's a surprise." he grinned. "Can't a guy
have a surprise? Alright, you just get that done by the time we get to LA to... wait a sec, we're supposed to leave here
tonight?... joy. See you later then. Just make sure you find something for Shea and Jen... and Conor... Yeah, you'll find out
later... Later, then."
    He hung up the phone and turned to weary companions. Groaning, he asked them "Why didn't you remind me we had to be
in LA?"
    Shea smacked her head, and Jenny groaned. "Does Paul know?" she was referring to the director.
    "Of course. That is, if my agent has told him." he ran a hand through his hair. "Guess what? Something called a ten minute
shower." he walked off towards the shower. "Get Conor changed. He's more adapted to no-shower than me." as an
afterthought, "If you two want breakfast, I'm sure you could find something. Or of course, there's room service. And if you
want to go home, that's great and well too. I might have something you both could wear if you dig hard enough. After all, what
are sisters visiting you for?" he laughed "Besides making you sleep on the couch?"
    He disappeared into the bathroom.
    Jenny nudged Conor, who opened sleepy eyes. "Morning, Prince."
    Conor yawned, and smiled at Jenny. "Good morning. What are we doing today?" he looked up as Shea walked off, towards
the bedroom. She would see what clothing they were going to be dealing with for the day.
    "We're going to go to a rehearsal for Roar and then we're going to have to fly to another country." she explained.
    This alarmed Conor. "FLY?" he was incredulous.
    Giggling, Jenny explained the concept of airplanes. "There's plenty you need to forget when you get back to Eire. Might
change history irrevocably."
    Another big word for the unlearned Prince to learn.

    They went to the Roar set, where an angry director was waiting.

    Paul, their director, had the biggest frown on his face that Conor had ever seen. "What are you doing late?" he asked the
troubled Prince.
    Conor remained silent and Heath, coming up behind him, filled in, running a hand through damp curls. "You see... ah..."
    This caught Paul's attention. He stared from one familiar face to the other. "Heath, I thought you said you didn't have a
brother?" his first statement was blurted out, unplanned.
    "No, I don't. I have sisters, but no, no brothers."
    "Then... what... who..." he stopped trying altogether and threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "What's going on here?" he
demanded.
    "Nothing, Paulie, nothing. We just got a visitor from ah... overseas." Jenny and Shea giggled beside Heath, and Conor smiled
at his friend's clever thinking. "He's a close friend of ours that we wanted to show around the set. He's not going to be here that
long, but long enough to get acquainted."
    Paul shrugged, and asked "Well, what's his name?" he was not quite your best people-person director.
    "Conor." Derek's son spoke up, grinning when the director looked puzzled and bewildered.
    "Well I'll be a monkey's uncle..." he walked off, musing. At the last moment, he turned around. "Get dressed, you still have
work to do. We'll be working late to get by with the schedule."
    Shea took the initiative to speak up for Heath, who was too busy suppressing a laugh to be of much use. "We must fly to LA
tonight, for the Ten Things premiere."
    Paul's surprised look revealed that Heath's agent had not in fact told him about the premiere. No, not at all. "Are we missing
two days of work?!" he was getting a little angry with curly.
    A nod was produced out of all four assembled.
    The monkey was beginning to have a large family.

    Much ado was placed on cleaning out the various trailers and buildings on the set, as well as touch-ups on the set itself. Shea
and Jenny were kept busy in the staff lounge, scratching out additions to the set that the director and assistant writers were
suggesting. The junk pile known as Heath's trailer got cleaned, the laundry basket filling up in the corner. A remark was made,
about how at long last, Heath had found his favorite sweater again!

    That was their entire duties for the day and by noon, they were back to their homes, packing for the weekend endeavor. The
suitcase was usually light as Ledger preferred to pack light, but there was Conor to be included. "You know, if I could get
away with looking like a bum, I'd go to LA with just the shirt on my back and a few bucks in my pocket."
    Conor smiled and picked a looser fit shirt to wear the next day. "How different is this going to be? Jenny warned that the city
is big..."
    Heath shook his head apprehensively. "It's huge. Believe me... You don't want to get lost there. Takes weeks to find your
way back to the nearest 'get your star maps here' stands." he laughed.
    Conor didn't want to inquire as to why the heavens were of such a topic of interest among these people.
    As soon as they were finished, they toted the suitcase down to the lobby where Jenny drove the tiny borrowed car that
would carry them to the airport. Conor's ears again were graced with the dizzying melodies that they all seemed to prefer, this
time by the group name of 'Third Eye Blind', a favorite of the quirky blonde. Conor got to hear about that something else that
the man wanted to get him through his semi-charmed kind of life. And was confused, but was reminded almost of Tully.
Home...
    And as they rounded the bend, a huge metal bird met his view. It had fire coming out its rear and people were streaming into
a small mouth on the side. It scared him. What were they having him do?

    "What in the world is that?" Conor's mouth dropped open softly, tilting his head to the side in wonder. His eyes bulged to
enormous proportions, more new sensations crowding his senses.
    "What in the world is that?" Conor's mouth dropped open softly, tilting his head to the side in wonder. His eyes bulged to
enormous proportions, more new sensations crowding his senses.
    As Jenny was driving, Heath turned around to answer for her from the passenger side. "That's an airplane, Conor." he
chuckled and a little half-grin was left over on his face. Shea giggled and gestured to the massive thing. She offered her own
commentary on the modern wonder.
    "See, it's mechanical. Just like the bus we drove in and this car. Only it's a little... bigger."
    Bigger was an understatement. That was supposed to fly? "Are you so sure about that?" As a young child, Conor had
watched everything around him. And he had tried to flap his arms just like the birds. This brought him no success at flying. So,
he deducted that human species, especially those with thick heads like his (so Fergus had said), could not fly.
    "Yep, we're going to fly in that. To the United States." Jenny smiled wistfully. Home was nearing. They had been in Australia
for quite some time with the production of Roar. Australia was a wonderful place to be, but so was home.
    "United... kind of like the Confederation?" the Prince too was growing homesick. That familiar tug at his stomach aided the
discomfort he now felt in the form of fear. There was already a huge knot in his gut that warned him against this new feat.
Flying... what would that be like? Definitely another one of those amazing things that he had experienced. Perhaps it would rank
up there with Savage Garden, "chic-a-cherry cola" and microwave popcorn!
    Jenny chuckled, and nodded. She then parked their car into a parking space, easing between two luxury vehicles. Conor
only then noticed that Shea and Heath both had been holding their breath. The swoosh of air leaving lungs greeted his Irish ears.
"What?!" she exclaimed, pocketing the keys.
    Shea giggled and Heath just grinned, turning away. "You parked." he mumbled.
    Outraged, Jenny turned to the Australian. "Hey! I can park good! Leave me alone!"
    "Yeah, today." Shea managed to say between giggles. Heath offered his comment as well "At least the car is okay this
time..."
    "But it was only covered in mud! How was I to know that the embankment was that close?"
    Both giggled again. Conor felt left out. They all went to the airport, acquiring tickets.

    Once seated, Conor turned to Jenny, with whom he was sharing the window seat. He peered out of the window, gulping
down a wave of nausea and fear. "Jenny, am I gonna die?" he asked her, looking at her seriously. She kept from laughing, he
could tell, and offered him a reassuring smile.
    "Conor, we love you too much to risk you dying." she promised him, taking his hand. He smiled and squeezed her hand
back. Yes, in the day he had known the three, he loved them as his friends, his family. He would miss them when he actually
got back to Eire. If indeed he did... he was beginning to not want to leave. Her eyes were green, he noticed, the same bright
green he had remembered from the fae that had visited him. She was alive, he noticed. She radiated life, radiated an innocence
that he recognized. "Jen... can I ask you a question?" he asked her softly.
    She nodded. "What is it, Conor?"
    He paused before asking her, sensing a delicate subject. "Heath told me about you having loved a man... then he died..."
    The blonde looked down, playing with the lower hem of her shirt. It was an old shirt, too big. It was soft though. Heath's
sister did love soft clothing. It was a good thing she left it at his apartment. Otherwise she and Shea would have been screwed.
"Yeah... Conor... his name was Keith. I loved him well... He... killed himself."
    Conor squeezed her hand again, trying to look into her eyes. She looked so uncomfortable talking about it, but he felt that
they must. "Much like Claire."
    She shook her head, her curls spilling out of their loose bun and onto her shoulders. "No, he didn't save me from anything...
in fact, that's why he killed himself... he didn't save me..." she let it go, looking at him, swallowing.
    He smiled awkwardly at her "I won't talk about it right now if you don't want." his voice was soft, concerned. She smiled,
and settled back into her seat.
    Then, without warning, the plane took off.
    Conor gripped the armrests of his chair, moaning softly as the force pressed against him. They climbed higher and higher in
the sky, making Conor's poor stomach weaker and weaker. They were flying, alright! He reached for the bag that Jenny had
laughingly called the "barf bag" and lost what he had eaten for lunch.
    After a while, Jenny knelt beside him, stroking his forehead. "You okay, Conor?"
    He nodded weakly, dizzied. "Fine. Just... fi..." he stopped abruptly as he lurched down into the thick cushions of the airplane
seat, dizzied beyond belief. She sat down, tugging him up. "C'mon, rest up here with me."
    Conor nodded and hesitantly laid his head on her lap, lying down. He closed his eyes and let the warmth of her body lull him.
She reminded him of the comfort of his mother... He slept...
    And Jenny just looked down at him at first, surprised. She was going to offer a shoulder but this was... nice... They were on
their way and she was very happy with the way things were progressing. But, he would leave some day, and leave her alone.
Leave her just the way Keith had. That's how he had failed. A tear welled up on her cheek and she brushed it away, not
wanting it to drop on Conor. The hand then found its place on Conor's head. He looked so vulnerable...
    So unlike Keith. The strong and protective Keith. They both shared the curly blond hair but that was where their similarities
ended. She was pleasantly surprised with how warm and receptive Conor was to her.
    The next few days would prove to be interesting.

    "Can you believe this, Jen? After all this time, we're staying in a five star hotel with Heath Ledger!" Shea was practically
falling over with excitement, giggling and confiding to her best friend in their hotel. Conor and Heath were in the next room,
placing their own luggage away safely.
    Jenny just shrugged, still immersed in contemplation.
    "And there are polka dots on the ceiling. And kangaroos hopping around outside the window."
    "That's nice." the blonde was staring off into space as was characteristic to her, resting her chin in her hand.
    "You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?" Shea sighed, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Lovie, what
happened? Heath and I are having a lovely time and here you and Conor are, moping around! That won't do at all!" her voice
was rich with concern and she nearly scolded Jenny like a mother.
    Sighing once more, she looked at her friend, turning around on her bed. "I miss Keith."
    A red eyebrow was arched perfectly and a confused frown appeared on her face. "What in the world does Keith have to do
with anything?"
    Jenny kicked the fringe on the bedspread on Shea's bed, trying to distract herself. She explained patiently to Shea, "Keith
and Conor are so much alike, yet at the same time, they aren't..."
    Shea interrupted. "I know where this is headed. Leave it alone. Conor's not Keith." she said bluntly, ignoring the feelings of
the confused writer.
    This sparked fire in her green eyes. "I know it! Conor is very much his own person. It's just that I think perhaps..." she trailed
off, not wanting to finish, unsure. "...perhaps I feel..."
    She never got to finish. There was a knocking at the door, gentle and unsure. Shea huffed angrily, upset at the interruption.
"What do you want?" she demanded as she swung the door open.
    Conor turned away meekly. "I can go away if you want me to..." he was not himself and it was showing, horridly.
    Shea nearly pulled him inside, mumbling a few apologies. "Look, I'm sorry, Conor... Jen's upset. I just want to make sure
she'll be alright."
    The prince looked over at Jenny's face, tearing up inside when he saw the unguarded look of sorrow on her face. Had he
caused this? Then he would definitely set it right! He scurried to her side, sitting down beside her. Shea took a hint, leaving the
room. They mused in silence.
    Jenny broke it. "Do you miss Claire?" she asked softly, looking in his face.
    He nodded, his voice rough. "Aye... I used to. I think I've found something else to miss in her place, though..." he touched
her cheek, letting it linger there.
    She felt stupid, looking away. "You miss home. I wish I could give you a way home before Samhain..."
    He bent her head back to where he could look into her eyes. Brown met green. "Jenny... I would miss you, were I to leave.
I miss you in Claire's place."
    Jenny was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say. Words tumbled over her lips, "I...I would miss you, too... I feel...
I... don't know anymore..."
    He smiled at her, dimples brightening her mood a little more. "I understand. I don't know either. But it's nice to know that
you don't know with me."
    She blushed, for the first time in quite a long time, and laced her fingers through his.
 
    They weren't to have a limo. They would, however, arrive in style. Sara had done her best to create ensembles for Conor,
Shea and Jenny at the last minute. The result was fabulous. Shea let long red curls tumble down her shoulders, draping her
sleeveless navy gown. It was silky and free with knotwork stitching on the hems, just barely noticeable. Jenny would put most
of her own blond curls up decoratively, showing off the embroidered top. Celtic knotwork was definitely the theme of the night,
hemmed in silver and light green on her lavender gown. It had an empire waist and flowed down in many skirts, swishing as she
moved. Heath would go in a dashing tux as was customary but Conor, his twin, would go in with leather pants and a blue silk
shirt. They did as ordered and let Heath's hair spike and Conor's be naturally curly.
    Photographers had their flash ready to document everyone's crossing of the red carpet. Julia and Larisa had already walked
across accompanied by Andrew; they wouldn't see this enterance. They met the crowd with enthusiam, listening to the bubbling
of the people. As they reached the photographers, there was a hush throughout the crowd. Everyone started clicking as they
walked by. "Are they twins?" said one. "What is this?" another exclaimed in awe.
    Heath paused to answer one reporter's question about it. "His name is Conor." from now on, the man walking the blonde in
on his arm would be referred to as Conor, not the mystery man.
    Julia was waiting on Heath by the doorway inside. She pounced on the opportunity. "Heath! You look wonderful! Who's
this?" she had confronted Conor. Heath flashed her his grin.
    "That's Conor."
    "You never told me you had a twin."
    "He's a ah... cousin. Mother's side."
    She nodded. "I see." she nudged Jenny knowingly. "I'm jealous." it was barely audible to the rest. Heath laughed and Conor
blushed, even the tips of his ears turning red.
    There was another voice from behind. "Darling, you're here!"
    Heath ducked his head at the sound. "Lisa... why did she come here? She
wasn't invited!" he half-mumbled.
     Conor was, as always, confused. "Lisa? Who is that?"
     The other blonde was quick to grab his arm. "Don't turn around."
     "Wha?"
     "Just don't. She'll look exactly like Diana and you won't like it." he
explained, sighing. "And besides, if you turn around, she'll think you're me
and come join us."
     Shea laughed heartily but was not in the mood for the older woman to
start babbling. "You shouldn't have slept with her."
     His ears turned a bright red color and the blush was creeping down his
ears and to his fair face. "I did *not* sleep with her."
     The redhead's impish grin widened. "No, you fucked her then slept on
the couch, right?"
     Heath looked at the ground. "I don't know what you're talking about."
     Jenny poked his ribs. "For an actor you sure are a shotty liar."
     Conor was still wondering about his tendency to go float off to others
and be so casual. He was still relatively shy around the ladies! They walked
in to the theater, sitting along in the back row.

     After the movie, they all erupted with giggles. "Sing for me, Heathy!"
Shea teased him, egging him on. She mimicked Heath, dancing about the
theater. He grabbed her, pulling her closer.
     "Don't say stuff like that, you're embarrassing." he was grinning as he
said it.
     Conor joined in the fun. "You're too good to be true..." he crooned,
making a perfect imitation of his twin. His cheeky grin decorated his face
and he pulled Jenny to him, dancing. Her eyes lit up and she joined in the
fun, acting quite the fool. She looked into his eyes and grinned at him,
having the most fun she had let herself have since Keith's death. He
continued to look back in her eyes. Their dancing gradually slowed down and
took a more relaxed pace. The young prince tilted his head to the side,
lowering his face...
     ...And Heath interrupted them. "Alright you two. This is a public
institution. There's reporters everywhere. No offense Jen, love, but I can't
possibly start the rumors that I'm with you. Just would cause too much
trouble and you seem to be quite taken..."
     Conor loosened his grip around the blonde and let her slide away. The
tips of his ears were burning, tingling. He was flustered, not quite sure
where he stood at the moment. "I..." he tried blundering through excuses but
gave up, looking helplessly to Jenny who was now picking at the hem on her
gown.
     She didn't say a word, just shrugged. Shea, meanwhile, blinked,
watching her friend. In only a few days she had changed so much! It was time
for another one of those talks. She took Jenny's arm and they walked out
together, talking. "Jen, what's happening?"
     Green eyes glanced up, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
     The red head stopped her. "Look Miss Jenny... I understand that you are
good friends with Conor. But you can't have a thing for him."
     "Since when are you my keeper? I can have a thing for him if I want
to." she frowned, turning away from Shea. "You're just jealous."
     The other sighed, frustrated. "No, I'm just protecting you."
     She threw her arms in the air, exasperated with her friend's whispered
comments. "What can happen? He's not going to kill himself or anything..."
     Shea stopped her, looking into her eyes. The green was getting misted
over with a sheen of tears. The pain was fresh in her face, dictating the
way muscles in her face relaxed and the expression in her eyes. "Jenny, he's
not going to do that, no. But what he is going to do is leave. And I know
you- when you fall, you fall hard. There's no going back for Jenny. You leap
right in, throw your heart and soul into relationships. And it isn't good
for you to do that and then end up loosing him." She hugged her friend who
was now allowing the tears to dribble down her face and through her make-up.
It collected in pink rivulets along her chin.
     "I hate it when you're right." she uttered softly, glad that they were
away from camera range. "Oh, Shea, what am I going to do?" her voice was
plantive and every syllable seemed to ache.
     She patted Jenny's arm. "You'll be yourself around him but use
self-control. I know my lass. You're a strong one. You got over his death
pretty well and now you can get over this."
     "If you say so."

     Heath and Conor were holding a similar conversation, lagging behind the
women. "What the hell were you thinking?"
     Conor just glared at him. "What's it to you?" he began twisting the
clan ring around on his finger.
     "She's... she's... fragile. We always keep men away from Jen." he
frowned.
     The prince was outraged. "What?! You can't do that! She's a grown woman
and can make up her own mind. She's a very strong woman at that, she can
take care of herself. You and Shea don't need to worry about her like that."
     "You don't know her like we do," he countered. "Otherwise you would
understand."
     "You don't trust me." he nearly growled, crossing his arms.
     The other threw his own arms to his sides, frustrated. "No, Conor, it's
not that I don't trust you, it's that you're leaving us soon. You have to
leave us soon. You don't belong here."
     "And you don't want me here. I cramp your style and I make you think of
excuses all the time."
     Heath was silent for a moment. "Don't be such a shithead." he finally
responded.
     "Oh, a shithead, huh?"
     He nodded, "A royal shithead. Shit for brains." he stopped them both.
"Conor, you know I like you being here. You're a fun guy and I love playing
tricks on others. It's just that I love Jenny like a sister and I don't want
her to get hurt. You understand." he seemed to want to command him to
understand.
     "She'll be fine." Conor promised, defeating a compromise Heath was
about to propose.

     Back at the hotel, Jenny had busied herself trying to work on the way
out for Conor. She mused through her notes, scratching through several inked
in suggestions. Shea looked over her shoulder.
     "That's a good idea."
     "What?"
     "Distracting yourself like... woah..." she blinked, amazed.
     Jenny almost laughed. "Woah is pretty strong ya know..." she followed
Shea's gaze down to her writing. The printed myths were beginning to
disappear, word by word!

Shea picked up the paper in horror, gulping. "I think I already know what this means. I've seen enough sci-fi flicks..." she
gestured to quickly erasing paper.
    Jenny took a deep breath. "Well, let's try to be rational about this. Think critically about this. What exactly is happening?"
    Shea almost laughed, were she not so worried. "Printed word is disappearing, like magic, on your paper. It has not been
modified by Heath or Conor to do that and scare us. We know this because your handwriting is in the margins. Your
handwriten notes are not disappearing. Except the word..." she swallowed, staring, "...Conor."
    "Shit." Jenny flew out of her chair, pacing around the hotel room. "Conor!" she called, expecting him to pop out of a closet or
something, laughing at her.
    Heath popped his head in the room. "What? Is something wrong? You sound... frantic."
    "Where's Conor?" she ignored him, almost shoving him aside as she searched.
    He caught her shoulders, steering her back down to her chair. "He went out."
    The blonde knitted her eyebrows. "Where? What are you doing letting him wander around Los Angeles alone for?" she
accused Heath, trying to stand up. His strong hands were holding her down.
    "He's a grown man, he can take care of himself! Besides, if he's the Conor from our lovely television series, he can handle
this. Just as long as he doesn't wander out into oncoming traffic." He teased her.
    She put her hands to her head, stroking long curls out of her face, tangling her fingers in her hair. "This is not good." she
murmured softly, trying to calm down.
    "What's wrong? What's happening?" Heath began to get concerned. He looked up at Shea who was no help. Shea was
fluttering around the room, digging through piles of books they had somehow managed to tote along on the airplane.
    "Look." she commanded, thrusting the paper into his hand.
    He stared at it blankly. "It's a sheet of paper with your writing on the sides. What's the big deal?"
    "There used to be writing on it. Text, printed word. Celtic mythos." she explained impatiently, waiting for him to catch on.
    He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're concerned because there's no text on this particular sheet of paper."
    She got her opportunity to stand up. "Heath, Shea and I watched the words on it disappear right before our very eyes."
    Disbelieving, he turned to Shea. She silently produced another sheet that was rapidly becoming as blank as his mind. His
eyes widened. "What a trick!"
    "No trick." Shea said softly, looking up at him for recognition.
    Heath dropped the sheet of paper, watching it flutter to the floor. "What does this mean?"
    Shea began, "Well, in the movies it always means that history is erasing itself or changing itself."
    "And Conor's name is being erased every time I write it." Jenny finished for her friend, clearly upset.
    Heath stood for a moment, digesting the information. "What in the world can we do?"

    Meanwhile, Conor was talking a walk for fresh air around the block outside their hotel room. All the people were so
colorful, milling around him in a little maze all of their own. So many skin colors and textures! So many different hues in clothing!
The noise emitting was so diverse... all the accents were different and even the language seemed different. He wandered around
almost in a dizzy trance, wanting to understand more and more. His mind seemed to be leaving him behind and wandering all
across the sidewalk where many people were doing their own kind of dance around the dirty city.
   A woman stood on the corner, about to cross the street. She stopped in seeing him. She was beautiful, it seemed he had
known her before. Her hair fell around her in darker blond waves framing a heart-shaped face. Her eyes told him that he knew
her. "Hello there." she began, smiling warmly.
   "Do I know you?" he asked her, not thinking it a strange question.
   "You should. You are Heath, right?" she asked him, touching his shoulder. It felt so familiar, so refreshing.
   He shook his head dully, "I'm Conor."
   She giggled. "Well, I'm Claire."
   There was that name... his mind told him that he should remember her but he could not remember anything. "You're
beautiful." he blurted out, touching her hair. He remembered in pieces, knowing at once the way the sunlight kissed her hair. It
was his Claire.

    Catlin frowned, staring out at the campfire. "Where could he be, Fergus?" she asked the bald man. She sounded genuinely
concerned.
    Fergus shrugged. "He's somewhere out there. Don't expect him to show around for a while. He's got some thinking to do.
This is a big responsibility that we're asking him to do. He just lost his love, too. We can't possibly ask him to show his face
while he's grieving."

    Ian took a deep breath. He stood outside the Royal Palms, the hotel the woman who had haunted him for the past few years
was supposedly staying in. A friend in the reporting business had been covering the newest teenie bopper flick and noticed the
comers and goers of the movie. He had done a little detective work and tracked down their locations. And he had located
Jenny for him.
     Jenny had entered his life the summer after he graduated. They had met at a community swimming pool. The entire summer
he admired her from afar but didn't confess his growing interest until the end of the summer. She had told him it was too close
to the break up of a recent relationship and they had remained close friends. He had grown to love her over those few precious
years she was in Charlotte. She eventually accepted the job writing for Roar, something she had been aspiring to do for a long
time. He had accepted it and moved to Los Angeles where he had family. It would distance him from her so that he could live a
normal life.
    But he wanted another try. The picture his friend had showed him melted his heart all over again. She was exactly as he
remembered her. He just hoped that she would remember him. He just felt that pull towards her.

    "He'll come home. Don't worry." Shea reassured her friend, clasping her hand. "And we can figure out what happens next
from there."
    "He has to go home." she said finally, musing aloud. "He has to. We have to find somewhere close-by to do it."
    Heath shrugged. "And where is that supposed to be?"
    "I have no idea."
    The doorbell rang.

Jenny pounced on it, hoping it was Conor. She held her breath,
wishing and hoping so that she could get out of that particular
mess. She turned the doorknob slowly, then swung it open. She did
not see their blond prince but a taller man, with short auburn hair.
At first, she had no idea who this was, then her eyes widened with
recognition. His amber eyes gave it all away. "Ian?!" she asked,
swallowing.
     He nodded, visibly nervous. He couldn't think of anything
wonderful to say, so he just stood there, quiet as could be. He had
hoped she would rush into his arms and give him a huge hug, like
before. The others in the room were creeping towards the door,
curiousity getting the better of them. There was a red-head which
Ian at once knew was Shea and... his heart sank. A man was with
them, and a man that Jenny had a huge crush on when they were
younger. Heath Ledger.
     "What are you doing here?" Jenny couldn't help but ask the
question.
     Ian looked down. "Maybe I shouldn't be here." he mumbled. He
turned to leave.
     Jenny put her hand on his arm, nearly pulling him into the
room. "No, please... let me start over." she looked up at him
questioningly, almost sorrowful. "Where have you been all this
time?" she gave him that big hug she was so accustomed to giving
him, and was relieved when he returned the hug.
     "I was letting you live your life." he answered simply,
honestly.
     "But I didn't want you to let me live my life, I wanted you to
be a part of it." she turned back to Shea and Heath, gesturing to
Ian. "This is one of my best friends, Ian. We were close back in
Charlotte." she squeezed his hand.
     Heath raised an eyebrow, looking the stranger up and down. He
had heard quite a bit about this particular "best friend" when he
first met Jenny. She had cried about Keith and then spoken of Ian
many times since. She wanted his comfort but he wasn't back at his
home in Charlotte. "Hello." he murmured, more courteously than out
of desire. Ian gave him the same procedure, nodding his head. As far
as Ian was concerned, Heath was his rival for Jenny's heart.
      Shea's eyes widened, scheming and calculating quickly in her
red head. "Jenny, a moment please?" she pulled her friend aside,
looking back to the newcomer. She decided not to lower her voice, it
was probably a matter that Ian was well aware of. She knew Heath
knew. "Jen, is this the former lover?"
      Jenny blushed bright crimson. She looked down, stammering.
Ian's heart soared. "Um... sort of... not officially..." she looked
back at him, her green eyes glimmering. He wanted to seize her close
but the rest of the people prevented it. He was still shy. He
couldn't even comment.
     Shea got to her point rapidly, punching her point in hard.
"Conor."
     The blonde shook her head. "He's not... I'm not... I just see
him as Keith. He's great. He's wonderful. But it's not going to
work. Especially since we have to get him back to Eire as fast as we
can." her Ian looked up in confusion but she just sighed and let a
paper flutter to the floor. "I wish I knew this city better." her
voice seemed small. This was getting way over any of their heads.
     He brightened up, gathering up his dusty shield and climbing
back on his dashing steed. The knight would still save the day,
perhaps even win the maiden. "I know LA like the back of my hand...
I could help you find whatever you need." he shuffled his feet,
still trying hard to keep up confidence. "I moved here after you
left." he gave a little smile. It was the smile she knew, the sweet
smile that had won her heart over so long ago. If only she had known
it then.
     She grinned, giving him another great hug, falling into his
arms. He stiffened, not used to a woman's slime frame pressed
against his. He caught himself, drawing her in for the hug he had
wanted since he saw her contagious smile again. "You're my hero,
Ian." She stopped herself, looking up at him. "It's a very strange
request. But then, you know my eccentric behaviors better than
anyone." she nuzzled against his chest, knowing the familiarity.
"You were there for every crash and burn."
     This made his grip around her tighten. "You were stupid in your
youth." he said bluntly. He didn't mention the one name that was on
his mind. He could bear Keith and all the others but her first
encounter with a real relationship, when he met her, was the real
burner. He wasn't sure how valid some of his memory was, but the man
had claimed too many firsts for his tastes.
     The turning of the knob interrupted them all. The door was
thrust open. Conor burst into the room, pulling along a blond
figure. She was very familiar. Conor and Shea gulped in unison.
Conor beamed broadly, gesturing to the girl. "My Claire followed
me." he began.
     Heath didn't know what was going on, but he did remember that
Claire was dead. He went to Conor, putting an arm on his arm.
"That's not Claire." he said gently, trying. "That's the actress
that played her. Kerri Russell."
     "No!" Conor drew his arm from Heath's grip, turning back
wildly. "It is! I know my Claire!"
     "Tell him!" Heath demanded of the woman, gesturing wildly. He
felt Conor was going crazy.
     The woman shook her head. "I am not Kerri Russell." she said.
It was simple. She seemed to barely be talking at all. But she was
not finished. Both could tell. "I am Claire, but not the Claire that
Conor knows." she gestured vaguely into the air, knowing her
audience was captivated. This was strange. She compounded on her
strange explanation. "I have Claire's body. If you were to look
under the clothing you would find the scars from her wounds. She is
dead. Her physical body would be dead, but it was preserved nicely.
Claire does not inhabit this body anymore. I, as a Fae from the
Otherworld as you call it, have the ability to reanimate the body."
     Ian's eyes widened. He hadn't retained much of what Jenny had
told him but he did remember an Otherworld. Jenny was stunned. From
Ian's arms, she turned abruptly around. Her exclamation was heard
throughout the room. "I knew it the entire time! I knew that
couldn't just be my imagination or the collective imagination of the
people. It had to be the truth!"
 

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