It was early afternoon when Sheila and Presto walked back into the little campsite, surprising their friends. Bobby had run to this sister and hugged her tightly, and the others had to pry him loose so they could take a turn welcoming their friend back.

"Sis!" Bobby cried. "You’re back! And you’re okay!" Looking into her eyes, he could see the old Sheila looking back at him and not the gloomy, sick person who had returned from Venger’s palace.

"Yeah, I’m okay, Bobby." She ruffled his hair and turned to hug Diana once again.

"We, um, well we…" Eric tried to put everything into words, including his relief in seeing her come back in one piece, as if the rockslide had never been.

"It’s okay, Eric. I know what you mean." She smiled at him, a huge beaming smile and he pulled her close.

"Sheila, I swear we’ll never let him hurt you again."

"I know." She pulled back and reached out for Presto’s hand. He had been hanging back, watching the reunion.

"Presto taught me a few tricks." She smiled again. "Whatever happens, it’ll be okay.

"Where’s Hank?"

The thief looked around, realizing the ranger was no where to be seen.

"He’ll be back soon, Sheila," Diana placed a hand on her shoulder. "He goes off like this, for a few hours. I think he’s dealing with some pretty heavy issues."

The titian haired woman shook her head. "I’ve got to talk to him. There’s so much I have to tell him, and it can’t wait."

She turned, as if trying to decide which direction he might have gone in when a cry broke the surrounding calm.

"Sheila!" It was half strangled, half disbelieve and one of the sweetest sounds the thief had ever heard.

Turning, she saw Hank running towards her. She broke free from the little group and crossed the short distance between them. The ranger grabbed her up in a bear hug and lifted her off the ground, swinging her around.

"Oh, god Sheila! How I’ve missed you!" He pulled her even more tightly to him, so tight she had trouble breathing.

"Don’t ever leave me again! Promise me! I love you! Oh, Sheila, please!"

Tears of joy streamed down her face as she finally heard the words she had thought Hank would never say. Her heart, still heavy with grief, leapt slightly at his words. It felt so good, this feeling of love which washed over her.

"Hank, I love you too! I swear we’ll be together! I’ll never leave! Ever!"

Finally, the ranger released her and they headed back to the others, hand in hand. Sheila felt marvelously free, like the weight of the world had suddenly been lifted. She saw Eric’s small smile and nod at Hank. She realized that the last part of her reunion was probably made possible by some gentle, or not so gentle, nudging by one raven haired cavalier.

"So now what?" Bobby asked, still fairly dancing around. "I mean do we pack up and leave before Venger gets here?"

"I’m all for leaving town, or mud hole as the case may be," Eric gestured around him, "but, Sheila, can you travel so soon? I mean, it was a pretty nasty fall and all."

The understatement of her accident was not lost on Sheila and she realized how hard the other must have worked to keep the worst of her situation over the last month a secret from Bobby.

"I don’t know," she shrugged. "Presto?"

The magician shook his head. "We should wait a few days, maybe at least a week. The basic body healing was done at Zenghai. But… Well, it’s just not a good idea."

"Then we stay here," Hank said, his voice leaving no room for argument. "We need to do what’s best for Sheila." He squeezed her hand once more and kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks guys," she looked at them all, tears flowing freely once more. "You’re too good to me."

Dinner that night was a riotous affair. They were all so glad to have Sheila back that they didn’t care if Venger found them. They would deal with the consequences if and when that happened. Hank never left Sheila’s side throughout the night, catering to her every need or whim. Whether he was holding her hand or snuggling close against her, he made sure he was never more than a few inches away from her.

Presto had gone out of his way to produce some of the finest Earth food they had eaten since they had landed in the Realm. It had been difficult, but the magician had produced some sweet smelling chicken and ribs from his hat, along with crisp vegetables, a thick chocolate layer cake and even a bottle of wine, as a special treat.

Sheila knew how hard it was for her friend to pull those kinds of creations from his magic hat and she appreciated the effort. A few times, she tried to catch his eye over dinner, but he each time he turned away, acting as if he hadn’t seen her. It hurt her, after their closeness back in Zenghai, but she did understand. It had to be hard on him, seeing her with Hank, especially after what they had done.

As they were finishing up their meal and the others, Hank included, wandered off, she finally had the opportunity to talk to Presto alone.

"Thanks for dinner," she whispered as she walked up behind the magician. He had been stuffing the dishes back into his hat and hadn’t noticed her approach.

"No problem." He refused to meet her eyes, preferring to keep them focused on the mess in front of him.

"Presto, please look at me," she cried. "I don’t want us to be like this, you not being able to look at me."

The magician sighed and put his hat down. He turned to look at her, a tear glinting in the corner of his eye.

"No, I’m sorry, Sheila." He wiped at the tear and adjusted his glasses. "I know it has to be the way. It’s just that seeing you with Hank makes me miss her, Varla I mean. It’s been so long. And now that we think she, well… I just wish I could be there for her."

"That’s why you were allowed into Zenghai, isn’t it?" she questioned. "You told me the others couldn't come in because they weren’t in need. Yet you came with me. I never thought to ask you why.

Presto hung his head. "This pain, it just won’t go away. It hurts so much, to feel her day after day in my mind and not be able to help her, touch her, be with her.

"Sheila, when we were together in Zenghai, it made me forget, just a little. The pain wasn’t so bad. I felt whole again, and I liked it. I liked the way you felt and smelled. You felt so good, so wonderful. To see you with him, well, it’s just hard is all."

She smiled at him. "If it means anything, I liked it too. A lot. But remember what you told me? We have to come back and face our fears and problems. I’m doing that with Hank, or I will, anyway. You need to do the same thing."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I’ll never forget what we shared, Presto. It’s the most precious gift anyone’s ever given me. Even more than Hank telling me he loved me.

"Your gift came from the heart without prodding from Eric or anyone else. It was a selfless things to do. Nothing will ever mean more to me. I want you to know that."

He looked up at her and a small smile crossed his face. "No, thank you, Sheila. For as much as I might have helped you, you helped me just as much. You belong with Hank; don’t let me interfere with that.

"Varla and I, we’ll be together one day, I think. And you helped me start to heal so that Ill be ready when I see her again."

He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it tightly. She felt the same healing power from Zenghai pass between them. It was warm and comforting, something she knew she could count on in the future if she ever needed it.

"Now, go find Hank," he whispered to her. "There’s a lot you have to talk about."

Sheila stood up and turned to cross to Hank’s tent. Before she did, she took one last look over her shoulder at Presto, who had returned to cleaning up the dishes.

"You’re a wonderful man, Presto Gray." she whispered so softly that even he couldn't hear. "And you’ll find her again; I know you will."