Maura entered through the side door and stood in the middle of the kitchen, shoulders slumped and keys dangling from her fingers. Her mother wouldn't be home for several hours. She was alone. The quiet felt strangely oppressive, weighing on her every nerve.

If her father ever returned home, how could their lives ever return to the way they were before he disappeared and before she found out what he was? He had lived longer than was humanly possible. He had seen worlds that Maura had only imagined and read about. Even if Siobhan granted him true mortality should Maura surrender, did he truly belong in the human realm? He had always been a bit odd, different than all the other dads. Now she understood why.

Brendan Matthews had been playing a part. He loved Maura and her mother. Of that, she was certain. But how could she expect him to resume living as a mundane human, working a boring day job in some office, hunched over a desk? How could she make that decision for him?

And yet the decision had already been made. Brendan wore the vial that would trap Siobhan's essence, which meant he was ready and willing to go through with their plan, however risky it was. Once they got rid of the queen, it was anyone's guess what the next step would be. At least they could figure it out together without the ever-present threat of her looming over their shoulders.

Maura realized then that the answering machine on the kitchen counter was beeping. She tossed her keys on the table and hit the Play button. The message was from one of her mother's co-workers at the bank, Janelle. Apparently, her mom left for lunch midday and never returned. Janelle had tried her cell phone, but with no luck. "If you're home, can you please call work as soon as possible?" The message ended.

Maura removed her cell phone from her back pocket to text her mom and saw that she had missed a call while she was with Luke. She played the voicemail. It was Janelle, wondering if she had heard from her mother that afternoon and to please have her call work. With growing unease, Maura dialed the number for the bank and asked to speak to Janelle. She was put on hold for several minutes, which was just enough time for her mind to conjure up every possible scenario. None of them good.

"Maura?"

"Oh. Hi, Janelle," Maura said, trying not to sound overly anxious. "I got your voicemail. I'm sorry I'm just now returning your call."

"That's okay. Hey, listen, have you heard from your mom? I left a message at your house, too, but she hasn't called back."

"Well, I'm at home now, and she's not here. I was hoping she'd made it back there."

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them.

"I'm sure she's fine," Janelle said, though it sounded like she was trying to ease her own worries. After all, otherwise responsible people didn't just take off during their lunch break and not return. Especially not the manager.

"Maybe she lost track of time," Janelle said. "I know she's been tired and under a lot of stress lately. Maybe she went for a walk."

"You're probably right," Maura said. "She's going to be really embarrassed when she realizes how late she is. She's not going to lose her job, is she?"

"Oh, gosh no!" There was a brief pause. "Hey, when you get in touch with her, tell her not to worry. We're fine here. We've got everything covered for the rest of the afternoon. We'll see her tomorrow."

"Okay. Thanks, Janelle."

Maura hung up and stared at her mother's name in her list of contacts. Taking a deep breath, she dialed her mother's cell. It didn't ring. It didn't even go to voicemail. She hung up and tried again, but there was no indication that the call had even been placed. The text she sent came back as undeliverable.

"Crap," she muttered. Not knowing what else to do, she called Luke.

"I think we have a problem," she said as soon as he picked up. Even as she was saying the words, Evelyn appeared before her, eyes wide and with a fear-stricken look on her face. "Actually," Maura said, "I know we have a problem."

**********

"The queen knows," Evelyn said, once Luke arrived.

"How can the queen know?" Maura said. "Weren't you careful?"

Evelyn bristled. "Of course, I was careful! Why must this be my fault?"

"Well, what did she say?"

Evelyn scowled. "She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. She is the queen. Anyway, I have worse news than that."

"Worse?" Luke said. He was leaning against the counter, his arms folded across his chest. A deep crease in his brow gave away his anxiety.

Evelyn took a deep breath. "Siobhan has Maura's mother."

"Dammit," Maura said. "That's exactly what I was afraid of." No one said anything more, and silence swelled in the room. "We can't just stand here and do nothing," Maura finally said. "We have to go get her."

Luke shook his head. "We can't go storming the castle."

"Why not?" Maura said, anger forcing her words to come out harsher than she intended.

"Because that is exactly what the queen expects us to do," Luke said. "We need to ask ourselves why she took your mother."

Maura rolled her eyes. "Because she's a devious bi—"

"I agree with Luke," Evelyn interrupted. "Still, why not give the queen what she wants?"

"Are you crazy? She already has my dad. She can't have my mom, too!"

"I'm not talking about your mother," Evelyn said. "The queen is expecting us to rise to the bait, so let's do it. Let's go there and give her the confrontation she desires." She held out her arm, wiggling the fingers of her left hand at Luke. Mouth set in a tight line, Luke grasped her hand in his. "Take Maura's hand," Evelyn said. "I'll open a portal that will get us closer than you can."

Maura laced her fingers with Luke's and then closed her eyes, holding her breath as the world shifted and squeezed around her. As quick as it was, she didn't think she would ever get used to traveling between realms.

"Where are we," Maura whispered when the world had righted itself and she opened her eyes.

"This is my room," Luke answered. He shot Evelyn a look as if to ask why did you bring us here? but she simply shrugged.

Maura released Luke's hand and took a moment to glance around the room, which was sparsely furnished. It felt cold and barren, like someone slept there, but didn't truly live there. She met Luke's eyes, but he quickly looked away.

"And my mother?" Maura asked to fill the awkward silence. "Where is she?"

"With your father, of course," Evelyn answered. "Follow me," she said, motioning them toward the door. "The queen's chamber is down the hall, as is Brendan's room."

"You mean his prison," Maura said.

They made their way, walking on the balls of their feet, but no sooner had they gone a few paces when Siobhan appeared at the entrance to Brendan's cell. "There you are!" she exclaimed, stopping them in their tracks. "I was wondering when you'd arrive. We've got quite the party going on."

"You took my mother to lure me here," Maura said.

Siobhan's brow arched as the corner of her mouth lifted in a smile. "And it worked."

Luke stepped in front of Maura. "Mother, why are you doing this?"

"Don't mother me," Siobhan replied tersely. "I am doing this for the good of the kingdom."

"But I love Maura!"

Siobhan's smile widened. "You do not love Maura," she said with condescension in her voice as she caressed Luke's cheek. "You are in love with the idea of being in love. What you are feeling is mere infatuation, which fades with time." She dropped her hand and glanced over her shoulder at the room beyond. Her voice was cold when she spoke again. "It always does."

"Let me through," Maura said, pushing past Luke and Siobhan to where her mother and father were being held. They were there, together at last, pressed against each other and looking toward the door. Maura hesitated only briefly before running to them.

"I am so sorry," her mother said against her hair. "I don't know what happened. I went out for lunch, and the next thing I knew, I was here."

"It's okay," Maura said. "Everything will be okay."

"Now that we're all here," Siobhan announced. "Would anyone care to explain this?" In her hand was the vial, which she held at eye level for all to see. Maura glanced at Evelyn, whose eyes were riveted on the queen.

"I removed it from Brendan's neck," the queen continued. "The question is, how did it get there?" She looked at each of them in turn, her eyes finally coming to rest on Evelyn. Maura had never seen the faery so terrified.

"I trusted you," Siobhan said in an icy tone as she advanced slowly on Evelyn. "Entirely. For centuries you have been at my side, and I trusted you." When Evelyn made no reply, Siobhan yelled, "Guards!" When the guards arrived, Siobhan ordered, "Take this faery to the labyrinth."

The guards grabbed hold of Evelyn's arms, one on each side. Her face paled, but she said nothing and made no move to resist. She cast one last look at Maura and Luke before being marched from the room.

*****

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