"Finish that drink and tell me what in God's name you were doing down there in the middle of the night, looking in Rafe's window." Douglas tucked his shirt into his pants and sat on the arm of the chair opposite Kristen.

She set the glass down and squeezed the bridge of her nose.

"I was coming down to see if you heard that noise just outside the LD wing."

Her screams had brought several people running, including Doulas, and once they determined she was all right, departed, muttering a variety of complaints. Douglas had looked into the dark room, noting the sleeping form on the bed before closing the slide.

"I never heard anything. My God, Kristen you scared the life out of the lot of us."

"There was flickering lights as well and I went to check."

"We saw that earlier. It was just a faulty bulb."

Her look said she didn't agree. "He was up and staring right back at me when I opened the slide. That's why I screamed; his eyes were- they were wild!"

"He was sound asleep when I looked in."

"How do you know he was sleeping, he could have been pretending." She snapped.

"Okay, look, you've had a fright and you're upset. Let's get you back to your room and we'll discuss this again in the morning."

Without another option, she nodded and stood, letting him take her arm. They left and went back upstairs to her floor and down to her room. When she got to the door she noticed the suite was dark. I never shut the lights out when I left.

"Doug, would you mind coming in and having a look around? I'm sorry to be such a pest, I just- it would make me feel better, you know?"

"Sure. No problem." He went ahead, snapped on the lights and walked down the hall to the bedroom, looked around, checked the bathroom then back to the kitchen, rejoining her in the living room.

"All clear."

"Thank you. Sorry."

"Nah, you get some sleep and we'll see you in the morning." He patted her arm and let himself out, hearing the lock click firmly behind him.

Angela lay in bed staring at the ceiling, her smile pure smug, self satisfaction.

******

"It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" The excited comment was coming from one of the doctors seated in the cafeteria as Douglas and Kristen entered. They wandered over to the table smiling and asked what was happening.

"It's Messenger! He pushed his contact bell and actually asked for some breakfast!"

Kristen's hand shot to her throat and she emitted a small gasp. Douglas just stared, his jaw dropping slightly.

"When they went to check, he was sitting on the edge of his bed looking at some of the magazines that were left there ages ago . . . and smiling!"

Recovering and clearing his throat, Douglas asked if anybody was with him now and learned that Montrose, the assistant facility manager, and Doctor Isaac Merker were with him.

"I'll see you later," he said to Kristen, turning to leave the cafeteria.

"Oh no, I'm coming too."

"I don't think it's- oh, hell- c'mon then."

Almost trotting, the pair left, each trying to process what this might mean.

Douglas rapped on the door, holding his face close to the window and drew in a large breathe as it opened admitting he and Kristen.

"Doctor Southall," Montrose spoke. "Do you have some reason for being in here right now?"

"I certainly do. This man has been a patient of mine since he arrived." He dismissed Montrose from his thoughts and nodded to Doctor Merker.

"Isaac. What happened?"

"Nothing I can explain. Something has taken place in his brain that triggered this."

Rafe was watching the two men, a smile on his calm features. His eyes drifted to Kristen and when she looked at him, he winked. Her response was another body jerk and a flash of his face in the window the previous night.

"Rafe," Douglas said, directing his attention to his patient. "How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful, Doctor Southall, just wonderful." He slid another look at Kristen.

"I mean- I uh- do you remember anything before this morning? About being here?"

"Oh yes, sure. I admitted myself several years ago. My mother was afraid I was having some kind of mental breakdown. How is mom anyway?"

Douglas stared, absolutely confounded.

"You know you've been here that long?" Doctor Isaac boggled.

"Well sure. I've all those sessions with Doctor Southall here. All those different approaches to get me to speak or react somehow." As he related a litany of tests and procedures, his voice grew harder and colder until he finished and then the calm smile returned.

"You- you recall all that? Everything?" Douglas asked.

"Yes, as I'm sure you would as well."

The calm rebuke stood Douglas up and he backed away shaking his head, speechless.

"I think we need to continue all this in the director's office, gentlemen." Montrose said, indicating a departure.

Rafe bade them all a cheery goodbye as the group moved woodenly into the corridor, securing the door behind them.

"I told you . . ." Kristen started and stopped.

"What was that, Miss Haver?" Montrose asked.

"It's Doctor Haver," she said, hoping to deflect his question.

"I can't believe what we have just witnessed in there!" Douglas was running his hands through his hair. "What possible explanation . . ." He stopped suddenly, blinking. His thought went directly to Angela Lucirk.

"What is it, what's the matter?" Isaac took Doug's arm and steadied him.

"I need to talk to you, Isaac. Alone." He whispered, nodding at Montrose.

"I think we should postpone our discussion until we have had an opportunity to examine the recent event, Edward." Isaac addressed Montrose in a, 'don't give me any arguments', tone and steered Douglas toward his room.

Kristen followed, happily watching Montrose strut down the corridor, excluded from their conference.

******

Rafe went to the window in his door, and with practised expertise, slid the cover open and stared across at the wall to Angela's room. There was a slight buzzing beginning behind his eyes and his head throbbed suddenly. He backed away, hands over his ears and shook his head from side to side. Sounds mixed with voices bombarded his brain and he staggered back, falling onto the bed, moaning. As suddenly as it had begun, it all stopped and Rafe struggled into a sitting position. The idea and exactly how to accomplish it was quite clear in his mind.

******

"Douglas, for heaven's sake, you didn't really consider putting those two together did you? Angela and Rafe alone could be disastrous. You know what happened to-"

"I know. I know." Doug waved a hand. "But I didn't do it, yet right after asking her, don't you think it strange he's suddenly as lucid as any other normal person?"

Kristen blurted out what she had experienced the previous night and while Douglas started to look vexed, his attitude changed as he listened. Before he had been quick to dismiss but now, together with other happenings, he struggled with the possibility of some kind of telepathic connection between Rafe and Angela.

Isaac looked kindly at her when she finished and noted that maintenance had replace a faulty lamp in the corridor fixture, which likely caused the flickering she saw and as for the noise, well, White Pine was surrounded by woods and animals.

"It was not an animal." She stated defiantly.

"My dear-"

"It doesn't matter what it was." Douglas interrupted. "I think we are looking at an entirely different phenomenon here."

"What do you mean?"

He went on to explain his wobbly theory, halting their protests with a stop sign hand until he finished.

Isaac removed his glasses, looked through them at the light and cleaned the lens with his tie. His demeanour said he thought Douglas was reaching way beyond scientific or even common sense. He replaced his glasses, gave them both a pitying look and excused himself.

"Do you really think that's possible?" Kristen asked, as soon as Isaac left. "I don't think you'll get much support from Doctor Merker."

"What about you?"

She twisted her bracelet and looked helplessly into his eyes. "I don't know, Doug. I don't."

Outside, the sun had reached a point where its harsh light carved brilliant angles across the furniture and the walls. He got up and adjusted the blind.

"I'm going to pursue this, Kris, with or without help."

She moved quickly to his side and wrapped her arms about him. "Oh, Doug. . ."

He leaned back and tilted her face up toward him. Their eyes fixed on one another's and in an instant, their lips. All the fear, frustration and uncertainty were released as they stumbled back onto the sofa, mouths still locked together.

"The door . . ." Kris murmured without ending the kiss.

In the end the door didn't matter. No one knocked or entered and the next little while was spent huffing for breath and reassembling garments. They had been on this road before but with planning and caution. This was spontaneous and borne of a mutual need to answer the stress of the recent events. They both realized that and avoided the sloppy, insincere apologies.