Dizgaia ~ The Dreamfinder's Daughter

Chapter 13 ~ Bonnie Appetite

Blair slept soundly throughout the night with a contented smile on his face. For the first time in a long time when having dreams about his beloved daughter, they didn't end with Beverly escaping through Alice's Looking Glass. Instead, he dreamed of the beautiful young woman his daughter had become, with the inquisitive mind that he was ever so proud of. He was so content, in fact, that even though sleeping at his desk wreaked havoc on his joints, he felt nothing but bliss upon wakening... that was, until he realized Miandra was nowhere to be found.

He shot up from his desk in a panic. She was gone! Had the Dark Ones found their way into the institute and stolen Miandra in the dead of night, or was she never truly here to begin with? Had it all just been an elaborate dream?

No... Please... It can't be true!

Blair threw open his office door and made a mad dash into the hallway beyond. At the sound of the door slamming shut, Figment opened a bleary eye and lifted his head.

"Huh? Dreamfinder?"

In a flurry, Blair ran through the halls, desperately seeking his daughter. "Miandra? Oh, Miandra, where have you gone?"

After an aimless scurry in what seemed a futile hope of finding his daughter, Blair was compelled to take the escalator to the atrium above and was soon thankful he had, for when he arrived at the top, he spotted her curled up on one of the couches.

"Oh, thank heavens," he breathed.

Mia was fast asleep. Not even the sound of the Imagineers on their coffee break had awakened her. Blair knelt down in front of the couch and trailed his fingers through her hair to convince himself that she was real.

Mia began to stir. "Nnn... What time izzit?" She opened her eyes, but it was not Edward Baxter's honey-brown eyes gazing back at her, but a pair identical to her own. She blinked. "Oh! Dreamfind... uh, Blair. I mean... Hi." Looking at him closer, she noticed he appeared rather winded. "Are you okay?"

Blair pulled her into a tight embrace. It had a sort of desperateness to it, almost as though he feared she might disappear if he let her go. "Yes, Miandra. Finer than I've been in a frightfully long time."

He held her at arms' length as he gave her the sternest gaze he could muster, which admittedly wasn't very stern. In fact, the look seemed on the brink of melting away. He didn't quite have it in him to be the kind of domineering father who scolded his children.

"I wish you wouldn't sneak off," he said. "You had me so worried!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I guess I just got a little... restless... last night."

"I'm just so happy that your coming home wasn't just a wonderful dream," he said, hugging her once more.

"Well, who knows? You're the Dreamfinder, right? Perhaps you dreamed I'd come home and called me forth into reality." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Boy, I hope you never have nightmares."

"Let's not ponder too hard on that notion, shall we?"

Mia found his response rather cryptic, but she readily agreed not to think about it.

"Well, now that we're both awake, I believe there's much to be done today. So much to be done. Perhaps after we tidy ourselves up a bit, I could treat you to some breakfast."

"Oh boy! Breakfast would be swell, Dreamfinder!" Never far behind, Figment had caught up with his master.

"Right you are, Figment. After all, it's the most important meal of the day."

Mia's stomach let out a hungry growl. "Yeah, breakfast sounds great. As for tidying up..." She gestured to her clothes which were wrinkled from a night's sleep and stained from being kicked to the curb by the Tremaine sisters. "I'm not exactly looking spiffy for meeting royalty, nor did I bring a suitcase of clothes with me to Dizgaia, seeing as it was a rather... impromptu trip."