Presenting chapter ten! Only two more chapters to go after this…yikes, scary thought. I've literally been working on this story for nearly six years, it's very odd to be winding it down.

My thanks to the anonymous Me (your ramblings were awesome, never fear!) and Lyo for their feedback! I know you guys both had some questions, and hopefully this little statement will give you both something to think about (because I don't want to spoil my own story): Including this one, there are three chapters left to this story. In each chapter, at least one character from the four main fandoms worked into this story (HP, X-Files, Good Omens, and Ashes to Ashes) will pop up, although one is not as obvious and is really just a brief blurb in a story someone else is telling. As the story is fully completed, and I don't have much changes left to make at this point, with any luck I'll be able to get the whole thing posted within a few weeks. Any other questions, let me know and I'll either shoot you a PM back or respond like this again.

And now onto chapter ten, alternately titled 'Sequel Hook.'

Chapter Ten: Unintended Connections

"You lied to me," Samantha said the next time she encountered the boy sitting on the log on the beach. She walked up to him, her arms crossed over her chest and tried to look as intimidating as possible.

The boy looked surprised. "How did I lie?" he asked.

Samantha hoisted herself on the log next to him. "You told me I was going to have to guide you. But a very trusted source recently told me that I was going to have to be the one to guide myself and Regulus back to Earth. Or at least drive the boat because Reg isn't exactly Mr. Technology. And I'm inclined to believe her more than you right now."

Now, the boy looked rather contrite. "My story sounded much more dramatic, you'll have to give it that."

"So now even my hallucinations are lying to me." Samantha huffed, and kicked some sand into the air. So much for achieving some clarity from this latest vision.

The boy raised his hands. "Okay, back up a sec. I didn't lie to you about being a guide. I figured that since you were an island girl you'd be able to figure out the sailing part easily so I wouldn't have to say anything."

"I grew up on an island that has one of the highest incidences of alcoholism in the entire United States. Also, I haven't lived there since I was eight. And now Regulus has decided to upgrade to a motorboat. If you think I can pilot that my best advice to you would be to pray." Samantha stared out over the ocean again, leaning slightly forward to catch the spray in her face.

The boy shrugged. "That ocean where you are isn't quite normal. I get the feeling you'll do better than you think you will when the time comes." He slipped off the log and walked closer to the shoreline, getting close enough that his trainers just touched the incoming waves. "And I didn't lie about needing you to guide me. I get the feeling I'm going to need as much help as I can when that comes to pass."

Samantha squinted at his back. "But you're still leaving out some information," she concluded.

He turned back, blue eyes shining in the watery sunlight. "I'm a bit younger than I look, you know. I'm smart, so I can sound mature if I need to, but really, I'm not even ten years old yet. Well, maybe in the real world. I've been stuck in here for a while, feels like years, so I'm not really sure how old I am anymore. It's easier to grow up here if you have to."

"Really smart," Samantha said. "There's no way I would have guessed that if you hadn't told me." That was a truth – the boy came off so mature he was almost ancient, so to learn that he was still a child? These dreams were making less and less sense lately.

"I'm good," he grinned. "Now, we've already proven that I really do exist…" the grin faded to a wry and almost embarrassed expression. "Then there's the matter of the small accident I got into."

"Accident?" Samantha felt the bottom fall out of her stomach; she swallowed nervously. The sound of that could not bode well for this situation.

"Yeah," he drawled, stretching the word out into two syllables. "Well, sort of. Did you know the world was supposed to end in 2012? Because of aliens, no less?"

"No. But I can't say I'm surprised," Sam said. The bits and pieces of her past that managed to fight their way through the fog in her brain told her that something bad was inevitably going to happen in Earth's future, and that she may have been even been involved in it somehow. At least, as much as any pre-teen could have been. That was all in the past now, though.

The boy's grin came back, wider and brighter than before. "Well, by some miracle, I managed to stop it. I did have some help, of course, from a man with more power than I could ever dream of – and who loves his earthly home more than anyone else on that little planet. Between the two of us? The aliens didn't stand a chance.

"It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, strangely enough. Really, just kind of closed my eyes and saw what needed to be done and the two of us were able to make it happen. But, as always, there was a bit of a trade-off."

"That doesn't sound good."

"Understatement. Next thing I know I'm waking up in 1981, twenty years before I was even born. Now the question I have to answer is if I'm mad, in a coma, or back in time."

Samantha blinked. "Whaaa—wait, what?" She shook her head, trying to wrap her brain around that statement. "Okay, I think you just broke my brain with that one there. I can handle aliens but time travel is pushing it."

"Don't worry, it'll make sense later." The boy reassured her with a smile. "And really, I'm not the first person that's happened to but that's neither here nor there right now."

"You say that a lot," she said, ignoring the last part of his statement. Samantha pushed herself off the log and marched right up to his face. "Okay. Just answer me this. How? I can make a good guess as to the why of things after your explanation, but if you really do exist somewhere, how are you physically able to sneak into my head when I'm asleep and talk to me?"

"I'm not sure." The boy pushed his hands into his pockets and seemed to shrink into himself. For the briefest of moments Samantha could see the real boy inside the imaginary and cocky shell, one who was scared and overwhelmed and just as lost as she was right now. "I have a theory, if you want to hear it."

Samantha wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him back to the log. "What's your theory?" she asked.

"We're both in sort of in between places right now, not quite one thing or the other, right?" She nodded. "I think that in this place the rules don't apply the same way as normal, so if I want to be able to reach out and contact you with a dream…" he trailed off, staring out to sea again.

"Then there's nothing to stop you," Samantha concluded. "Dare I ask why you picked me to contact?" The boy pulled his eyes from the water and gave her a look, complete with arched eyebrow. "All right, I know, you can't tell me yet."

"Let's just say that you and I are closer than you know." The boy sighed and slid off of the log again. "Unfortunately, I think it's time for me to go."

"I won't see you again, will I?" Samantha asked, voicing the sudden sinking feeling inside her.

The boy shook his head, but then paused. "Not like this, I don't think. Not in this place. But it's not over, not by a long shot. I'll see you around," he grinned, then turned to walk down the beach away from her.

"Hey, wait a sec!"

He turned back. Samantha crossed her arms over her chest again, and smirked at him. It was better to be brave and confident, and not let the nerves show. "If I'm going to see you again, I need to know what to call you. I didn't think to ask before now, but since it's my last chance…"

The boy smiled. "My name's William. No matter where we meet, that's not going to change."

"That's a good name," Samantha nodded. "I think it was my dad's name."

"I know."

Samantha blinked a few times, seeing the rough stone of the cell above her head. She stretched out on the bed that had been enlarged to fit the two of them, letting the sheets glide along her bare legs. Through the bars, she could just make out that the sky was lightening over the ruins. She turned, looking for Regulus, and then frowning when she noticed that he wasn't there. The clatter of tools outside, however, gave her a pretty good idea where he'd gone.

She tugged down her nightgown as she walked across the grass. The boat loomed before her; a sleek and golden creation that looked like it would be able to slice through the water like a bright sword. Regulus's tousled head popped out of the steering cabin. "Morning," he called out.

"Barely morning," Samantha fired back, rubbing some sleep out of her eyes. A damp breeze blew through the ruins, making her shiver and rub some warmth into her arms. These sudden winds were making her nervous; in the years they'd been there the weather had been constantly consistent in the City: grey and still with only the pale sunlight that didn't do anything for warmth. But lately things had changed; there was the thunder in the distance, the winds were blowing around stronger than they had before, and she could have sworn once she'd felt raindrops. A storm was coming, as someone had said, and things did not bode well at the moment.

"Doesn't matter," Regulus grinned at her. She thought he looked adorable like that, his black hair a mess and his t-shirt so worn that one of the seams had begun to split. There was even a smear of what she hoped was engine grease across one cheek. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I think we're done."

Samantha glanced over the lines of the boat. "Seriously? It's ready to go?"

Regulus nodded, his grin getting wider. "The engine sounds great, the hull's all sealed up and reinforced with as many waterproof and floatation spells as I could find, and the rooms are all set. And I've already shrunk and regrown her a few times, so we'll easily be able to get her to the beach." He thumped a palm against the doorjamb. "We are officially seaworthy."

A slow smile spread across Samantha's face. Finally. "We're going home," she said. It wasn't a question. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get her loaded up."

They spent the next few hours loading all of the supplies onto the boat, settling the boxes and parcels into various rooms. By Samantha's best guess they had enough supplies to last them for a good few months, more if they were conservative. Regulus's wizardry could get them through tough times in a pinch, but neither one of them wanted to resort to that if they didn't have to. The Anchoress's furnishings ended up in the boat as well. They figured she wouldn't mind, and if she did come back, Samantha suspected she would easily be able to get her hands on all new stuff. Soon enough the boat was full up and they were almost ready to go.

So, thoughts? Did you predict who the boy was going to be, or did it come out of nowhere? I tried to drop clues about his identity in his scenes, but I didn't want it to be too obvious. Drop me a line and let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading! - Lola