Disclaimer: FX: The Series and its characters are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for fun - no profit involved.  They belong to Winterset Productions, Inc., Orion Pictures, Fireworks Entertainment Inc. Productions, Rysher Entertainment and Hallmark Entertainment. Based on characters created by Robert T. Magginson and Gary Fleeman.

Rollie Tyler blinked and opened his eyes. He was standing in the lane in front of his home. Home - it occurred to the Australian how odd it was to think of this place as home. Every other time he thought of home, it was Australia, deep in the heart of the Outback. At this moment and in this place, his heart and head told him this was his home - 256 Brewery Lane, an old brewery converted into a special effects studio and a loft apartment. Home! His heart sang with it and it thrummed powerfully along the songline of his life. His brows drew together in bewilderment. Home and yet it looked different. The doors were no longer the green he knew they were when he'd gone to sleep, but blue. A blue that matched the blue of an Australian sky. A blue that matched the blue of Angie's eyes. Why were his doors blue? And why did he feel so very much at home? It was a puzzle and it slowly seeped into his bemused mind that he was dreaming. Not dreaming as most of his friends did, rather dreaming as Mangela had shown a lonely little boy a life time ago.

Not thinking of going over and opening the doors, the lanky man settled on his haunches to wait patiently. There was a reason for this dreaming. He would find it soon enough. He closed his eyes and listened to the threading of the songline of his life. It was smooth and strong, but not alone. Now, other life threads were woven tightly together with his. Why? Never had he felt such a tapestry with his songline. He touched the individual threads with gentle fingers, easily picking out the one that was his. Next he touched the golden thread woven so tightly beside it and around it - Angie, his heart whispered - Angie Ramirez, his partner, his friend, his family and more. He looked, but did not find the threads of his parents - his mother, his father or Mangela - parents of flesh and blood, of heart and soul. Their lines were not in this place. His mother's had ended and left his line long ago. But where were his fathers' lines? Dingo's normally veered widely and wildly, but tangled itself within his often enough that he should recognize it. Mangela's was unmistakable as it thrummed steady and deep as a slow moving river. It seemed to gather the whole of the Yamatji within its power and somehow there was always a delicate and loving touch for his songline. These were absent. Part of him wondered why this didn't worry him, but instinct whispered that this was right for this place. One thread, which he didn't recognize at all, veered away and disappeared into a tangled knot of... Nothing? Chaos? What was that? It worried him to see the thread that had been so close to his songline vanish into the chaotic mess.

He opened brown eyes to consider the building in front of him. This place... or ... this time? A sound touched his ear and he turned to look, eager to unravel the mystery before him. A girl of average height, maybe twelve or thirteen, ran up to the doors of the old building. There were tears on her cheeks and she hid her eyes behind a screen of rich chestnut waves. Rollie wondered what color they were and why she cried. She reached up and touched a golden object on one of the doors. An object he hadn't noticed before. He stood silently and moved closer, wanting to see what it was, wanting to see more of this girl. He felt a pull in his heart and his songline that he didn't fully understand. To his wonder and amusement, she pulled a soft cloth from a pocket in her jeans and began to polish the knocker, for he was now near enough to see that it was a door knocker made of well polished brass. As he moved up behind her, Rollie finally saw that it was formed in the shape of an eagle. Somehow it seemed appropriate and right, even though he'd never considered adding a knocker to his door before. "Hullo," he spoke softly, gently, hoping he wouldn't frighten her, but wanting some answers to the questions only just now starting to buzz in his head.

The girl jumped and spun around. Rollie caught a glimpse of hazel eyes reddened by tears and felt a pang in his heart. He wondered what he had expected. "Who... who are you?"

Who was he? Somehow Rollie knew he should not say 'I'm Rollie Tyler. This is my place. Who are you? What is going on here?'. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before listening to the whispers of his soul. "I'm a friend of the owner. Mister Tyler? Do you know if he's here?" He crossed mental fingers, hoping against hope that he was right in asking that way. He had no desire to be arrested, even if this was a dreaming. He smiled and warmth filled his eyes.

She examined him closely and apparently saw something that reassured her it was okay to talk to him. "Granda isn't here right now. He's at the hospital with Mom, Dad, Grammie and Grandmom."

Granda? Granda?!? What?!? Rollie's mind boggled a bit as it tried to absorb that piece of information. Apparently, a Mister Tyler did indeed live here and was a grandfather. To be specific, her grandfather. He looked and tried to see some of himself in her. Still, it didn't necessarily mean he was this Mister Tyler... Did it?

"Mom is having the baby!" For a moment, tears were forgotten and the girl seemed to glow with happiness as she shared the news. She looked around, then leaned forward and whispered. "Dad and Granpoppa are hoping it's a boy. So am I!"

"Oh? I'm sorry I missed him. It's been a while and I hoped to catch up on the news," his smile widened, "but this sounds like very good news."

The girl nodded seriously. "Oh, it is! Grammie and Grandmom think it'll be a girl, because that's what we have most in our family - girls. That's why Dad, Granpoppa and I want a boy."

"What does your Granda say?"

"That it doesn't matter. He just wants a healthy baby."

"That sounds good to me." Rollie declared.

"I guess." She returned her attention to the eagle, it's wing widespread and started polishing again.

"That's beautifully polished. Do you take care of it?"

"Not... not always. Just sometimes."

"Oh," Rollie tilted  his head to one side and wondered if he could widdle names out of her. Somehow he didn't think that was why he was here though. Oh well, it was probably best not to know the future too clearly. In a very soft voice, suspecting this was the reason for his dreaming, he finally asked, "Why were you crying?"

The girl froze, her hand trembling. "I haven't been crying."

A patent lie, it sounded just like the times Angie tried to lie to him. "Yes you have. Why? I thought you were happy about the baby?" His tone had gone down as he softened his words.

She peeked at him from over her shoulder, looking up into brown eyes full of warmth and concern. She frowned in puzzlement. "Do I know you?" She asked hesitantly.

"No, you don't."

She stared at him thoughtfully, his eyes seemed so... familiar. They tugged at her heart. "I... I am happy about the baby. It..." She shook her head and turned away. She gulped as she desperately tried to hold back the tears and fear and pain.

"What? Sometimes talking helps. You can tell me. I promise I won't tell if you don't want me to." That had been very important to Angie a time or two when she was this age. Similar promises, faithfully kept, had gotten results when nothing else would. Perhaps it would work this time, too?

The girl shook her head, then swallowed. "I... It... My friend..." She turned and looked up into Rollie's kind face. "I..."

"Come here," Rollie walked over to some discarded packing crates and sat down. He patted one next to him. "Sit down. I won't bite, I promise." He crossed his heart solemnly. She sat cautiously, poised on the edge of her seat. "Now, tell me."

"My friend, Brianna, she... She wants to join a... a group of girls in school... and I..." She looked down at her hands which were twisting the polishing cloth into a knot.

Oh, so was that was this was about? A clique? He'd heard his share of Angie's horror stories about the snootiest of the snobs, the creme de la creme as it were. He didn't like them either! He waited, knowing that she had more to say.

"I... I don't like them." She glanced up, trying to see the man's face through her hair, which was hiding her eyes. She saw calm acceptance and patience. No recoils or chastisement for 'not liking' them the way her parents usually reacted. She took a deep breath. "They do things I don't want to do."

Rollie frowned ever so slightly. This didn't sound good. "What things?" The words were quiet, not echoing the sudden pounding of his heart.

"Graffiti and... things." She shrugged. "And they... they don't like my friend, Gina."

"I see. Doesn't Brianna like Gina?"

"Yeah, yeah, she does... She just..." She shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't understand! I..." She looked up at Rollie, tears standing in her eyes. "They want me to join too." She looked miserable and forlorn as if she was losing her best friend. "I don't know what to do!"

Rollie wished he knew what her name was. It seemed so... important that he get this right. "What do you think, luv?"

"I... I don't know... I... Brianna is my friend, my absolute best friend in the whole wide world and..." She choked back a sob.

"Close your eyes," he whispered softly, the sound of a didgeridoo echoing in his ears with the call of an eagle.

The girl looked up at him, startled.

"Go on." He nodded and smiled encouragement. Once she did, he continued. "Now listen. What do you hear?" He held his breath, waiting.

"Traffic. Birds." She shrugged and started to open her eyes.

"No," Rollie told her firmly. "Listen. Not with your ears, listen with your heart. What do you hear?"

A frown appeared on the girl's face as she struggled to do as he said. "A... a... hissing?"

He swallowed. A snake?!? Why did she hear...? "What else do you hear?" Please hear something else, he prayed silently.

"A bird. I can hear wings beating!"

"What type of bird?"

"I... I don't know."

"Look. No," he spoke swiftly before she could open her eyes, "not with your eyes. With your heart. What do you see?"

"A... An eagle!" She bounced slightly, suddenly excited.

Thank you, Rollie breathed. "What does your heart tell you?"

She shook her head, eyes still closed and tilted it to one side. "I... I don't understand."

"What does your heart tell you to do?" Rollie licked his lips and sighed softly. "I can't tell you what to do, sweetie. Neither can your parents or your grandparents. This is your choice. Your decision." A very important decision too, he thought. "Now, what does your heart tell you to do?" It felt as if the world had paused, waiting for the answer. He could feel it pressing down on him. He waited, his heart full of worry. She was at such a young age that was so easily influenced, especially by her peers. It was important that she make her own decision.

"I..."

"Listen..."

"I want to stay friends with Gina! I like her and we have fun. We can tell each other... things... and... I... I don't like them. I don't want to... They... they scare me." The last squeaked out in a rush. She opened her eyes and blinked. "I don't want to join them. Not even for Brianna. If she can't accept that, I..." She lifted her chin stubbornly. "I'll be sorry for her and if I lose her friendship, but I won't do it!"

A very stubborn chin, Rollie thought to himself. "There. You found your answer." He spoke with sure satisfaction, feeling the knotted songline loosening from the tangle and smoothing out, joining his songline and the others in the tapestry. "You knew it all along. You just had to listen to you." He touched the tip of her nose. "Remember that, the next time you get confused when someone wants you to do something you're not sure about."

The girl smiled and Rollie basked in the glow. "I will. Thank you!"

"Andra Lucinda Gatti! Where are you?" The man's call seemed to echo down the lane, driving away the sounds of the dreaming.

"Granpoppa! He's going to take me to see the new baby!" She bounced up, full of excitement and joy. "Here, Granpoppa! I..." She turned to ask the man his name so she could tell Granda. What?!? Where was he? She looked around, trying to find him.

"There you are. Time to go!" The short, gray haired man walked to his granddaughter's side. He smiled widely, thinking of the new baby. He looked at her puzzled. "What are you looking for? Did you lose something?"

"I... There was a man," she started.

"A man?" His frown deepened. He didn't like the sound of that, especially after seeing the evidence of her tears. "What man? What did he do?"

"Oh, nothing like that, Granpoppa!" She rolled her eyes slightly. Her grandparents were so protective! "He... He was looking for Granda and we... we talked. He helped me to decide about something." She walked to the other end of the lane. "Where did he go? I wanted to get his name so I could tell Granda."

"I don't know, Andra. What I do know is that I want to see if we have a new addition to the family. How about you?"

"Oh yes, Granpoppa!" She slipped her hand into her grandfather's and went with him happily, eager to see her new brother or sister.

Rollie Tyler blinked and looked sleepily up at the ceiling of his bedroom. What? Well, that was certainly an odd dream. He sat up and stretched. It felt like a dreaming. But... Granda? Andra Lucinda Gatti? Could it be? His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Rollie!" Angie called, her voice full of excitement and eagerness to face the new day and their newest project.

"Hold on a mo, Ange! I just woke up."