Cassidy's own awakening hadn't been quite so dramatic — still, it was a rare morning that he went so abruptly from asleep to awake, with a sudden inhale and a momentary sense of disorientation as he started blinking his eyes open. Where in the hell was he...?

His room in the castle. Winter Wing. Right. Because this was reality, after all. Not New York, or New Orleans. Not anymore.

"Jesus," he sighed, scrubbing a hand over his eyes to squeeze the sleep out. That had easily been the most vivid dreaming experience he'd had in years. Maybe decades.

He turned his head to one side, and for a handful of seconds, watched Pudge 'swim' around in his water-less fishbowl. Not only had the dream been vividly detailed, Cassidy found that he remembered it with perfect clarity. He'd told Airy to come and find him, that he'd show her Pudge's new trick.

Weird, weird bloody dream. This wasn't one of their days, he didn't think, but maybe he'd check in on her anyway, just to put his mind at ease...

Knock, knock. "Cass?"

Cassidy was just starting to sit up when the door started to open. She was actually here. Coincidence?

Nope. As soon as he saw her, he knew. It was all over her face. And then the knowing was all over his.

"...oh, Christ." His voice was still groggy from sleep, but the astonishment came through. It had all been real.