Scott looked down at the little girl he had just rescued. He had saved so many people's lives in the last couple of years that their faces just blended together in his mind and he rarely took notice of their distinguishing features anymore. This was especially true of children. To him they were just short, noisy, messy creatures.

This girl was different. She was captivating, mesmerising and as exquisite as an angel. Scott couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. She was only about three years old and yet she spoke as though she were several years older.

"Thank you for rescuing me and my family, Mr. International Rescue man. We would have died if you had not got us so quickly out of the broken-down building."

"That's okay," replied Scott, "That's what we do."

"You are a good man. You do things and you don't expect people to give you anything back. You're different and nice. I want to give you something special. My gift to you is three wishes…."

Scott smiled in amusement at the child but his smile turned to puzzlement. The girl's eyes seemed so bright – an almost luminous blue. They were drawing him in. He felt giddy….

With a start Scott woke up in bed. He glanced around the darkened bedroom and realised that he'd been asleep. He ran a hand across his face as if trying to wipe the dream away.

The girl had been real enough. Twelve hours earlier he had rescued her and her family from a supermarket with a collapsed roof. But as for the conversation between them, there just hadn't been one. The girl's mother had told her daughter to "Say thank you to the nice International Rescue Man," but the child had hidden behind her mother's legs and, if she had said thank you, it had been lost in the surrounding noise of the rescue site.

Three wishes, eh? Scott shook his head at how bizarre his dream had been. Perhaps Grandma was right, perhaps he shouldn't eat cheese before bed. Scott glanced at the bedside clock and saw it was 5.32am. He considered trying to get more sleep but felt uneasy at the thought of what he might dream about. Get up and do something, Scott Tracy.

The Dessert

For the rest of that day Scott couldn't shake the slightly eerie feeling the dream had given him. He kept himself busy and also went for a six mile run, being a firm believer that physical exercise could cure most mental ills.

At dinnertime everyone was seated around the huge table eating and chatting. Kyrano had served up a chicken, vegetable and noodle meal that was both tasty and very healthy. It soon disappeared as everyone ate with enthusiasm. Scott couldn't fault Kyrano's food as it was always delicious and nutritious but, as a man of action, he did like his carbohydrates. He was never adverse to fried chicken and fried potatoes but the stodgy, bad-for-you meals only made an appearance after a rescue when the team needed a boost.

Dessert arrived in the form of a fruit salad. As it was placed in front of him, Scott gave a small, disappointed sigh and leant towards Gordon who was seated next to him.

"I wish we were having Grandma's apple pie," he whispered wistfully. Gordon chuckled and was about to reply when…

"YUCK!" Plop.

The "yuck" had been from Virgil who, despite many years of nagging from his grandmother, had still not come to grips with the idea of not starting a course until everyone else had been served. He was sitting opposite Gordon and the 'plop' had been the result of a piece of pineapple being expelled from his mouth with some force and landing in Gordon's bowl. Gordon observed the pineapple for a moment and then looked at Virgil, raising his eyebrows with amusement.

"Having trouble controlling your food, Virg?" he enquired sweetly. Kyrano hurried over to the table.

"Mr. Virgil, is there something wrong with your dish?"

Virgil had the grace to look slightly abashed at his outburst. "I…er…it's only," he began apologetically, "…the fruit salad which, by the way, is usually delicious, tastes a bit…well…sour."

A look of horror appeared on Kyrano's face. Like a magician, he made a spoon appear from his long sleeve and he took a taste of the dessert.

"Oh my goodness, you are right, I am so sorry. I can assure you that it was fine when I made it earlier today. There must have been a delayed reaction between the fruit juices and the syrup. Please accept my sincere apologies."

Kyrano hurried to clear up the dishes as everyone else made comforting murmurs about it not being a problem. Grandma eased herself slowly to her feet.

"I think there's some of my apple pie in the freezer. It won't take a minute to heat through."

After Kyrano had removed Scott's and Gordon's plates, Gordon smiled at his eldest brother. "Looks like your wish came true."

Scott chuckled and then his own smile vanished. His wish had come true. The memory of the dream began to replay in his mind. He almost literally shook himself to get rid of it. He was being ridiculous. He would be the first to admit that, since knowing Kyrano, he was able to give more credence to scientifically unexplainable spiritual happenings but believing that some kid he rescued actually had the power to grant him three wishes? You're losing it, Scotty.

The Girlfriend