"There's no use sitting out here all night," Paul said after the faeries had escorted Amaryllis back to the Oak. "We should go inside and figure out what where going to tell Mum and Dad. We'll have to come up with a backstory, and how you arrived here in the middle of the night – and why I've never mentioned you before" Paul rambled as they headed back to the house.

"Shouldn't we do that before we get in there?" Knife asked apprehensively.

"No, with any luck they'll still be asleep, and we won't have to sit out in the cold" Paul replied, poking his head in the door first, anyway. Just in case.

"Knife isn't a very appropriate name, is it?" She sounded resigned as Paul gently closed the door to his room.

"No, not really. Not for a human girl, anyway. You could go back to Bryony," Knife made a face, "What do you prefer?"

"I guess I could use Perianth."

"That's still a pretty unusual name."

"But it's my name."

"But wouldn't that give everyone power over you?

"I don't think it works the same for humans."

"What about a nickname? You'll also need a last name to pull this off"

"You pick. Something that sounds…" Knife trailed off.

"What about 'Peri'?"

"Peri" Knife said, trying it out on her tongue. "I like it."

"Where are you from?"

"And how did I get here, that's more important, probably."

"Well," Paul replied, "I met you at school."

"How did I get here?"

"You came to visit and got mugged?" Paul suggested, raising his eyebrows.

"Mugged?"

"Robbed, at gunpoint, usually."

"That's why I've got no clothes?"

"You had fancy clothes?" Paul said, knowing it was weak.

"Why'd I come here?"

"I don't know. I really don't want to lie to them. Don't worry, I'll still protect the Oak!" he said, putting his hands up at the glare from Knife. "Okay, how's this: You and I have been corresponding – writing letters- for a while; you decided to drop by for a surprise visit."

"I thought you didn't want to lie."

"It's the closest to the truth I can come up with. We've known each other a while, and this is a surprise. You flew in from, I don't know, Wales, maybe, your luggage went to Ireland, and you came straight from the airport. And …. your clothes are soaking in the bathtub." Paul sighed at the blank expression on Knife's face. "This is going to be a long night."

"Peri. Knife. Wake up." Paul's voice drifted into her dreams.

"Whaat?" Peri woke slowly, trying to place herself in the unfamiliar surroundings. Paul had let her sleep in the bed when it had become clear that she was drifting off and not paying attention to their conversation anymore. She attempted to figure out why the glamour hadn't worn off in her sleep when she remembered that she wasn't a faery anymore. She was human.

"It's almost breakfast time, Peri," Paul continued. He had been using that name ever since they'd decided on it last night. Peri still didn't respond to it. "Are you sure you don't want to go with the amnesia story?" His mouth quirked, "it still might be easier to pull off on your part, anyway."

"I should've said good-bye to Linden" was Peri's response. "I didn't know Amaryllis was ready to start the spell."

"Linden's in good hands with Wink, who, I'm sure, will tell her all about her brave foster-mother," Paul said. "Besides, we'll find a way to stay connected with her. Especially as she gets older." When Peri didn't look convinced, he added, "Linden will be the first faery with a foster-father. I don't think she'll worry too much over whether or not you said 'good-bye' to her last night."

Peri gave a slightly watery chuckle. "That's if we survive this morning."

"Right." Paul said. "So please wipe those tears out of your eyes before my parent's think that you're a basket case."

Peri's tears only increased. "I'm just nervous," she said, trying to wipe them away with the blanket. "I don't know anything about being a human. What if I mess up?"

"Well, the Peri I know wouldn't let that stop her. At seven inches tall she managed to steal my craft knife and my heart. I believe she can do anything." Peri flung her arms around his neck then, and when she pulled away again, her eyes were drier, and Paul's shirt was noticeable wetter.

"I'm ready," she said as she ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to smooth it out. "Let's get it over with."

"Mum? Dad?" Paul wheeled himself into the kitchen. Peri waited in the sitting room.

"Good morning." Beatrice gave him a kiss. "Sleep well, dear?"

"Um, actually, not really." Paul continued before his mother could interrupt. "Well, there's this girl I met at school, her name's Peri, and we've kept in touch for a while, and she wanted to drop by for a surprise visit."

"That sounds nice dear, when is she coming?" Beatrice had obviously missed the "surprise" portion.

"Well, that's the thing. She arrived last night. Late last night. She's in the sitting room if you'd like to meet her."

"In the sitting room? Of course we want to meet her." Beatrice sounded only moderately surprised.

"How late last night?" George cut in. "I didn't hear anybody come in. And where did she spend the night?"

"Pretty late. I was sitting up reading, and I saw her taxi pull up. I didn't want to wake you guys up, so I just let her in."

"Why don't you let her come in and have breakfast, dear." Beatrice put her hand on her husband's arm. "I'm sure we'll be happy to meet her."

As Paul turned back towards the sitting room, he heard his father mutter, "He still didn't say where the girl spent the night," and his mother's muttered "Hush George."

"Ready?" Paul asked.

"As I'll ever be." Peri responded drily.

"Peri, these are my parents, Mr. and Mrs. McCormack. Mum, Dad, this is Peri." Paul performed the perfunctory introductions when they returned to the kitchen. Vermeer wandered over when he saw Peri, and began twining himself around her ankles.

"What are you wearing?" Beatrice seemed stunned to see Peri wrapped in a blanket; underneath you could see she was wearing one of Paul's shirts.

"My suitcase got lost at the airport, and I only had the clothes I was wearing. I got stuck in the rain, and so Paul offered me something dry until I could wash my clothes out." Peri delivered the rehearsed line carefully, and in Paul's opinion, did a good job of coming across shy instead of scared.

"Well," Beatrice seemed slightly flustered now. "Why don't you have some breakfast."

"How long did you want to stay on your 'surprise' visit?" George asked once everyone was resettled at the table.

"I hope I'm not intruding. I wanted to do some travelling, and I couldn't think of a better place to start than visiting with you." Peri was starting to sound nervous now.

"Anyway, you seem to know Paul well," Beatrice interrupted her husband's questioning to begin her own. "but we barely know you at all. Where are you from?"

As breakfast continued, Peri answered Beatrice's questions about herself using the answers she and Paul had prepared. She was raised in an orphanage, and was soon to be too old to stay anymore. She wanted to travel a bit. She and Paul had been writing letters to each other for more than a year now. She shared Paul's interest in art, which was what they talked about the most. George stayed silent, intently studying Peri. After breakfast, George insisted that he, Paul and Beatrice have a conference in the sitting room. Peri helpfully offered to wash the dishes.

Beatrice spoke up the minute the door was closed. "Why didn't you tell us you had a pen pal, Paul? And you certainly could have woken us up last night. We would have been happy to come down. It wouldn't have been any trouble at all."

"No." George spoke firmly. "It would have been trouble then, just as it is now." He ignored Beatrice's attempt to say that the getting up wasn't the trouble. "You never said where she spent the night. Or why she had to arrive in the middle of the night. Why didn't we even know she was coming? Why didn't you tell us?"

Paul's cheeks colored at what he was afraid his father was implying. "We spent most of the night talking. Really. She fell asleep on the couch. And then I introduced her to you. I promise." George didn't look impressed.

"Well, dear, I'm sure we'll love to get to know her, but I'm not sure it's wise to let her stay here." Beatrice sounded apologetic, but firm. "We don't know her at all, and I'm not sure it would be appropriate."

"I think you have a lot to answer for," George added, looking sternly at Paul.

"We'll drive her into town, and book her into a hotel," Beatrice continued. "She's welcome to come for dinner tomorrow, and whatever plans the two of you make for the rest of her stay."

"But she can't stay here at all?" Paul asked, worried that Peri's bargain with Amaryllis would be broken already, if Peri couldn't protect the Oak.

"It's not far to town, and you and she will be able to meet as often as you want." Beatrice turned to her husband before continuing, "Now, you'd better be getting off to work before you're late. I'll take care of the rest of it here." George did not look particularly pleased, and gave Paul a stern look that meant he was not finished with the matter, but took Beatrice's advice and left for work after quick good-byes.

"Alright, then." Beatrice took control once the door had closed. "If her clothes are still wet, I'm sure she can borrow something of mine until they find her suitcase. Then you can drive into town." Beatrice walked back into the kitchen where Peri was fiddling with her blanket after having finished the dishes. "Come upstairs dear, and let's see if we can't find you something better to wear."

"I appreciate that, ma'am." Peri said quietly, following Beatrice up the stairs. "I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble."

"We're certainly happy to have you visiting, so that's not a problem at all. It's just a bit, inappropriate, I think, for us to have you here, un-chaperoned as you are."

"Oh." Now it was Peri's turn to feel her cheeks grow warm. "I never thought of that. Of course, I wouldn't want you to think that's why I came, or to put you in any uncomfortable situation." Peri was beginning to understand why Amaryllis had pointed out the difficulties she would face when becoming human.

"I'm sure you didn't, dear, it was just an honest mistake. However, it is one we have to deal with. You're invited to dinner tomorrow night, by the way," Beatrice added as poked about in her closet. "Here's something you could borrow. I daresay it's a bit out of style, but hopefully your suitcase won't be too long."

"You're very kind." Peri whispered. She knew she should say "thank you" like a human girl would have, but there were just too many new things to get accustomed to. "I didn't know where else to go."

"Where else to go for what?" Beatrice seemed kindly enough about giving help, so Peri decided to expand their story a bit.

"I grew up in an all-girls orphanage," she explained. That much was about as truthful as you could get. "I didn't know about, well, interacting with boys …"

"That's already been forgiven."

"But when they told me I would be too old soon, I didn't know where else to go. I got some schooling, and such, but not much in the way of job experience. I didn't know how to go start my own life. I was hoping maybe you could help," she added shyly.

"Of course. You go with Paul and get settled, and then we'll do whatever we can to help you with your future. It'll be good for Paul too. He needs to start deciding what he's going to do now that school is almost over. How did you meet, by the way?" Beatrice added as they headed back downstairs after Peri had changed.

"The orphanage took some of us on a field trip, and he was there with his school, I guess, and we were all in a park eating lunch in our separate groups, and I was, um, playing with a ball after I finished my lunch, and it landed in his lap." Peri stopped talking quickly, keeping herself from saying she had fallen into Paul's lap. What an impression that would have given Beatrice! She was rather proud of her self for the answer she had come up with on the spot, though. "We crossed paths occasionally after that. When I found out about his accident, I begged his school to give me his address to I could write to him." Peri shrugged. "He wrote back, and, well, I enjoyed talking, er, I mean, writing to him."

"I see. It's interesting that he's never mentioned you." Beatrice's mouth puckered. "Well, here you go." she added, addressing Paul when they returned to the sitting room. "Just go get yourself settled and I'm sure we'll talk more later."

"See you in a bit," Paul called out the shoulder, nearly bolting out the door. "That wasn't too bad, was it?" he asked Peri once they were inside the safety of the car.

"Terrible." Peri said mournfully. "She accused me of sleeping with you last night."

"Out and out accused you?" Paul's mouth quirked. "Don't worry, my father said pretty much the same thing to me. And he's not done with me yet. Joy and pleasure."

"Are we sure this is going to work?" Peri wailed. "I haven't even been human for a day, and already I'm being sent away. What an ostentatious beginning." She sniffed.

"Don't give up so soon. It was a bit of a shock all around. Don't worry, with a little space the storm will blow over, and they'll be more accepting when you come back for dinner. I'll do my best to calm them down. In the meantime, let's stop at the library, and you can pick out a couple of books to keep yourself busy so you don't get too nervous about the 'dinner party'." Paul put his arm around her. "Things will get better. I promise."

Time passed, and one dinner turned into several a week, until even George could barely see a reason for Peri to pay a hotel when she spent all her time at the house with them. When they finally allowed her to move in, Beatrice and George sat them both down for an extended discussion on the "rules" that would be observed throughout the living arrangement. Beatrice had taken Peri's plea for help literally, and as soon as moved in, began giving her cooking lessons, as well as pestering her into finding suitable employment.

Peri found it annoying. "She's always watching me out the window when I go out to the Oak." She complained to Paul. "She thinks I'm not doing anything, and when I come in, she 'finds' something for me to do."

"Bring a sketch book with you." Paul suggested absently. "That way, you'll look like you're doing something."

Peri scrunched her face up. "Well, bringing it's a good idea, but I don't think I'm drawing in it." She grinned mischievously, "I'm not the artist in the family."

Paul grinned back. "Never underestimate what can happen under that Oak tree."

Paul's advice turned into the answer Beatrice was looking for: Peri, too, decided to pursue art, preferring pen and ink drawings to Paul's bright paintings. Her occupation also gave her an excuse to fill the Oak with sketches of flowers, much to the other faeries delight. Many of them enjoyed their weekly visits when Beatrice was out, and Paul always made sure to have something new to show them. Paul's art thrived under the constant faery contact, and he was able to make a decent sum through his paintings. George and Beatrice were thrilled to see how Paul had revived since Peri had come to "visit," and so were not surprised, even if not entirely ecstatic, when Paul announced that he and Peri were engaged. Amaryllis' wedding gift was allowing Wink, Thorn, and Linden to attend the wedding at human size.

After the wedding, George and Beatrice moved out of the house, moving to their own cottage. Their independence allowed Paul and Peri to re-do the house as they pleased, including dedicating a studio. It also became a second home to many of the faeries as they no longer feared discovery whenever they came to visit.

The End.