This one has been waiting for me to finish it for almost a year. I loved 'Were the World Mine' and rewatch it whenever I get the chance. This comes from that final goodbye combined with The song before the play. Enjoy…
The Pucks
A single moment in time and their lives were changed forever. Timothy and Jon had both been accepted to Boston College and they were attending the three day orientation to the College. On the Second day a friendly girl by the name of Jessica, a Bostonian born and bred, offered to give them a tour of the city including a picnic on the Common. Nearing midday they approached the Common and Jon stopped for a moment to ask Jessica about a statue in front of one of the business offices. Timothy, caught in a daydream, crossed the road with all the surety of a country child.
Jessica caught sight of him first when the blaring horn caused her to look up, she screamed and Jon whipped around to catch sight of his boyfriend staring with terrified eyes at the bumper of an oncoming minivan fifteen feet away. Later Jon would not remember moving but he wrapped his arms around Timothy just as the van plowed into them both. The sharpness of the pain drove him into blackness, but while most of him hoped dearly for Timothy's survival there was a small part that hoped that if his boyfriend of four months died then Jon wouldn't survive either.
When Jon opened his eyes again the white room around him was hazy at the edges, he was standing in one corner and there was figure in a white hospital bed in front of him. He quickly realized that the he was the figure. Timothy stood next to the bed dressed like he had for the play four months before, with the exception that his Puck length hair was black and his glittering wings were real. Ms. Tebbet stood with him her own fairy get-up matching Timothy's.
They stood there for what felt like an age before Ms. Tebbet spoke gently, "It's time to fly, Gwydyon"
"My name is Timothy, mother" Timothy answered evenly, not moving. "You know that I made my choice already. I chose Jon and will again if necessary."
Jon watched frustration flash across Ms. Tebbet's face, "So you would forsake your family for a mortal."
Timothy looked back at his mother over his winged shoulder, "Did you not do the same, mother? Were you not the one to teach me of the curse that all Pucks must endure?"
Anger and sorrow darkened Ms. Tebbet's face, "I have made my mistakes, my son and I admit to them. You'll forgive me if I try to guide you from the follies and heartbreak that follow this path."
Timothy turned backed to the figure on the bed, running a careful hand along the side of the bed-ridden figure's face. Jon felt the ghostly touch of his fingers and warmth expanded in his chest, "It is much too late for that mother. I have found my one." He glanced at Ms. Tebbet again, "Surely you of all people won't deny me my one."
"You were more than willing to say goodbye once." Ms. Tebbet reminded and that brought Jon up short. What did she mean, say good bye? Where was he going?
"I thought Jon wouldn't want me without the pansy's magic, as I'm sure you remember, mother. Once I knew he did choosing him over anything became easy."Timothy looked lovingly back at the figure in the bed.
Ms. Tebbet placed a delicate hand right between Timothy's translucent wings. "Is that fair to him?" she asked with deliberate cruelty underlying her concern. Jon watched Timothy still and his heart dropped at the look on his face. "To be bound to you without understanding what that means? To give up any chance of the life he was due without the burden of you love."
Timothy's wings drooped and a look of quiet devastation overtook his features, "Mother…"
"You gave him a gift beyond measure, my son, to have pulled him from the darkness of his doubt. Away from the prejudices that surrounded him you gave him the potential for true happiness. Now you need to give him the chance to find his light." Timothy's shoulder slumped further, something she had said had obviously had struck a chord. "Better now with a clean break, then later. I know this from experience."
Timothy's entire posture screamed dejected, "Yes, mother" He bent slightly and cupped his hand to the prostrate Jon's cheek. The warmth remained but sorrow and pain edged in underneath it. "I will love you ever more, Jonathon Cordon, may I meet you in your dreams." He pressed a tender kiss into Jon's lips and breathed out a final, "goodbye" that froze Jon's insides.
The fairy duo began to fade, Ms. Tebbet throwing a triumphant glance at Jon's corner as they went. The frozen lump within Jon shattered at the sight of his boyfriend fading away. He lunged with all of his might and grasped a single nearly invisible hand just before it vanished. He would follow his love, come what may.
YAY FOR THE MAGIC PANSY
In operating room 1 in a Boston hospital a nurse calls out above the din, "we're losing him BP at 60 and dropping."
A surgeon, observing the boy rather than his colleague, spoke "Stay with us, Timothy."
Another room in that same hospital, this one in recovery, is kicked into motion when the alarms sound. The young man in the bed who had been resting peacefully until this point suddenly seized up and convulsed his breathing stopped. The tear filled voice of his tour guide begged him, "Come on Jonathon, don't give up. Timothy is going to need you."
I SEE THEIR KNAVERY
The next thing Jon knew he was standing in a wooded clearing unlike anything he had ever seen. The colors were truer than anything he had ever seen, the lightest scent of something magical was in the air. Jon was still holding onto Timothy's hand like the lifeline it was. He felt disconnected from himself, like he heart should be racing and it wasn't.
Timothy didn't seem be aware of his presence at first, though Ms. Tebbet looked at him with calculating eyes. Slowly, though, the extra presence seemed to register as he looked up slowly to meet Jonathon's eyes. Jon sucked in a harsh breath at the absolute devastation in his boyfriend's dark orbs. Even Timothy's sudden intake of breath and his own whispered, "Jon?" couldn't rise more than a small smile from him.
Jon felt his eyes tear up and his free hand moved up to rest against Timothy's clean shaven face. "Please don't leave me." He couldn't help but beg, his words were choked with the fear that he would lose this man.
Timothy didn't respond, seemingly frozen in surprise at the sight of Jon, but Ms. Tebbet's eyes glittered strangely. "How did you find this place, little mortal?" She asked.
The sound of her voice seemed to shock Timothy out of his stupor because Jon suddenly found himself half hidden from view by translucent wings as Timothy moved in front of him protectively. "You will not harm him." Timothy spoke sharply to their former drama teacher.
Ms. Tebbet's smile grew sly, "Oh, you have no reason to fear for the little mortal's life from me, son, I am simply curious how this mortal of yours found his way into the Grove when no other has done so before."
Timothy didn't look convinced but allowed Jon move around him; when Jon reached out to clasp hands with his boyfriend Timothy responded by intertwining their fingers. Ms. Tebbet watched the action; a brief frown marred her face. "I followed you" he freely admitted, "from that white room" he looked up at his incredulous boyfriend, "I can't just let you go, Timothy, I love you."
Timothy bit his lip, looking down at their conjoined hands, fighting some inner struggle, "Mother is right." He said finally, "I can't ask you for the commitment necessary for me to remain." Jon noticed he couldn't seem to release his hand though.
"Shouldn't I decide if a commitment is worth it?" He asked, "It is, by the way."
"You don't even know what it would entail, what the consequences are." Timothy huffed out.
Emboldened and soothed by the fact that Timothy was still holding his hand Jon looked calmly into those beloved eyes, "Then explain it to me, if that's what it will take for you to believe me." Timothy still looked doubtful, "I love you, that isn't going to change. I can't think of anything that could keep me from wanting to be with you."
"And if I said that you can never see any of the people you know again, that you would need to live somewhere completely foreign in order to stay with me." Timothy shot back.
"Lead the way," was Jon simple reply, this brought Timothy up short, "I'll be honest I would be sad that I wouldn't see my family and friends again, and a little angry at whatever circumstances were forcing you to give me that kind of a choice but if that were the only way then I would take it."
"You're serious?" Timothy asked with surprise widened eyes.
Before he could answer Ms. Tebbet spoke, "You might as well tell the little mortal, my son. The Bean Sidhe will allow it."
There was a look that was exchanged between the two before Timothy sighed. He turned back to Jonathon. "I'm not human, as you might have already guessed. I am Fey; a Fairy in its most literal sense" Though his face was still solemn ironic amusement in his eyes. "We're not a people made for short affairs. A fairy will give their heart once, fall in love only once and that love will never fade. You of all people know that mortals can be a bit more fickle. I thought I would get a few more years, enough time for you to lose interest and I would become like any other Fairy that loved a mortal. It would be a hollow existence but well worth it for the time we had together."
The words struck through Jonathon, "You thought I would lose interest?" Hut beyond words was an understatement. The man couldn't even find it in him to be angry. "I Love you, Timothy" He tried to imbue the words with everything he felt; tried to make his boyfriend understand what he meant.
The surrounding crowds tittered. Mrs. Tebbit smile condescendingly at him. "Oh little mortal; silly little boy. Human aren't meant for forever, even my son knows that. He answered this summons did he not?"
The human in question glared, "Just because you manipulated him into thinking he was hurting me doesn't mean…summons, what summons?" He turned back to Timothy who had drooped when his mother spoke.
"All Fey that are not in an ongoing assignment are being recalled back to the Grove. It is come to my attention that too many are becoming too involved with their assignments, including your so called Timothy. It would be best for you to return to your body, you will of course forget being here. Your boyfriend will die in that car accident and all can move on." A slow voice echoed throughout clearing. The tittering stopped and looks of shock replaced it. Jonathon could hear whispers about this voice talking to him.
He blinked but shrugged internally. "I don't accept that." He shouted back, "I will not let you take Timothy away from me." There was another shocked ripple through the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his boyfriend straighten up in mild shock. The human reached out a hand and tangled his fingers with his boyfriend's. In turn the fairy looked down at their conjoined hands like he'd never seen them before.
"You would challenge me for him, human? What would you give?" The Voice still spoke slowly, as if the speaker was barely awake. Amusement now coated it though.
"What do you want?" At his question the hand encircling his tightened.
"You can ask that!" Timothy hissed at his side, "Jon, you don't know what you're dealing with. I'm not worth it; not matter what he asks for."
Jonathon turned to look at his panicked lover fully, "There is nothing he can ask that I wouldn't pay."
"Truly, little human, and if I asked for your life? The lives of you family? If I asked you to kill?"
Than hand around his tightened "are you?" He asked calmly.
The voice puffed a laugh, "No little human. My price is your mortality and a test you must pass."
"Then I agree. What do you want me to do?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw his lover grow paler.
"A Fey marriage? No" he breathed. Jonathon squeezed his hand comfortingly.
"A rash decision little mortal, do you not wish to hear the consequences of this action."
"I suppose I should" Jonathon agreed lightly. Inside he was soaring at the word marriage; his most secret dream the one he never even breathed of to Timothy was to be able to call him husband.
"Already having second thoughts, Little Mortal?" Mrs. Tebbit asked snidely.
"No but I know Timothy. If I don't at least hear them then he'll believe I was tricked no matter what I say." The Fairy already carried far too much guilt over the whole pansy thing. No matter how positive the changes were.
"Jon this could kill you, or worse."
"So can jumping in front of a speeding car and I already did that."
Timothy shook his head "That's just physical. Even a moment of doubt on your part, just a sliver and the chaotic magic that will build up through the ceremony will tear you apart molecule by molecule."
"Doubt's not something I'll need to worry about."
"Maybe not consciously…"
"No not at all. Think about it I leapt in front of a moving car, I followed you hear. Both of these things were on instinct, there was nothing conscious about the decisions. There is no doubt."
Timothy closed his eyes for a moment, "Even if it succeeds there will be consequences. Even among us immortals the Fey's Marriage is a legend. No one that still exists has seen one successfully completed. According to legend the best case scenario is that we will no longer by mortal or immortal, but bound by our own set of rule. This will steel half your life on Earth at best, and then bind us both to this realm until everyone who has ever met us passes past the veil. You will have to forsake any other romantic love, even if your soul mate walked up to you."
Jonathon swallowed heavily. For a moment Mrs. Tebbit perked and Timothy drooped again, "That's not possible" he whispered brokenly, "I've already met my soul mate and he's about to marry me; if he'll have me?"
"Then you accept" the voice boomed with authority.
"Are you sure?" Timothy asked with a growing hope.
"I am not afraid." Jonathon responded, it was clearly the right answer as His husband to be lit up.
YOU TOO CAN SEE A LINE IF YOU WANT
Within the hour they stood facing each other the center of the clearing. It seemed like a full city's worth of people crowded around them or peered through the thick trees. Unlike a human wedding there was no person standing in front of them. Mrs. Tebbit had wrapped a braided cord of red, white and black around their wrist joining their hands then had retreated back to the crowd line. Without prompting their foreheads met between them. The entire ceremony consisted of a breathed 'I love you' form each of them into the magically charged atmosphere and then a single searing kiss. They were so caught up in each other that they never noticed the cords melting into their hands or the glow that almost obscured them. They separated reluctantly then Timothy flashed Jonathon a worried smile.
"What? Did something go wrong?" Jonathon didn't feel like he had been torn apart. He actually felt like he wanted to move onto the honeymoon part of this ceremony.
Timothy's smile turned a bit sly like he knew exactly what was going through Jonathon's head. "No, it's just… no ones ever passed the test before."
"What's the test?" No sooner than he asked did steel strong hands grabbed him and whipped him around.
"This" Mrs. Tebbit cackled and held up a very familiar flower. Before Jonathon could react she had squirted the mist/pollen into his face and stepped aside. He blinked a few times to clear his eyes before setting his eyes on an unfamiliar fairy.
The hands dropped away and he automatically turned to find his husband standing there looking worried. "Are you alright, Timothy?" He asked as he moved hesitantly closer, wary of the hands that could grab him at any second.
There was another ripple through the crowd as Timothy moved faster than the eye could see to wrap him into an even more searing kiss than before. Though his head reeled with the passion, he couldn't help but wonder what caused it.
"You have truly earned my blessing beyond expectation. You are blessed young Puck to have found so true a match."
"Congratulations my sons" Mrs. Tebbit called to them. Jonathon barely heard either of them since Timothy was still examining his tonsils and that was really the only important part as far as he was concerned.
When they finally pulled apart Timothy looked at him with such adoration that Jonathon felt his heart skip a beat, then two.
"The only people who have ever been able to resist the magic of Cupid's flower were immortals who had found their true match. You must be the first mortal ever to have successfully combated it's powers."
"It's rare indeed to find what you both have, congratulations" Mrs. Tebbit said smiling. "Now it's time for you both to return. I will see you both for your training in your dreams."
DO YOU SEE THE PRETTY LINES
Jonathon came to full consciousness feeling like his eyelids were made of lead. His entire body ached and his limbs weren't more than useless lumps. The smell of medicine hit him just as his hearing came back and the beeps of machinery made themselves known. He groaned as he tried ineffectually to turn over.
"Jon…Jon, come on open your eyes for mom. Jake go get the nurse. I think he's waking up. Jon can you hear me?"
"M'm, Wha' 'appene'…?" he asked fuzzily. Memory slammed into him like a car and his eyes shot open, "Tim" he tried to shout and sit up. He struggled even as he failed. "Where's Tim? Is he alright? Tim?" He could distantly hear the heart monitor alarm and feel the hands holding him down. His panic overrode them. He couldn't lose Tim now.
It took the nurses and Jon's family several minutes for him to calm down. Even then it was only the treat of sedatives and postponing finding out that got through to him. "Jon, Timothy's in the ICU." She held up a hand to stall him, "Just for observation, you both were pretty banged up in the accident. We almost lost you both several times."
Happily Jon's parents and sister, despite being surprised about the guy thing, accepted Timothy pretty quickly into the family. They certainly reacted much better than Cole's mother had when she found out that he and Cooper were more than friends even without the Pansy's magic. The only thing that his parent truly cared about was that they stayed safe and happy.
"He'll be alright, right?" Jon couldn't help but ask, even as a warm thread curled up under his mind signifying his husbands return to the waking world. He would ask later how he knew that.
"We'll ask Max when he gets back." Jon's father, Jake, promised. "He's just checking on Frankie whose been sitting with her brother since its family only in the ICU."
Just then Max burst in with a bright grin stretched across his face, "He's awake" he called into the room before he's even full come through the door. When he saw that Jon had woken up his smile seemed to widen almost impossibly. Despite their rocky beginnings Max and Jon struck up a firm friendship. It seemed that without a love potion making them think they were in love with the same person they had a great deal in common. That of course included their love for incredibly creative, dramatic people.
"When can I see him?" Jon asked eagerly to the amusement of his family and friend.
"Their checking him out now. If they decide he's well enough to be moved into a room he'll be moved in here. I guess they even kicked Frankie out given how she was pacing the waiting room."
Jon frowned doing a head-count as it occurred to him that someone was missing, "only Frankie?"
For a moment his mother looked slightly angry before she covered it with a soothing smile. "Donna couldn't make it, dear. She's asked that we call to keep her updated."
In the wake of the Pansy many things had changed in their small town which became more open minded. However one of the things that hadn't changed was the strange gap that existed between Timothy and his mother. Not even Frankie or Max knew what caused it but supposed it had to do with the father that Timothy still denies he has. The fact that whatever it was kept Donna from coming had Jon feeling more than a little angry. He swallowed it down, but resolves to get to the bottom of this later.
"Ten buck says Nora will have her down here in a week."
Finally his mother smiled, "No bet."
Nora Faye Ballinger, once she got past her own homophobia, took to plight of homosexuals like she did every other cause in her life; enthusiastically and with little regard to what anyone else thought. As far as she was concerned Jon and Timothy were the poster children for love concurring all and held them up as such. Considering her temperament it may actually be a good thing that they ended up being soul mates. Jon shuddered to think what the woman would have done if the ever broke up. Since she was still Donna's boss and she held Timothy in such high regard she had been trying the hardest out of all of them to bridge the divide between mother and son. It was one of her only failures.
"Don't be surprised if you're overrun by rugby players in the next few days" Max warns. "Coach Driscoll took up a collection and everyone's flying in."
Jon blinked, "How's that possible. I know that Cooper and Cole will e out of touch for at least 48 more hours and Russ's orientation is going until the end of the week."
"Honey" Jon's mother said quietly, "You've been in a coma for nearly two weeks."
"What? A coma" how was that possible? The discussion, wedding, and congratulations couldn't have taken more than four hours.
"A few hours after they brought you in the lost Timothy twice on the table" His father began with an unusual amount of hesitance. He was probably concerned of upsetting Jon since the nurses were afraid of a repeat from when he woke up. "You began to seize and stopped breathing around the same time. It took them nearly a minute for them to get you stabilized. You've been in a coma since."
"A coma" Jon whispered to himself. He will never forget the feeling of shattering ice in his chest when Timothy said his goodbyes. It was now hitting home that if he hadn't held on, if he hadn't fought with everything he had, he would have woken to a world where his beloved husband was dead. There was no question in his own mind that he wouldn't have survived long in that world.
A loud commotion in the hall broke the awkward silence. "That's the wrong room. He's supposed to be in that room." That was a very familiar voice.
Max opened the door just in time to hear the faint answer from the orderly, "Miss my orders are to put him in room eight. You are pointing at room six, so I was in fact putting him in the right room."
"You were ordered, by what the potted plant in the corner." Never let it be said that Frankie doesn't have a fine grasp on derision.
"Miss" came the patient, if slightly irritated voice, "his paperwork says room eight, now are you going to cooperate or are we going to have to have you removed."
"What paperwork? Give me that" there was a rustle, "it says room six you idiot."
Max grinned at them all, "and that's my cue to save the poor hospital worker from my girlfriend. Wish me luck"
"You'll need it" Jon heard his sister mutter.
PRETTY, PRETTY LINE
It was nearly a month before the two were released and got any privacy. The hospital didn't let them sleep deep enough to share dreams like Timothy was sure they would be capable of. The first night they were both back in Jon's bed, since Timothy had refused to go home to Donna, they dreamed they were sitting in a small hut in the wildwood.
Timothy smiled nervously at Jon, "This will be our home here." He said as Jon prowled through the two room cottage. "It will grow as our control grows. Now let's sit. I believe I have some explaining to do."
They sat on comfortable chairs near a warm hearth. Timothy stared pensively at it for several minutes, "So, an explanation?" Jon prompted.
Timothy quirked a smile, "Just trying to decide where to start, and don't say the beginning" he said quickly before Jon could even open his mouth. "I suppose I'll start with what I am, what we are." Jon's husband stared into the flames. "I am a Fairy, one of the immortal Fey. More specifically I am of the Puck clan. Shakespeare got it wrong you know, he described Puck as a trickster; a kind of messenger/court jester to Oberon. Our clan is dedicated to bringing light to the darkness, shining love where there is hate. We use our trickery to bring justice to the mortal realm. The name I was given by my mother was Gwydyon, by the way."
Jon was still a little confused, "But then how?"
Timothy smile a sad smile, "How did I end up going to Morgan Hill Prep under the name of Timothy? How did I convince Donna that she's my mother? How do I pass for human?"
"Uh…yes, to all of it."
Timothy sighed a heavy sigh "The truth is you never met Timothy Cohen. He committed suicide the same night his father kicked him out. The same night his mother stood aside and watched as her only son was beaten, broken in some of the worst ways possible. He dragged himself, bruised and bloody to the nearest bridge and used the last of his strength to throw himself off. He was a local boy who no one cared was dead, save his two best friends. That is the injustice we fight, that horrible apathy. I took his place and we prepared to show that town what it means to walk in his shoes. As part of the disguise I bound my memories. I thought I was Timothy up until the night of the play. I remembered dragging myself to Frankie's instead of the bridge. I lived as if I was him but strong enough to survive not just that night but everything. Mother was there to guide me to the Pansy and I made sure to use it. Originally we were going to let the town implode, let the effect become permanent."
Jon cleared his suddenly dry throat "What changed?"
Timothy smiled, "You for the most part. Even before the Pansy you acted kinder to me than anyone save my friends. You tried to play peacemaker and even more than with Frankie or Max I felt at home with you. So I changed the scheme made the effects a bit less permanent and we changed the town."
"And the night of the play?" Jon whispered.
"Mother unlocked my memories while we lay in the woods, I needed to remember my duties you see. By then even mother wanted to set things to right. I thought you weren't going to want me after the magic was gone so I was prepared to vanish; Just another dead body in the river."
Jon looked at his husband, "You mean when I kissed you…"
"It was the only thing that stopped me from vanishing." Jon couldn't help the feeling of awe. It quickly turned to other feelings when Timothy's smile took on a sly twist "Now about that honey-moon?" Taking his husbands hand Jon allowed himself to be lead to the bedroom. There would be time to talk later…much later.