Disclaimer - I do not own these characters, I simply made a new story from them for my own and other's enjoyment

"I- Excuse me?" I asked, slightly taken aback. I could think of several horrid places in the land of faery. I'd been to nearly all of them. Hell, I'd created some of them.

"Tir Na Nog. That's where she lives," the girl mumbled, sounding truly frightened. I grimaced in sympathy; she must have been one of Mab's play things. Actually, I wasn't sure how she'd managed to get away. One did not simply escape the Winter court, especially when one was at least mostly human.

"Well, lucky I'm from Acadia then," I smiled tightly, though I knew it didn't reach my eyes. This nearly-human almost reminded me of Meghan during the first few days we arrived in the NeverNever; clumsy, recklessly stupid, and quick thinking at the same time. My chest squeezed slightly at the memory and I quickly pushed it away.

"What? No, you can't take me there either!" the girl was suddenly panicking all over again, squirming against my arms.

"I'm not taking you anywhere except maybe the mortal realm!" I growled, glowering at the almost-human. She stopped at that, eyes wide.

"You… you'll really take me back?" she asked, staring innocently into my eyes. I still didn't understand how she possibly stayed alive this long, especially if she was willing to trust any fey she met. Not that I wasn't going to be honest, but still… Many a goblin would take advantage of her. It was kind of sad to me now.

"What do you think I'm going to do? Turn you into a rabbit then chase you through the Wyldwood?" I asked sarcastically, as if I didn't have better things to do. The girl still shivered, though. I sighed, rolling my eyes. We really hadn't gotten far in the conversation.

"Are you going to tell me who you are yet?" I asked impatiently, still keeping an eye on the forest. I could tell several creatures were watching us, though most were wary and didn't want to approach. Which was really for the best, because I'm sure the last thing the human would want to see was me slaughtering a 'leafy puppy dog'.

"My full name is Angelica. My… My friends used to call me Anna," she answered quietly, looking sad all over again. I didn't think I could take more tears – too many bad memories came with those. So I ploughed on without a second thought.

"My full name is Robin Goodfellow. My friends…" I paused, almost chuckling. "Well, everyone calls me Puck."

The look on Anna's face was a mixture of surprise, disbelief and horror. I couldn't help grimacing at that, which once again reminded of Meghan. She must have thought she offended me, because she let out a little gasp of air and said, "I'm sorry. But did you just say you were…?"

"What, you thought only Oberon and Titania came from Shakespeare?" I asked drily, finally deciding it was safe to let Anna go. I stepped away from her, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back against a tree. I could feel my old self slowly coming back, now that the surprise (and grief) was mostly over with. My signature Puck smirk spread across my mouth as I watched Anna study me, still shocked.

"I didn't realize I was so special," I said, raising my eyebrows. That seemed to snap her out of it.

"I just- I haven't been here long, and I'm not used to, well, seeing all these different species and…" she rambled on in an apologetic kind of way. It was kind of cute, the way her brow furrowed when she was embarrassed.

"Species?" I mused, letting out a snort. Well, I suppose I could turn into several different species.

"Uhm, so, can you actually take me back to the… Human realm, you called it?" Anna asked timidly after a moment, wrapping her arms over her chest. She looked so fragile standing there, as if she was a nimble tree that had stood too long in a storm, and would valiantly keep standing, but might not make another round of wind.

I sighed, a look of mock hurt and regret lighting my face. "Well, I do despise having to disobey my lovely lord and lady, who would surely punish me for letting such a prize slip through their fingers…" A louder laugh escaped my lips then and I flashed Anna another smirk. "Yeah, I'll take you back to good ole' Earth. No-one deserves to face those two."

She blanched slightly at that. "Erm, you mean we're not on Earth-?"
How many questions was she going to bombard me with? Clearly she hadn't been in faery long. "Nope. An entirely different plane, actually, but you wouldn't understand because the logic behind it isn't logical at all," I grinned, letting a bit of the wild faery show. Anna's eyes, if possible, widened further. Clearly she wasn't too informed on the NeverNever. And I honestly wasn't the best fey to explain it to her…

"Alright. Well, Anna, where on Earth did you live before this unfortunate trip to Faery?" I asked, shifting my weight off the tree and lacing my hands behind my head. I had to grin slightly at the pun, but it didn't look like Anna got it. Or maybe she just didn't find it funny.

"My village was called Goldsborough," Anna started animatedly describing where she used to live. I didn't – couldn't – listen past the first bit, my heart already aching for the girl. I couldn't bring myself to hear about the happy life she used to have, the one that was so obviously long gone. It sounded as if time had passed too quickly; years had gone by, and though she had barely grown in the NeverNever, the world had evolved decades. How am I supposed to tell her that everyone she used to know is long dead by now? How am I supposed to explain that her village was destroyed ages ago, and there was no going back? And how the hell would I try to explain the concept of technology? Why was I here in the first place?

Well, I suppose the last one was obvious. I didn't have it in my newly warmed heart to send Anna to her death. On top of that, she reminded me of Meghan. Maybe it was selfish, but I felt better being around her. That warmth I used to get in the pit of my stomach – that summer fire that used to burn through my veins – was rekindled around Anna. It was kind of pathetic, really, and I knew I would pay for it later, but for now… I was perfectly happy to get a taste of the love that used to make the sun brighter. I was perfectly happy pretending that she could heal my shattered heart. I was perfectly happy pretending she could still get back to her old life, and waiting to crush the little joy she had left right now.

When, exactly, had I become so soft?