On the shores of a trickling stream Tinker Bell and her friends Iridessa, Rosetta, Fawn, Silvermist and Vidia had gathered around to share a morning cup of chamomile tea and talk more about their girls' night out from the previous evening. Rosetta was critiquing the warm up comic at the Fairy Tale Theater.

"He wasn't a bit funny," Rosetta said quite pointedly. "That idiot gives a bad name to good fairy folk like me."

"No, he was hilarious," Fawn disagreed. "I could relate to his style of humor; he was straightforward, raw and earthy."

"Please, he was low class, boorish and unsophisticated," Rosetta spat. Fawn gasped in horror.

"Oh, well it looks good on you, dear," Rosetta snipped. Fawn glared angrily and opened her mouth to give the sassy red head a piece of her mind.

"He was funny," Silvermist broke in trying to avoid a war between her two friends. "But I think he overused his signature line."

"Yeah, I can only hear 'Git-R-Dusted' so many times before telling him to shut up," Vidia said adding her two grains of pixie dust to the conversation.

"What did you think, Iridessa?" Tinker Bell asked.

Iridessa took a sip of her tea before answering. "I didn't get his humor."

Vidia leaned over to Silvermist and whispered, "Big surprise." The water fairy had to stifle a laugh.

"I preferred the comics that followed," the light talent fairy continued, "I thought they were fantastic. Especially that portly sparrow man who did all the impressions, I thought he was spot on with nearly everyone he impersonated."

"The 'Arguing Ministers' was outstanding!" Silvermist squealed. The others began giggling as they remembered the skit. "His body language and facial expressions for each were just spot on. It was as if he spent all his time in the queen's chambers watching the ministers blustering and posturing. It was perfect."

"And did anyone notice the queen?" Tinker Bell said. "She was trying so hard not to laugh."

Fawn then sat perfectly erect and in a deep, mock serious tone said, "The ministers certainly did not look amused."

"Oh that's because they all have reeds stuck up their…"

"Vidia!" Iridessa shouted, cutting her off. The light talent fairy then glanced up at the sun as it rose higher into the morning sky, "Oh look at the time. We had better get to work."

Tinker Bell sighed, "Already? Well, why don't we pick this up tonight at my place? See you then."

The small group of friends dispersed, waving goodbye to each other as they prepared to begin their shifts. Tinker Bell flew towards Tinker's Hollow by way of the Summer Gardens, a rather indirect route to be sure. Following closely behind the tinker were Fawn, the tomboyish animal talent fairy and Rosetta, a prim but sassy garden talent fairy. They were quite curious as to why their friend was taking such a roundabout path to the workshop. Rosetta had noticed that Tink had not yet received her daily ration of pixie dust. A fact she shared with the animal fairy. Both had a pretty good notion as to why.

"Hey, Tinker Bell," Fawn called out, "going to Tinker's Nook?"

"Huh?! Oh, uh, yeah," the tinker fairy said fumbling through her reply.

"It's the other way," Rosetta pointed out. "But you might want to stop at the Pixie Dust Tree and get your ration for the day."

Tink looked down at the empty loop on her dress where she normally hung the pouch of dust. "Oh, yeah, I guess I forgot this morning." The three fairies hovered for a moment, without a word being spoken among them.

"Oh, but you know, a dust talent route runner should along shortly," Tinker Bell finally stated.

"Rather convenient then that you came this way," Rosetta said folding her arms.

"Yeah, yeah it is." the tinker fairy replied with a nervous laugh.

"What if the dust talent fairy doesn't have any more bags of pixie dust to give you? Route runners have plenty of deliveries to make every day," Fawn prodded.

"Oh, Terence always brings an extra one for me…," Tink realized what she was saying and slapped her hands over her mouth. Rosetta and Fawn smiled at each other. The three fairies descended to the pathway below them. "Well I guess the pixie dust is out of the bag."

"Is that why we hardly see you at the tree each morning?" Fawn asked, "So you can 'accidentally' run into Terence on his route each day?"

Thanks to Tinker Bell the Pixie Dust Depot had become very efficient at processing the magical dust with only a small number of fairies or sparrow men to attend to the work. With so many dust talents now free of these duties they could run bags of dust out to the distant reaches of the Hollow so that fairies didn't have to wait in line just to get their ration of dust for the day.

Tink let out a huge sigh and dropped her head in embarrassment. "Yes. And now it's every morning. I've memorized all his routes for each day so I'll know where to run into him. I used to fly to the Pixie Dust Depot sometimes to say 'hi' to him, but Bolt, Stone and the other dust talents would tease him about it. Then Terence would make personal deliveries to my house in Tinker's Nook, but then some of my coworkers began to tease me about it. Now I fly all over Pixie Hollow just to see him."

"Wow, she has it bad," Fawn told Rosetta who nodded in agreement.

"You've been moping over this boy ever since you got here. Why won't you do something about it?" Rosetta demanded.

Tink walked several steps away from the pair. "I've been waiting for him…, hoping he would ask me…,"

"Then it's about time you asked him," Fawn responded.

Tinker Bell drew a deep breath and then turned to face her friends.

"I can't do that," the tinker replied, her voice beginning to falter. She slumped to the ground, tears welling in her eyes. "What if he says no? I'd be crushed. And…, and I would feel so stupid."

Fawn and Rosetta walked over to their friend and knelt beside her, "You should never feel that way," Rosetta answered, "I've asked out several young sparrow men and I have never felt…"

"What? When have you ever asked out someone?" Fawn interrupted. "They've always asked you."

"That's what I wanted them to think," Rosetta answered with a sly wink. "That's how I got Sled to talk to me. Did you actually think the blanket slipped out of my hands by accident?"

Fawn stared at her colleague in disbelief. "You let it go on purpose?"

"Absolutely, it was how I tested him," she said.

"But how did you know he would approach you later?" Fawn asked.

"Listen the two of you; sparrow men have rather fragile egos. If you let them think they are heroic sparrow men of action it strokes their self image and they will fall for you like a pound of pebbles."

"You mean they want a fairy in distress to rescue," Fawn summarized.

"Exactly, find yourself in 'distress' every once in a while and you will be able to wrap him around your little finger. The best part: he will think it was all his idea."

Tinker Bell laughed a bit through her tears. "I couldn't do that to Terence. But even if I could I never seem to get up the courage to say or do much. The best I can manage is 'Hi' or 'Thank you.' I can build a Fall Scepter with him or go to the mainland on the same dove, but if I try to ask him out I just trip over my own tongue."

"Sugar plum, you think too little of yourself. You are more than just your tinker talents," Rosetta advised. "You're sweet, pretty, intelligent, courageous and daring. Now you go walk up to that sparrow man and trick him into asking you out on a date."

"Yeah, and he will have to say…, wait, 'trick him?' Rosetta I can't believe you just said that. Listen Tink, just walk up to him and ask him out. He will have to say 'yes' to you. Terence is a charming, kind-hearted, likeable and well-mannered sparrow man who deserves someone like you."

Tinker Bell wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked right at Fawn. "What if he says 'no'?"

Rosetta answered, "Then he's a lunk-headed moron who wouldn't know a good thing if it bit him in the petunia."

Fawn glared at Rosetta again. "Oh, uh, but how will you know if you never take the initiative," Rosetta added trying to back pedal. "Besides, he is probably just as scared as you. I'll bet that his stomach turns in knots and his palms get all sweaty every time he even thinks about you." Ro then whispered into Tinker Bell's ear, "That's why you have to trick 'em into asking you out."

"If you keep waiting for Terence to make the first move you'll be Rosetta's age before he does," Fawn said.

"Hey, I am NOT old," Rosetta snapped back. Fawn grinned in reply. It was her way of getting back at the garden fairy for her remarks back at the stream. "I am wise beyond my years," Rosetta finished, trying to parry Fawn's snarkiness.

"Thanks, guys, I am going to ask him out," Tinker Bell said flittering to her feet. "And I won't feel embarrassed or ashamed if he turns me down."

"Good for you, dumpling, now just fake an injury. Maybe a pulled wing muscle, or…."

"RO!" Fawn yelled. "You will be just fine, Tinker Bell. Go talk to him, let the conversation lead up to something you would both like to do and then casually ask him if he would like to accompany you to it. That's all you need to do."

"Fawn, Ro, thanks for the advice." Tinker Bell looked up at the position of the sun in the sky. "And I had better go if I'm going to meet up with him," Tinker Bell said fluttering off to her rendezvous.

"Good luck, Tink," Fawn yelled out.

"Remember, a pulled wing muscle works every time!" Rosetta advised. Fawn grabbed her braid, put the hair across her mouth and screamed into it.

"What," Rosetta said, "do you know how many dates I've gotten with that old chestnut?"

Fawn just rolled her eyes and grumbled, "You are unbelievable."

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