VI. Satisfaction
To say that Titania was disappointed with her welcome would be an understatement.
Like her husband, Fox's immediate response had been complete and total dismissal. Yet the idea had gnawed at them both, lurking in the back of their minds. Dismayingly, Owen offered only a single piece of cryptic advice: "Lady Titania does not usually ask for permission."
In the end, it was Alex himself which made the decision. "I would like to meet her," he commented mildly one night, during dinner. "And see what she's like."
A week from Saturday, Anastacia Renard was allowed to take her grandson out for lunch, escorted to the door by two equally parental glares which bespoke, "try anything and die". They were followed by no less than eight highly trained bodyguards, none of which had any sort of identification and of which, six had previously been killers-for-hire. They were given .357 Magnum semiautomatics loaded with iron bullets and very strict orders backed by very large Christmas bonuses. They were also followed by Owen Burnett, although no one saw him. If Titania felt overshadowed by their entourage, she gave no outward sign; though Alex could feel her casting the occasional magical probe over her shoulder.
"How about here?" the fey queen asked, stopping in front of a café called Duncana's.
"It's fine," Alex answered.
"Halcyon took me here for our anniversary," she recalled fondly.
Alex nodded pleasantly. "It's nice. We took Mom here for Mother's Day last year."
Titania's face fell - that had stung. Attempting to recapture a lighter mood once they had been seated, she smiled at the waiter who brought them menus. "Your birthday is coming up in a few months. Would... it be all right if I got you a gift?"
Alex regarded her suspiciously. "You're asking?"
"I won't if it will make you uncomfortable."
He thought about it for a long moment, during which Titania was sure she'd overstepped her bounds and pushed too much, too fast. "I suppose that'll be okay," he said thoughtfully, and she released a breath she hadn't realized she'd drawn.
She smiled at him. "Thank you, Alexander. You've grown so much, you know."
"My parents told you to stay away from me," Alex said bluntly, and the waiter who had been refilling their water glasses raised both eyebrows and beat a hasty retreat. "Why do you think they did that?"
Titania bit her lower lip, a ridiculously human gesture. "I believe it was because they worried you would begin to like me... perhaps even come to love me as a grandmother."
"And that you'd use that, perhaps to try and steal me away again?"
She set the glass down, crystal chiming, and kept her voice steady. "You heard the same argument from your parents as I was given, obviously. Did they tell you to say that to me?"
"No Lady," Alex answered unconcernedly. "They told me that you would say you wanted to get to know me."
"It's true," the queen said, and wished she hadn't just heard a note of desperation in her words.
Again Alex studied her, even as the waiter returned and set their food in front of them. There was something in his stare, a carelessness and lack of awe that not many dared display to the Queen of Avalon. It wasn't that he disrespected her; he had neither respect nor disrespect. A self-confidence was settled over him, more than any young man, even of his pedigree, should rightly have.
"Lady?" Alex asked, and she set her wandering thoughts aside.
"Forgive me, Alexander. I was just, ah, reminiscing."
They made small talk through the meal, and she asked what schools he was thinking of attending, and if he played any sports, and whether he had any girlfriends.
"Lady!" He coughed on his orange juice. "You said that like you expected me to have a harem or something..."
Titania laughed, a genuine tinkling laugh that fell from her lips like a stream of moonlight. It was a sound that had enchanted men and women alike, stolen lovers from their beds to pass through the misty veil between worlds, and even in mortal form it affected the other café patrons, who instinctively shivered in pleasure.
Alex simply smiled, unaffected, but at least content in the knowledge that she could be sincere when she forgot herself.
"I'd like to continue to visit you," she commented as they left Duncana's.
"Okay," he said, sensing the impatience of his many (albeit hidden) bodyguards.
She smiled at him, then turned and melted into the crowd.
"Hm," Alex murmured, and was satisfied. "That'll do."