A/N Hello everyone! After a teeny tiny break, I'm back! Seems like I scared most of you with my like joke at the end of the last chapter, hmm? Don't worry, there should be a minimum of three chapters after this. Now, lets adress some stuff, shall we?

LostHero171: Glad you're gonna keep commenting! It really helps drive me to write more. Oh, and I fixed the mistake.

Skorpiee: Thank you for your patience. And of course I'm cruel, didn't you read Animals by Cecilia Green? Check the end of chapter 14 and tell me if you recognize anyone...

Cecilia: Whoa, no need for vegetable peelers! The next chapter is in! And of course the deal will go sour. This is Fabletown, after all!

But enough idle chit-chat. Remember, if you like it, leave a comment! It really helps!

LET THE STORY BEGIN!

"Could I get a small glass of Midas Gold, please?"

The person working the bar counter, an intimidating woman with shoulder-length white hair and a flowering vine tatoo curling over her collarbone, turned without a word, dug a bottle out from under the counter, and poured the contents into a glass. She held it out to me. "Five bucks, honey."

I handed over the cash and took the drink. I looked at the woman and smiled. "Thanks." She ignored me. I eyed the glass a little nervously. Today was my twenty first birthday, and this was my first drink. Hesitantly, I raised the glass to my lips and took a sip.

I almost spit it right back out. As it was, I barely managed to swallow the mouthful of bitter, dry liquid without gagging. I slammed the glass back onto the counter, coughing. The woman behind the counter and the man sitting two seats away from me both stared reproachfully at me. "Listen, sister," growled the bartender, "if you think it's that bad, then get the hell out of my bar and try someplace else."

I shrank back from the venom in her words. "N-no, it's not that," I stammered. "It's just... This is my first drink. I wasn't expecting it to have so much...kick."

"No kiddin'?" said the woman in disbelief. "How old are you, exactly?"

I smiled. "Today's my twenty first birthday. I thought I'd celebrate. I heard from a friend that this was a good place."

"So what did you do?" I had asked, staring at Bigby with awe. He'd snorted. "I punched that little shit right in the face. We ended up having a huge fight. Tore up most of the bar." "Really?" I'd said. "Wow, remind me to go there when I'm old enough to drink."

"Fuck off," said the guy next to me, staring. He was a tall, lanky guy with black, Elvis style hair and one blind eye that had no iris or pupil, just white. "No way are you only twenty one."

I blew my bangs out of my eyes with an exasperated huff. "Everybody says that!" I turned back to the woman behind the counter. "Do you have water here, Ms...uh.."

"Holly," she supplied. "Call me Holly. And yeah, we have water, if you have five more bucks."

I dug another five out of my pocket and handed it to her. She took it and turned around, getting out another glass and filling it with water. She held it out to me and I gratefully accepted. "Thanks."

This time she smiled. "Don't mention it, hon. You still gotta drink the beer, though."

Ugh. I gulped down the rest of the drink as fast as I could, then put the glass back on the table before grabbing the glass of water and downing it in one go. "No more beer for me," I chuckled. "Do I leave a tip?"

"If you want to come back, ya do," said Holly. I smiled at her and dug out one last five from my pocket. I stuck it under my glass and, with a casual, "Bye" walked out of the bar. Once I was on the sidewalk, I checked my watch. Four-fifteen. Snow had asked me to meet her at the Business Office at four-thirty. She hadn't gone into specifics, but she had sounded really excited, and I didn't want to disappoint her. I hoped Bluebeard wasn't there. He tended to get...upset when I went to the office.

Bluebeard had showed up at my house day after I first went to the Business Office. He said he wanted to make one thing clear. If he heard that I'd so much as mentioned Fabletown to anyone, he was going to slit my throat in my sleep. "And," he'd spat, "I don't care what Snow and her little lap dog say about it!"

The line outside the office was as long as usual. Just as I was starting to worry about how long I'd have to wait, the door opened, and Snow walked out, dressed in her usual suit. She smiled when she saw me. "Ah, hello Madison," she said. "Right this way."

I followed her, self-concious. All the people in line stared jealously at me as I went inside.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to visit like this, Snow?" I'd asked. "I mean, won't it make people suspicious?" Snow frowned. "Maybe, but there were so many of us that we still really aren't sure who did and didn't make it from the Homelands. As long as you don't say otherwise, you should be fine." She'd smiled at me. "You're always welcome, Madison."

"So, why did you want me to come here, Snow?" I asked as we walked through the familiar cluttered room. I heard a fluttering noise and turned to see Bufkin perched on top of a dresser. "Hello, Bufkin."

"Hello, Ms. Madison," he said cheerfully. "Happy birthday!"

I grinned. "Bufkin, you never cease to amaze me." How he managed to remember my birthday on top of everything else he had to do was beyond me. Must be a monkey thing.

"Madison, I brought you here today to offer you something," Snow said, turning to look at me with her hands clasped behind your back. "As we both know, your current employment is...unsatisfactory, to say the least." I sighed.

"And to top it all off," I'd shouted. "My perverted boss keeps staring at me like I'm...I'm.. I'm some kind of fancy toy!" I'd sighed, slumping my shoulders. "But it's the only thing I have right now." Bigby stared at me, then took a long drag of his cigarrete. "Sounds like a real shit job."

"Yeah, you could say that," I said, humorlessly. I had barely managed to keep my job at a shady diner for the past three years, but it was the only thing paying for my apartment, so I had to deal with it. Even if my boss got too...up close and personal most of the time.

"Well, how would you like to work for me instead?" Snow said, a huge grin on her face.

It took me a second to fully process what she said. Once I did, I felt my face stretch into a grin to match her's. "Yes!" I shouted, jumping in the air. "Yes, of course yes!"

"Good," said Snow. "You start this Friday at one in the afternoon. It's a simple job; every day I'll give you some papers and records, and you have to file them. Easy enough?"

"Yep!" I said, and, without another word, I hugged Snow and bounced out of her office.

Today, was by far, my best birthday ever.