Author's Note: Cliffhangers are fun! XD I'm not even sure why a certain two are frightened, but they are and it made good dramatic tension.
Editing this when Deb wasn't around was odd, since he's usually here when I write or modify his words. Also, the edited version, with the additional scene, turned out longer than the original. Hope you enjoy!
Mirror
Deborvak appeared at Remy Buxaplenty's side. The young blond heir slumped in his chair and rubbed his eyes; he was seated at the end of a very long mahogany table within a room surrounded on two sides by windows. One set of windows looked out at the cubicles near the door and the other set looked out on a breathtaking view, assuming one couldn't fly. At the far end of the room, someone was droning on and on about a large chart propped up on a steel easel. The man, with bland brown hair and brown eyes, in a boring grey suit and tie, looked about as interested in his presentation as the associates falling asleep in their chairs gathered before him. Remy Buxaplenty kept rubbing his eyes when he thought no one was looking.
The room was longer than it was wide and looked like a giant rectangle with a buffet along the far wall. A silver coffee maker produced faint steam. Deb gave it half a glance before looking at the blond boy.
"Hello, Remy," he murmured, showing up as a doodle in Remy's notebook. He had to inch aside doodles, where Deb presumed the boy should have been taking notes. "I'm your new fairy godfather."
"Where's Juandissimo?" he hissed.
"Slight change of plans," he said. "I've been reassigned to you while Juandissimo owns up to his responsibilities."
Remy's eyes narrowed. He looked up at the presenter and stood quickly. After taking a quick glance at his father to make sure he didn't notice (Mr. Buxaplenty was dozing off), he dashed out of the room and slammed into the bathroom door. Everything within the bathroom gleamed and it looked like the faucets were made of solid gold. He wondered if the same was true for the toilet seats.
"What is the meaning of this?" Remy demanded. "I insist on being taken to Juandissimo at once!"
Deborvak didn't move. Technically, that didn't qualify as a wish. "Do you want the short version or the long one?"
"I want to see Juandissimo!" he snapped. "You, cheap imitation, make it happen!"
His eyes smoldered with concealed rage. "I don't take orders from children unless you say 'I wish'."
"If you're to be my fairy godfather, even temporarily, then you have to obey me," he replied. "I wish to see Juandissimo at once!"
Deborvak conjured up a picture and tossed it at him. "Look, it's Juandissimo."
"What are you? An imbecile?" Remy said. "I wish Juandissimo were here instead of you!"
Holding up his wand, he produced a note Jorgen had written. Irritated, the young boy read through it while Deb reminded himself that Remy was a child, an unfortunate child, and not an incorrigible brat. He probably loved Juandissimo, no matter how unlikely, and wanted him back. It was nothing personal. He probably demeaned everyone he came in contact with.
"For a week?" Remy said, once he'd gotten to that clause. "That's unacceptable. I demand a trial!"
"You're not entitled to one," Deb replied. He leaned against the bathroom floor and sought the ley lines underneath the building. It wouldn't help if he lost his temper with him and wound up hurting Tootie indirectly. He channeled his rage through the sewage pipes and down into the ley lines. Several sewage lines burst after encountering his magic and he smirked.
"Why not?" Remy said, oblivious. "I'm Remy Buxaplenty and I'm entitled to anything I want."
Deb frowned. Jorgen hadn't explicitly forbidden him to tell Remy the whole story. Unless he ordered him otherwise, he was free to use his best judgment. He smirked. His best judgment didn't always coincide with other people's 'best judgment'.
"Look, kid, this is a private matter and not suited for a bathroom," he said. "Can you think of anywhere else we can be alone to discuss this?"
Thanks to the grounding, he was able to keep the bite out of his voice. He felt relatively calm.
"I suppose my father's office is empty," Remy said loftily. "I wish we were there!"
Holding up his wand, he transported them to a large, emotionless room. It had ugly brown carpeting, windows covering an entire wall, and expensive leather furniture. On the walls were plaques that Deb only glanced at before looking back at Remy. The whole room reeked of pretense, but since Deborvak was used to pomp and circumstance, he shrugged. He knew when he was supposed to feel on edge.
"Now, what is this urgent matter that keeps me away from my Juandissimo?" Remy snapped.
Deborvak hesitated. He couldn't exactly tell a kid about Juandissimo's by-blow. While he had filled Cosmo and Wanda's castle with sex toys, in addition to Timmy's bathroom, the jokes had been targeted at Cosmo and Wanda. They were adult faeries and understood the jokes, even if it had irritated the crap out of Wanda. Remy, on the other hand, might not know anything about that sort of thing.
Plus, he was soiling his reputation to the one person who might actually care about it. Remy could ostensibly look up to him.
"Well?" Remy growled.
He settled for an oblique truth.
"Something unexpected came up and Juandissimo had to deal with a family crisis," he said. "Hopefully, by the end of the week, things will be back to normal."
"And he couldn't tell me?" Remy said, hurt.
"It was an emergency," he said. "I'm sorry."
"But you'll grant my wishes, right?" Remy said.
"As long as you say 'I wish'," Deb said, nodding.
Remy scrutinized him. He was sizing him up. Deborvak pretended like it didn't bother him and thought about Tootie. While he couldn't really fault her for wanting Juandissimo around (although he certainly didn't), he was still hurt she had wished him away. Then again, after what his father had done, he had never wanted to see him again. On that thought, his mind wandered down a dark road and he stopped it before it traveled too far.
"You'll do, I suppose," Remy said. "Unless there's a chance there's a richer fairy I could have?"
"Just between you and me, kid, I'm actually an adopted prince in my world," he said. At Remy's uncomprehending look, he added, "I'm not from Fairy World."
"Minor royalty, well…" Remy said and smiled. "This might be a step up."
"Not minor," Deb said and grinned. "She's the empress of the mainland."
"That could be useful," Remy said, stroking his chin.
"No," Deb blurted. "Seriously. You do not want to meet that side of my family. Trust me."
Remy took one look at Deb's face and frowned. "All right. But I don't want to return to that stupid board meeting."
Deb inclined his head. During his training, he'd endured a few boring lectures and participated in things that, at the time, seemed pointless. Unlike Remy, he hadn't had a godfather to bail him out.
"What did you want to do instead?" he asked.
To his surprise, the boy wore a real smile, not the artificial one he had expected. "What do you suggest? You are royalty."
Deb blushed. He usually only mentioned it when someone was giving him a hard time or pushing him around.
"Um, well, I'm not really the person you wanna ask right now," he said. "I'm still shell shocked. Why don't you pick it?"
Remy started to suggest something, but his words were punctuated by a yawn. The clock read nine thirty and the board meeting had probably been going on for hours now. Anywhere he might want to go would probably be closed.
"Can you make it look like I'm in two places at once?" he asked.
Deb nodded.
"Then I wish there was a version of me stuck in that stupid board meeting," he said, his lower lip curling. "And one asleep."
To punctuate it, he yawned again. "Damn my small boy metabolism preventing me from staying up late."
Deb smirked, held up his wand, and performed Remy's bidding. After the child had fallen asleep, he levitated and curled into a ball to brood. His tail flicked back and forth. He wanted to check on Tootie, but he knew better. Still, he had to wonder what kind of father Juandissimo would be, especially after being forced to own up to his responsibilities.
Tootie made her way back to the cabin. Juandissimo was a silent companion and she felt horribly guilty. It wasn't often she was selfish like this and made a huge mistake as a result. Although she felt sorry for Deborvak, especially since she did like him when he wasn't making himself unlikeable, she had wanted to be with Juandissimo. Unfortunately, all she really knew about him was that he had tried to drive a married woman away from her husband by sleeping with another married woman. That and he apparently hadn't wanted Tootie because she wasn't up to his standards. That was not inspiring.
"You're really a piece of work, aren't you?" she muttered.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked politely. Since they were headed downhill and the cabin was within site, he had shifted into a purple squirrel. She noticed the shade was lighter than Deb's royal purple and it also looked just as natural. No one ever commented on Deb's coloration, although she knew people had noticed Cosmo and Wanda's.
Speaking of Cosmo and Wanda- the instant she walked into the cabin, they'd notice Juandissimo's presence. There had to be a way to keep it on the down low before things got ugly. Or Wanda freaked out. She slapped her palm to her forehead. Stupid, stupid Tootie.
"Never mind," she muttered.
"No, go ahead," he said. "I will listen." He smiled, but she didn't smile back.
"You tried to break up two families eleven years ago," she said. "How could you be so selfish?"
It might not have been how she wanted to open up the conversation, but it had been weighing on her for months.
"When it comes to Wanda, love is blind," he said. "I cannot let go of my love for her any more than the sun can refuse to rise. I was desperate to have her attention. Oftentimes, she is so distracted by her idiot husband and her godchild to pay attention to me."
"She told me you cheated on her and that's why she left you," she said. "Also, that you're in love with yourself."
"I cheated on her, it is true," he said and lowered his head shamefully. They stopped walking to talk. "It was a moment of weakness that I shall regret forever."
"Who was it, anyway?" she asked, curious.
"Her sister."
"Oh." Tootie could see why Wanda would be royally pissed. If anyone had had the guff to cheat on her with Vicky, she'd probably summarily toss them into the next county. Although the idea of anyone cheating on her with Vicky was repulsive, to say the least. She shuddered.
"As for loving myself- who can blame me?" he said and conjured up a mirror to kiss his reflection. He flexed, ripped his shirt, and replaced it. She sighed.
"I do not know why she chose that idiot over me," he huffed. "I would give her the moon and stars."
"Maybe she didn't want the moon and stars," Tootie said. They resumed walking. Juandissimo, unfortunately, was still kissing his reflection. She didn't know how he saw where he was going.
"I do not understand it," he sighed. "With all my charm and grace, your mother fell for me-"
He stopped at her glare.
"Why didn't you stay?" she said. To her distress, she sounded hurt again. "You could have stayed and claimed me, even if it meant staying on the sidelines."
"I stayed for a while," he said and she tripped over a tree root. From where she landed, she was eye level with Juandissimo. "I stayed until I was certain Wanda would not appear in the next year, and then I left."
"How long did you stay?" she breathed. Her chest tightened and restricted her breathing.
"For two years," he said. "It is not surprising you do not remember me."
"And you didn't feel anything for me?" she asked dully.
"I was also godparenting," he said. "I had other responsibilities."
"Other responsibilities that kept you away for the nine years?" she pointed out.
"I am not good with responsibility," he admitted. She felt resentful and fell silent. The cabin was right next to them and Juandissimo shifted into a button on her shirt. He winked and she didn't wink back. There was no sense of camaraderie. To be honest, it felt weird and painful.
She pushed open the door. Somehow, the whole group had gotten pizza and there were pizza boxes piled high. Vicky had grabbed a slice and was hovering, hopefully, around the teenagers. No one noticed her open the door, which meant no one had missed her. Timmy, meanwhile, stuck out like a sore pink thumb. She smiled and headed for him- they could be alone together.
"Hey, Timmy," she said. "Did anyone save me a slice?"
"Wanda made me," he muttered. He handed her a paper plate. The pizza had already cooled, but it was still greasy and good. Juandissimo in pin form grinned at Wanda.
"Hello, mi amor," he said. Wanda shot Tootie a sharp glance.
"Why is he here?" she snapped.
"I might've accidentally wished he was my godfather," she murmured sheepishly. Wanda, disguised as a pink pin on Timmy's hat, slapped her forehead. Cosmo, also a pin, edged closer to Wanda. Poof was oblivious.
"But it does not matter, because now we have the weekend to ourselves," Juandissimo purred. Tootie's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe he was putting the moves on Wanda in front of her and Cosmo and Poof. How could he have such bad taste?
Fury balled in her chest and she choked out 'excuse me' before backing into an unoccupied space near the door.
"What the heck is your problem?" she hissed.
"I was merely expressing my gratitude on seeing her," he replied.
"Her husband and son are here, not to mention me," she said. "Don't you have any respect?"
"I respect her," he said and then grinned. "And I respect her desire to be seen with more attractive men."
"You forgot about her son!" she snapped. "Even if you don't care about Cosmo or Timmy, Poof can hear every word you're saying!"
"You do not like it?" he said and blinked innocently. "I can stop, if you want."
"I didn't know you could," she hissed. "You've been chasing her for millennia. If you really loved her, you'd give up."
"Would you give up on Timmy?" he shot back.
"If he was married for almost ten thousand years, I would!" she said. Still, the thought was sobering. In the distant future, if she ever hooked up with Timmy, she'd have to tell him she was half faerie. Then she'd have to tell him that Cosmo and Wanda actually knew and he was the last to know. She was not looking forward to it.
"I will behave," he promised.
"Good," she said through clenched teeth. "You'd better."
They rejoined Timmy and his faeries. Wanda's eyes narrowed at Juandissimo and Cosmo hissed. Poof smiled, blissfully unaware of his parents' antagonism.
"Why would you want Juandissimo to be your godfather?" Timmy said.
"It's complicated," she said. He continued to stare and she forced a smile.
"What are you going to do this weekend?" Tootie inquired brightly.
"Wish there was TV, internet, and phone!" he replied.
"Done!" Cosmo and Wanda chorused and Poof giggled. Tootie snorted.
"Why didn't I think of that?" she said. Out of nowhere, a router appeared in the cabin and a telephone was nailed to the wall by the fireplace. In front of the couch came a flat screen TV with a satellite hooked up outside.
"That solves that problem," he said, grinning, and plopped himself in front of the new TV. The teenagers oohed and immediately rushed for it.
"That's weird," Mrs. Turner said. "I don't remember seeing any of that here five minutes ago."
"Internet?" Timmy said.
"The internet wasn't here five minutes ago either," Tootie muttered. Nonetheless, the adults swallowed the excuse and dollar signs reappeared in Vicky's eyes. She grinned evilly and rushed out of the cabin, presumably to hook up her computer and regain lost revenue. Tootie's parents sighed and Tootie's mother cast a quick glance at Tootie, which made her stomach somersault.
"Quick question," she whispered to Juandissimo.
"Yes?" he replied.
"Does my mom know about magic?"
"What would give you that idea?" he replied. Her stomach churned.
"Call it a hunch."
Deborvak was unable to keep away and transported himself into Tootie's room after Remy had fallen asleep. He was slightly amused to note Tootie had successfully, with Juandissimo's help, given herself a separate room from Vicky. The internet router was lit up in the group cabin and Timmy Turner had fallen asleep in front of the new big screen TV. There was also more fairy dust on Tootie than normal (Deb didn't actually produce any dust and, in his universe, wing dusting meant a fairy was gravely ill). Since the world hadn't ended in catastrophe and there weren't any real major changes, he assumed Tootie's first night with Juandissimo had gone as well as could be expected.
She slept lightly and after double checking she didn't have a vestigial tail or anything else unusual, he popped out to check on her family. He really didn't care what happened to Vicky; he wanted to make sure she had nothing nasty up her sleeve. He left Vicky with a headache (mind reading always did that) and dropped in on her parents. The last was meant to be a quick pop in and out, since he barely knew them and felt slightly uncomfortable near them.
"Hello, little fairy," her mother said and Deb, disguised as a hanger inside their closet, froze. He hadn't left any dust behind, he hadn't announced his presence, and aside from the dark aura that always clung to him, he was invisible. It was true he had a faint 'weight', inducing minor chest pressure, but almost no one ever noticed.
He didn't make a sound. Cosmo and Wanda had drummed into his head how humans weren't supposed to know fairies existed. If he appeared and her mother discovered he was secretly Tootie's godfather, he'd have to leave her forever. He didn't know if the same rules applied now that he was temporarily Remy's godfather, but he didn't want to find out.
"Don't worry," she said. Her husband was fast asleep and snoring away. Deb's heart leapt into his throat and he squeezed his wand. Should he put her back to sleep or wait it out?
"You don't have to talk," she said. "But I know all about you."
Gee, that wasn't creepy at all. Given the current difficulties he was having elsewhere, with an evil sorceress trying to recruit him, her words sent a chill down his spine. He had enough people who "knew all about him" to last him a lifetime.
"I've always been able to see fairies," she continued.
Great security, Fairy World.
"I've always known there was magic, too. I even had a dream I took a fairy lover once," she breathed and he flinched. She remembered. Was he going to have to have another 'talk' with Juandissimo? Who the hell was this human, anyway?
Actually, that was a question worth investigating. He remained immobile and waited with bated breath.
"I find fairies fascinating," she said. "Sometimes, I even think I see pink and green squirrels."
The bottom dropped out of his stomach. Forget hearing the rest of her diatribe. Cosmo and Wanda had to be warned right now.
"Wait. Before you go- I don't want to hurt you. And I'd certainly never want to do anything to harm you or Tootie."
That last sent him reeling toward panic and he popped into the family cabin, where Cosmo and Wanda had tucked Timmy in and were fast asleep. They had disguised themselves as goldfish and slept in the fish bowl next to Poof.
In his normal form, since Timmy was the only human about, he rapped the glass with his knuckles. Cosmo started and fell back asleep. Deb sighed. He didn't really need Cosmo awake, so long as he told Wanda.
The normal rules of telepathy didn't apply to Deb. In his world, you could use telepathy as long as you were part dragon. He hadn't attempted to communicate with fairies in this world that had it yet, but there was a first time for everything.
((Wanda! Cosmo! Wake up! This is important!))
((Pink tutu, tofu…mountains made of cheese…)) Cosmo sent back and Deb rolled his eyes. Wanda flinched and rubbed her head. Deb winced.
((Sorry,)) he said. She blinked and focused her bleary gaze upon him.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered. "Jorgen reassigned you."
"I'm here to check on Tootie and make sure Juandissimo didn't disappear," he whispered back. "But I found out something you should know about."
"What is it?"
"Do you mind changing into your original form?" he said, grimacing. "I don't really feel like having a conversation with a talking goldfish if I can avoid it."
Rolling her eyes, she changed back into a fairy. "What is it?"
There was no point in beating around the bush, Plus, Remy could call for him at any minute. "Tootie's mom knows about the existence of fairies."
Wanda's face drained and she shuddered. She opened her mouth, closed it, and looked entreatingly at him.
"What do we do?" she asked.
"That's not all," he said and sighed, telling her about Tootie's mother's dream-like memories of Juandissimo and her interpretation of the pink and green squirrels. He added that she had lumped Tootie in with him, which meant she must have known subconsciously what was happening. By the time he finished, Wanda blanched, woke her husband, and told him everything.
"This is bad," Wanda said.
"You can say that again!" Cosmo said.
"In my world, humans know about fairies," he said and thought of the sorceress again. He winced. "But they see each other all the time. I assume nothing like that happens here."
Cosmo and Wanda shook their heads. Cosmo was clutching his wife's hand so hard it had to be cutting off blood circulation.
"Does she know we're Timmy's?" Wanda squeaked.
"No," he said. "I highly doubt it."
They exhaled, relieved.
"You don't know of any other humans, Crocker excepting, who believed in fairies as adults and weren't completely crazy?" he asked. Cosmo shook his head, but Wanda looked thoughtful.
"Do you mean outside of the 60s and 70s?" she asked.
"I don't mean people who were high as a kite, no," he said.
"There may have been one or two people who liked fairies as adults and weren't completely nuts," she mused. "But I'm not sure. Our job is to take care of our godchild, not to ferret out other humans."
Deb nodded. "Should I ask around?"
"You should ask Jorgen," she said and he groaned.
"Great," he said. "My favorite person in the world right now, right up there with whoever tainted those dragon eggs."
"What?" she asked and he shook his head.
"Never mind," he said. "This information wouldn't be available anywhere in Fairy World, would it? I'm sure people like that would have to be kept under close tabs in case they ever became dangerous."
"It might be," she allowed. "It's been a long time since we had the luxury of staying in Fairy World long enough to look into the public archives."
"And I'd never look at those!" Cosmo said and pulled a face. "Blech! Reading!"
"Then I'll try those first and Jorgen as a last resort," he said, ignoring Cosmo's contribution. "Be careful."
"You don't have to tell us twice," Cosmo said. Wanda nodded, eying Deb.
"What?" he asked.
"I can't figure you out," she said. "You obviously care about Tootie, but you're so unsuited to be a godparent."
"I was the only one they could get on short notice," he answered. "I'll check Fairy World's archives."
With that, he popped away. Before he left for Fairy World, however, he gave Juandissimo a nightmare. It didn't hurt to have insurance and if Tootie's mother remembered him, guilt pangs wouldn't hurt either.
Tootie awoke in the middle of the night from a nightmare about Vicky flushing her Timmy collection down the drain. She shook off the mental cobwebs and looked for Juandissimo, who had been beside her when she went to sleep. He was nowhere to be found.
"Juandissimo?" she called and then, feeling a little weird about it, "Father?"
He didn't come. Heart in her throat, she tossed aside the sheets. What if Vicky had gotten ahold of him? What if she had him in a butterfly net and was using his magic against him? Deb wasn't vulnerable to butterfly nets, but she knew through Cosmo and Wanda that normal fairies were. She felt nauseous.
Creeping out of the room in her pink nightgown, she tiptoed to Vicky's room down the hall in their newly expanded cabin. It looked the same from outside, but it now had four rooms instead of three. The door was ajar and Vicky was fast asleep, with no butterfly nets or any ominous weapons nearby. The red light on her webcam was on and she had probably fallen asleep torturing some innocent soul.
Deborvak hadn't taught her how to teleport herself and she looked down at the training wand he had given her. It looked like a normal fairy wand, except it was plastic instead of wooden, and the star on the end was smaller. She thought of the family room where Timmy was (because it had the TV) and pictured it mentally. Then she waved her wand and hoped for the best.
She appeared instantly in front of the fish bowl and almost knocked it over. Thankfully, she caught it before it fell over. The four sleeping fish were perfectly fine. Four? She investigated and discovered Juandissimo had inserted himself between Cosmo and Wanda.
Juandissimo might be her godfather, but he was still using her to get to Wanda. Nothing had changed. In fact, it might have gotten worse, because she had given him an excuse. Maybe Remy could love him, because Juandissimo showed him a different side. All she knew was that Juandissimo used her to get what he wanted.
Tears welled in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.
"You're using me?" she said, louder than she intended. Timmy jerked awake, saw it was her, and attempted to go back to sleep. For once, she wasn't concerned with him.
"Juandissimo Magnifico!" she demanded. Juandissimo woke, along with Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof. To his credit, Poof didn't cry. He just looked incredibly confused.
"Hey! Stay away from my wife!" Cosmo snapped and shoved Juandissimo against the fish bowl side.
Tootie's nausea kicked up a notch and she swallowed back pizza with an effort. She couldn't stop crying.
"You snuck out while I was sleeping to be with Wanda!" she accused.
"Um, guys, what's going on?" Timmy whispered. They ignored him.
"Is this true?" Wanda snarled. Even under water, she had managed to partially turn into fire. The water boiled and she erupted out of the bowl with her hair blazing.
"I do not often get to see you sleep and I missed it," Juandissimo said, in his normal form too. "I did not realize Tootie would wake and look for me."
"What do you mean 'you missed it'?" Cosmo snarled. "What are you saying, pal?"
Poof's eyes widened and he whimpered. Timmy grabbed the fish bowl and held it tightly in case Poof started to cry.
"Have you been using this assignment as an excuse to get close to me?" Wanda snarled.
"It was a well appreciated bonus," he said, smiling. Tootie sobbed and Poof joined her. Without thinking, she magically reached for the baby. Light purple magical strands extended from her fingertips to force Poof into her arms.
"Tootie, no!" Wanda warned.
She couldn't help it. She wanted comfort and Poof was the closest thing she had. Wanda's warning stopped her just in time and the magical tendril, almost invisible to the naked eye, vanished. Timmy's jaw dropped.
"What the heck is going on here?" he demanded.
"You can't stay with her for a minute without thinking about me, can you?" Wanda snarled.
"You are the whole reason she exists," Juandissimo said. Timmy's eyes went wide as saucers and Poof stopped crying, utterly confused. Tootie, by contrast, wanted to vomit.
Wanda's glare could have melted steel. Cosmo quivered and he wasn't anywhere near her. Juandissimo wilted and she pointed her wand at his chest.
"Leave," she said. "We're going to talk to Jorgen tomorrow about this. Get out of my sight."
Juandissimo didn't argue. He took off and Tootie curled into a ball of misery. Unable to stop sobbing, she buried her face in her knees and hugged them tightly.
"Guys?" Timmy repeated.
"It's a long story, sport," Wanda said, sighing wearily. "We'll tell you in the morning."
"Everything?" Tootie choked.
"Maybe not everything," Wanda muttered. Aloud, she said, "Call him."
"Who?" she demanded.
"Deborvak," she said.
"He won't come," Tootie wailed. "I drove him away because I wanted Juandissimo-"
Wanda shook her head. "He'll come. Trust me."
Deborvak was currently up to his eyeballs in research. As it turned out, Tootie's mother was listed in the magical registry, but there were so many cross references and suggested readings that it was slow work figuring out why. It was slow, tedious reading and extremely dry. None of the authors had any sense of humor and they all stubbornly refused to get to the point.
After hours, he finally discovered the one book pinpointing why Tootie's mother was listed. He had had to go through about eight generations of Tootie's family history to discover it and double check surnames, along with name changes after immigrating. Humans had such problems with foreign names. If it had only stayed the same or, like with dragon surnames, taken the mother's surname or the father's if the child was male, he could have tracked it better.
Tootie's many times great grandmother was a full blooded fairy. She had escaped Fairy World's godparenting program after falling in love with her godson. Since Jorgen wasn't the easiest master to escape, she had had to dabble in the arcane arts to disguise herself and her lover. Eventually, they were discovered, but not before her grandmother had had several children. Jorgen had seized control of all but one, Tootie's surviving human ancestor, and condemned them to the Half Breed side of Fairy World.
The last child had inherited his mother's cloaking abilities and, as the magical bloodline diluted, it slipped Jorgen's notice. It was through Tootie's mother that the magic resurfaced, permitting her Second Sight and capable of being aware of magic. Her abilities had placed the whole family back onto Fairy World's radar and prompted fairy historians to get involved again. No wonder they had noticed Tootie's birth.
"Deborvakovik!" Tootie's voice, anguished and heartbroken, sent corresponding chills down his back. Dropping the book, he rushed to her.
He discovered her in the woods and curled in a ball with Wanda beside her.
"What? What's going on?" he said and hugged her.
"Juandissimo showed his true colors," she said darkly and he clutched Tootie tighter. Tootie had latched onto him and was holding him for dear life. She sobbed into his neck and he stroked her hair.
"Am I to assume the assignments will be reversed?" he said lightly, kissing Tootie's head.
"Assuming Juandissimo is still in one piece by this morning, yes," she snapped.
"Wanda, my dear, I thought you didn't advocate violence," he said. Tootie's sobs sent corresponding pain through him and he projected a calming aura.
"In this case, it's more than merited," she said. She eyed him warily. "You'd better take better care of her than Juandissimo. I'll be watching you, Deborvak."
"I fully intend to," he said. Tootie was soaking his cloak through with her tears, but he didn't complain. He thought guiltily of another moment like this, with another abandoned child, and a lump formed in his throat.
"Be good to her, Deborvakovik," Wanda said and he shuddered at the use of his full name. She popped away and he stroked Tootie's hair.
"Can I tell you a little story?" he whispered and she lifted her head to look at him.
"Uh huh," she said and buried her face in his neck again.
"It doesn't have anything to do with Juandissimo, I promise."
She nodded.
"Once upon a time, I fell in love with a woman. She was the most beautiful, gorgeous woman I had ever met. She had long blonde hair and when she laughed, I was on Cloud Nine. When she looked at me, I felt special. When everyone else saw a horrible scourge, incapable of anything, she looked at me and saw me. She loved me for me.
"She made me feel like I wanted to be worthy of her. No one had ever told me that I was capable of being good before or that I had good in me. I loved her. I wanted to marry her and start a family with her."
Tootie had stopped crying. She was staring at him, but he wasn't looking at her. He was staring ahead at the trees and not seeing them. In his mind, a slender woman with hair so blond it was almost white smiled back at him.
"But insanity ran in her family. Her father was completely mad and she had moments where she wasn't sane. Still, she gave me my first child."
"Vela…" Tootie breathed.
"Vela," Deb agreed. Tears formed in his eyes and he swallowed a moan.
"While she was pregnant with Vela, we started to have stupid fights where she would misinterpret or misremember something and then get upset. Or she would completely forget and act like it hadn't happened despite Stef and the others saying it did," he said. "It might not have been her fault. Her father was completely insane."
"You've never mentioned-"
Deb held up his hand and Tootie ceased.
"Then, one day, my beautiful Vela was born. And her mother was gone. She claimed the baby was no good magically and fled. Then she started claiming Vela had died or that she had miscarried. She refused to see her daughter and claimed I had stolen her.
"I wound up raising Vela by myself, with my family's help. But I never forgot the way the woman I had loved, who had seen the good in me, had left a daughter who needed her. It took me years to get over her and to stop looking for her or people like her."
He had cried then, remembering the past and his longing for what could never be. He had loved her deeply, truly, and she had abandoned them both.
"Sometimes people have a baby for the wrong reasons," he said. "That doesn't mean the child isn't loved. That doesn't mean there's something wrong with the child because one parent won't own up. There's something wrong with the person who can help make a baby and then decide they don't want anything to do with it. Don't ever blame yourself, Tootie."
"I didn't know," she protested and he smiled weakly.
He held up his wand and jerked them out of this world, into his own. It looked identical, although the firs smelled stronger and he saw nymphs flitting around at the forest. Faint light pierced through the thick leaves.
"I first met her here," he said. "Someday, when you're older and Timmy is too, you'll have the kind of love that could span decades. Don't ever give up on it because you felt abandoned some time in your life. Don't ever let bitterness consume you and keep you back."
He held up his wand and brought them back. Tootie's eyes were wide and her jaw dropped.
"I'm not bitter anymore," he said. "I don't hate her. I love Vela too much. I know it sounds contrary, particularly coming from me, but try not to hate Juandissimo.
"Juandissimo has always been selfish and as long as he is, he'll never have what he truly wants. You can't hold it against him- it's in his nature."
"I'm tired," she said, punctuating the statement with a yawn. Deb chuckled. It had been a long day.
"We'll go to sleep then," he said. He held up his wand and brought her back to bed. The first few rays of day had struck the horizon and he conjured up a curtain to keep them out.
"Good night, Tootie."
She was asleep by the time her head hit the pillow and he smiled. The information about her mother could wait until some other day. The kid had enough on her plate.
"You think we ought to adopt her?" Vela asked. She wore a short sleeved shirt with a black unicorn rearing on the front and 'property of Elkon' in silver glitter on the back and had on blue jeans, scuffed at the ankles. As usual, she wore no shoes. She stood near the blinds at the head of Tootie's bed. In her arms, she cradled what looked like a two year old girl with matching purple hair and eyes. The girl wore a pink onesie and looked human, if one ignored the inch long black unicorn horn on her forehead.
"No," Aurelia snapped. Aurelia wore a form fitting golden dress that reached her knees and matched her blond curly hair. She hugged a black dragon egg. It was warm to the touch and Vela shied away from it.
"But sis, it's a tradition," Vela said and grinned. "We always take in the castoffs."
"She belongs to someone and she's human," Aurelia countered, her lower lip curling. Her high heeled sandals, lace ups, clicked on the wooden floor.
Vela scoffed. "Since when has 'belonging to anyone' ever stopped Dad?"
"He won't adopt her," Aurelia replied. "And I don't want her. So stop this nonsense."
"You're no fun," Vela huffed and plopped onto Tootie's bed. Deborvak had passed out beside Tootie as a black cat with a purple sheen to his fur. Vela knew if she so much as touched his tail, he'd wake.
"I'm not here to be fun," Aurelia reminded her. "Someone in this family has to keep their head."
"Again, no fun." Vela pouted.
They froze, hearing footsteps. The door creaked open and Vela hissed, "Shit!"
She flung faerie glamour over both of them and they vanished from normal human vision. They looked like dust motes, but they were really still there, invisible. If Vela's daughter started shrieking, they'd be found out. Aurelia grabbed her arm and gave her a warning look.
Tootie's mother stood in the doorway and looked at Tootie, then Deb, and then at the space the sisters occupied. Vela didn't dare teleport away and send off any more magical whiffs. Plus, she didn't like the way Tootie's mother's eyes lingered on her father.
"Sleep well, little fairies," she said and, after kissing Tootie on the forehead, she reached to stroke Deb on the forehead. Vela caught it a second before Aurelia did- their father always invoked a shield to prevent him from being touched while asleep. When Tootie's mother touched him, she rubbed against the shield instead.
She puzzled over it for a minute and then looked again at where Aurelia and Vela were. Aurelia's grip on Vela's arm was painful.
"And people who aren't there," she concluded, leaving the room. Vela removed the faerie glamour and Aurelia was shaking.
"Should we tell Father-?" she asked.
"It doesn't matter if we're exposed," Vela said uneasily. "We're not godparents and we can pretend to be human."
Aurelia pointed to Vela's ears, which were tipped. "That's not human."
"Then what do we do?" Vela asked.
Aurelia scowled. "Keep an eye on things and hope nothing bad happens."
"Daddy can protect himself," Vela said softly.
Aurelia looked at Vela's daughter and then at the dragon egg she carried. "He can. Not all of us can."
Vela trembled. Reaching for her sister, she transported them back. Her heart had leapt into her throat.