A/N: I didn't have any Youth Group on the evening that I started to write this (Sunday, February 4) because of the Superbowl, so I was able to take the time to actually type out most of the chapter. Also, before you ask, yes, men can also be called beautiful. It's a unisex term. I also did some research and it turns out that Dewey's pet IS actually a Lynx and her name is Fiona. There's also a major fluff warning. So much fluff it could sink Titanic the Second (sorry if the expression offends).

Blue: I really am glad that you're enjoying it! I'll admit, I've never been good with romance and the like, ESPECIALLY when it's fluffy, and I always worry that I might end up having more romance than there is plot in a story, but you've voiced more than once that you really like the romance in this story and that makes me a lot more confident in myself. Thank you so much!

Guest: Aww, thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story!

Chapter Genre: Humour, Romance

Chapter Rating: K+

Rating Content: Mildly Suggestive Language

She felt something poking at her arm insistently. She stirred, swatting at whatever was disturbing her. After a moment, it poked her again and she swung her whole arm out, not pleased at whatever was waking her from her sleep.

She heard a soft chirp and felt feathers brushing over her hair. Flora groaned and curled herself into a ball, pulling the leaf over her head.

For a few brief moments, there was silence. Just when Flora felt as if she was about to fall back asleep, a loud screech sounded off beside her ear. She shrieked and sat up, attempting to back up and away from whatever was screeching at her. She succeeded only in crushing her hand into Redleaf's stomach. He heaved out a breath and sat up, almost gasping for air. "What in the name of-?"

Missy's screech and Flora's scream immediately woke Hyacinth, who also screamed and sat up. Out of both fear and instinct, he grabbed the thing nearest to him and threw it towards the source of the noise. The stone he threw flew past Redleaf and Flora and slammed into the Lynx's side, making her growl uncomfortably. She sat up and moved her paw forward, landing on top of Anthros' tail. The Snowy Owl screeched and, panicked, flapped his wings in an attempt to escape whatever was trapping him. His wings slapped both Milori and Clarion awake. Milori, startled, immediately shot up. "What, what is it?!"

He attempted to walk but, due to him having just woken up, tripped over his own feet, falling head-over-heels and landing on his back.

Flora glared at her Blue Jay, who only chirped mirthfully and rolled over on her back, amused by the unintentional chain reaction she caused.

Everyone, finally realizing the cause of the disruption, all shouted, "Missy!"

/ / /

With everyone already awake, they decided it was best to eat and then head out. The Lynx had a "collar" of sorts around her neck, which actually had a large pack filled with pouches of Pixie Dust, more than enough to supply the fairies for a few months.

Redleaf took the dust and tossed it into the air, the golden particles landing onto him. He craned his head back and fluttered his wings, watching as the dust was absorbed by them.

Flora smiled. "You're already dashingly handsome, Red, but the Pixie Dust makes you look rather beautiful. Almost like an angel."

He raised an eyebrow at her, depositing the empty pouch into the pack and flying over to her. "And you, my dear, are also rather beautiful. With or without Pixie Dust."

He saw as the blush formed on her freckled cheeks and a ghost of a smile spread on her lips. Redleaf then placed a gentle hand alongside her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek, making her eyes close as she turned into his touch. Redleaf leaned down, his head tilting, his eyes closing and his lips slightly parting.

"Let's go, you two!" Raven shouted.

The young couple sighed and reluctantly parted. Redleaf gave her a small look. Later...

Flora then called over to her bird. "Missy, are you sure you'll be alright on your own?"

The Jay chirped and ruffled her feathers. 'I'm okay!'

Flora still had some slight pain from where she had hit her head and Clarion had suggested she ride on the Lynx with Redleaf, so then she wouldn't have to focus on flying. Raven, of course, decided to fly on his own, as he didn't want to ride Missy and then have her 'accidentally' throw him off.

Redleaf assisted Flora up onto the back of the Lynx, carrying her up and then situating himself in front of her. "I suggest you hold onto something, little flower," He said to her, wrapping the reins around his hands. "Riding on Fiona can prove to be a little bumpy."

She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Will this work?" She asked.

He smiled and chuckled. "As long as you don't pull me off, we should be fine."

Raven flew up into the air a few feet. "We will get there hopefully before the sun sets. Just follow me and we should be fine."

He took off into the air, his wings pounding and creating a circle of dust in his wake. Lord Milori, who had Clarion riding with him, flicked at the reins and Anthros took off shortly after the Dark Fairy. Hyacinth followed close behind the Snowy Owl with Missy flying beside him.

Redleaf looked back to Flora. "Ready?"

She shrugged. "Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

He smiled and, turning back to the forest ahead, flicked the reins. "Let's go."

The Lynx took of almost at a blinding speed, dashing through the forest and dodging between the trees. Flora let out a breath and held herself closer to Redleaf. "Do you steer her or what?!"

"She steers herself!" Was his response.

/ / /

All of the birds in flight suddenly went to land in a clearing. Redleaf slowed Fiona down, careful as to not stop so fast that he jerk the woman holding onto him awake.

Somehow, miraculously, Flora had managed to fall back asleep sometime during the ride to the Dark Fairy community. He didn't realize it until he looked back to check up on her. There she was, still peacefully leaning against his back with her arms still wrapped around his waist. He couldn't help but smile at her.

Once he met with the others in the clearing, he set the Lynx to lay down so he could speak with the Dark Fairy. "What's going on, why are we stopped here?"

Raven gave him a look. "Why do you think?"

Redleaf's brows furrowed, briefly confused. Upon the realization of what he meant, he released his grip on the reins and rubbed at Flora's arms. "Flora, love?"

She stirred, wrapping her arms tighter and nuzzling into his back. "Mhm...?"

"We're here."

She furrowed her brows, moving her head so her chin was resting on his back. She slowly opened her eyes. "We're where?"

He stifled a laugh. "Wherever Raven took us to. We're here."

Her eyes opened fully and she released her grip on his waist, stretching out her arms and yawning. "Goodness, was I really asleep for that long?" She asked.

"I'm afraid so, my dear." He dismounted the Lynx and offered his hand to her. "Not that you missed much, unless you count endless trees as a beautiful sight."

She took his hand and slid off of Fiona, Redleaf placing his hand on her hip to help steady her. "Are you ready for this?" He whispered, darting his eyes towards Raven.

She shrugged. "We're here now; no sense in turning back."

They walked over to where the others waited for them, hand in hand. "What can we expect from this community of yours?" Milori asked.

"Just expect a lot of speculation, really." Raven shrugged his wings. "As I said, they only expected me to come back with Flora, and not with a group of fairies and their pets. And expect a lot of children wanting to touch your hair."

"Our hair?" He asked.

Raven brushed his own with his fingers. "We can't seem to grow our hair out. They'll want to do things like braid or fishtail it," he then pointed to Redleaf, "his especially. Unless you don't mind children touching your hair, I suggest putting it into a bun or something. A ponytail won't cut it, for them."

Clarion suddenly let her hair out from its bun, letting the golden locks fall past her ears. Milori looked down at her, his brows furrowing. "What are you doing?"

She ran her fingers through her hair, smiling up to at him. "I just love children, Milori. I don't mind a few giving me a braid or two."

Raven turned his attention back to Redleaf. "You sure you don't want to put your hair up?"

He shrugged indifferently. "Not at all. I don't mind someone touching my hair."

"Alright, then." He gestured to the forest in front of them. "If you'll follow me."

They all flew (or walked, for a few individuals) a few paces behind Raven, with their pets walking close behind them. Flora whispered to Redleaf, "Your hair is pretty long. I can put it into a bun for you."

He leaned his head down slightly, whispering back, "I don't mind someone messing about with my hair. You've been a great help in letting me get used to people touching it."

Whenever he and Flora would be snuggling together, she had a habit of twirling his hair between her fingers. "My sister never let me play with her hair," she had said, "and I really like how soft yours is." At first he was somewhat uncomfortable, but the way she would gently run her fingers through it became almost soothing for him.

A shout stopped all of them in their tracks. "Halt, who goes there?!"

Raven held a hand up to them. "Just a moment."

He approached the border of the forest. "A friend to a friend, who is the enemy of their enemy."

A small moment later, a Dark Fairy emerged from the forest, shaking his hand. "Raven, good to see you back in one piece!"

"Good to be back, Hawthorn."

The other Dark Fairy looked over his shoulder. "Who the heck are these people?!" She snapped at him. "You said you'd only be coming back with the human!"

Raven backed up and held up his hands. "Look, we ended up being followed. Fairies are loyal to one another, and these ones are hard to shake off anyways. They stick together, a lot like us."

The Dark Fairy walked around him, swiftly approaching the group. She looked almost menacing, and not simply because she was a Dark Fairy. Her hair was a deep blonde and spiked up, giving her an already intimidating appearance. Her eyes were a deep shade of orange and, a lot like Raven's, they seemed to glow in the light. She was small in size but she had a lot of muscle. Her wings were a deep brown, but they didn't look as torn up as Raven's did, but the same bony spikes were protruding from them. She wore a sleeveless vest with a pair of leggings, made from the dark purple of a Calla Lily. Her arms showed the occasional scar along them and she also sported the same tattoo as Raven, only it was on her shoulder. "Which one is the human?" She asked, her voice feminine but with a sharp edge. "There's two that don't appear to have wings."

"The one without the pointed ears, smart one!" Raven snapped. "The smallest female."

The Dark Fairy approached Flora and Redleaf stepped in front of her slightly, taking a defensive stance.

She scoffed. "You her bodyguard or something, tall boy?"

Flora patted his arm. "It's alright, Red." She whispered.

Reluctantly, he stepped off to the side, allowing Hawthorn to fully approach her. Flora stood as straight as possible, not allowing herself to be intimidated by the Dark Fairy.

Hawthorn eyed her up and down. She then gestured her head to the other fairies. "These people with you?"

Flora furrowed her brows. "Of course, why wouldn't they be?"

She shrugged with her wings. "You never know. Just checking." She then pointed to Redleaf. "I take it this is your lover?"

They both sputtered at her comment, speaking over one another in protest.

She closed her eyes in annoyance and then held a hand up, silencing them both. "Okay, he is, then."

"N-no, we're just courting!" Flora exclaimed. "Why would you even think that, anyways?"

"He stood in front of you to protect you, he's still wary of me right now, meaning that he cares about you to a large degree. I also don't see any rings, so that means you're neither engaged or married to one another. You're not holding hands, which means you're not entirely 'lovers' as you'd be more comfortable with each other in public if you were. You're probably sweethearts, then."

Hawthorn pointed to Clarion and Milori. "I can easily tell that those two are more than just 'courting' or sweethearts. He's taken a very defensive stance, meaning that he cares greatly for her, and she's standing close to him, which means that she cares greatly for him." She then pointed down to their adjoined hands. "They're also holding hands, which signals that they are comfortable with displays of affection in public. This also means that they are comfortable with each other. However, no rings, meaning they're not married or engaged."

Milori immediately pulled Clarion closer to him, glaring at the Dark Fairy.

Before Hawthorn could say anything else, Raven placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back. "My apologies, it's just her nature to scrutinize people. She was a lie detector-talent Dark Fairy for our former master. She can tell what you had for dinner just by the colour of your lips."

Hawthorn rolled her eyes. "I take it that all of these people are coming?"

Raven nodded. "Maybe go in and tell them all before we actually get there; we don't want any unwanted reactions from them."

She sighed and her wings drooped to the ground. "Fine, but I don't know what good it'll do."

And with that she flew off back into the forest. With her gone, Raven released a deep sigh. "I'm sorry about all that. She can't help it too much. She's not one to pay attention to social cues."

He then turned on his heel and walked to where Hawthorn had flown. "Let's go."

Everyone followed in silence, then, both shocked at what Hawthorn had said and nervous as to what lied ahead. They were about to head into a community of Dark Fairies, something that almost intimidated them. Knowing that they were good-natured did nothing to settle their nerves.

Raven pushed at a large bush, completely knocking it over. "Welcome to my home."

He walked through the fallen bush and everyone else followed right behind him.

They all were introduced to a massive village. The homes all were made out of some sort of tree, much like the homes back in Pixie Hollow. Dark Fairies flew through the air or walked along the ground. Some were in a group, some were walking alone. The children all ran freely, either playing what they thought was a game of tag or running while kicking at a ball. There were some campfires already lit up, preparing for the evening.

Some Dark Fairies had noticed their entrance, mainly because Raven had gone through the bush before them. Upon seeing him, a bunch of children all flew or ran up to him, calling out his name.

He knelt down and caught two that flew into his arms, immediately standing while holding them. "Have you guys gotten bigger since I left?"

Two children grabbed at each of his legs, giggling as he wobbled from the weight of them. Others pulled at his shirt, all talking over one another excitedly.

One of the little girls pointed to the group. "Raven, who's that?"

He turned around (as best as he could with kids hanging onto his legs). "Remember the human I said I'd come back with? These are her friends."

The children almost immediately left Raven and approached the group, almost cautiously. Clarion smiled and knelt down onto the ground. "Hello."

One of the girls approached Clarion and smiled. "My name is Iris."

"That is a very pretty name!"

As soon as Clarion said this, the children seemed to warm up to each and every one of them. One smaller child had grabbed at Milori's shirt, gently tugging on it. He lifted the boy up and smiled. "Hello, there."

Two children went over to Hyacinth, who still seemed extremely nervous about the entire situation. They appeared to really enjoy his brightly coloured overcoat, as they would be fingering at the frills.

The remaining three children walked over to Flora and Redleaf, beckoning them to come down to their level. As soon as Redleaf knelt down, the two girls immediately started touching his hair, either spinning it into braids or fishtailing the strands. The little boy who had came to Flora ran one finger along the shell of her ear. "Are you the human?"

"Yes, I am. My name is Flora."

"I'm Snapdragon. Like the flower."

More children started to flood over to the group of fairies, some with their parents in tow. Although the older Dark Fairies were more wary of the fairies, they let their children walk over to them, telling them to be careful around their pets. The adults then started talking among themselves, Flora catching bits and pieces of what they were saying.

Hawthorn managed to push through the growing crowd, spreading out her wings to give her more room. "I managed to send out the message to everyone before you actually got in, but don't be surprised if some still question it." She said to Raven.

"Look, there's only one person who's opinion I really care about," Raven snapped, "and as long as she doesn't mind, then we're fine."

Flora stood up and walked to Raven, the young boy still in tow. "Hold on, is there someone that we should be worried about, here?"

Raven grimaced. "Not really. She is basically the leader of this group of Dark Fairies. Although she has an extremely intimidating appearance, she can be really sweet. However, she is very opinionated and to-the-point. She may or may not be happy about me bringing more than one person and more than one pet."

"And if she isn't happy?"

"There isn't much she can do other than hate you, but sometimes she can have sudden-"

He was stopped mid-sentence as he heard a sharp voice call out. "What is going on here?"

Silence fell upon the crowd as she flew over then, landing just in front of Raven and Flora. At first, she had thought Hawthorn was intimidating, but this Dark Fairy made her want to dig her own grave and bury herself.

Her wings were almost massive for a Dark Fairy, the tips of them dragging on the ground. The feathers were the darkest shade of black and they were more ripped and torn, showing plenty of skin and bones underneath them. The bones that protruded from her wings were slightly more curled than regular Dark Fairy's. Her hair was an equal shade of black, the sides looking to be buzzed and the center of her hair spiked up, almost like the crest of a cardinal or blue jay. Her clothing was composed of black rose petals, the top not even having any sleeves and her leggings were ripped at the knees. She was just about as tall as Raven and she was very well built. What intimidated Flora the most was the Dark Fairy's face. Two vicious scars ran from her temple down past her jaw, one of them running over her left eye. Her left eye was pure white, not milky like most would expect it to be, but her right eye was the deepest of reds.

Raven had said she would appear intimidating, but Flora didn't think that at all. In fact, she thought that the Dark Fairy was the spawn of a pure nightmare!

The Dark Fairy tilted her head to the side, using the bone of her wing to tilt Flora's chin up. "This is the human?"

Her voice was just as scary as the rest of her, raspy and with an extremely sharp edge. It was almost bordering between masculine and feminine.

"Yes, Lilith. And her name is Flora."

She pulled her wing back, crossing her arms. "She's small for her kind."

Lilith looked past Flora's shoulder and at the nervous group of fairies. "I thought you said you'd only be bringing the human, not her fairy lackeys and their pets."

Raven cleared his throat and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, things sort of got out of hand. See, they were concerned for her well-being and followed us. They're a lot like us, they're loyal to each other and stick together like a family. They refused to leave her alone in this."

She walked past Flora and towards Clarion and Milori. He set the young boy back on the ground and Clarion stood back up, almost afraid of the Dark Fairy. She eyed up Milori, pushing his head off to the side with her wing, inspecting him closely. "Take off the cloak."

He furrowed his brows, glancing down to Clarion then back to Lilith. "Why?"

"Take. Off. The cloak." She repeated, her voice halting and firm. "Or I will." To reassert her demand, she hooked the bone of her wing under one of the clasps, ready to pull it off if necessary.

He pursed his lips and slightly narrowed his eyes, grabbing the edge of the wing and pushing it away. In no way was he ashamed of his broken wing, but being under the scrutiny of the Dark Fairy made him reluctant to show it. His gaze not breaking from hers, he slowly removed the clasps that held his cloak in place, completely removing it from his person. Milori raised his brows. "Satisfied?"

Lilith raised her eyebrows in response and twirled a finger. "Not quite."

He huffed sharply, stifling the growl that threatened to escape his throat. He turned his back to her, giving her a full view of his wings.

Clarion lost some of her patience. "Is there a point to this?"

"Hmm..." She gently grasped his broken wing, lifting it up. "You do realize this is fixable, yes?"

"There is no cure for a broken wing." He snapped at her, pulling his wing away from her grip and turning back around, placed the cloak back over him.

Lilith raised an eyebrow and held her hands behind her back. "False, but believe what you will."

She then turned her attention to Clarion, eyeing up her wings. "What is a Queen doing so far away from her home, then?" Lilith nodded her head to Milori. "For him, or for the human?"

Clarion stood a little straighter. "Where he goes, I go. And Flora needs all the help she can possibly get."

Lilith sniffed. She then approached Hyacinth, who resisted the urge to back away from the Dark Fairy. "A Minister?" She turned her head to Redleaf, then back to Hyacinth. "Two, but both are here for different reasons. You best dispense your worrisome nature, Minister, lest you fade quicker than you expect."

Hyacinth swallowed.

She quickly glanced at the animals before walking back over to Flora. "They are strong individuals, young human. Some more than others, but strong. And brave, and of course loyal. Surprising, but not unwelcome."

Flora huffed. "Are you done with your little 'inspection' of my friends, or do you want to inspect the animals too? Because I'll have you know that Missy could tear you apart if she wanted."

Raven cringed and Lilith's eyebrows shot up. "Who knew so much sass and attitude could come from such a small human?" She then laughed, patting Flora on the shoulder with her hand. "You've got guts, I will give you that. Keep it up, because you'll always be needing it. However, show them to the wrong person and you'll have them spilled."

She turned to the crowd. "As far as anyone is concerned, the young human Flora and her companions are not intruders or prisoners; they are guests!"

Lilith then took off into the air and everyone started to talk among one another once again and more children flooded over to the newcomers, excited to meet them and get to know them. Some even went over to pet the animals they brought. Missy was soaking up the attention and Fiona was purring contentedly. Hyacinth's turtledove was unsure of himself at first, but eventually started enjoying the attention the children were giving him.

Flora heaved a sigh of relief and nearly tipped over, Raven catching her and pushing her so she stood straight. "I want to go crawl in a hole..." She said.

Redleaf walked over to her, a young child following directly behind him. "Flora, are you alright?"

She looked disbelievingly to Redleaf. "I was just inspected like livestock by a menacing Dark Fairy that looks like she could snap my neck with just her fingers; how do you think I feel?"

He placed his arms behind his back. "Apologies for asking. To be honest, though, I did feel almost like flying back to Pixie Hollow after that whole 'display'."

Raven crossed his arms. "You should watch who you sass, though, Flora. It can be handy but sass the wrong person and you could end up as hawk meat."

They both glared at the Dark Fairy. "Thanks so much for the imagery, Raven," Flora drawled, "as if Lilith's wasn't enough. Now I'll definitely be able to sleep tonight."

Raven shrugged his wings. "Good, because you'll need all the sleep you can get for tomorrow."

Hawthorn then approached the group, her face almost amused. "Now that was something, Flora. I've never seen someone talk like that to Lilith before. It was almost funny, actually."

"Is there something else you're here for," Raven asked, "other than small talk?"

She glared. "Yes, I'm here to show these two where they'll be staying. Cobra and Jackal will be showing the royal couple and the Minister where they'll be staying. Viper is going to take the pets around to the farms."

Flora quickly grabbed their supplies from Fiona's pack and went back to Redleaf and Hawthorn. "Ready to go!"

Redleaf then attempted to walk but nearly tripped as there was a sudden weight on his leg. He looked down to see the little girl holding onto his leg, giggling playfully. "Oh, dear..."

Flora laughed. "I think you found a forever friend, Red."

Smiling, Redleaf flew a couple of feet into the air, making the child laugh. "I suppose I have."

/ / /

Hawthorn lead them to a small home made from an oak tree. The roof made from green lily pads. "It's large enough for two." She said. "I'll leave you both to get yourselves situated."

She flew into the air, gesturing to the small child that still was holding onto his leg. "Let's go, Fauna."

"Aww..." Reluctantly the little Dark Fairy released her grip on Redleaf's leg, waving goodbye to them. The couple waved back at Fauna with smiles on their faces. "Their wings are incredibly tiny." Flora commented. "It's rather cute."

"Mhm, that I can agree with." He then opened the door for Flora, bowing slightly. "After you, my dear."

She smiled. "Such a gentleman."

She walked inside the home and he followed her in, closing the door behind him.

The house was a lot larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. It almost wasn't too different from her home back in Pixie Hollow, although the colour scheme was a lot darker. The bedroom was on the main floor and the second floor, Flora guessed, was a living space.

There wasn't much wrong with it, other than one small problem.

There was only one bed.

It was more than large enough to support two people, possibly a third if said person were small enough. There were two pillows and two nightstands, one on each side. This home had actually been meant for a couple, they realized. At first, they thought that the home would be meant more for family members and be provided with two separate rooms, but apparently not.

She quickly dashed up the stairs to check and make sure there wasn't another couch or cot. But unfortunately, there was only a table and a couple of chairs. Sighing, she slowly went back down the stairs.

"Do Dark Fairies not know the definition of 'courting'?" Flora asked herself. "Or is it not in their vocabulary at all?"

"It most likely is, but remember what Hawthorn first thought of us?"

She sighed and shook her head, putting her satchel down on the floor. "Well, I call the floor, then."

"Nonsense! You can have the bed, I'll take the floor." Redleaf stated, placing his own satchel beside hers. "You're the one who may have to go through some strenuous activities, you need to be as comfortable as possible!"

She put her hands on her hips. "Is that going to be your excuse every time, Red? If so, then you'll need to give me better reasons than that to convince me otherwise."

"It's not an excuse, it's a perfectly good reason." He retorted.

"If overused, by definition, it can be considered as an excuse. Therefore, your 'reason' is now considered as an excuse and is invalid. I'm taking the floor."

Redleaf smiled and scooped her up, spinning her around and laughing joyfully. "You're very cheeky this evening, aren't you, my dear?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm on quite a streak in this moment, no sense in stopping now."

"Well, if that's the case, you are not taking the floor. As an instruction from your Minister."

He attempted to place her down onto the bed, but she didn't release her arms from around his neck. "I work in the Autumn Forest as a scout and, although you are certainly my Minister, you are not my supervisor or my boss due to me not being a fairy. Therefore," she tightened her grip and pulled him onto the bed and over onto his side, causing him to yelp at the sudden motion. "Your instruction is void. I am taking the floor."

"I won't allow it."

"You can't exactly stop me, now can you?"

He suddenly poked at her ribs, making her jump in surprise. "Don't you even think about it..."

Redleaf smiled mischievously. "I'm most certainly thinking, but unless I take the floor, I won't act upon my thinking."

He poked her ribs again and she pushed back. "Don't you dare!" She said, suppressing a giggle as best as she could.

He suddenly started to run his fingers along her ribs, making Flora burst into a fit of giggles. He applied more pressure and she started to laugh, wiggling and twisting in his grasp. He laughed along with her. "Oh, I dare!"

She twisted away from him, attempting to escape the attack of tickles he unleashed. Alas, he was too quick for her and he immediately pulled her back, straddling himself over her hips to keep her from escaping and he continued to poke and jab at her ribs, not showing any signs of relenting.

Tears started streaming down her face and she gasped for air, laughing uncontrollably. "Red, you win!" She managed to say.

His hands stopped but he still applied some pressure into her ribs. "What was that? I'm afraid I didn't hear you."

"You win, you adorable dork!" She shouted, attempting to push his hands away. "Just stop tickling me!"

Redleaf finally removed his hands from her sides, placing them on either side of her head. He laughed breathlessly, his energy spent from having to hold her down whilst tickling her. "You get the bed, I get the floor." He reaffirmed.

She laughed, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "Yes, Red."

Flora looked up to him, their eyes meeting. Realizing the sort of position they were in, the amusement they both felt was suddenly replaced with something else, making the air around them thick with tension.

Her eyes didn't dare look away from his, not blinking, not even flinching. Her pale skin flushed to a crimson, her lips parted and her chest heaving, still almost gasping for air. He licked at his dry lips, suddenly enticed by her appearance. Her delicate hands slid up from her sides to his neck, softly coaxing him downward.

Their eyes fluttered closed and their heads listed to the side, each holding their breath as they neared each other. Slowly, their lips met in a soft, almost delicate kiss, the contact reminding them of their need for air.

Flora snaked her hands up and pulled at the band that held his hair back, pulling it off and tossing it off to the side. His dark tresses fell around them and she trailed her fingers through them, gently pulling at the strands. She briefly broke their kiss, once again feeling out of breath. "I prefer when you don't have your hair up."

"I shall keep that in mind for the future, my dear." He leaned down and nuzzled at her neck, his lips just ghosting over her creamy skin. "For now.." He placed a quick kiss over her throat. "I have other things in mind..."

A shiver ran down her spine as he placed another, more languid, kiss on her neck. She tilted her head up, granting him more access. Redleaf then grasped at her hips and then turned them over so he was laying on his back, his lips trailing back up to hers.

They stayed like that for what had felt like hours, one on top of the other, their lips meeting over and over again. Their kisses became heated, passionate, almost feverish, their hearts pounding from within their chests and their breaths becoming shallow. They both remembered the last time something of this nature had happened, back within the Autumn Forest.

It was she who then pulled away, worried that something like that would happen again. With a shaky breath, she placed her head against his chest. "Sorry..."

He rubbed his hand over her arm in a calming manner. "Whatever for?"

"I really don't know. Just... remember what happened the last time we were like this?"

He slipped a hand underneath her chin, tilting it upward. "And remember what I had said, Flora? There is nothing wrong with it. Not in the slightest."

"I know, I know, I just..." She sighed and sat herself up, folding her hands together nervously. "I don't know how I feel about snogging, is all."

Redleaf laughed, then. "'Snogging'? Is that what you call it?"

Flora's brows furrowed. "Is that not what you call it?"

"Well, yes, although we don't use the term so lightly."

"Define 'lightly', then. Because back in London, if someone were to catch a couple kissing, that is what we consider as snogging."

He laughed again, sitting himself up alongside Flora. "And here, 'snogging' takes a lot more than just kissing. We are a young couple, courting for over a season, and we are both adults. That's not snogging, that's showing affection towards one another." He brushed his fingers along her cheek. "I don't want you feeling pressured-"

"I'm not; I do want to try it, but I don't know... it just seems so intimate, is all."

His brows furrowed slightly. "I can tell you're worried about something else. What's wrong, Flora?"

She hesitated, licking at her lips. "Well... as you know, I never was really payed much attention to back in London, romantically speaking. But if I was ever spending time with the few people I called friends, I would hear them gossip about things, about people they knew." She sighed heavily. "I'm not one for judgment or prejudice and some of the things they said... I'm just worried that we could be judged, or that we might be seen as moving too fast. I don't want that."

"From whom?"

"Other fairies, Queen Clarion and Lord Milori. Even the other Ministers."

He then sighed. "Remember what I had also said; fairies don't gossip. Especially the Ministers or the Queen or Milori. Private matters are meant to be kept as such; private. Unless they threaten the safety of another, there is no reason to bring it into light or talk of it to another fairy or sparrow man."

She snapped her fingers and then pointed. "That's it right there; back home in London, gossiping about people or events was always a constant. There was a sense of privacy and some people knew when to keep their mouths shut. But then there was the common man or woman who can't resist the urge to spread a rumour or gossip about someone." She gestured around them. "Here, that doesn't seem to be existent. A lot of things here are non-existent compared to back home. In London, war is rampant, murder and thievery throughout the streets, families losing their loved ones, equality is almost a foreign word to humans. Here in Neverland, in Pixie Hollow, there's more respect, less judgment or prejudice, less hostility, less fear, less... hatred, in a sense. It's almost the definition of peaceful. And that's something that my world never seemed to have. That, or it's something that never wanted to come to me."

As she continued to explain these things to him, all that Redleaf could do was shake his head in disbelief. Whenever he and his fairies went to the Mainland to deliver Autumn, he viewed it as something beautiful and something peaceful. He never would've thought that so many horrible things would be happening there, and he never would've thought such atrocities would happen to such a bright young woman. He never realized that there was so much more to human culture.

"The more I stay here," she said, "the more I realize how horrible my home really was. All of the things that happened around me, the things I experienced there, it never truly effected me as it was something that was just there and you couldn't do anything to change it. The more I stay here, the less I desire to go back. But the memories... they still haunt me, in a way. Much like a ghost, only, the ghosts are the memories you keep and the imprints that the people in your life leave behind."

He was at a loss for words, in shock of what he was told. Flora then just shrugged her shoulders.

He finally let out a shaky breath. "I don't understand..."

"Understand what?"

Redleaf took a deep breath, regaining whatever composure he could. "I don't understand how you were able to live like that. So accepting of everything, letting those things just slip away as if they were nothing. If I had been living on the Mainland, so completely aware of the horrible things around me, I wouldn't be able to live like that, knowing I couldn't do anything to try and fix it. To be able to live so fully, following your passions the way you did, it truly takes a strong individual to do that."

Flora turned her head away, a small blush on her cheeks. "I-I'm not strong..."

He grasped her chin, turning her head back to face him. "Flora, you are strong! Only a fool would say differently! You have gone through so much pain, you have suffered loss and betrayal. You have gone through what nobody should ever go through. And yet, through all that you have endured, through all that you've seen and heard, all that ever came from it was love, kindness, compassion, and a caring heart. That takes strength, Flora. Don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise!"

Once again, Flora was shocked by his sudden burst of emotion. Although this was not the first time he had clearly voiced how upset he was over how Flora was treated and the things she went through, this was his most touching speech. Her heart, if it wasn't already, was moved.

Her lip quivered and her eyes watered. She swallowed the lump in her throat and attempted to stifle a whimper. "You're such a sappy romantic dork..." She attempted to laugh but it came out more like a sob. "You realize that, right?"

Redleaf pulled her in for a tight embrace, softly kissing her forehead. "I do try..." He whispered.

They stayed like that, then, holding each other wordlessly until their bodies relaxed against the bed, their eyes fluttered closed, their breaths slowed. Then, peaceful sleep.