Dick's P.O.V

I feel somewhat startled, and who could blame me, but I do catch H. I check on her wings and my eyes widen. They've lost another color. Green is now replaced with gray. Explains her exhaustion. She's unconscious.

Kaylee nervously looks at me. "Is she going to be O.K?" "It's her wings. Their state is draining her, so it's hard to say. I still don't know too much about Fey. However, I can tell you that." "So you know more about Fey than I do? That's ironic." "Kind of is, isn't it?" "Just kind of?"

She makes a good point.

"Well, I've known H for a lot more time than you have." "You rubbing it in?" "Not intentionally." "Didn't really think so. When is she going to wake up?" I fight nervousness from my voice. "I don't know."

I hear her muttering in her sleep. "[Dad? Is that you? It's me, your flower. Can't you hear me? Dick said you're always listening. Dad?]" I only caught my name. I ask Kaylee what the rest of what she said was.

When I learn the answer, I don't feel sure what to make of it. Sounds like she's having a...Can't think of the right word. Not really sure I want to either.

I place my hand on her forehead, feeling concerned for a good reason. Soon as it's there, she seems comforted. I remember what she told me she noticed in my touch. I'm a light source to my little sister who's half Light Fey. Another bond that I have with her, I guess. I remember what I was told about bonds that Fey make. Why the pain of her grief hurts so much.

In about 5 minutes, I see her bolt awake. "No!" She looks at the two of us then tries to get up. I can see her legs shaking. The simple act of standing up is a strain. This is really, really not good. In about half a minute, she sits back down.

"I'm guessing my wings lost another color?" "Yeah, they did. You O.K?" "Think so. Just feel kind of drained, that's all." "Kind of drained? H, I may not know much about Fey but, considering the fact that just standing up is a strain, I'd say you're more than kind of drained." "Dick, Fey tend to make quite a few understatements. It's not that I don't appreciate your concern. I'm going to be fine." "H, you're lying through your teeth. Did you miss the part where I said that just standing up is a strain?"

She sighs. "No. It's just...I don't know if I'm ready to realize that. I really don't. It terrifies me." She looks down and, while rubbing her locket, whispers, under her breath, Jimmy Eat World's Hear You Me. After she finishes singing, I see tears well up in her eyes. She starts to shake. "I wish that I could bring him back Find a way to turn back time...* I feel like a shadow of what I used to be. An extremely misunderstood shadow."

Those last 15 words...

"H, you're not a shadow. You're still Fey." "You don't get it, do you, Dick? How can you? I'm sorry I snapped." She looks up at me. "I don't think I've felt this scared before that's no excuse for this short temper I'm showing right now. But who can blame me for being scared? I can't even stand because the state of wings is draining me too much. That really, really blows especially when you consider I'm meant to fly!"

I know H doesn't shout all that often and I don't think I've ever heard so much fear in her voice. She's right though. No one here can blame her for being scared. Nonetheless, she's refusing to give up. I notice her trying to get up again. I stop her. "H, you're really drained right now." "Brilliant, Holmes. Simply brilliant. Any other observations you'd like to tell me about?"

Very healthy dose of sarcasm in her voice.

Kaylee smiles. "Well, I'm not very surprised that he'd be making observations. You did say that Dick's a slang word for detective. So that means he's a Dick in more ways than one." H smiles. "My goodness, Kaylee, that sounds obscene." I roll my eyes. "That's not even the least bit funny." "But you forgot to mention the fact that he's a married Dick." "Knock it off." "Now he's an angry Dick." "No. A pissed Richard." Kaylee grins. "Ooh. Should I be scared?" "So you think he's a scary Dick." "Enough." "Yeah. Sorry about that. I'm not sure where it came from." "Actually, I'm the one who started it. So I'm sorry too." "You two should be Fey-ry sorry."

H rolls her eyes. "Dick, that pun was really bad. Not one I wan to take sitting down but, right now, I don't have a choice in the matter and that terrifies me. Can't even use the smallest bit of magic because it would take too much out of me. My flying and magic are key parts of me and now they might as well be gone. I don't feel like Fey anymore. I don't even feel like me." H...She curls up into a tight ball and starts shaking.

I gently tap her on the right shoulder. "Leave." "No." "I SAID LEAVE! BOTH OF YOU! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I WANT TO BE ALONE! AND DON'T SAY I CAN'T BE WHAT I NEVER WAS! I MEAN IT!" I sigh. "I did say I'm always..." "DON'T FINISH THAT!" "But that's not what a brother..." "LEAVE! ME! ALONE! JUST! GO! AWAY!" "I am not leaving." "I-I...I'm sorry guys."

She looks up and uncurls from her ball. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it. I just...I don't know what came over me. I really don't like feeling this way. That's an understatement. I..." Her eyes well up with tears. "Wish I could tell my Dad about this but he's just..." I hear her voice soften. "Gone." She rubs her locket as tears start to fall down her face. "I know he's in my heart and mind but the pain of missing him is, by far, the worst I've ever had. I mean, look how much it's affecting me." She wipes the tears from her eyes and face. "I'm going to have to take a good deal of strength from you, Dick. Figuratively speaking but still." "Well, brothers are there for so many reasons." "And I know you'll always be mine." "Exactly. No matter what happens, I'll always be your brother." She nods. "Yeah, I knew that. Glad to know that too. I just really don't know what I'd do without you. Not that I don't like you, Kaylee." "Good to hear you like me. I don't like being belittled." "Nice pun." "The expert has spoken! To me! I'm so flattered."

Kaylee pretends to swoon.

H smiles a little wider. "Believe me, you really should be flattered. And yeah, he really is an expert. I've heard a lot of puns thanks to him. Don't ask how many. I lost count long ago. No offense, Dick, but some of them were really bad. Not ones worth a rimshot that's for sure." "Rimshot?" "Yeah, Kaylee. Rimshot. Badumkish. I may play guitar, and that sound's made using drums but, obviously, I know a bit about other instruments. My guitar, since I made it, can make sounds from any instrument I need it to for the song I'm playing."

Kaylee's eyes widen. "That's really, really cool!" "I did tell you it was something else but, seriously, H? That is...Can't think of the right word. I'm guessing playing it in public doesn't arouse suspicion because..." "Of a charm I placed on it, yes. There's magic on my guitar. Maybe that's why music helps. Singing is my bond with my Mom because I got my ability for it from her. Guitar playing is my bond with my Dad because he taught me how to play and my pick is from him. The guitar, in itself, is my bond with my people because there's magic on it and, as you both know, magic is a key part of Fey like me and Kaylee. So music strengthens the bonds that I have which, because I'm Fey, will never break."

I notice her wistfully look out the window. "Still wish I could get some air though. Being Fey, I really don't like being kept indoors for long periods of time. In fact, a lot of Fey are claustrophobic. You know I'm not but still. I'm craving some air right now. No, I'm really craving it. But I'm starting to feel trapped. Not that I don't like it here. Just..." She sighs again. "I don't know. I remember one of the first songs I sang was Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway. Some of the lyrics...I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly...Yeah, that song kind of touched a chord. It's still one of my favorites. I have quite a few favorite songs though."

She smiles as she grabs her guitar and pick. Then she plays and sings, ever so softly, her newest song, Dreams.

When she finishes, Kaylee smiles. "That was beautiful. Who wrote that?" "I did. Glad you liked it. The grief felt lighter while I performed it so...Yeah. Thanks." "Not a problem. I think it's really, really cool that you write your own songs. How old were you when you wrote your first song?" "I was 10. The song's on flying and I wrote it in Ancient Fey runes."

That's H for you. I'm betting there's a guitar solo in it somewhere.

Babs enters the room. "That song was beautiful. You poured your heart into it, didn't you?" "Yeah, I did. You're not the only person who realized that." "Dick saw it first, I take it?" "Technically, I'm the one who saw it first but yes. He's seen all the songs I've written. Granted, he couldn't read some of them but still." "I'm thinking the ones he couldn't read were written in Ancient Fey runes." "Yep."

Kaylee smiles. "Could I read them?" "Only one way to find out." H grabs her songbook and opens it to a certain page. Kaylee looks at the song. "It's your Requiem for a Father." H's eyes widen. "It is. You can read Ancient Fey runes. How...Who taught you?" "I don't know. My parents weren't Fey so it wasn't them." "Kaylee this means...Well, the word used for you would be changeling." "Changeling?" "Fey brought up by non-Fey are called changelings. I'm not one. My Dad was a friend to the Light Fey. The last friend of the Light Fey to be exact."

Her breathing speeds up a little bit. "Got to stop doing that. Talking about him, heck even thinking about him hurts." She looks down as her eyes well up with tears. "And I don't like feeling that way." I barely heard her. "Where did he go? Why did he leave? I feel like there's a hole in my broken heart where he should be." "H..." "It really, really hurts Dick. Look at me now. I'm a wreck. And I HATE feeling like this!" She whispers under her breath while rubbing her locket. "Oh I miss you know I wish you could see Just how much your memory Will always mean to me...**" She's shaking like a leaf. Looking so broken.

I smile and place my right hand on her shoulder. "Hey. We're all here for you. To help you get through this. What's more your Dad never left." "Yeah, I know he didn't I just seem to forget that a lot lately. Father's Day is going to be HELL for me, I just know it." She makes a good point. I hear her breathing speed up again.

She grabs her guitar and pick then performs...I know that song. I've heard it before just not from H. It's Eric Clapton's Tears In Heaven. That song really touches a chord but it helps a lot with non-physical pain.

When she finishes, she smiles. "They were listening. I can feel it. Deep inside of me." I know what she meant when she said that. My parents were listening. She played that song for them from me. "Thanks H." "Not a problem."

She smiles a little wider then performs another song. Twisted Sister's I Wanna Rock. Only H, I swear. After finishing the song, her smile widens. "Any questions. Because I will, I will rock you! Rock you!"

Oh, the many wonders of having a Guitar Hero for a little sister. Every one of them is great.

I grin. "No questions and I've got no problem with being rocked." "Good."

She smiles a little wider and performs Soundgarden's Live To Rise. Once she finishes, she looks at me. "You did say you have no problem with being rocked so there's that."

Kaylee grins. "I have a rocker for a cousin. How cool is that?" "Well, I have one for a little sister." "I AM a rocker." Kaylee and I end up speaking in unison. "Rubbing it in, aren't you?" "Not intentionally." She holds her right hand up. " I swear." She traces the letters on her pick while singing a song that I know means a lot to her. On My Father's Wings.

Babs grins after she finishes it. "Is that one of yours?" "No. Dick didn't tell you?" I grin sheepishly. "I knew I forgot something." "The Dad of the person who sang that had the same name as mine. Lionel. Sir Lionel to be exact. He was a knight of the Round Table. So, Dick, the fact that you're a knight of the Light Fey means a lot. Anyway, that song's from a movie called Quest for Camelot."

Her voice softens. "I saw it with my Dad quite a few times. The part where Sir Lionel died scared me a little. I looked at my Dad and, for a reason I don't think I'm sure of, asked if I was going to lose him. He didn't answer but, as I later found out, he knew he was going to die. And, get this, one of the definitions of Fey is..." Her voice gets smaller. "Fated, doomed to death." I notice tears starting to well up in her eyes. "That's what he was and he didn't tell me." She's fighting hard to keep herself together but tears slowly start to flow down her face. Her breathing speeds up again and she starts to shake.

I see her punch a couch cushion as she continues to cry. Better than punching a tombstone, in my opinion. She's not going to hurt her knuckles punching that.

It's not long before she stops and wipes her eyes. "Do you think he misses me as much as I miss him?" Wasn't expecting that question. But I know how I should answer it. "Given the fact that no one we truly love ever leaves us completely, I'm sure he's fine."

Kaylee whistles. "Waxing eloquent, are we? Who have you been hanging around?"

Babs smiles. "Paging Alfred." "You think I'm that eloquent? Guess it's my turn to be flattered." "Eloquent or not, that meant a lot to me. So Thank you." She said that in such a small voice but I can tell it cheered her up a little. "Anything to make my little sister happy."

She smiles. "Aww. My big brother's a softy. That's adorable, it really is." "Would you look at that? I married a softy." "To me, he's a giant softy. Then again, to me, everyone in this room is a giant."

H smiles a little wider. "Take my word for it, you'll grow. It'll take time though." "Good. Because sometimes being eighteen inches tall stinks. Granted, it means I have a lot of people to look up to...but yeah. I think it it's really good that I'll grow like a flower." H nods. I hear her whisper under her breath. "That's what I was to my Dad. His flower." She traces the letters on her pick again. "I wish I could her him call me that one more time." "Did I put my foot in my mouth? I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to." "It's fine Kaylee. I just really miss him right now, that's all. Part of me is still waiting for him to come back." "H..." "I'm fine Dick. At least, I think I am."

I see her reach into her pocket and pull out a familiar looking piece of paper. She kept her Father's legacy in her pocket. She's tracing two words. I notice that they say "his flower". I hear her sing ever so softly. "I think about you and I dream about you all the time...But you're still with me in my dreams And tonight it's only you and me...***" I smile. "Exactly. He'll be there too. Don't you forget that either." "I did I have a really good memory. Give me some credit." "I've known you for 12 years so I think I can do that." "Really? I'm flattered. Honestly." I grin. "Oh, you really should be." "Look, people, it's a Dick!"

Babs and Kaylee howl with laughter as I roll my eyes. H smiles as her eyes light up. "I'm sorry. I just could not resist. But, if it makes you feel better, that's the last joke I'll make with your name." "It does make me feel better. Thank you very much." "Not a problem."

She puts her Father's legacy back in her pocket. "I still have my happily ever after." "Yes, H, you do." She looks at me. "Can you do me a favor? I know I'm getting a little off topic but this is something I really, really need you to do for me." "I can. What..." "Don't you EVER get shot. I MEAN it. Don't you DARE get shot."

I heard fear and a hint of anger in her voice. But mostly fear. I understand why though. It's how she lost her Father. And, since she knows everything about when I get hurt, it would scare her so bad, especially since she can't use her healing magic.

"I did promise that I'll be really careful." "You doing favor for me then. Because, so help me if you get shot, I-I..." "Hey. Consider it done." (How can I say anything else? I don't want to scare my little sister like that.)

Babs looks at me, her eyes saying You're not doing that as a favor for just H. I know what guns can do. She does. Too well. Better than she has the right to, that's for sure. Then again, she's far from the only one who knows what they can do. I mean, there's Bruce for example.

H grabs her guitar and pick then starts performing another song. Best Friend O' Mine with a new twist. I love seeing my little sister rock out in itself.

"I did say that I'd rock you. You like being rocked?" "Very much so." "Well, I really like to rock. Does it show?" "Not at all." H smiles a little wider then, ever so lightly, hits me with a couch cushion. "Does THAT show?"

Babs grins as Kaylee cracks up. I put on a look of mock anger. "Yes, it does and not in a good way." "Aww. Did I hurt you?" "Only my pride." "Oh no! Not that!" There's mischief and light in her eyes.

For some reason, a memory surfaces. One totally unrelated to what's going on right now. I remember her asking me if I really had to go to Bludhaven. I smiled and told her that she'll always know where to find me. The last thing I heard before I left was her playing and singing, for me, a modified version of Simple Plan's Everytime. My send off because she's never liked Goodbyes. And, as she told me before, that's what she didn't get to say to her Father.

"Earth to Grayson. Hello?" "Grayson speaking." "Good. I like Grayson a lot. He's an excellent big brother." "Grayson has a first name TOO." "Oh yeah. Dick, right? My, how novel."

Babs laughs. "It is NOT funny." "A little bit funny, yes." "I love you too."

H cracks up. "I swear, you guys flirt so well. Makes me wonder what would happen if I were to fall in love." She blushes and lets out a nervous laugh.

I smile. "Aww. Are you embarrassed? That's adorable." "Look who's talking. Are you forgetting what I saw you do before you took me to meet Babs?"

She makes a good point. No, I haven't forgotten that. We all have our moments. That was my "Casanova Grayson" moment. Or something along those lines.

Babs grins. "What did happen? I have to hear this."

H looks at me, smiles mischievously, then tells the story.

Babs grins a little wider after it's finished. "Dick, that's adorable. It really is."

I can't seem to make myself say anything.

H's smile widens. "Cat got your tongue?" "No." "Man, you really are eloquent." "Glad you think so. I try." "You sure do. I noticed that quickly." I see mischief in H's eyes. "Short Pants." "Not funny." "Denial. I mean, seriously? Green, scaly..." "You can stop RIGHT there." "I can? Boy, am I privileged."

I can tell Babs is trying as hard as she can not to laugh. Or at least she was. She laughs. I frown. "It isn't funny." "Is too." "Is NOT." "Is TOO." "IS NOT." "IS TOO."

H laughs. "Oh, this is priceless. Simply priceless." She continues to laugh. "So much for acting your age!" Kaylee laughs too. I give H and Kaylee the Batglare. H isn't fazed but Kaylee looks startled.

"Where did you pick THAT up?" "I have my sources." "Somehow, I get the feeling I don't want to know about these "sources" of yours. That glare...I don't think I want to come up with the right word for it." "[Dark-Fear]." "H, what is the English translation for that?" "Dark-Fear. That's not the word for that glare though. It's the word for how the current state of my wings is scaring me. Being half Light Fey, it's the worst kind of fear I can have."

Makes sense to me. Guess this means that the worst kind Dark Fey can have is Light-Fear. Don't like thinking about them because of what one did to my little sister. Happy thoughts. I've got lots of those.

I'm snapped out of my reverie by the sound of H playing the famous guitar solo from Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. She's wearing a big smile on her face. Upon finishing it, she looks at me.

"Did I startle you?" "Not really." "Good. I did say that one's fun to play. There's quite a few guitar solos which are that way. Like the one's from Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine. That would be one of the reasons why..." She smiles a little wider. "I really like to rock you like a hurricane!"

I rub my hands together. "Ooh. Fascinating. Tell me more." "I'll let the music do the talking." Smiling a little wider, she plays and sings Linkin Park's Shadow of the Day. "That say enough for you?" "Quite." "That's good. I like playing that song a lot. In fact, rocking out almost feels as good as flying and that's really saying something. Doesn't mean I'm not craving some air though. Looks like I'll just have to settle for rocking out. You do have no problem with it and that rocks!"

Kaylee and Babs end up speaking in unison. "Well, I have no problem with it either."

H's smile widens. "That really rocks!"

Like I've said before, that's H for you. If something rocks, to her, then it's awesome.

*Simple Plan's Perfect World (modified slightly)
**Simple Plan's Gone Too Soon
***3 Doors Down Here Without You (modified slightly)