AN: Here we go, another little chapter.

I'm updating when I can and where the muse takes me…life has gotten pretty busy right this minute (and will likely remain so for a while) so I'm not pushing unless it's just there. I'll update this and everything else as it comes to me!

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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So while they walkin' along…followin' the path that turned, like the Good Queen told 'em it would…from dirt ta big ole stones…and it went runnin' through the clear land now that they was comin' right on outta the woods…they seen the lil' house look just like a hollow in a tree…just like they was lookin' for…an' Hansel, he walked on up ta the door an' he knocked at the lil' door…three times…an' they waited for it ta open.

"How did the house get in a tree?" Russ asked.

"S'a fairy's house…they can build 'em where they want," Daryl said. "Hollowed out trees are good for fairy houses…already space an' everything just for 'em…"

"Is it like a tree house? Like the tree house that you said I was gonna get?" Russ asked.

"No…tree house I'm buildin' you's gonna be a house in a tree…well…gonna be a house in the branches of a tree…this is…like them holes ya see in the trees that I tell ya don't stick ya hands in?" Daryl responded.

Russ nodded, twisting Smucker's ear in his fingers.

"It's like them holes…but it's a house in one a' them holes…for the Fairy Queen…" Daryl said.

"Do fairies live in all the trees with holes?" Russ asked.

Daryl chuckled and shook his head.

"Not all the trees…no…just the special ones…an' this one here is a special fairy, 'member?" Daryl said. "Don't stick ya fingers in the holes no way…ya don't wanna get bit…by bugs nor fairies…"

"Fairies bite?" Russ asked.

Daryl chuckled and nodded his head.

"Hell yeah they bite!" He responded. "'Specially an' they don't want'cha stickin' ya fingers in they houses…now can we get on with it?"

Russ nodded and crossed his leg over his knee, bobbing his foot. Daryl eyed him to make sure that he wasn't getting more wound up than that, and satisfied that the boy was ready to listen again, he continued on.

So the Fairy Queen…see…she hears the knockin' but she knows that Hansel an' the hunter…they comin' 'cause she knows everythin' an' all the magical people…they talk ta one another with they special magic talk…so she comes on outta her house an' she says ta Hansel…says she's been expectin' him an' that he's on the edge…

"What's the Fairy Queen look like?" Russ asked.

"She's pretty…lil' bitty thing…real pretty…all dressed up in blue," Daryl said.

"Like Anandrea?" Russ asked.

Daryl chuckled.

"Russ…one a' these damn days ya gon' realize that'cha Aunt Andrea ain't the only pretty woman in the world…" Daryl said. "Looks like…Carol."

"How big is the fairies? They…are they…like bugs?" Russ asked.

Daryl sucked his teeth.

"Like bugs…but they ain't like lil' damn bugs…like butterflies…with wings an' all…" Daryl said. "But they can grow up ta human size if they gotta mind ta do it."

"Anandrea says you can't touch a butterfly…touch its wings…because it'll hurt'em…" Russ responded.

"Right…don't touch butterfly wings…you'll hurt 'em," Daryl responded.

"If Hansel touches…if he wanted to hold the Fairy Queen…if he did…would it hurt her?" Russ asked.

Daryl chewed his lip.

"Hansel might hurt her if he tried ta pick her up an' she ain't been expectin' it," Daryl said. "But if she wants ta sit on him or somethin'…don't reckon it'd hurt her. But Hansel ain't goin' grabbin' at the Fairy Queen because that shit'd be rude, Russ…ya don't grab no one without they permission…fairy or not."

"Is Miss Carol a fairy?" Russ asked, putting his foot down and starting to sit up. Daryl pushed him back down and held him until he realized that he was trapped indefinitely.

"She big as a butterfly?" Daryl asked.

Russ shook his head.

"Then I don't reckon she's no fairy…" Daryl responded.

"You said she could grow up…that she could be big…is she growed up to be big?" Russ asked.

Daryl chuckled.

"I don't think Miss Carol's a fairy, Russ," Daryl said. "Don't think they can come on outta magic lands…now ya gon' listen or we done for the night?"

Russ fell quiet…at least for the moment, but Daryl could tell that his mind was working.

So she says…ta Hansel…she says he's come ta the edge a' the forest an' from there he'll be goin' on into the land a' glass.

"Glass?" Russ asked.

Daryl nodded.

"Glass…" Daryl responded.

The Fairy Queen tells Russ that he's come ta the edge a' the land a' glass…an' he's gotta go real easy the whole time he's travelin' 'cause everything he sees…everythin' that there is ta see…it's made outta glass. The people…the animals…even the rocks an' the trees…ain't nothin' more than magical stuff made outta stained glass…

"We seed a glass girl before on the road," Russ said.

"Hansel seen the glass girl," Daryl said. "But 'member? She weren't in her home…just like Hansel she was tryin' ta get where she was goin'…"

"Is the land a' glass her home?" Russ asked.

"Reckon so," Daryl said.

"Did she make it home?" Russ asked.

"Ya gon' have ta find out, aint'cha?" Daryl asked.

When Russ made a face at not having his question answered and started to stir again, Daryl figured it was enough of the story for one night. Russ, especially when they met new people and entered into new worlds, couldn't take but so much in one sitting or else he'd be up all night worrying about one detail or another…and often they were details that Daryl even forgot that he'd thrown in there.

Like he hadn't exactly meant for Carol to be the Fairy Queen…and he hadn't remembered the glass girl with whose whereabouts Russ was now concerned.

It was fine, though…he'd work it out. So far he hadn't gotten into any pickle in the wondrous trip of Hansel that he hadn't been able to find some way out of.

"Alright…let's go ta bed…more tomorrow night…can't tell ya the whole damn story in one night," Daryl said, rolling out of the bed and onto the floor to work his joints enough to get up. He'd long ago discovered that it was the easiest thing to do since getting directly up from Russ's short bed after lying there for a while was almost impossible.

Russ seemed to accept the suggestion that the story was over and he started to get up too.

"What'cha doin'?" Daryl asked.

"Potty," Russ said.

Daryl nodded at him and let the little boy slip out of the room, pleased at least that he was volunteering to do his business so that Daryl didn't forget and end up having to change the sheets again.

When Russ came back, he sat on the edge of the bed, facing Daryl who still hadn't wrestled his way up from the floor, his face caught up in concern…probably over the little glass girl that was lost in magic land.

"Get in bed…" Daryl said.

"Now hold on…" Russ said with such a serious tone that Daryl had to bite the inside of his mouth with a great deal of force to keep from laughing.

"What?" He asked, trying not to give away the fact that he was dying to laugh at Russ's tone of voice coupled with his facial expression.

Russ furrowed his brows a little deeper and brought Smuckers around into his lap to pick at the poor bear's ears while he worked through the issue that, if not dealt with well enough, would likely bring him to Daryl's bed later.

"Is Miss Carol a fairy?" Russ asked in complete seriousness.

Daryl closed his eyes a moment and then shook his head.

"She ain't no fairy…Fairy Queen just looks like her…just like ya Uncle Merle ain't no real ogre…but he looks like one an' he kinda acts like one," Daryl said.

Russ didn't look convinced.

"But…she might…she could be a fairy all growed up…" Russ protested. He tipped his head to the side. "How you know she ain't a fairy?"

Daryl snorted.

"She ain't got wings…" Daryl said.

Russ nodded his head a little but didn't unfurrow his brows.

"What if…but…they could be…if…" Russ started.

And Daryl could tell that he'd tangled himself up in this one so he reached out and shook his shoulder a little.

"Take a breath…start again," Daryl said with a chuckle. "Slow like…"

"What if someone squeezed her when she was a butterfly…when she was…little…what if they squeezed her and she's got wings but they got broked like the butterflies?" Russ asked.

Daryl nodded his head as though this were a very serious thing to consider…that Carol had once been a butterfly…or relatively the same thing…and someone had crushed her wings…leaving her without them…and then he raised his eyebrows at Russ.

"Could be…but…she ain't got no wings," Daryl said. He shrugged. "Broke or not broke…she just ain't got none. Sorry, buddy, she ain't a fairy."

"You don't know! She might have wings!" Russ protested.

"Calm down…time for bed…she ain't got no wings, Russ. I know she ain't got no wings…OK? She ain't no fairy…she just looks like one…no wings…none…" Daryl said. "Now…can you get in bed? Please…right now?"

Russ looked pouty.

And normally Daryl would have thought it was over the fact that he had to go to bed, but right now he got the distinct feeling that Russ was, more than anything, crushed that Carol was not a living, breathing fairy that he could maybe convince to shrink down to butterfly size so that he could make a toy out of her.

But Russ got in bed like he was supposed to, hugging his bear, and Daryl adjusted his blankets around him, coming up on his knees so it was easier to lean near the boy.

"Russ…stop frettin', OK?" Daryl asked.

"But how do you know?" Russ asked.

"'Cause," Daryl said. He paused a moment. "'Cause I was worried too, ya know? I was thinkin' she might be too…on account a' I knowed what the Fairy Queen looked like…so I looked…an' I know she ain't got no wings…just looks a whole damn lot like her…that's all. But they ain't no wings. I promise. Miss Carol ain't no fairy."

"If she was a fairy," Russ said, "we could make her a house in a jar like my snake that Anandrea got me…"

Daryl shook his head.

"Was ya Uncle Merle caught that snake…an' ya 'member what happened ta him? He got sick an' we had ta let him out…'cause can't nothin' live in no jar an' not get sick…Miss Carol ain't no fairy…but if she was…would'ja wanna put her in a jar ta get sick like the snake?" Daryl asked, resting his chin on his folded hands next to Russ since he had no idea when he was actually going to satisfy the boy enough to get him to sleep.

Russ looked like he was considering Carol's possible entrapment in a glass prison, but finally he shook his head. Merle had caught him a garden snake to play with, but when Russ had pitched a fit about keeping it, Merle and Andrea had let him keep it a couple of days in a jar at their house…and by the time that Daryl got ahold of the thing it was dead.

He hadn't had the heart to tell the boy that it was his first act of homicide, though, so he'd said it was sick and let Russ throw it a going away party in the back yard…putting it under a bush so that it could go back to its home and get well. Then Daryl had snuck out there later and disposed of the little dead snake so that Russ would believe that he'd recovered…and since then Daryl had forbidden all creepy crawly pets.

"No…" Russ said. "But I'd like ta see a fairy…" he said remorsefully.

Daryl smiled.

"Maybe one day…ya will…" Daryl offered. "Just gotta keep ya eyes open…never know what'cha gonna see."

Daryl got to his feet then, stretching out his muscles as he found his full height again.

"Can ya sleep now? Maybe have some dreams about real fairies?" Daryl asked.

Russ nodded his head slightly and Daryl leaned and kissed him on the forehead before he ruffled his hair.

"Night buddy," he said. "Sleep good."

"Night, Daddy…" Russ said. "Love you."

Daryl smiled.

"I love ya too, Russ," Daryl said. "Ya see any fairies in ya dream…don't put 'em in no jars, OK? That ain't nice…"

Russ shook his head, looking serious for the moment.

"I won't, Daddy…and I ain't gonna grab 'em…I won't hurt them…just look at them," Russ confirmed.

Daryl bit his lip again.

"Good deal…" Daryl said. "Night, Russ…"

He switched off Russ's light and left the little boy to his fairy ridden dreams while he went around the house and cleaned up the aftermath of the day, laughing a little to himself over Russ's concern about the fairies…and then trying to figure out where the hell they'd left the little glass girl and where they'd run into her again so she could tell Hansel her story about how she found her way home.