Last chapter everybody! I truly hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I am currently working on a prequel that explains some backstory for Bobble's powers. It's called Wings of Change. I hope you'll check it out! Enjoy!

5 days later...

Something was tapping loudly outside his window. The moon was shining, pouring in through the tinted glass, and a gang of fairies were waiting anxiously outside his door for the first word of change from the healing talents. They had stayed awake relentlessly, leaving only to use the bathroom, or to eat. Even at night, they would take rotating shifts so that someone would always be awake in case he were to suddenly come around.

The other fairies began to notice this odd behavior, but when they approached to ask why everyone was there, they said Bobble had had a work related injury. They decided to leave his powers a secret. It was what was best for him, and for the Hollow.

The leaders of their guilds understood the devotion they felt, but had also decided that they needed their workers back to prepare for the oncoming winter season. Lord Malori gave Peri, Spike, and Gliss three days, and then they were to report back to the Frost Forest.

After all, Malori had said gently. If he hadn't responded within three days, there was a good chance that he wasn't going to.

They refused to believe that, but the three days came and went, and so the winter fairies sadly said farewell and headed home, only after being reassured by Tink that she would send a message just as soon as Bobble woke up.

The rest of them were given four more days, until the end of the week, and then they too would need to go home. They had reluctantly agreed, hoping that, by some miracle, he would be awake and waiting for them that day.

But it wasn't that day.

Or the next.

Finally, on the close of the fifth day, Rosetta awoke to find a healing talent sparrowman hurrying from Bobble's room. Straightening her dress, the garden-talent hurried over and demanded to know why he was in such a state.

"It's your friend, miss," he responded, handing his clipboard to one of the fairies at the entranceway. "He's awake."

Great news! Rosetta had almost done a twirl right then and there. She immediately rushed back to wake the others, never mind that it was almost midnight. When she told then what had happened, they were all instantly awake and thankful. They erupted into cheers so loud that they nearly got themselves kicked out.

"We can see him," Rosetta explained. "But only one at a time. He's not fully conscious of where he is just yet, and the last few minutes before he passed out are a bit fuzzy. Don't wanna alarm him, if you know what I mean."

"Tink should go first," Iridessa said, pushing the blond forward. "He did risk his life to save her after all. Maybe it would be reassuring to see that he succeeded."

The others nodded in agreement, so first thing the next morning, Tink put on a brave face and fluttered toward the door. The others watched her go hopefully. Silvermist held her breath as the tinker knocked softly on the door, and received a weak "Come in," in response.

She cracked the door just enough to slip in. The room was flooded with sunlight, and she found her friend lying in bed, blinking curiously in her direction as she entered. He wasn't wearing his goggles, so it was safe to assume he didn't know who had come. "Bobble?"

He knew her voice right away. "Miss Bell," he replied, the faintest trace of a smile sliding in between a grimace. He sunk further into his pillows and let out a noticeable sigh of relief. "How are ya feelin'?"

"Just fine." Tink walked slowly across the room. "Thank you." She wasn't thanking him for asking, but that was very clear to the both of them. "The Queen told me what happened," she went on. "It was risky, doing what you did."

He tried to follow her movements. "Are ya scoldin' me?" he asked, turning a little red behind the ears. "'Cause Scarab already gave me an earful before ya arrived."

"Really?" That surprised Tink. "I didn't see her, but, yeah, you probably deserved it." She chuckled, just imagining the scene. He wasn't one who liked being scolded, mostly because he always followed instructions to the tee. She wished she'd been there to see that now.

"She went back to Fairy's Haven," he explained. "She didn't want to be here, in the way, she said." He finally found her sitting in a chair in the far corner, and he suddenly seemed afraid. "Tink...I...um...I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Sorry?" she repeated, confused. "What are you sorry for? You saved the Hollow! You're a hero! Although, I admit, the dying part was a bit over dramatic, but I think you made your point." She smiled to assure him she wasn't upset. "You're the Protector of Life. No doubt about it."

"But I should've known Shade would go after ya and..." he gulped and trailed off, realizing that she wasn't angry at him for letting her get hurt. She didn't blame him at all. "A-and...is everyone..."

"Everyone is just fine," she said. "In fact, most of the Hollow has gone back to work. And, before you ask, no, we didn't tell everyone that it was you who saved them. We thought you'd rather keep that to yourself."

He managed a full smile this time. "Aye. Thanks. And...Shade...what happened to him? Scarab said I..." He stopped, looking horrified at the very thought.

"He's dead," Tink confirmed. "It doesn't matter how." If he couldn't remember, then there was no point in forcing him to relive the experience. "Queen Clarion gave him a proper burial outside of the Hollow. She said, he may have been wrong to do what he did, but he was still a fairy, and he still deserved to be respected."

He said nothing, and his eyes were closed. Tink took that to mean he was done talking.

"Well," she said, standing up and walking back toward the door. "Everyone's waiting outside to see you, so I'd best let them come before they knock the whole place down. Oh, and by the way, Clank fixed your goggles."

"Tink?" he called after her softly as she grabbed the door and started out.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're all right."

Tink smiled. "Feel better soon, alright?" She stepped out, letting an eager Silvermist go next.

It was three more days before the healing-talents would let him leave. The others had returned to work for a single day, but were anxiously waiting for him to be discharged, which was why it was so much of a shock when Tink looked up that hot afternoon to see him strolling through Tinker's Nook. Not flying. His wings were still on the mend, and it would be a long while before they were fully functional again, but he didn't complain, saying he would enjoy the walk.

He was currently running a hand fondly over a wheel of the mouse carts. Cheese was at his side, and he was using the mouse as a brace as he went. Several of the others paused to watch him limp through the workshop. Many of them were aware that he'd been a part of the reason Pixie Hollow was saved, though none of them knew the details, and it wasn't hard to see that he'd been roughed up pretty badly. Bruises covered his face and arms, and his broken arm had once more been put into a sling, along with other bandages not visible across his chest.

Several eyes passed from him to Tink as the blond stood up and fluttered over to join him, each forming their own suspicions, but no one saying a word.

"Hey."

"Hey," he replied.

"We didn't expect you until tomorrow," Tink admitted a little sheepishly. "It's a bit of a mess around here."

"What, plannin' some kinda party while I wasn't here?" He grinned, scanning the workshop. "It's perfect," he added, taking his arm off of his support to gesture at everything. "I really missed this place." He patted Cheese on the neck and the mouse smiled.

"You're a tinker," she said, nodding knowingly.

"Among other things."

"So what are you going to do now?" Tink asked, noticing his downcast tone. "You could...well...I guess you could be anything you want now. You know Scarab offered you a position in Fairy's Haven?"

"Aye. But I told her I wanted to stay here. This is my home. And, this is where I belong. In the workshop."

"Have you talked to Zarina yet?"

"Aye. She's ready whenever we are. I told her that I needed to stop and see everyone first."

"All right," Tink said. "Let me just grab my things and I'll be set."

He waited as she rushed back over to her table and threw all her tools into her bag. She slung the backpack over her shoulders and then signaled for him to follow. So, saying farewell to Cheese, he obeyed.

The trek to Zarina's workshop took a good hour on foot. All the way, they chatted and laughed about the simplest things. How Silvermist had been so happy to be able to hug her tadpoles again that she jumped in the water, and Fawn and Iridessa had been forced to drag her out, still holding the tadpole. And then, when Iridessa hadn't been looking, Vidia had stirred up all the winds and sent her spinning into one of her own rainbows.

Several storm fairies waved to them as they zipped past overhead and disappeared into white clouds. For the first time in days, the air was filled with laughter and warmth. Autumn had arrived in Neverland, and it was truly beginning to feel like itself again.

They trekked the last leg of the journey in silence. Tink could feel her friend tense beside her, and she couldn't help, but wonder what was going through his mind. After all these years hiding away so many abilities, he was about to give them all up. No doubt he was thinking of what Scarab said about tinkers being unable to rid themselves of the feeling of power, and she felt a jerk of alarm as his hands clenched and he took a deep breath before he knocked on the door.

Zarina answered almost immediately. She was dressed as though she'd just been experimenting with her dust, but she quickly brushed the grains away when she saw them. "Oh! Hello! I suppose your here for the talent dust, right?"

Bobble nodded. "Please."

"All right," Zarina said, nodding and stepping back from the doorway. "Come in. You say you want to get rid of these...extra talents...that you happened to stumble upon?"

Tink shot him a look, but he wouldn't return it as he nervously nodded. To lie to Zarina was a difficult task, and the alchemist looked less than convinced, but said nothing and, instead, went over to her desk and began picking out certain portions of different colored dust. "Tinker-talent, right?"

"Aye."

"Hmmm." As Zarina worked, Tink crept up behind her to watch her work, and to poke and prod at the samples lying on the workbench. "Tinkerbell, kindly refrain from contaminating my Pixie dust," Zarina went on calmly.

"Oh, but...it's so pretty. I love all the colors!" Tink reached for the dust once more.

Zarina smacked her hand away. "I cannot work with an audience," she snapped. "Go stand over there." She pointed to the corner of the room. "And don't touch anything."

Tink sighed, and, for once, did not argue.

The two tinkers watched silently as Zarina quietly mixed blue and yellow dust together, and shook it into a pale green. She repeated this process twice, and then turned toward them with a slight frown. "All right," she said firmly. "I don't know what the two of you are playing at, but, I don't want any part of it. However if I find that either of you have tampered with this, I will never speak to either of you again."

"Noted," Tink said with a nod. "Don't worry, you can trust us."

"When Tinker Bell says, 'Don't worry,' all of the Hollow starts sweating. All right," Zarina held up the bowl. "I'm going to dump this on you," she added to Bobble. "It should wipe out any extra talents and restore the tinker talent, okay?"

He nodded, taking a long breath and bracing himself.

Zarina dumped the dust over his head and he shivered as it coated his hair and clothes. "How do you feel?" she inquired.

"Fine," he answered quietly. "Thank ya."

"Well," the alchemist said, setting down the bowl and brushing the dust from her hands. "That should do it. Your talents should have switched back."

"Thank you, Zarina," Tink said.

She nodded. "All right, you two. I have to get back to work. So, if you wouldn't mind, shoo." She waved them toward the door.

They both thanked her and headed out. Tink watched her friend nervously as he descended the root unsteadily. "Hey, are you all right?"

"Aye."

The answer was too short, too abrupt. He was definitely lying. "No, you're not. Hold on." She darted in front of him to block his path. He blinked at her tiredly. "What is it?"

"T-the talents," he gasped. "I...feel them leavin'. It...hurts. Not...physically, but, it's like, all the power I've ever felt. It's just...all gone." He sounded so lost, as if something precious had just been ripped from him.

Tink didn't understand what that felt like, but she knew she couldn't let him second-guess himself now. "Hey," she said, fluttering over and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're going to be all right, okay? You're a tinker now. Just like you've always wanted, right? No more evil fairies, no more fighting. Doesn't that sound good?"

He turned to face her with a small smile. "Aye. That it does. I'm fully a tinker now. I'll get used to it."

"That's the spirit!" Tink exclaimed, throwing an arm around his shoulders, causing him to jump slightly. "And, look! It's a brand new day. The sun is shining. The birds are singing. Come on, what could possibly go wrong? Let's go back to the Nook and start on some new crazy contraption. What do you say?"

"Ya always have the craziest gizmos," Bobble said with a shy grin her way. "But I think I can top that now."

"Oh, really?" Tink raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Now that I would like to see!"

"You're on!"

And with that, the two fairies walked off into the Hollow. The war was over. Shade was gone. Peace had returned, and, for the moment, all seemed right in the world.

But meanwhile...

A fist slammed against a tree, causing the entire thing to shake violently. "You lost!"

"It wasn't my fault!" came the protest. "The sparrowman! He has power like I have never seen! Even Shade wasn't enough to-"

"Shade was nothing more than a puppet. You should have dealt with him yourself! Now they'll see him as some kind of savior!"
The voice shook with rage. "Nevermind. I don't want to hear your pitiful excuses. The boy is not dead, and that is on you. However, I can sense his powers weakening."

"Sire...?"

"He thinks he's safe, giving up the one thing that makes him special. Strong-willed for a tinker, to five away so much power. Unexpected, even. But I know what makes him squirm at night. I know what he sees in his sleep. And I know just how to use it. He may think this battle is over, but the truth is, the war has yet to begin."

FIN.