After six months, it was time. Six months since the mystery in the woods. Allie and Rhys had been investigating the cabin in the woods owned by Dane Majors and were on their way to leaving the abandoned place when they heard gunshots and shouts. They ran towards it and found Dane slumped against a tree, dead.
The techs found traces of blood matching Nick Buchanan. But Nick himself was nowhere to be found. The search had gone on for longer than it should have, seeing as Homicide wasn't actually involved. There was no evidence that Nick was dead. The scent dogs followed the trail of blood to a pair of trees and that was where it ended. It was as though he'd disappeared off the face of the earth.
Duncan had done more searching in his free time away from work. He worked with Nick's mum and his sisters, calling every person Nick knew and trying to find some sort of lead. But nothing ever came. And his girlfriend, Jennifer, had disappeared along with him. The address she'd given in interview was found to be false, and there was no record anywhere of Jennifer Mapplethorpe. Nick and Jen were gone. As though they'd never existed.
But Nick had existed. He had friends and a family and a house and a career and a whole life. And Duncan missed his best friend more than he could ever say. He hadn't wanted to give up, and if it weren't for Nick's mum begging him to give it up, Duncan would have still been at it until he found out what happened to his friend.
After six months, though, it was time. Nick's mum was taking charge of all his affairs, and Duncan was helping her out as much as he could. Today they were clearing out the house so it could be sold. Shame, it was only half-remodeled. Duncan knew how proud Nick was that he was building the house himself, fixing up every single part of it. It would have been incredible when it was done. As it was, they'd had to give the buyer a discount because of all the unfinished parts of it.
Duncan stood in the middle of the almost-empty room and looked around. It broke his heart to say goodbye to this. To his friend. This felt like the end of it.
He put his hand down on the live edge dining table, leaning against it with a sad sigh. As he did, a faint humming filled his mind. Duncan stood back up quickly, practically jumping away from the table. The sound went away. Tentatively, he put his hand back. The humming returned. It was a melody of sorts, coming from the table. What the�
"This too?"
The voice of a moving man, collecting all of the furniture that didn't sell and taking it to the charity shop, interrupted Duncan's curiosity. He was about to say yes, this piece also would be donated. But something stopped him. The humming of the table told him, for some reason. "No," he said, almost beyond his own control. "No, leave this one."
The moving man shrugged and went to another room. Duncan pulled out his cell phone and found the number of another moving company. He called to have them pick up the table and deliver it to Duncan's house. He'd keep this for himself. It felt right, somehow, to keep this piece of Nick with him.
Not so very far away, Nick Buchanan was making his way home after a long day. He was walking for the time being, breathing in the floral-scented air and smiling at the enormous trees around him. He had lived in the fairy realm for six months now, but the miraculous novelty of it had not yet worn off.
The house built of woven honeysuckle vines came into view around the bend and his smile grew. He still hadn't gotten used to that either. A light appeared through a window as Jen began to light the magic glowing lamps as the sun set lower in the sky. Nick walked a little faster, eager to reach her.
"Welcome home," Jen greeted, seeing him appear in the doorway.
Nick crossed the room to her and grasped her around the waist, lifting her up and spinning her a bit before pulling her into his embrace and kissing her. "Hello, princess," he said softly against her lips.
He was teasing, and she knew it, but she loved it. It was silly, her being called Princess Jennifer. But now that she had been identified as the successor to Queen Bernice, that was her title. Jen had spent the morning with Bernice and then returned home to get some chores done. She'd been waiting for Nick to return from the palace.
These last six months had been the absolute best of her life. Everything had changed so quickly, but all of it was for the better.
After she healed Nick and her purpose was revealed, Terry and Matt returned through the portal. The men helped Nick onto his feet, and the five of them went to the palace. There, Jen and Bernice and Terry had told Nick what the history of the fairies had told them, that Nick was the son of a fairy who had left the realm to marry a human woman, and it was Nick's fairy blood that made him so susceptible to Jen's magic and caused him to be so connected to the fairy realm. And he was given the option to stay in the realm with them and make a life there.
It had only taken a day for Nick to decide, during which Jen was wracked with anxiety. She hadn't wanted to push him, but she did not want to be without him. But Nick had been at a crossroads. His life as a police detective was over, and he was searching for something new. And this was certainly new. But most importantly, it guaranteed that he and Jen would be able to be together. And so, Nick had committed himself to making a life here amongst the fairies.
Being in the realm was better than Nick had ever imagined it could be. He was so connected with the magic, and he wanted to learn everything he could about his father and the heritage that had been a mystery to him before. He spent time with Bernice and with Terry, both of whom were happy to help guide him in his new life. And, of course, he had Jennifer.
Normally, the future queen would move into the palace to be trained properly. But in the circumstances, Bernice had agreed to allow Jen to live with Nick in her house for a year before they both moved to the palace. Nick knew he wouldn't mind going to the palace with Jen when the time came, but he was grateful for the privacy they had in her little house all on their own.
Jen had been helping him learn magic. He assumed that he might have some ability thanks to his father, but it ended up being more than expected. About three weeks into living in the fairy realm, Nick woke up in the middle of the night in searing pain. And as Jen tried to help him ease it, he felt a strange shifting sensation. When it was over, he had sprouted wings.
He'd been told that every fairy has unique wings, but his were unlike any he'd seen on other fairies. They were three pairs of long, thin dragonfly wings. And in the same way Jennifer's glowed with golden sparkles, Nick's were a shimmering silver. From then on, he'd been learning how to fly and control his wings and the increased magical ability that came with it.
And so, Nick had taken a place with the royal guard. He reported directly to Sir Terry. The two men had grown close very quickly, as they shared the experience of being consorts to queens. It was a nice position to be in, Nick found.
More than anything else, the magic and the flying and the new position and all of it, Nick was just glad to have Jen. And she was glad to have him. They had fallen into a life together more easily than either of them might have anticipated. But they just fit together so well. Jerry the death watcher seemed to know that they would. And they had, of course. Their life was not without its problems and concerns and difficulties, but it was a good life. They were in love and they were happy.
Late that night, Nick and Jen lay curled up together, giggling and sated and sleepy. The joy of holding her in his arms was almost overwhelming. He whispered, "I love you," as he kissed her golden hair.
Jen could hardly contain her giddy grin. She turned, her wings moving with her and brushing against Nick's, making them both shiver. With a gentle kiss to his bare chest, Jen murmured in reply, "I love you, too."
They fell asleep just like that as the magical lights floated dimly around them.
THE END
