Why is it literally April OMG. Feels like it was just January. It's also April Fools...whatevs.

DoggyPocky: That is true that Cosmo's pretty out of line when it comes to Wanda and other men, more so when she was just being friendly and even more when it's her ex. He might get a nice little slap from Spike later on if he keeps this up. I think Rose will fully heal from her experience one day and certain triggers won't trigger her anymore. With everything, it takes time, and Spike's a total babe for being understanding of that.

McSgwizzle: Literally as I was writing SpikexRose scenes, I was like "Why are they so freakin' cute thoooooooo?!" Make me sick. Tee hee, there's a reason why I named his mom Karen ;D I had something like that in mind regarding his anger and that being a trigger to Rose but, we shall see.

Guest: Thank you! Um, I'm still debating whether to include something like that with CxW in this series or do something separate, considering how things are going between them right now, but I do have plans to do it.

With Grandma Cocoa tucked into her bed, Susie hooked her grandmother's PD catheter to the peritoneal cycler machine, also setting the control panel to cycle through continuous treatment. She assessed the solution in the bags of dialysate to assure there was enough for one session, checking the drain line's function so that they will open and close in the right direction for each exchange.

Since Grandma Cocoa began her peritoneal dialysis, Bernard transitioned to night shift for the larger salary to help the cost of her rising medical bills. Sometimes he'd hook Grandma Cocoa to her machine and unhook her when he returned from work in the early morning, and other times, particularly on weekends, Susie would come home to hook her grandmother, partially to spend time with her and partially so that she could ensure Bernard wasn't the sole caretaker.

"How's Wanda doin' these days?" Grandma Cocoa made conversation. "She broke up with that dim-wit yet?"

"No…" Susie set the timer to the machine for ten hours, adding the extra two hours to cycle out any extra fluids. "She doesn't think she should cuz she thinks it'll prove to Cosmo that she's leaving him for Juandissimo."

"Honestly, she jus' needs to be single for a lil while." Grandma Cocoa frankly commented. "She ain't been single longah than a hot minute since she started datin' and it shows."

Susie couldn't help but sneer at the subtle shade. She knew Grandma Cocoa meant well, she cared about Wanda as if she were her own granddaughter, so when Susie vented to her about Wanda's situation, Grandma Cocoa began to see Cosmo in a not-so-good light.

Opening the door to his mother's room, Bernard, clothed in his factory work uniform, smirked to Susie who simply looked away. His cornrolls now reached passed his shoulders, and his kinky beard was trimmed in an extended goatee. He didn't gain much weight over the last half a year, but he looked much healthier than he did when Grandma Cocoa first took him in. His eyes weren't so sunken unless it was from him struggling to get used to his knew nightshift hours, and he had a bit more color to his ebony skin.

He made his way to Grandma Cocoa's bedside, holding her aging hand. "How ya doin', momma?"

"I'm good besides my legs." she admitted. "They've jus' been so swollen that it hurts."

"Hopefully your dialysis can get rid of that fluid." Bernard stroked her hand, wiping sleep from his eyes after only being awake for about an hour.

"I don't like this dialysis crap." Grandma Cocoa complained, making Bernard chuckle.

"Well, this 'dialysis crap' keeps you alive to whine about it." His point made his mother slit her eyelids to him. He then shifted to his daughter, observing as she motioned through the process of getting Grandma Cocoa set up for her session. "You made sure the catheter's hooked tightly, right?"

"Duh." Susie rolled her eyes. Sometimes he liked to 'act' like a father at times he really didn't need to. "I'm not dumb."

His friendly features fell, bothered by her comment. "I didn't say you were…"

"Then don't treat me like it."

The honk of a car horn led to Bernard rising from the bed. "That must be Quandero." He leaned down to give his mother a soft peck on her cheek. "G'night, momma."

"Have a good night at work, B." she politely returned.

Floating around to Susie by the peritoneal machine, he leaned to do the same only for Susie to back her face away, leading him to merely pat her on the shoulder, disappointment in his brow. "G'night, Susie-Lue."

She didn't bother to acknowledge him, returning to adjusting the settings as he lingered for a moment before turning to leave the room, shutting the door behind him.

Getting used to Bernard sticking around longer than she thought he would had been more than an uphill battle. Her guard never wavered because she didn't want her hopes to drop when he walks out for another quick fix. Even though he hadn't touched a drop of Fairoin since he came back into her life and swore up and down that he'll never go back to it, she still had her reservations.

"Girl, why you still actin' like that?" Grandma Cocoa griped, having grown quite tired of Susie's cold shoulder.

With a surly shrug, Susie turned on the machine. "Actin' like what?"

"You act like you still don't trust him." Grandma Cocoa pointed out as Susie took a seat by her bedside.

"He hasn't given me a reason to." Susie grumbled, taking out her phone to respond to Alewandro's text from earlier.

"You mean besides finally getting' a job which he had to pass a drug test to get, helpin' out around tha house, with the bills, with my dialysis…all that?"

"I know, Gammie…" Susie grumbled, tucking her phone back in her leather jacket. "I just…can't trust him."

"Cuz you not even tryin'!" Grandma Cocoa jeered. She then told Susie to look at her, something she did when she wanted to make a serious point. "I know he did some awful, awful things that no father should do to their daughter, but sugah, he ain't the same father you remember, and you need to start allowin' ya'self to see that. Otherwise, you'll walk around wit all this anger towards someone who don't even exist no more."

Taking her grandmother's words into consideration, she saw some valid arguments. Bernard wasn't the same father she knew, and he had changed for the better. However, a change in personality and priorities doesn't make up for the abandonment etched into her soul thanks to the addiction that became the child he cared for more. Her first four years of life were hell because of him, haunted by unfortunate events that her trauma tried to suppress. He pawned her off onto her already aging grandmother, forcing her to raise someone else's child. Despite the gaping hole in her heart, she lived on to find great friends, an amazing boyfriend, and a grandmother that loved her and taught her the true meaning of caring for a child.

She was just fine without him before. Why should she need him now?

"Therefore, when you combine fire and water, you get steam, and when you combine steam with air, you get mist." Susie explained with a few alchemic symbols, jotting them down on a sheet of paper. "Does that make sense?"

"Uh…" Binky stared blankly at the paper before him. "…yeah."

Susie arched her brow, the uncertainty in his tone unconvincing that he even paid attention. "Repeat what I just said."

"Uh…" he blinked rapidly before sighing defeatedly, propping his chin in his palms. "…I-I can't."

Susie closed his Alchemy I textbook with a groan. "Binky, what are we even doing here if you're not gonna put in any effort?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Susie." Binky shamefully apologized. "I just don't get Alchemy…"

"Hence why you're failing." Susie bluntly commented. "Are you even trying?!"

"But I can't fail this class!" Binky exclaimed, resulting in a few shushes from other studying students around them in the library. "…my mom's really strict about my grades, and if she knew I was failing a class, she'd flip!"

If that's the case, then Susie didn't understand what the real issue was. "Don't you think that would be enough motivation?"

"I-I know…" Binky's gaze fell, folding his arms over his chest. "…but it's still really hard. I don't have this problem in any of my acting classes."

"That's because acting is your passion." Susie pointed out. "So, we just gotta figure out how to light that same passion for Alchemy." Binky released another sigh as the lightbulb in Susie's head flickered with inspiration. "You like movies and stuff, right?"

"Are you kidding?" Binky gleamed excitedly, a trait that reminded her of when she first met Cosmo in ninth grade, that level of innocence that she started to miss. "I'm a total movie buff!"

"Good, cuz there're plenty of movies and TV shows that utilize alchemy." Susie informed. "What I need you to do, is look through and find any movies and/or documentaries that utilize alchemy. I'm thinking if you can visualize the combinations that you're studying in class, then you might understand it more."

"Ooooooooooh!" Binky beamed, already thinking of shows or movies where he might have seen alchemy. "You think it'll work?!"

"Pssh, I hope so." she scoffed, folding her arms. "I'm notta 'bout to let you make me look bad."

Binky frowned. "…well gee, no pressure."

"I'm kidding!" Susie giggled. Freshmen can be so gullible; the opportunity was just too easy to resist.

As annoying as Binky tended to be, sessions with him were like a light break from all the heavy. Due to Grandma Cocoa's multiple health ailments, including her occasional shortness of breath, she was not deemed healthy enough to undergo surgery, and because she cannot undergo surgery, she didn't qualify for a kidney transplant. She was forced to spend the rest of however long she could live on dialysis, something she herself still hadn't come to full terms with. Often times, she couldn't help but worry for her grandmother's life mainly in Bernard's care. Yes, he's changed, but what if he slips? What if he comes across his biggest temptation and folds? What if he gets too high to refill her insulin or hook her to her machine? What if she loses her life under his care, and Susie could do nothing to stop it because she didn't live there anymore?

Along with those nagging fears, she worried for Wanda's deteriorating emotional stability without the aid of a blade. She refused to at least go talk to someone, a professional who could possibly help her find other, healthier alternatives. In her mind, cutting wasn't just a release; it was a punishment. A punishment she blamed on herself for why Cosmo struggled to trust her again. She'd reached such a rock bottom that convincing her to see the reality of the situation proved futile; no matter what Susie or Rose or anyone else said, she fully believed that if she stayed with Cosmo and tried hard enough, she can change Cosmo, that she can bring back the lovable, sweet guy she once loved.

No one can change anyone unless they're willing to change, and Susie knew Cosmo simply was not. In Cosmo's mind, it was Wanda's fault that their relationship wasn't what it once was. Talking some sense into him didn't work, or it'd work for two seconds before he'd just go back to placing full blame on his girlfriend. Tutoring Binky reminded her so much of a younger version of Cosmo, though not as cluelessness. He was so lighthearted, even getting her to laugh some days. He practically lived on her every word, always excited to meet with her. Even if she had or was in the middle of a crappy day, his purity managed to bring a smile on her face.

She hadn't seen Wanda nor Cosmo smile in months. Not together, not separately.

She wished she had her best friends back…

Susie scribbled more notes from Professor Grant Awish's lecture for his Da Rules III course, half listening and half counting down the minutes to the end of the hour. His lectures weren't necessarily 'uninteresting,' but this was one of those days where she wasn't feeling school all that much. She'd much rather eat a whole pint of ice cream in her pajamas, lazing around in bed. Those types of days came more often than they used to, and while she wasn't necessarily 'depressed,' she did feel a little rundown.

She turned to her left where her boyfriend sat next to her, his eyes drooping and his head nodding, involuntarily dozing off. She knew Alewandro had maybe slept a whopping six hours over the last 72, and as much as he tried convincing himself more than her that he had it under control, she sensed that was far from the case.

Nudging him out of his daze, she kept her voice lowered not to disturb the lecture. "You have got to do something about your sleep issues."

"…do not worry, Susie." Alewandro palmed his forehead, forcing his weighted eyes not to close. "…it is fine."

"You can't even keep your eyes open." she objected in a hushed voice. "It's far from fine!"

He grunted in agitation, massaging his temples from what she assumed to be another horrible migraine.

"You can't keep beating yourself up like this…" Susie then consoled, worry in her brow. Alewandro's self-deprecation started ever since spent the night of Juandissimo's overdose in the hospital when he worried himself sick as to whether his brother would ever wake up. It worsened when his parents were informed of the reason for Juandissimo's overdose and why he turned to Spell in the first place, soon informing him and Juanita. His parents prove his own theory that the unforgivable things he said to Juandissimo about the death of his mother sent him over the edge of an already unstable cliff, and ever since that night, Alewandro resentment turned inward.

"…Yo sé eso.." he grumbled, keeping his eyes closed in efforts to ease the throbbing against his skull. "…no puedo evitarlo…"

Having dated him for a little over two years, she knew him well enough to know that in him saying 'he can't help it,' what he really said was 'I won't help it because I deserve it.' Thinking back to when Alewandro's sleep troubles first began, Susie wondered if that underlying culpability manifested itself in the form of insomnia.

"Is Juandissimo still kind of distant?"

Cringing in pain, he continued massaging his temples with a small shrug. "He talks to me a little…"

"Is he like that with everyone else?"

"Not as far as I know…" Alewandro opened his weary eyes to Susie, crossing his arms over his desk. "…pero…things just have not been the same…and I do not know if he will ever forgive me…if I cannot even forgive myself…"

"Alright guys, that's it for today!" Professor Awish dismissed, flickering his wand to erase the chalk from his board. "Read the next two chapters and we'll go over them next class!"

Students gathered their belongings, some chatting over what their next plans for the day were. Susie closed her textbook and shoved her notebook in her bookbag, observing as Alewandro did the same with less vigor. "You're not going to your last class, are you?"

He stared perplexed to her. "I…was not planning on skipping."

"Well, change of plans!" Susie waited for him to zip his backpack, rising from her seat. "Cuz you're gonna let your professor know that you're not feeling well and you can't make it to class."

Carefully, he floated from his chair to ease some of the dizziness. "…why would I do that?"

"It's not 'why would' you do it." Susie eyed him firmly. "It's 'you're going to.'"

"…Susie…"

"Alewandro."

"…I canno-"

"Aht-aht! You know better than to resist me!" she protested his protest, taking him by the arm to drag him out of class. "Now, c'mon!"

. . . . . .

Entering Alewandro's bedroom, Alewandro stretched in a tired yawn as Susie flew to shut his blinds, darkening the room from the full glimmer of mid-afternoon sun. "Alrighty." She hovered back to him, both hands held sassily on her hips as she frankly ordered "Clothes off."

Despite how exhausted he was, he had enough energy to chuckle, smiling faintly. "You would want me to get undressed for you."

"Boy, don't try it." Susie adamantly remarked, no change in her expression. "Off. Now."

Doing so jokingly, he carelessly removed his leather jacket, tossing it onto his carpeted floor. Slowly but surely, he untied his pointed leather shoes and kicked them one by one to the side, doing the same to his socks. He unbuckled his leather belt, giving a little shimmy as he tugged his jeans from his legs. All while maintaining eye contact. "Anything else, your highness?"

Although she thoroughly enjoyed the pleasant view of his muscles poking through his slim-fit white-T and 'not so subtle' bulge in his boxer briefs, she kept her serious stare, pointing a thumb towards the queen-bed behind her. "Off to bed you go."

"Si, mi reina."

He floated passed her with a playful grin, making his way to the nearest side of the bed as Susie followed behind. Pulling back the covers, he laid on his side as Susie held the covers for him to get settled before tucking him in. She sat next to him, running a loving hand through his silk waves. "I'll stay at least until you fall asleep, kay?"

Replying with a tired nod, he let her fingers trail down to palm his cheek where her thumb stroked his cheekbone, sighing as he soon closed his eyes. She observed as she continued to stroke him, noting the moment his breathing became more rhythmic and his features laxed into a more peaceful state, only in the span of a couple minutes. Bending down for a smooch, she whispered that she loved him before quietly leaving his room.

Muffled musical plucking caught her ears, turning to the glass door where she could see Juandissimo sitting alone, strumming his guitar. She wasn't aware if he'd already been home or if he'd just arrived as she didn't hear anyone come in when she and Alewandro went to his room. She also didn't know if she should say anything; if Juandissimo barely spoke to his own brother, what made her think he'd speak to her?

Even when Wanda dated him, she hadn't grown close enough to him where she felt comfortable having serious conversations, and now knowing that his issues were a lot more internal, her opinion of him didn't improve after hearing all the insulting remarks he had regarding Cosmo and Wanda. Still, Alewandro clearly wasn't getting anywhere with him by himself. She felt that if Juandissimo didn't see how his distance affected Alewandro, then Alewandro would continue to be deprived of the sleep he needed just to function.

She had every intention on being with Alewandro for the rest of eternity, so if all happened according to how she imagined, Juandissimo would become family in the future. Might as well start treating him like it.

…right?

Taking her chances, she flew to slid the glass door open, causing Juandissimo to pause from his improv as he watched Susie slide the door closed upon her entrance. Awkwardness haunted her enough without him staring at her, but she figured that was to be expected when he wasn't expecting someone like her. "…hey."

He blinked slowly, returning his equally awkward "…hey."

Ignoring the voices in her head telling her to flee, she apprehensively approached. "…how's it going?"

"It is going…" He tucked his pick in between his guitar strings. "…you?"

"Same." She played with her fingers. "…can I talk to you?"

"…about?"

"…your brother?"

She sensed his perplexity through his unwavering stare. "…what about him?"

Cautiously sitting in the lounge chair in front of him, she observed him gently prop his guitar down against the leg of the chair. "Have you noticed…a change in him?"

"Change?"

"Yeah…" she tried to figure out how to word what she wanted to say. "…like…how he's not really sleeping like he should."

"…Tengo." he folded his arms, detecting his defensiveness. "¿Por qué?"

Thinking of a proper reply, she held his quizzical gaze. "He feels so horrible about what happened between you guys…and that keeps him awake at night."

She predicted his shrug, but she didn't predict the response that came with it. "This is not news to me…"

"…well, do you hate him?"

"I never actually hated him." His eyes drifted briefly as if uncertain.

"…then why are you guarded with him?"

Juandissimo hesitated. "…I know now that I am not innocent to what happened with us…however…sometimes I think about that night and…what he said…really hurt."

"I agree that what he said was awful." Susie expressed, hoping that by taking a lighter approach that he'd see how she wasn't trying to attack him. "But you understand that he said that out of spite, right? Like…you must know that he didn't actually mean any of what he said about you and your mom; he was just extremely upset in that moment."

His eyes cast down in thought. "…I want to believe that."

"…so you don't trust him?"

"…I would like to."

"…you don't think maybe it's about time you should?"

Before Juandissimo had the chance to respond, Susie's phone vibrated in her pocket, taking it out to see a phone call from her grandmother. Excusing herself, she pressed the answer button. "Hey, Gammie."

"Hey, sugah'" she almost visualized Grandma Cocoa's sweet smile through her tone. "How's my baby?"

"I'm okay." Susie somberly replied. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Grandma Cocoa assured before adding "I was just callin' to see if you can come by the house earlier tonight?"

"I can…" Susie side-eyed her phone inquisitively. "Why?"

"Well," she heard Grandma Cocoa pause as if to lighten the load. "Bernard was gonna get up earlier because he wants to see you."

Visualizing herself rolling her eyes, she sullenly sighed. "Why?"

"He'll tell you when you get here." Grandma Cocoa replied. "Just, promise me you'll come?"

Did she really have a choice? "Okay, I'll be there."

"Thank ya, sugah!" her grandmother gleamed, rivaling her growing dread. "Love you."

"Love you too, Gammie…"

After exchanging goodbyes, Susie ended the call, getting up from her seat as she looked to Juandissimo. "I gotta go but…at least think about what we talked about?"

"…si." he tentatively responded. "I will."

"Cool." She took out her wand to leave, but before doing so, she decided to inform "Alewandro's taking a nap right now…keep an eye on him for me?"

He replied in a nod. "Sure."

"Thank you." Raising her wand, a friendly grin curled her lips. "See you in class, tomorrow." And, with a small wave, she disappeared in her magical indigo cloud.

With the sky darkening into orange-magentas in lieu of the setting sun, Susie parked in her grandmother's driveway and turned her key to power off the ignition, exiting her car. She would have just poofed there from Alewandro's apartment, but she decided at the last minute that her mind could use the drive. Her conversation with Juandissimo went a lot better than she anticipated despite getting cut short. Sort of made her reflect on her own trust issues with Bernard. While not entirely the same situation, she pondered whether she herself was hypocritical. Telling Juandissimo that he should start trusting Alewandro because he'd changed, yet she wouldn't do the same with the father that was no longer a neglectful Fairoin addict.

Using her spare key, she unlocked the door and entered inside, finding the living room and kitchen void of much light except for the dull glow behind the archway down the main hallway. Assuming Grandma Cocoa was in her bedroom, she floated down the hall, seeing her grandmother in bed with Bernard by her beside engaged in harmless conversation. It wasn't long after before both noticed Susie hovering apprehensively in the doorway, making her cringe internally when Bernard gave a warm smile.

"There's my Susie-Lue." Raising from his seat, he flew to greet Susie with a hug which she promptly rejected.

"Susie, don't be like that." Grandma Cocoa groaned.

"Nah, it's okay." Bernard dismissed, giving Susie some space. As Susie crossed her arms in a gruff stare, Bernard cleared his throat, uneasily rubbing behind his neck. "So…I wanted to ask if you'd wanna go grab a bite before I went to work?"

Puzzled in her stare, Susie hesitated. "…with you?"

"Uh, yeah." Bernard licked his lips. "Like…at the diner, maybe?"

"And why would I agree to that?"

"I was hopin'…we could start spendin' some time together." he lowered his head, a hint of plea in his indigo orbs. "…please?"

She exhaled a reluctant sigh; it'd be pretty harsh of her to reject his offer when he seemed so sincere. That, and Grandma Cocoa would never let her live it down. "…fine."

He met her eyes, almost shocked. "…for real?"

"Don't make me regret it…" Susie spun around to leave, hearing Bernard tell her grandmother they'd be back before he too left the room. Grandma Cocoa wants her to trust him more? So be it; she'll put him to the test, see just how 'trustworthy' he is…

Unlocking the car doors, Susie kept a skeptical eye on him as he flew to the passenger side. This was the first time the two of them solely occupied the same space. Most days, Susie made it a point to tolerate his presence if Grandma Cocoa was around. Many a times had he tried to spend time with just the two of them, and many of times was he rejected. No particular reason as to why this time felt different from all the rest, but nonetheless, her hopes kept the standard bar extremely low.

Bernard looked on as Susie turned the key to the ignition, only for the car to stall. He had fond memories as a child riding around with his father in that same magenta Volks Beetle, that same car existing in the Sprinkle lineage for centuries. No surprise there'd be a bit a car trouble. "How often does it do that?"

"Not often." Susie turned the keys again. "But it usually starts after a few tries."

Just as predicted, the car finally came alive after multiple attempts, though Bernard could tell the car needed some kind of intervention. "Have you taken it to the shop?"

"It just started doing this a week ago." Susie told, setting the car in reverse. "I haven't really looked into it."

"…maybe I could look at it for you." Bernard suggested.

Susie merely raised her brow at him, driving forward to the end of the street.

. . . . . .

Bernard tapped his fingers with chin propped in his palm watching Susie text Rose on her phone, neither saying a word among the low rumble of diner chatter. Aside from some small talk, he failed to get much more out of her. Susie was a tough egg to crack; he wasn't going to get any more outside of what she was willing to give…which was hardly anything.

"Here you go, guys." In her quiet approach, LeShae set both orders to their respective customers, careful not to drop anything.

"Thanks, hun." Susie thanked politely as Bernard did the same.

"Is there anything else you need?" LeShae asked softly, pausing for both fairies to shake their heads 'no.' "Okay, well, just let me know."

"We will." Susie smiled before LeShae floated away to tend to her other tables, a smile that left as quickly as it came once she and Bernard were alone.

"…so." Bernard observed Susie mindlessly stir her pasta, seeing no harm in continuing in his efforts to get closer to her. "Anything on your mind?"

"Nope." Susie lied with no effort in eye contact.

"…you sure?" Bernard probed. "Been pretty quiet…"

She lifted her stare to him, mildly irritated. "Maybe I have nothing to talk about."

"Nothin' to talk about?" he continued questionably. "Or nothin' you wanna talk about with me?"

Blinkingly slowly, Susie shortly replied "Yes."

Her fixed expression didn't change when he gritted his jaw, the first time he showed any aggravation towards her. "Susie, what more do you want from me?"

Not so much as a reaction came from her. "Meaning?"

"I'm doin' everything I can to do better for my family…for you!" his tone stayed below what one would expect from someone as agitated as him.

"The only person you've done anything for is Gammie." Susie spoke bitterly. "You haven't done anything for me!"

"I quit drugs! I came back because I wanted a relationship with my momma, and my daughter!"

"You want some kind of trophy?"

"But you keep shuttin' me out!" Bernard vented. "You're not giving me a chance!"

Susie furrowed her brow. If he was expecting any kind of sympathy, he should look elsewhere. "I don't have to give anything. Not a chance, not a gold metal, and certainly not a damn."

Not until he palmed his face in a grave grunt made her reconsider her choice of words. Instead of frustrated, he seemed to be…breaking. Like his whole life's worth depended on her acceptance of him.

Maybe she came across just a bit harsh. "…sorry." she muttered. At the same time, did he expect her to just welcome him back with open arms? Act like the first four years of her life weren't a tainted blur because of him?!

What did she want from him? More like what more did he expect from her…

As dusk faded into a rainbow of warm yellows to mild magentas, to cool indigos, Susie and Bernard flew out of the diner, having finished the most unpleasant meal ever. No other exchanges came after their little spat and, quite frankly, that just fine with her. Bernard kept quiet, and she didn't feel like hearing anything else he had to say anyway.

Silence lasted until Susie attempted to start her car again, and after multiple tries, it only continued to stall.

He watched her groan, giving up after about the tenth unsuccessful key-turn. "…I can still look at it for you…" he softly offered. "…if you want."

If she rolled her eyes any harder, they'd get stuck in the back of her head. "What do you even know about cars, anyway?"

"Pops, your grandad…loved working on cars." Bernard tilted his head back against the headrest. "Not a lot of cars exist, so he learned a lot about them, how they work, how to fix them, all that. Even taught me a thing or two."

Staring, her inquisition grew. "…is that so."

"Mhmm."

She had her wand on her person; perhaps she could have just used magic. That, or could see his so called 'mechanic skills' for herself. "…fine." she exhaled. "Go ahead…"

He knew she wasn't that enthusiastic about this, yet he gleamed as if he overcame the largest obstacle of his life. "Pop the hood."

Susie did as told as he went out to look under the hood. The hood blocked most of her vision to whatever he was examining, though it surprisingly didn't take him long to identify the issue. He peered from behind the hood, floating to the driver's side as Susie lowered the window. "Just as I thought, your cables corroded and your alternator's shot."

"Oh, great…" As if this ancient car couldn't get any older. "What now?"

"Can you poof up a new alternator and cables?" Bernard asked.

"If I'm gonna use magic anyway, why not just fix the issue now?"

"Cuz I'm gonna teach you how to do this yourself."

"Excuse me?!" Susie's brow arched. "Teach me what?"

"How to fix a car."

"…why."

"Good skill to have." Bernard simply pointed out. "Could also save some money wasting your time at any shop, 'specially a car this old."

"Then why not just get a new car?"

"You got 'new car' money?"

…danggit.

Full-time college student on a part-time salary? Of course, she didn't have new car money; otherwise, she wouldn't be driving the hunk of metal she had. No offense to her grandmother, but maybe if this car had better TLC, it wouldn't have as many issues that it was now her responsibility to deal with.

Looks like she's gonna have to get her precious little hands a little dirty. "…what do I have to do?"

"Come on." He motioned for her to come with him. "I'll show you."

Narrowing her eyes, Susie stepped out, using her wand to materialize the replacement parts and a handy tool box. She didn't know what tools to use, so she just poofed up a standard one. Step by step, he showed her what actions to take before letting her do the actions herself, taking a more hands on approach. She noticed a few nosy onlookers passing by to their own vehicles, but it didn't seem to distract him much, so she tried to ignore it.

The fact that he wasn't hesitant to teach her a thing or two about cars somewhat surprised her. To her, most men have that stupid 'this is a man's job' mentality and wouldn't dare let a woman do something seen as something only 'men' can do. She herself didn't believe in gender stereotypes; anything men can do, women can do (maybe even better in some cases, in her opinion.) Maybe he had the same mindset, a somewhat shocking commonality between them.

His patience with her was also quite unexpected. In her younger years, patches of her recollection included of him in between his last fix and the unknown of his next one; if she cried, he become irritable and lose his temper, and if she so much as complain about basic necessities when she was old enough to speak, he'd yell at her to shut up. Now, even if she messed up a bit, he corrected her in a courteous manner, and when she did something right, he openly praised her, causing her to timidly look away. Receiving any kind of praise from him was such a weird experience for her, like that missing piece in her heart began to feel more…complete.

"Alright." Shutting the hood with the new alternator and cables intact, he dusted off his hands, turning to his daughter. "Go try to start it now."

Doing so, Susie flew inside and used her key to turn the ignition once more. Her hopes weren't that high, so when the engine roared effortlessly on the first try, her gasp formed the satisfied smile on Bernard's face, darting her indigo eyes to his emulating orbs.

"Holy smokes!" Leaving the car running, she went to Bernard's side. "It actually worked!"

"See?" He slung an encouraging arm over her shoulder, an act that she would have never allowed just three hours earlier. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Staring at his arm around her shoulder, she then cautiously lifted her hand, interlocking her fingers into his. A simple form of gratitude that brightened his smile further.

"Y'know," Bernard began with a new found confidence. "I think we make a pretty good team."

She turned to him, meeting his beaming eyes with a small grin of her own, and for the first time, she allowed the little girl in her to feel the much-needed presence of her father.

AN: I know fairies don't really need cars and they can literally just fix everything with magic if they wanted to, but for the sake of the story, I just said "to heck with it, I do what I want." Lawl.

I hope you guys don't mind the next few chapters being mostly OC's storylines. There're still some bits of main character storylines that I tried to include in some chapters, though.