Everytime I intro a chapter with 'heyo' I've realized I'm channeling my inner Rico from Hannah Montana. Quaking. Buuut, we're getting close to the end and I've definitely taken a spin with things now. The question is, is it for the better?

DoggyPocky: Big Daddy is more than a bit insensitive at this point, and a make up of exactly what I think his father and brothers would want him to be, sadly. Didi def pulled a This is Sparta with that push to Caelia, but she knew she'd only get laughs out of it. Strive to have that kinda relationship with an employer, geez. Finch our bestie at this point. And yeah the way he sees Caelia as a brighter star amongst the rest I think is a sentiment that similarily applies to how Cosmo sees Wanda, which I think makes the connection special.

TriceTokushu: I approve your list, proceed with the attacks. Ha. Despite being so nervous about their relationship, yeah Finch and Cee aren't being totally discreet with their cutie faces on the front lawn. Yup, worse. Things get particularly cray in this chap so here ya goooo.

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"Are you excited for the dance?" Caelia asked as she floated in between her two daughters down the sidewalk. Her twelve-year-old youngest carried a boutique bag with a chosen dress for the sixth-grade dance.

"Uh-huh," Wanda agreed with a nod, sporting a white floral skirt with a sleeveless button blouse with a collar and black flat shoes. Her pink curlies draped down her back, recently trimmed to her shoulder blades. "Can I get a ride with Sage? Her mom said she'd drive us both."

"Of course. Blonda, aren't you excited for your sister?"

Giggles only responded and Caelia looked to her fifteen-year-old on her right. Her eldest indulged in her phone's texts while wearing a button-front light blue crop top and a high-rise white denim skirt and white kicks. Blonde curls similarity lengthed to Wanda's brought to her right shoulder with a white barrette pinning off one side.

"Huh?" Blonda asked by her mother's tap on her shoulder. Caelia gave a motion-eyed look to Wanda in indication. "Oh, you'll be good Wandie." Blonda waved off by her phone as she continued to text. "School dances are fun! And the first is great for a first impression."

Wanda lifted her heavy bag. "I just wanna dance."

"With your moves, you'll have aaaall the cool points." Blonda joked as she giggled from another incoming text. "You are my sister."

"You've been texting all afternoon," Caelia commented on Blonda, shutting off her watch's beeping inhaler alarm. "Anything you'd like to tell me?"

Fingers stopped tapping profusely, as the confident yet sweet daughter of her's looked to her in an indication of some exciting news as if long-coming. Caelia gave a surprised smile to show her encouragement as her young teen jumped up and down in their hovering air back to the house.

"My friends invited me to a movie...and there's going to be a boy."

No different from any boy she'd hung out with before probably. "A boy you like?"

"Maybe?" Blonda said. "It might break off into..a date. Is that okay?"

Blonda was very forward in her decision-making, almost to the point where she gave no second guesses sometimes. But her turning to her mother sometimes is what assured Caelia of Blonda's chances to stay grounded, and it eased her mother. Not to overlook how much trust Blonda had in Caelia period.

"Of course, honey." Caelia said. Especially if it was any given boy from somewhere other than a list of subtle suggestions made already by her father.

"Thanks, mom!" Blonda accepted happily, ringing her arms around her mother.

"What're daddy's co-workers doing here?"

The teen and her mom parted to look where Wanda indicated, seeing Big Daddy at the front of their home's gate with a few others not-so up to Caelia's particular liking. Dew and Olli specifically and one other new guy Caelia didn't really know.

"I don't know.."

The screeching of tires caught off the mother and her two, as a black town's car came racing around the corner unevenly upon the clouded street. It's aggressive swerving frightening Caelia and the safety of her daughters as she put an arm each in front of them and lugged them back further in on the sidewalk. Each of their heads turning at the car's passing of them to come to a screeching halt before their home.

Caelia felt her core drop upon Big Daddy's standstill as Helio entered from the car to shove another man against the sidewalk pavement from the door. Caelia frighteningly looked to her daughters as Blonda kept close while Wanda clutched her mother's arm with wide eyes.

"Blonda, Wanda, upstairs."

Blonda's eyes glued to the scene. "But, mom-"

"Inside, NOW!"

Blonda took Wanda by the shoulder and poofed away for both of them. Caelia striding from Blonda's faded cloud of pink to the scene demandingly as Helio shoved the man another way and Caelia picked up speed.

"Stop it! Stop!" She held out her hands in gaining the men's attention.

"You not supposed to be back, yet." Her husband said. No excuse as to what was happening in front of their own home as she gawked between him and the bloodied-nose man on the sidewalk.

"Oh, I suppose so." His wife ensued in hysterical sarcasm. "Please! Let me give you another half hour to rough someone up in front of our house!"

"Get inside, babe. You don't wanna deal." Olli waved off, coming forth and looking down cuttingly at the man who held his nose. Ice lilac hair and red eyes as he begged the man whose feet he was at for mercy.

"He couldn't have done anything.." Caelia said, heartbroken by a man's injury. "Please.."

"Trynna take something of Dew's." Big Daddy answered as if waiting to be asked. "His wife."

Caelia's core shook more as she slowly indulged more into the situation.

"I-I'm begging.." the man spoke. "My name's Timber, I don't want anything from..from anyone."

Helio pulled him up by the jacket on his back as Olli strode forward. "We know who you are, already."

Caelia looked to Dew. The man quiet with his arms crossed with nothing to say but this thousand-word glare. This situation had to do with him and he didn't have the guts to do anything himself. TALK civilly with the guy instead of beating him to blood.

"The real question is, whataya want out of it." Olli blamed.

"Nothing!"

"Don't lie!" Helio blamed in letting go and giving him a shove backward.

"Please stop!" Caelia demanded, throwing a look to Big Daddy. "Firo!"

Helio shoved Timber nearly enough for the man to make a bolt for it, but the other red-eyed fairy was close enough again to keep his physical demands constant. Shoving him back by each question opposed onto him.

"What!? Whataya want, money!? A man's job, his abode!?"

"N-No! I love her-!"

One fist to the nose again and Caelia screamed.

Helio's throws continued, and by Dew's obvious demands by not interfering. Same by Big Daddy's as he watched on and remained deaf to Caelia's yells of begging for the fairy's security. Caelia's demands became so desperate by his ignore that she cried from witnessing the terrible scene firsthand.

"Get outta here!" Dew finally demanded of the guy who could barely fly off. Helio took him by the arm and started on their way.

Caelia latched to her husband's folded arm, begging through sloppy tears.

"Firo, you have daughters! Two beautiful daughters!"

"An' a wife who's a cheat!"

His arm tore from her's so fast she backed slowly to the pavement of the column holding the front gate. Her hands were pinned behind her back from pressing against it with her chest rising and falling heavily. Quickening its pace as Big Daddy turned from the men giving their final word to the guy and scaring him off. He approached his wife and just barely stood inches from her.

"Consider him far away if you don't stop it.."

The air grew cold and Caelia felt her spine hurt against the column and her heart hurt from the savagery in her husband's eyes. Poofing away in actual living fear for her life.

Curled against the base of her side of the bed in the afternoon dark of her bedroom, Caelia cried into the knees hugged to her chest. Though the thick walls of the lavish room could hide the sobs floating past Caelia's throat, her knees already muffled them enough in what she hoped remained locked up away from anyone's hearing in the household. Blonda and Wanda especially.

What monsters were those out there on the edge of her home? What monster was the one living under this roof and conducting this crisis? Caelia knew that her actions both in life and in recent with Finch weren't going to stay bellow service as long as she could keep it. But everything that happened with Timber, a man in love with Dew's own wife Posey, felt like a big slap of warning. But barely known.

Would Big Daddy actually let it happen? Or was it just a threat? Blackmail to keep her from ever straying again? As messed up as that still was, Caelia desperately hoped it could be the alternate solution. Big Daddy had to have enough remaining love to not do that to someone for Caelia's sake. He just had to..

He mentioned far away, but, even if Big Daddy were to get rid of Finch or anyone in that sense he could still keep Caelia here. It wasn't even Finch's dept he cared about it was the wife who he balmed for spiralling. He just had that control over her that had been a hole dug deep for years now. She felt more unsafe since figuring out there was something to feel unsafe about. She needed a hand.

Puffy eyes lifted from her knees she continued to hold.

S.o.s...

She barely knew Windy or anyone from her earlier days. Her mother was far from the question, and if she were to go to her brothers it'd probably not be kept quiet. Didi may have been Caelia's friend, but the housemaid was on the inside as she was. If Caelia were to turn to Didi and her girlfriend Big Daddy would easily know. The only other friends she had were those who were married to Big Daddy's associates, so they'd probably take his side if not forced to by their spouses...

Unbelievable how through everything some people would still want to associate with Caelia. Such as the only one left, and the most dangerous choice.

Pink eyes stained with tears of fear darted around the room, almost as if she was fearful for another's presence in the event of her reaching for help. She hastily pulled out her phone and continued to look at the door as she also searched for Finch's contact name.

With the dialed ring, the hand that clutched her cellphone trembled with every inch closer it got to her ear. Sniffing in tears to add less to those that already burned her cheeks.

"Hey, Cee."

Her broken breath answered him in return.

"Caelia?"

Every breath begging in it's small escalates, no words to spare but wishing for once there was someone to protect her and not some she could protect. She was so tired...and she had no arms.

"Caelia." Finch asked in demanded worry. His tone retracted to fret. "..what is it, Cee. Tell me."

No point in drying the mess of her face of bottled centuries-long denial. A hole in her would as a permanent reminder of her prison as much as the heavy rock on her left finger that chained her to her cell in the first place. The raw of her voice pleaded.

"F-Finch...please..."

The deep pit of her heart fished itself out.

"...I love you.."

Shaky knuckles fisted against her face, the even of Finch's voice returning his devotion. "I love you, too.."

Her eyes squeezed shut but a trembling smile stretched for a half-second and dropped.

"..I-I don't...they can't.." nothing pained her more than thinking of her daughters then. "...end up like me..."

"What..what do you-"

"I'm s-stuck..Finch." Caelia shook her head, slapping a hand to her mouth to muffle. "..I can't let it happen..to them."

It was as if Caelia had been groomed exactly for this and she was watching her own daughters be set up for the same hellish faith. Waiting for someone no different from their father or other man-dominant relatives to pick them out like an accessory.

"Take the girls," Finch started softly. "Take the girls with you, and we can run. We can just run, Caelia.."

Sloppy tears ran down her face. She thought about Flamo Fireheart, she thought about Timber, she thought about Windy. "They'll come for us.."

Subsequently, as long as Caelia taught them to not repeat her mistakes Blonda and Wanda could bust from the cycle. Rather, it was the wife who'd vowed to stay loyal that would be forced to measures, and Caelia knew it. Cutting off children was an easy sacrifice as proven by Caelia's history with Jessamine. But Caelia would be forced to stay so long as Wanda and Blonda were to be raised Fairywinkles. Big Daddy wouldn't allow them to be subjected to only him if Caelia were to leave now. Caelia was pretty sure she didn't want to subject them to her husband. If anything were to go wrong with their daughters...it was easier to blame the mother. If anyone was needed for Big Daddy's title...it was the one who vowed it to him years ago. Not the ones born out of blood that could be as easily blamed for being different because of Caelia.

Big Daddy would glue Caelia to the ground if he had to, and use her as either a trophy or punching bag of choice.

"This is messed up, Cee..."

"It is," The pink fairy closed her eyes, fighting the burn in her temples and her aching head. "And I can't allow that for my babies. I have nothing to offer them if I just take them with me now..."

"But, I do. Just enough." Finch begged. "It's not everything, but it's enough for all of us..."

"They'll ruin you Finch...him and his brothers.." Caelia said. "They know I won't have anything to turn to..."

"I'm not scared of them.."

She trembled. "You should be.."

"Caelia.." she could hear the pain in his voice as she imagined his own tears building in those wonderful cornflower blue eyes. "...I love you...and I could love your girls.."

The pink fairy wiped her cheeks. "I know you could.." she imagined that if ever given the chance, he'd be a wonderful father. "Maybe things might be different one day when they're older. And we could find new ground...together."

Finch sighed.

"Right now...I have to keep them from getting into trouble. Here.."

Caelia could hear his long breath as to keep composure.

"They're beautiful, Cee...just like you.."

Her cheek smiled against the phone. "Thank you.."

Another minute of silence passed.

"Call me." Finch said. "For anything."

Nothing left, she hung up. Nonchalantly staring off at the wall near her bedside as there was a knock at the door.

"Miss Caelia?" Didi's muffled voice came.

The pink fairy wiped her cheeks. "..eh-yes?"

The housekeeper's stuttering behind the wood made Caelia guess it wasn't sunshine. "Mr. Fairywinkle would like to see you in his office...he says now."

As if there weren't enough daggers to her heart. "...okay."

It took all her willpower to get off her bottom after a few minutes of waiting for calm in her stormed mind. Floating up she paced through the air with slumped shoulders a once mother of her's would disapprove of. She exited her room and wandered to the staircase. Straightening in denying her fear at the top as she found the little respect she had for herself left in floating down with her chin held high and her hands wiping away the tears left.

Ugly fear laughed at the as she floated across to her husband's office in the hallways at the other end of the foyer. Coming before the tall double doors as she stopped before it and knew nothing worthy was going to come out of this.

Caelia entered the brooding domain of Big Daddy's closing the door while watching him sit at his desk and eye her on the other end as she pressed herself against the closed door. With stares bouncing back and forth he gave a gestured hand to the front of his desk as to welcome her for a closer chat. She lifted off the wood and made way before his office throne.

Hands resting to her sides, her chin lowered in waiting for what she was sure she didn't want to know.

"I've been sleeping behind your back."

Not being what she'd expected, she looked up. "What?"

The man didn't look at her eyes no longer, gaze staring at his held first against his desktop in muttering his confession.

"Dahlia. Works as an intern down at the main office.."

Caelia looked away to her far right.

"Been seeing 'er for a while.."

Did he wait before or after he knew about Finch to tell her this?

Every tear shed made Caelia think she'd never have enough fight again. But the more Big Daddy howled away, the more she realized there was just that much left she still had to fight for.

She came towards his precious desk, leaning her hands firmly against it in looking at him. Of whom did not look in return.

"You know us, Caelia." He spoke with a quiet reminder. "You know everythin' I've worked for, and I know you've given tons to be part of it. To help this name be what it is. We need to bond to that no matter where our eyes stray."

"So you expect me to stay for image."

He scowled downwards at his desktop. "As if you haven't fallen in love with another man, neither."

Caelia somehow didn't even flinch from Big Daddy's knowledge of her feelings being elsewhere...for someone else. That was hardly her concern. Her concern was her husband's unusual calmness.

"But you still expect me to stay." Caelia repeated.

Big Daddy's eyes met his wife's leaning against the desk, seeing the agitation in her pink orbs.

"And I'm the one reminded of the Fairywinkles reputable standards.." she snarled.

Her husband pounded a fist to his desk. "Dammit, Caelia. I'm not the villain here!"

"But you've dug a hole."

He shot up from his chair, looking her squarely in the eye. "You've had eyes for me at the same time you had 'em for that scrawny Finch sap."

She flared her nose in keeping her agitation to a cooled level. "I did love you, Firo. I truly, truly did. Maybe part of me still does. But we didn't give ourselves time.."

"For what?" He snapped. "That we might not last?"

"..yes." She agreed. "...that you aren't who I though you were."

"You seemed pretty adamant about marrying me sooner than later.."

"So did my mother.." she said. "And I wanted to escape that whole world...I never did...we didn't give time..."

"How did I know that time would help then..."

"We were heavily encouraged, Firo. Both of us.."

"And what does that say about our daughters, eh?"

"How DARE you!" Caelia lost it. For a woman with abled composure, bringing Blonda and Wanda into something like this was a crossed line for her. "I love my girls more than breathing! They have nothing to do with this!"

"Don't forget where you got 'em.."

"I'm not the one who should be blamed a bad parent, here." Caelia snapped. "Last I checked, you barely had any interest in what they were doing unless it was for you or the Fairywinkle name."

"They're meant to know our family's ways." He warned. "As are you, that I thought you knew. I thought you were a special one, Caelia.."

"They're meant to be loved. I need to give them better than crumbs. How can I trust you with that when I feel like I haven't known you for years now?"

"You're going to act like lying about that Finch was of no help."

Caelia regained calmness. "I should've been honest with you about it." She admitted. "I should've. It was never about the power for me, and I thought it would always be like that. Back then I thought letting you take me away as soon as possible would be...would be the healthier choice."

Looking upon her husband, she felt no spark any longer.

"Turns out I was wrong."

He glared dangerous daggers at her. "So was I."

Despite the lack of sympathy, it still pricked her heart on a personal level. "I should just take them away now-"

Caelia flinched by her husband pounding the desk again. "You wouldn't dare. I know you're not stupid enough to break everything I've worked for. It's my reputation you'll be cracking, and I won't be afraid to reel you into it!"

"Your reputation? You didn't see any consequence in sleeping with that young piece Dahlia to drown out your lack of love like a coward."

"Don't frame me a COWARD! How dare you!" He yelled. "Get out!"

"That's a story alone. She's an Academy student, Firo." Caelia said. "What if a man like that had eyes on one of our own daughters one day-"

"Get out! OUT!"

Removing her hands from where they were placed, Caelia gave her husband a look of zero sympathy. She turned in the air as she floated to the other end of his dim office. Big Daddy remained with his hands gripped to his desk as he eyed the back of her head in heavy anger. Clutching the handle of the door, his wife looked back one last time.

"I'm giving you until they're grown..." Caelia said, holding the closed door. "And then they won't be the only ones out of your heir..."

This marriage may have not yet been over, but this love had dissipated.

With that, she opened the large door and exited without having to look into those angered eyes any longer. Closing it behind her, her back pressed stiffly to the solid piece. Staring into the open air in a moment of composure, before it cracked. Hitching with a few airy sobs, she pressed a palm to her mouth to mute them as she shut her eyes. Crying in tears that made her feel pathetic under such a reaction. Why should she shed any tears for the dead love with that man...she felt like she hardly knew him anymore...

Soon after her crying began, the sob in her chest turned into one of a cough again. The palm which she used to cover her sobs fastened into a fist that she coughed violently into, the other hand slapping her chest as to keep her racking body under calmer action. Although the coughs were well in charge of her.

Feeling her body tremble with such commotion of dry coughs, her floating drew heavier as she lowered to the ground. Sitting on tangled legs as she continued to cough although the effort in doing so didn't help the soreness of her throat. Her action continued just in time for a peach fairy to turn the corner. In seeing the mistress in distress, she flew over to her side.

"It's alright, miss. Can I get you anything?"

Caelia coughed once more into her fist before clutching the maid's offered arm.

"Didi, my bedroom. Please.."

"Of course, miss.."

Wanda watched the fake stars of her ceiling that mimicked constellations as sleep was not an option. She knew her parents had been fighting all day from the moment she and Blonda got rushed into the house. About what it was though couldn't be guessed. Something coming from what they barely saw outside due to Caelia hiding Wanda's gaze before poofed away.

Deciding that if staring off in every direction wouldn't help with anything, the girl rose from her bed in a quest for some water. Throwing her pink duvet off as she floated to her door and ventured into the dark lights of her home with only the moonlight of a nearby seated window and that of the foyer bellow guiding the twelve-year-old to the kitchen. She hugged her bare arms, snug in her long pink tee nightie. Already missing her bed's comfort which confused her as to why she couldn't sleep at all.

She pressed a hand to one of the kitchen's doors and entered by its swing, suddenly indulged in the glow of the kitchen's lights that were surprisingly on and given attention by the only other awake occupant. Holding his cigar above an ashtray as he sat at the middle island across from his youngest daughter.

"What'chu doing up, sugarplum?"

The tween watched the smoke of his cigar. She didn't necessarily wander a lot at night but it wasn't a place Big Daddy would be found all that much when she came for water before. Wanda looked down at her toes.

"Daddy, are you okay..?"

"Ah.." he put out the cigar and gestured with a hand. "C'mere."

She hovered over and he lifted her to sit on his lap with a grunt. Wanda's tired face observed by her father's proving smile.

"'Course I am." Her father said. "Couldn't be better."

"What 'bout mom?"

"Hey," His knuckle tapped her chin. "Don' let whateva with your mother get you worked, okay? That's not us, peach."

Given the same procedure of his responses, she let her tiredness way her down as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Are you mad at me..?"

"Nah," he shook her. "Not my princess."

Though that answered her, the young girl could only stare off against her father in his hold. Comforted by the mere presence of him but her mind elsewhere with the mother that slept upstairs and remained secret from her. Sometimes she thought adults were just too closed up to admit anything, but her mother had never acted so shelled until today.

"Don' worry about your mother."

His command may as well have fallen on deaf ears because nothing would stop the girl from that.

"You know I won't steer ya wrong, peach." Big Daddy reminded, making Wanda look at him to get across. "Nothing less."

And maybe she'd be fine with that, so long as this life wasn't a one-way street.

To be continued...

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We have two chapters left! While we're continuing with Caelia's pov obviously, we might get a bit more of a look from young Blonda and Wanda's perspective a wee bit. Again, Wanda and Cosmo will make their comeback in the final chapter but I think with the girls being older now having their input might do some good to make this story have an effective closing.

~McSgwizzle