Finally caught up, this is a brand-new, never been uploaded chapter.

Chapter Sixteen: Fighting Against the World

The next morning, Timmy took a deep breath as he neared Tecna's suite. He was sleep deprived and slowly sipped a travel mug of coffee to keep himself alert. Deep down inside of him, he was terrified. He made Tecna promise him the previous night that she would help herself thrive without him by her side, but that didn't guarantee she was strong enough to keep that promise, and he knew that. As he finally opened the sliding doors to Tecna's suite, he saw her sitting there, completely silent. She was scared to meet his gaze, lest she break entirely. The horrors of her nightmare still haunted her, paralyzing her speechless. Tecna could sense Timmy's presence, and hoped to the Great Dragon that she could get by this morning without crumbling into countless pieces.

"Good morning, Tecna." Timmy greeted her with extraordinary hesitation, "How did you sleep?" He knew the answer from her lack of enthusiasm at his mere proximity. Her once usual delight to see him had been robbed out of her completely. She tried desperately to look at him, holding back any trace of fear and disbelief she had in her. Hearing Timmy's voice speaking to her now was enough for her to break. He was alive, nothing had happened to him.

"Tecna?" He repeated her name once again, this time a hint of deep, unmeasurable concern crept into his tone. She couldn't bring herself to face him for more than a second, never-mind respond to him only to reassure him that everything was fine. Everything wasn't fine, far from it, in fact. Minutes passed in suspenseful silence until Timmy couldn't take it anymore.

"Please don't do this to me Tecna… forget what I told you about what Mrs. Faragonda said, tell me everything. I love you so much and if one night away from you means this is what will happen, I can't bare it." He pleaded, the declaration of his undying, everlasting love for her was her breaking point. The nightmare played back on an endless loop in her mind of Timmy falling to the floor with blood seeping through the gunshot wound. She knew Mr. Err would do it, should he and Timmy face off. Without warning, Tecna's body began to tremble uncontrollably as tears flooded her eyes. At that moment, Timmy threw all Mrs. Faragonda's orders to the wind as Tecna finally gave in and ran into his arms. She didn't realize what she was doing and clasped his sweater for dear life, her trembling body never ceasing. It felt like forever until the comfort of Timmy's tightest embrace chased away all her nightmares. All he needed to do was be there, and he didn't even have to sing his song. He longed for the words to still hold meaning, but he was terrified it would all be out of his control. More minutes passed, and Tecna was finally able to look up at him. As their eyes met, she wanted to hold on to that fleeting moment of peace.

"He… he shot you." That was all she could say, choking out incoherent sobs. Timmy knew exactly who she meant, and it left his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Once he gained his composure, he pulled her head to his chest as though the sound of his heartbeat would assure her that he was more than alive. Then, he began caressing his fingertips through her hair as she continued crying. She didn't know if she would ever stop.

"I'll talk to Mrs. Faragonda," Timmy reassured her in a soothing whisper, "just because you need to claim your independence doesn't mean you have to go it alone. I want to be there with you every step of the way. I want to help you through this transition because you still need someone you trust." They stayed there until Tecna was able to speak, and she realized that she didn't hold her end of the promise he asked her to make.

"I'm sorry, Timmy." She finally said, "I can't thrive like you wanted me to, I'm not strong enough." But her words were met with a finger on her lips.

"No, Tecna, never apologize for anything." He reminded her as he removed his finger, "You will thrive, you will be free to live a beautiful life. I have absolute faith in that." Then, Timmy gently lifted her chin with his fingers as their lips met in the most passionate kiss they could ever imagine. As they parted, they stared longingly into each other's eyes again.

"I never want to leave you." Timmy told Tecna in a hushed whisper, "and I'll fight so that I won't have to, damn it." As Tecna finally caught a glimpse at her lover's face, she could tell that he was sleep deprived.

"Did you get any sleep last night either?" She asked him.

"No," He told her, "I spent the night trying everything I could to remotely hack into the computer you used on Zenith. Mr. Err put up some pretty failsafe firewalls, most of which definitely have anti-magic properties. I shouldn't have gotten you to-."

"That's over now, Timmy." She reassured him, "I know you never meant to put me in any harm."

"And even if I did try to sleep, it would be absolutely impossible when I don't know if you're okay. Mr. Err could've found a way to get to you in the night and I just can't… I can't." He couldn't even find words to complete the thought. No words could describe his fears, and she shared the sentiment. Within seconds, she claimed his lips in another kiss, the breadth of emotion overcoming every part of her as she was reminded of her importance in this one man's universe.

"I still need to bring you to the fairies' cafeteria for breakfast, but Musa and Stella will be there." Timmy reassured her when they parted.

Once Timmy and Tecna reached the fairies' cafeteria, he showed her where to dish out her breakfast as he scanned the room for the two familiar faces. As he saw them conversing in the corner, he waved to them as the girls waved him and Tecna over. Despite the fact that Timmy knew these girls, and that they knew more about Tecna than she did about them, she was hesitant to approach these strangers.

"So, we finally get to meet Tecna in person." Stella said in a cautious voice that was much softer than her usual energetic tone. Musa could sense that Tecna was in no mood to introduce herself to anyone and didn't say a word yet. Timmy sat Tecna at a table next to the two girls, allowing her to warm up to them on her own terms.

"I'll talk to Mrs. Faragonda immediately." Timmy reminded Tecna as he squeezed her hand, "Just please eat something, and Musa and Stella are right here with you." Tecna smiled slightly at Timmy, but really didn't want to talk all that much. With great reluctance, she let him leave the cafeteria. At least now she was less alone than last night, but regardless of this, she still felt alone even when surrounded by people.

"Tecna," Musa began slowly, "do you want to come sit with us?" The music fairy knew that her offer would be refused, but it was worth trying. Timmy would be at ease knowing that she and Stella were looking out for her. Tecna looked up to see who had spoke to her, only to turn away instantly. She took her tray of food to go find another place to sit, but then reconsidered. Timmy had her sit here so that she could be around people he trusted to look out for her. To return and see Tecna sitting alone at the opposite end of the room would surely worry him sick. So, she sat back down at the opposite end of her table, as far away from the other girls as she could muster. Stella and Musa dared not say a word in response, and only allowed her to eat in peace, but not without stealing worried glances every so often.

Tecna continued staring at her breakfast in silence, trying her best but only picking away at it. She knew Timmy would try his best to persuade Mrs. Faragonda to let him stay by her side, but that wouldn't guarantee his pleas would be met with approval. Tecna feared the absolute worst-case scenario, that Timmy's fight to go beyond his duties would result in losing his job.

"Please be careful, Timmy." She murmured to herself, suddenly losing the desire to eat entirely. She pushed her plate away and stared down at the table as Stella and Musa continued to steal glances at her. The two other fairies didn't dare approach her, but only exchanged concerned looks with one another, wishing there was something they could do to help.

After about an hour, Timmy returned only to find Tecna still sitting there with a half-eaten breakfast. Musa and Stella had already left, but not without asking if Tecna was alright. She had assured them that she was okay, but they weren't convinced. However, the two fairies didn't probe her any further and knew that if anything, Timmy would return to escort her back to her room shortly. When he had, Tecna looked up to see him with a slight glimpse of hope in her eyes.

"Tecna, you didn't eat." He said instantly, "Please don't make me worry about you, I don't want you to lose all the progress you've made."

"I was too worried to have an appetite." Tecna admitted softly, "Were you able to talk to Mrs. Faragonda?"

"No, unfortunately." Timmy said with a deep sigh, "She told me she was expected to be in a meeting this morning, but I will talk to her as soon as I possibly can. Okay." Tecna nodded and tried to at least finish more of her breakfast before the two departed from the cafeteria.

Once back at Tecna's room, Timmy knew he had to leave again. It was clear with the expression on his face that he didn't want to. He longed to spend eternity with her, so that nothing would hurt her.

"I have to go now." He told her sadly, "Until I talk with Mrs. Faragonda, I have to follow the orders she's given me. But hopefully this will be the last time we'll be apart."

"I sure hope so." Tecna said, her voice quiet in obvious nervousness, "I love you, Timmy." To ease her fears, Timmy pecked her lips quickly, but it only left her wanting just as much as him for it to last longer.

"I love you too, Tecna." Timmy whispered, "Always remember what you're worth to me. No matter what happens." And then, he left with the greatest hesitation yet.

Also, Timmy attempting to hack remotely into the computer that Tecna used for her coding sets was inspired by how Flora and Digit were trying to attempt to unlock Tecna's laptop in An Unlikely Pair. I highly recommend if you want a long, thought-provoking, emotional read. Still can't sing its praises enough!