"A Strange Bond"

(Long) Note: And here we have a double date with girl talk, guy talk, and everything in between! Well...for one couple, it's a date. For the other? Hmm. Also, what happens when an entitled parent harasses Alpha and TF, putting her on the defensive?

I just want to mention here that, even though I've portrayed TF as being rather emotional, as well as nervous and bumbling when his crush is on his mind, I don't generally see him that way. I wanted to explore how that character would process a huge loss, and how he could come back from that. I also have a headcanon that, for reasons beyond his control, his dating life up until now would have basically been nonexistent. Therefore, he really wouldn't know how to react to a woman he romantically liked taking an interest in him, or even know the signs, so that's been fun to play with!

TF should be more stable from here on in for the most part, having worked through a few of his issues. I hope you're enjoying this so far. It's been fun to write, even though I know most people would rather see Bernard featured in stories. ^^ I plan to have this story take place in the span of a year, but I'm also writing by the seat of my pants, just planning a few chapters ahead at a time. So, who knows!

I haven't been bowling in years (and on that occasion, my own grandmother kicked my behind at it), so I'll mostly be focusing on character interactions, not the actual game.

"Chapter 13: Within Striking Distance"

February 14th

Alpha stood in her human form just outside of her house when the Tooth Fairy arrived. He found her replacing the light bulb in her seldom-used porch light, and even from a distance he could tell that she had done something different with her appearance. He was on foot this time, since he was a bit early; he didn't want to make it seem like he was hurrying her along, and he got a bit of a surprise when she identified him without turning to look.

"Hello, Roy."

He reached up to run a hand through his hair, but caught himself in time. "How'd you know it was me? I'm kind of early, so it could've been anyone."

Alpha tested the light before turning to face him, an enigmatic smirk on her lips. She saw that he was wearing human clothes, as she expected for an outing in a human town. He was dressed casually, but it was clear that he had put an extra effort into his appearance. His hair, which was normally well-groomed and in place anyway, looked like it'd had a slight trim. He was clean-shaven, as usual; he hadn't been skipping a day or two here and there like he had when he was depressed, but it seemed like he'd gotten an even closer shave than usual. There wasn't even a trace of a shadow. He was also carrying a bowling bag. "Your walk. And your aftershave; you're the only one I know who uses that particular scent. White sage, if I'm not mistaken."

"Oh," Tooth Fairy rubbed the back of his neck. Was her sense of smell that good, even when she appeared as a human? He decided it would be a weird thing to ask at the moment. "You like it?"

She smiled and came over for a hug, and he set his bowling ball down to welcome it. "Aye. You look nice today."

"Oh, thanks. Uh, so do you." He looked her up and down while trying not to be obvious about it. Like him, she wore casual clothing. Also like him, she'd put more of an effort into her appearance. Instead of her usual jeans and punny T-shirt, she wore a red v-neck blouse and a pair of black slacks. Her hair was up in a ponytail, probably to keep it from getting in her eyes today. The shorter strands that couldn't quite reach the hair tie framed her face in soft tendrils, which was an effect that he rather liked. Then she flashed him her hundred-watt smile. No...not just 'nice'. Beautiful.

He realized he was staring, and cleared his throat. "I like what you did with your hair. It suits ya."

Alpha put a hand up to her hair as if to make sure it was still in place. "Thank you. Did you get a haircut?"

Tooth Fairy was surprised that she noticed, and he nodded. "Yeah, I just came from the barber. Too bad a shave and a haircut doesn't cost two bits anymore." He grinned.

She laughed at his little joke. "Very handsome. I like it."

Did she just say 'handsome'? I should compliment her back. Wait, she's complimenting me back. That'd be awkward. Just say 'thank you', ya numbskull. He stood a little taller, his posture more confident. "Thanks. We can leave whenever you're ready. I mean, there's no hurry. We're a bit early for our reservation at the bowling alley, but Santa said we can just show up whenever, so..."

"All right, I'll get my jacket." Alpha went inside, leaving the door open in case he wanted to come in, but he stayed where he was, mostly because he saw her jacket lying on her bed from where he was and he knew she wouldn't be long.

She put it on and came back out, closing and locking her door behind her, and she noticed the dental floss wrapped around his index finger. Tooth Fairy had explained his habit to her a few weeks ago when she'd asked about it, and he'd seemed embarrassed at the time, but she'd told him that it seemed harmless enough and that she was merely curious. So, he hadn't tried to break the habit. Alpha did know that he preferred not to attract any undue attention when posing as a human, though, so she gave a gentle reminder. "Roy?"

"Hm?"

"I think ye forgot something," she took his hand and held it up for him to see.

He looked at it, then knocked the heel of his other hand against his forehead when he saw what she meant. "Oh, right. Thanks."

He unwound it, but instead of throwing it away he tucked it into his pocket. Waste not!

Alpha caught a slight scent that she recognized. She occasionally got a faint whiff of it on him, and she asked him as she summoned a Fairy Ring to take them to the North Pole, "Where'd you find wintergreen-flavored dental floss? I didn't think they made that."

Tooth Fairy again wondered how good her sense of smell was in this form! "I've certainly never seen it on the shelves. No, it's a custom order. I just like wintergreen."

Alpha grinned cheekily at him. "I'm gonna start callin' ye 'Wintergreen' now."

He chuckled as the now-welcome warmth spread throughout his chest. Coming from her, he didn't at all mind the nickname. "You can."

He offered her his arm, which she took, and they stepped into the Ring.

Santa spotted Alpha and Tooth Fairy soon after they arrived, and he waved to get their attention. He was wearing blue jeans, an ugly Christmas sweater, and a pair of sneakers. "Hey, there you are. Come on in, there's been a bit of a delay."

Tooth Fairy looked concerned as he and Alpha followed Santa inside. "Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine. Buddy's just going through a bit of separation anxiety." Santa explained as he led the way to the nursery.

Alpha's brow furrowed thoughtfully; she had some idea why. It was only a few months ago that The Founders had kidnapped him, so he probably didn't want to be away from his parents, even for a short time. She looked up at Tooth Fairy, who was looking sadly down at her.

Tooth Fairy wondered if he shouldn't have asked them to come. Poor kid! "If it's a problem, we can..."

But Santa shook his head. "No, he's not freaking out or anything. He's fine. He's just trying everything under the sun to keep his mom here with him. I told him we'd be back in a few hours, but..."

Tooth Fairy brightened now, relieved that he hadn't indirectly caused the boy to be upset.

"Aye," Alpha smiled, "Tellin' time won't come for awhile yet."

Santa gave a knowing laugh. "Yeah, but wait until he gets older. He'll know exactly what time it is, and try to use it to his advantage. Charlie did that, you did, I did, we all did."

Tooth Fairy laughed softly. "What kid hasn't said they gotta go to the bathroom as soon as they got their coat on?"

"I never did that," Alpha shrugged. "My siblings and I did other things, though."

Now Tooth Fairy couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease her. "You mean you're saying you weren't a bunch of little angels?"

She gave a sharp 'hah' and shook her head. "Nooo, no, no, no. We were a pack of disobedient little stinks! If one of us wasn't up to somethin', it was usually because they were runnin' interference for the others. We probably drove our poor parents to distraction!"

"Hahaha!" Tooth Fairy shook his head, remembering some of the hijinks he and Brinna got up to when they were young, and was pleasantly surprised that his mood didn't get much lower. Maybe he really would be okay. "That sounds familiar. Brinna and I, we were bad."

Santa grinned and pointed at the two of them. "I wonder how much coal you guys got from this place."

"I don't remember ever getting coal, but we probably should have," admitted Tooth Fairy.

Alpha held up a finger. "Well, I will say this; Scottish winters can get pretty cold, but our home was always toasty warm. Maybe our occasional naughtiness wasn't such a bad thing."

"That's one way of looking at it," Santa chuckled as he opened the nursery door and led them in.

Buddy turned towards the sound, and his little face lit up as he ran to Santa. "Daddy!"

"Hey, Sport!" Santa picked him up. "Ready to spend a fun afternoon with Bernard?"

The Elf stood off to the side with Carol, and both of them seemed to be taking Buddy's antics in stride.

"No," was Buddy's calm, matter-of-fact response. Alpha smothered a chuckle, and this got the boy's attention. He waved at them with a cheerful grin. "Hi, Unca Mo'nader! Hi, lady I don't know!"

This got a laugh out of the grown-ups, and Santa passed Buddy over to the Tooth Fairy when the child reached out his arms to be held by one of his favorite 'uncles'. "Hiya, kiddo! What's all this I hear about you not wanting to stay with Bernard today? He loves ya."

"I know, but I want Mama to stay..." Buddy pouted, but he wasn't as upset as he was pretending to be.

"Aw," Tooth Fairy played along. "Tell ya what. You be good for Bernard, and I'll win you a toy from the claw machine, how's that sound?"

At the promise of a new toy, Buddy was all smiles again. "Yeah!"

Alpha cocked her head, unsure how the name 'claw machine' fit something that provided toys to children. It brought to mind an image of an eldritch abomination that used toys as a lure, much like an anglerfish used a modified antenna to lure in prey, but surely this wasn't the case! "At the risk of appearing ignorant, what's a claw machine?"

Tooth Fairy tipped her a wink as he set Buddy down again. "I'll show ya when we get there."

Buddy looked up at Alpha, tugging fitfully at his shirttail. It seemed he couldn't stay still. "Who're you?"

"Buddy..." Carol chided gently, giving Alpha an apologetic smile.

Alpha smiled back. "It's okay." She knelt down to Buddy's level and introduced herself. "My name's Alpha. I'm a friend of theirs. I'm glad I finally get to meet ye! Your daddy talks about you a lot."

"Oh," Buddy nodded and looked between her and the Tooth Fairy. He hadn't missed the fact that they came in together, and he jumped to what was, to his mind, a logical conclusion. "You gonna marry him?"

Bernard snorted and covered his mouth, and all of the adults in the room thought the question to be amusing and cute, but Alpha and Tooth Fairy colored slightly and avoided looking at each other.

Santa's normally rosy cheeks darkened quite a bit as his shoulders shook. "Buddy...that's..."

"I haven't known him long enough to even be thinking o' that," Alpha answered smoothly. "We're good friends, though."

Tooth Fairy looked at her out of the corner of his eye; her ambiguous answer got his attention, but it also deepened his blush, and he cleared his throat and looked away.

"Ohhh, okay. You wanna play?"

"Oh, luv, I can't. We have to go soon. But listen..." she leaned in and asked conspiratorially, "Have ye ever played 'Hot and Cold'?"

"Uh-uh." Buddy shook his head.

"Oh, it's so much fun! Bernard, do ye know the game?" Alpha looked up at the Elf, who was watching this interaction with great interest.

Bernard did know the game. One person hid something while the other person covered their eyes, and then when the 'seeker' went to look for it the 'hider' would give hints. Hot if they got near the object, or cold if they moved away from it. It was a simple game, but he hadn't played it with Buddy (or anyone, really), and it was just the sort of game the child liked to play. "Yeah, it's a lot of fun! It's just a shame I don't have anyone to play with..."

Buddy gasped and ran over to him. "I wanna play! I wanna play!"

"Okay, okay!" Bernard scooped him up and winked at the others, mouthing the word 'go'. The parents had already said their goodbyes several times, only to be sidetracked, and this was their chance to leave without causing an upset.

Santa and Carol quietly herded the other two out, listening for cries as they walked down the hall, but they heard none. Buddy was fine. Carol smiled and turned to Alpha and the Tooth Fairy. "Sorry about that. He's three. He blurts out all kinds of things these days."

"Och, don't worry about it," Alpha waved a hand. "No harm meant, no harm done."

Alpha hoped that she didn't look like a tourist when they arrived at the bowling alley and found their lanes, because there was just so much to take in! The sounds, the smells, the neon lights; everything. There was a place to get food, an arcade (unknown to her, it was a piddling little thing compared to how arcades used to be mere decades before), and screens hanging down from the ceiling near every lane.

Tooth Fairy saw her quizzical look as she stared up at these, and he happily explained their function to her. "See those? Your score gets displayed up there."

"Yes, but...how?" She saw the images change as people bowled, and she was too fascinated to be self-conscious.

He smiled. There was so much he didn't know about The Hollow, and now he saw that there was even more that Alpha didn't know about the surface world. "Things really have changed since the last time I did this. We used to have to write down the score by hand. Now, look." He pointed. "It's tallied automatically. I'm not sure how it works, but that's one less thing we have to do for ourselves. Y'know, in a way, I feel like it almost cheapens things."

Santa clapped him on the shoulder as he and Carol went to change into their bowling shoes. "Time marches on, my friend! At least this way, no one can cheat."

Tooth Fairy drew himself up, feigning offense. "I do not cheat. C'mon, Alpha." He grinned to show that he was only kidding, in case it wasn't obvious, and they went off so that Alpha could acquire a pair of bowling shoes and a ball.

Santa watched them go, and he couldn't help but notice that the Tooth Fairy was guiding Alpha with a light hand on her back. He also saw that Alpha not only allowed it, but seemed to enjoy it. He looked over at his wife and asked, "Is it just me, or do those two seem kind of..."

Carol shook her head, following his gaze with a smile. "No, it's not just you. And it's nice to see him looking happy for a change. I've been worried about him."

Santa stroked his beard. "Yeah. Wouldn't it be funny if they did end up getting married someday?"

"'Funny'?" Carol raised an eyebrow.

"Well, not funny 'ha-ha'." Santa unzipped his bowling bag and placed his bright red bowling ball on the rack. "You know what I mean."

Carol tied her shoes, and a moment later her powder blue bowling ball rested on the rack beside his. "I know their ears are probably burning right now."

When Alpha and Tooth Fairy came back, the four of them took a few practice shots. Tooth Fairy explained the rules to Alpha, and explained the etiquette of letting the person to your right go first. "Not everyone pays attention, though. Just keep an eye out for that."

"So, in that case, is it just whoever gets there first?" she asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Tooth Fairy picked up his cobalt blue bowling ball and made his approach to demonstrate a bowling stance for her. He adjusted his shoulders as he got ready, then rolled the ball down the alley where it struck the pins dead-center. Unfortunately, it was not a strike. "Ahhh, man...seven-ten split."

As he waited at the ball return, he pointed at the little black line he had stopped at before. "So, anyway, that right there is the foul line. You can't cross that. It'll count against you, and besides, they oil up the floor beyond that point. You don't wanna go butt-over-teakettle, 'cause that's just embarrassing."

"Good to know," she smiled, watched him reclaim his ball and roll it, then winced when it ended up in the gutter at the last minute. "Ooh, rotten luck..."

"Them's the breaks." he grinned back. He was enjoying this! "You wanna give it a try?"

Alpha picked up her forest green rental ball, not realizing that she'd grabbed a 16 pounder, but she seemed to have no trouble with it. "All right. So, I stand like this?"

Tooth Fairy eyed her stance with a critical eye, then moved in to correct her. "Not quite."

Alpha knew full well that her stance, while not perfect, was adequate; she wanted to see what he'd do. He stood behind her and adjusted the positioning of her arms, and she glanced over her shoulder at him with a too-innocent smile. "Anything else I should know?"

Tooth Fairy began to make eye contact, but something briefly drew his eyes downward. Her v-neck wasn't really low-cut, but it was still a bit lower than the collars of her T-shirts, and his mouth went dry when he realized that he could see her cleavage from this angle. Oops. He hastily looked back up at her face and shook his head. "Uh, no. You just roll the ball down the alley and hope for the best. Just try to stay centered, aim for the point of the triangle."

Alpha realized exactly what had just happened, and she hid a smile. It was funny how flustered he could get, but she also liked that he was enough of a gentleman not to look without permission once he noticed something like that. He's a good one. "Sounds easy enough."

Tooth Fairy backed off to give her room, and watched as she took her first practice shot. The heavy bowling ball traveled much faster than he expected it to, and it occurred to him that she must be stronger in this form than a normal human female of her size would be. The ball ended up in the gutter just before it reached the pins.

She snorted. "Huh. Famous last words."

At least she had a sense of humor about it. "It's fine, you can try again. Unless you get a strike...that is, knock down all the pins at once...you get to go twice."

"I know."

"Wait...did I tell you that before?"

"Ye did, yes." Alpha replied, then saw his mild embarrassment and put a hand on his arm. "But there's a bit of a learning curve, so I don't mind a few repeats in case I forget."

He nodded and watched her take her second shot. This time, she knocked down seven pins. "See? Nothing to it."

"Hey, are we ready yet?" Santa called from where he and Carol sat and waited. They had been ready for some time, but they waited patiently while class was in session.

Tooth Fairy looked at Alpha to see what she wanted to do. "Need another practice shot?"

She shook her head. "No thanks, I think I've got it." Now that she had a handle on what she was doing, she felt confident that she and Tooth Fairy would do well, whether they won or not.

"We're ready," Tooth Fairy called back with an insolent grin. "But are you?"

"Ahh, don't get cocky, Molinator," Santa wagged a finger. "I used to be on a bowling team before Charlie was born, and Carol here told me she won a trophy once."

Carol rolled her eyes and leaned across the table to whisper to Alpha, "Everyone in my league got one of those things just for finishing out the season. He's just posturing."

Alpha whispered back, "He's not the only one." She nodded towards Tooth Fairy, who had placed his hands on his hips and thrown his shoulders back in an unconscious effort to make himself look bigger. She'd seen this many times before in her lifetime; he was showing off.

"Well, I was once one strike away from bowling a perfect game, so I'm not worried."

Santa also put his hands on his hips, playfully squaring off with his friend. "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho...all right, how about this; the loser buys the snacks afterwards."

"Better check your wallet, 'Scott'. Hahaha! C'mon, Alpha, we're up first." He caught her smirking at him and did a double-take. "What?"

"Nothin'," she watched him get ready, then clapped when he got a strike.

"Yes!" Tooth Fairy pumped his fist and sat down, clearly proud of himself, but then something occurred to him. "Sorry, I really should have said 'ladies first', shouldn't I?"

Alpha lightly knocked her elbow against his. "It's cute that you think I'm a lady."

Tooth Fairy hadn't expected that, and his jaw dropped. Then she put a hand under his chin and closed his mouth with a soft 'snap', and he had to laugh. Okay, she's definitely flirting now...

Santa took his turn, bowling left-handed, and he also got a strike.

Tooth Fairy hadn't noticed this before. "A leftie, huh?" He turned to Alpha. "Just wondering, can you bowl left-handed?"

Alpha got up. "If I wanted to. I'm ambidextrous." But she continued to bowl right-handed and got a spare this time. She saw how confused Tooth Fairy seemed when she got back, and she tilted her head. "What?"

"Ambi-what?"

"I can do things with both hands," she explained, watching Carol out of the corner of her eye; Mrs. Claus got a gutter ball. "Well, most things. I can't knit left-handed."

Well, Tooth Fairy had no interest whatsoever in knitting, but he decided that he would have to test Alpha at some point to see if what she said was true. He nodded, then got up to take his turn when Carol bowled a second time and knocked down three pins.

The game went on for about half an hour, with Alpha and Tooth Fairy in the lead, but Santa and Carol weren't doing too badly themselves. Alpha and Tooth Fairy won the first game out of the three they planned on playing, and while the men engaged in some friendly competition with each other Carol and Alpha simply had fun watching them.

"Okay, you guys won this one, but it's best out of three, remember? We still have two more games to play." Santa held up two fingers. "Better get ready to eat crow."

"Not enough meat on those to be worth the trouble," Alpha joked.

"Heh," Tooth Fairy turned to her. "So, whaddaya think? Having fun so far?"

"Oh, aye. You've got quite an arm." She gave his bicep a light squeeze, grinning as she felt him purposely tense the muscle to make it firmer.

A small child was running around where he shouldn't have been, getting in front of the players, and the parents weren't doing much to rein him in. Alpha watched this with some trepidation, hoping that there wouldn't be an accident. If someone didn't see the boy in time, he could end up either being hit with a bowling ball or getting tripped over. Then there was an accident, but not the kind she was afraid of. The boy tripped and fell on his face, and all four of them tensed. Alpha almost got up to go over, but she restrained herself. The couple to their right was getting up to check, and she assumed this was their son.

The boy picked something up off the ground, and his face lit up when he realized what it was. "Mommy! Daddy! My tooth came out! See?"

"Wow, look at that!" The mother smiled and took the tiny white object to look at it. "I guess the Tooth Fairy will be paying you a visit tonight. Come on, sit down."

Tooth Fairy hid a smile as Santa got up to take his turn.

Alpha nudged him, not bothering to hide her own smile, and whispered, "How often do you get to see it happen?"

"This is a first, believe it or not," he whispered back.

The boy made his way back over to them, and again his parents were more focused on what they were doing than they were on him. "Hey, mister, can I hold your bowling ball?"

Tooth Fairy, surprised at being addressed at all, blinked as he processed the question. "I dunno, it's pretty heavy. You might drop it."

Now the father took notice, but instead of calling his son back over he decided to argue. "He's six. He can't hurt the ball."

"S'not the ball I'm worried about," Tooth Fairy returned.

"Ah, let him hold it,' the father persisted. "Blue's his favorite color."

Alpha and Tooth Fairy exchanged a look, both of them rather stumped at the man's audacity. Tooth Fairy cleared his throat. "Well, I'm just worried he might drop it on his foot, or something."

Now the father was growing agitated, and he raised his voice. "He won't. Just let him hold it."

Entitled, much? Alpha bit her lip before interjecting. "Sir, if an accident happened, we'd feel terrible."

Tooth Fairy didn't want to cause a scene...or, rather, make this one worse than it was. Since the dad seemed to be one of those parents, and since the kid hadn't insisted and seemed to have accepted no for an answer, he tried to offer a compromise. "I'll hold it, but you can check it out, how's that?"

The boy nodded, but the dad took a step closer; he was no match for Tooth Fairy in terms of physical strength, and he knew nothing about the guy's magical status, but he was clearly used to getting his way if he made a big enough stink. "Just let him hold the friggin' ball!"

Alpha raised an eyebrow and mildly pointed out, "Or you could just let him hold yours."

"Excuse me, was I talking to you?"

Tooth Fairy glowered, but then he saw Alpha first turn pale and then red, and he realized that she was getting very angry. Certainly more so than he himself was. He hastily whispered in her ear, hoping to avoid a mishap, "Hide your hands before they start glowing. Quick."

When she put her hands in her pockets, he sighed and said aloud, "Fine. Two hands, kiddo." Against his better judgment, he held out his bowling ball while Alpha silently fumed, and the boy shyly took it. The child actually seemed to be embarrassed by his father's behavior, young as he was; the mother was talking on her cell phone, oblivious to what was going on just at her left. Sure enough, the boy lost his grip, and Tooth Fairy quickly caught it.

"Wow...heavy!" the boy smiled.

"Toldja," Tooth Fairy forced a smile and sat back down. His heart was in his throat as he pictured what could have happened.

"There, cradle-robber, was that so hard?" The dad, still sore at having been told 'no' in the first place, made one final jab at him, this time to point out how much older he looked than his 'girlfriend'.

The words had the desired effect. Tooth Fairy glanced at Alpha, put his ball back on the rack, and quickly hid his hands in his pockets as the boy resumed his rambunctious play. Their double game was at a stand-still for the moment.

Alpha whispered in his ear. "Don't worry about it, it's over. It's all right."

"It's not all right," he whispered back. "If I didn't catch it in time, the kid would've been hurt. I shouldn't have caved. And that guy shouldn't be talking to you that way."

"But you did catch it in time," she soothed, "And I don't care what he says to me. Just try to ignore them, all right?"

He nodded, but he still seemed a bit put out. "Your turn..."

Alpha's hands weren't glowing anymore when she took them out of her pockets, and she gave his shoulder a soft rub before getting up to take her turn. This seemed to lift his spirits, and as the game progressed he forgot all about the couple to their right.

In the end, Alpha and Tooth Fairy won two games out of three, and Santa, true to his word, sprung for their dinner. He and Carol each ordered a slice of pizza and a soda. Tooth Fairy selected a hotdog with fries and a bottled water; he didn't drink soda. Alpha decided on a bacon cheeseburger with fries and a soda. Tooth Fairy didn't comment on this, unwilling to play 'sugar police' when they were there to have fun. Besides, he knew she took care of her teeth, and a little cheat once in a while wouldn't really cause any harm.

Alpha noticed that Tooth Fairy kept rubbing his right shoulder, but it seemed like he couldn't quite reach the spot he wanted. "All right, there?"

"Yeah, fine," he hissed through his teeth as he stretched too far and still couldn't reach. "Just a bit sore. I probably should've warmed up first."

She reached out, but stopped just short of touching him. "You mind?"

He shook his head, unsure what she planned on doing, but he trusted her.

Avoiding his invisible wing, she gently probed the muscles of his back and shoulder, and it was almost like pressing down on cement. "No wonder. You're tighter than a snare drum back here."

"Ow..." he gritted his teeth when she touched a tender spot, nodded to acknowledge her murmured apology, then sighed as Alpha applied gentle pressure to the knot she found. It stung at first, stung deep, and then the muscle gradually relaxed. It was still sore, but not nearly as much. "Ahh...Wow...Where'd you learn that?"

She removed her hands and sat back down. "Pearl taught me that one. Better?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Santa and Carol turned a blind eye to this, but of course they noticed. Before things could get awkward, Santa drummed on the table and changed the subject. "You know, the last time I went bowling, drive-in movie theaters were still around."

Tooth Fairy gamely joined in on the conversation. "I remember when those were new."

"I missed the boat, but I know what they were," Alpha chimed in. She could see by the way Santa's blue eyes glittered that he had a funny story to tell, and she leaned in to hear better over the noise in the place.

"I remember one time, me and three buddies of mine piled into one of their cars. I can't remember whose now. Anyway, we decided to go to the drive-in for some girl-watching. Burned rubber in a crowded drive-in, just so we could grab a spot next to a car with four girls inside. So, we get there, and does anybody wanna guess what we said?"

"What?" asked Tooth Fairy, already half-laughing as he anticipated something funny.

Santa, holding back laughter, snorted out, "'Don't look at 'em'."

All four of them cracked up at this, and when they wound down enough to speak again Alpha cut in. "Well, I can almost guarantee ye that the girls' conversation went a little somethin' like this. 'Here they come. There they are.'" She pointed at Carol, whose eyes widened as she pointed back, and they crowed in unison, "'Don't look at 'em'!"

Their uproarious laughter drew several curious stares, and Tooth Fairy slapped his hand down on the table. Alpha grabbed onto his arm and briefly leaned her head against him, hardly seeming to be conscious of it.

When Tooth Fairy finally caught his breath, he ate the last bite of his hotdog and wiped his mouth with a cheap paper napkin. He saw that Alpha had also finished eating, and the word 'buddies' jogged his memory. "Hey, that reminds me, I still have to win a toy for Buddy."

"You don't have to," Santa told him, "We can just give him one from the workshop-"

Carol discreetly nudged him, having an idea that Tooth Fairy and Alpha might want to go off by themselves for a few minutes, and Santa took the hint. "That's very nice of you, 'Roy'. Thank you."

Tooth Fairy knew that she was calling him that in public to avoid blowing his cover, but he smiled anyway. "C'mon, Alpha, I'll show you what all the fuss is about."

They walked off together, and Santa and Carol watched as he explained the claw machine to Alpha. They stood a little closer than was strictly necessary, clearly at ease with each other and happy to share the same space.

Santa put an arm around his wife. "This turned out to be a lot of fun. I almost forgot what 'civilian life' was like."

"Mm," she sighed, leaning her head against him. "It was nice to revisit. I don't want to go back, though." A couple minutes later, she pointed. "Oh, look, he won something!"

Then she and Santa sat up straight. "Uh-oh."

Tooth Fairy stood with his arm draped loosely around Alpha's shoulders as he pointed at a stuffed Care Bear doll. "Okay, that's wedged in a corner. We won't be able to get that."

"Uh-huh. That one's right on top." She pointed to a stuffed banana with a cartoon face. "Ugly as sin, though."

He snickered, and his unseen wings fluttered once. "Yeah. Look, though; the toy to the left is right up against it, and that one's lower half is buried pretty good. It'll get in the way, and we'll get nothing."

"Sooo...which toy are you going for?"

He rubbed his chin, then pointed. "I'm gonna get that bunny over there. Watch this." He deposited some coins, and within three tries he managed to win the toy. "Aha! Got it!"

Alpha grinned as he held it up for her to see. "He'll love it. Here, let's move to let these kids have a turn."

There weren't any kids in line, but three of them were watching patiently from the side, and Tooth Fairy decided to be nice and added a few extra coins to the machine. "Freebies," he explained.

"Thank you!" the kids chorused as they crowded around to take turns.

Tooth Fairy nodded, feeling pretty good at the moment, but as they moved off to rejoin Santa and Carol they found themselves being confronted by the same dad from before. The man wore a friendly smile now, but Tooth Fairy didn't trust this, and neither did Alpha.

"Hey, not bad."

Tooth Fairy's response was polite, but curt. "Thanks. Excuse us." He tried to move around him with Alpha, but the man swerved to block their path.

"Hang on a minute, what's a big guy like you want with a stuffed bunny?"

Tooth Fairy made the mistake of explaining himself. "It's not for me, it's for a friend's kid. I promised I'd win him something. Now, please let us pass."

The man didn't budge. "You can just win him another one, can't you? It's my son's favorite color, and he had his eye on it before."

Alpha decided she'd had enough, and she stared the man down. "Sir, that's beside the point. Please leave us alone."

The man narrowed his eyes at her in scorn. "No one's talking to you, bitch!"

Tooth Fairy's face immediately turned stony. "What did you say?" He didn't raise his voice at all, but he didn't have to. A line had been crossed.

Alpha gently took his arm. "Well, technically, he's not wrong."

Santa called from across the room, "Hey, Roy! Over here, I'm open!"

The Tooth Fairy saw Santa standing with his hands out to catch, and his ruffled feathers settled a bit. He cocked his arm back and threw the toy like a football, which Santa easily caught.

"Oh, nice," the boy's father had the nerve to act like he was the wronged party. "That's real nice. So stingy, you can't even give a toy to a little kid."

Alpha's dark brown eyes turned a golden yellow, and a feral growl rumbled in her throat. She didn't transform; it was too public for that. But she meant to have this man away from them, and now.

"Whoa!" He jumped back a step, but her eyes had already reverted back to their normal color and she was silent once again, causing him to doubt what he'd just seen. "What was that?"

Alpha gave an innocent-looking blink. "What was what?"

"...Forget it." The man speed-walked away with many a wary glance back, and he and his family packed up their things to leave.

Tooth Fairy stared at Alpha in wide-eyed disbelief and whispered, "Did you mean to do that?"

"I did." she didn't try to deny it, but she didn't look proud of it either.

"If Mother Nature finds out you revealed yourself to a human, you could get your first warning. You get three, and if you mess up again after that you'll be suspended..."

"I didn't exactly reveal myself. I just wanted to scare him off. It worked, didn't it?"

Tooth Fairy could see that she still didn't quite understand the gravity of what she had done. "Alpha...I don't want you getting into trouble. You're one of us now; you're not a free agent anymore. I'm not trying to lecture you, but this is really important."

Alpha thought back on how she had acted to keep Tooth Fairy out of trouble. It was really the main reason they had started talking to each other, and it had just turned into something else. She could understand where he was coming from, even if she didn't quite agree with him. "So, we should just...let them do what he was doing? That's the second time he's been rude and borderline threatening towards ye. Am I just supposed to let that stand?"

"Yes," He gently gripped her shoulders, hoping she wouldn't become angry with him. Not on today, of all days! "Don't get me wrong; I wanted to pop him one, especially after what he called you. But we weren't in any physical danger. If he really started something, the people working here could've just kicked him out."

The Werewolf could see the logic in this, and she realized she had overreacted a bit. Humans always put her a little bit on edge, and this was when the humans were minding their own business. This confrontation, having a human aggressively argue with them while refusing to let them pass, had really shaken her up, and she was just beginning to realize this. She nodded and lowered her eyes, Roy's hands on her shoulders providing the grounding she needed. "I'm sorry, I just...I'm not used to this."

He gently stroked his thumbs along her arms, hardly aware that he was doing it. "It's okay. Just...take a breath when you feel that way. Ask yourself, 'will this be worth it in the long run?'. I have to do that sometimes, too. Just...promise me you won't do this again. Not for me. I'm not worth it."

Alpha looked up at him again, almost smiling, but not quite. "Yes, you are." Then, seeing that he wanted her to do as he asked, she sighed. "I promise."

"Thanks," he sighed as well, putting his arms around her for the hug they both needed. They rejoined the other two members of their group, painfully aware of the concerned looks they were getting.

"You guys okay?" asked Santa.

"Yeah..." Tooth Fairy said, and it wasn't exactly a lie. The confrontation had made him angry, but Alpha's reaction to him being mistreated had him very concerned. Would she really risk disciplinary action on his behalf? He knew the answer was yes, and this both upset and touched him. Carol was speaking, and it took him a moment to register what she was saying.

"I'll bet I know what his problem was. He and his wife...or girlfriend? I'm not sure, but it doesn't really matter. It's Valentine's Day, and they had their son with them. Maybe the sitter cancelled at the last minute, or maybe they couldn't get one. Maybe they were bitter about it, and just wanted to keep him quiet." Carol seemed to be thinking out loud.

Alpha shrugged her shoulders, lightly rubbing Tooth Fairy's back just below the wings. This was distracting, but he decided that he liked it, and he listened as she added, "It's possible...or maybe he was just crabbit 'cause he couldnae win the rabbit."

"Heh..." Tooth Fairy lost his glum expression and gently nudged her. "C'mon, let's not let that goofball ruin our day. Wanna split a couple plates of mozzarella sticks four ways? I'm buying this time."

"Sure!" Santa, always ready to eat, was quick to agree.

"I might have one," Carol said.

"The way we ate today, what would Doctor Hismus say?" joked Alpha.

Tooth Fairy winked at her. "Doctor Hismus ain't here."

As they swapped more jokes and stories over their second round of junk food, the unwelcome blight on their outing was banished from their minds.

Note: Parents like this exist! A family member of mine is one of them. Trust me, they're out there!