"A Strange Bond"

Note: Reading Viola's journal has reopened old wounds, and Alpha throws herself into her work and puts on an 'everything is okay' mask. Even though she trusts TF and knows she can confide in him, old habits die hard and even she isn't above a little misdirected anger. Alpha deals with survivor's guilt. TF says a mild swear word. Is that OOC for him? Maybe a little. But he and the other Legends get so little screen time that we're left to guess how they are on their off-hours. Content warning for mention of alcohol abuse.

"Chapter 20: Temper, Temper"

March 16th

Tooth Fairy was becoming a familiar sight in The Hollow. People who used to eye him with curiosity and suspicion now said hello to him, or just ignored him altogether as they went about their business. The macabre atmosphere was beginning to feel more like home to him than his own town ever did; his sister had loved this place before it grew up to be what it was now, and he felt a sense of belonging that he rarely felt on the surface outside of the Council. He had a sinking feeling that the Fairies would never be this welcoming to Alpha. He still had yet to get permission to bring her there, and now he allowed himself to acknowledge the reason why.

Strangers were tolerated in his town under rare circumstances, but to have one of their own be in a relationship with an outsider, and a Werewolf at that? Such a thing hadn't been done in over a thousand years, not since before their town was sealed off from the rest of the world to keep it safe, and a relationship with one of her kind was completely unheard of.

In fact, his town was so secret that it didn't even have a name, which Tooth Fairy had always thought was kind of stupid. If the humans didn't even know it was there, or that it even was, why not name it? It would be a heck of a lot less confusing, and simply referring to it as 'Home' or 'This Place' felt patently uninspired. He should probably mention this to Alpha; she'd get a kick out of it!

But Alpha wasn't in the best of moods these days, and he was worried. Over the past few months, as he spent more and more time with her, he had begun to recognize when she was actually doing well and when she was just putting on a facade to keep the people around her happy. It was really hard to spot the difference, too, but when she was faking it there was usually a 'microexpression' that let the cat out of the bag. A slight crease between her eyebrows, there and then gone again, or a quirk of her mouth. It was always something small and easily missed, but once he became aware of it he couldn't help but notice.

Today, he dropped by The Pale Horse to say hi to Punky and to see if Alpha was inside.

Alpha wasn't there like Tooth Fairy had hoped, but Punky looked up and grinned when he approached the bar. "Hey, Roy, good to see ya. You missed the fun."

"Whaddaya mean?" Tooth Fairy sat down on one of the bar stools and leaned in to listen.

"Robert got Alpha with a Super Soaker, which she subsequently confiscated, and now they're not speaking. Again." Punky replied, as if this kind of thing were a regular occurrence. "I think he caught her on a bad day. Can I get ya something?"

Tooth Fairy's curious smile morphed into a glum expression as he thought of what 'bad day' could mean. He shook his head when Punky offered him a drink. "No thanks, I don't have any of your currency."

"Nah, this one's on the house," Punky buffed the glass he was holding and plunked it down on the bar. "I got cider, beer...or the hard stuff, if you want it. And there's always water, but that's free anyway."

Considering what the acid in the cider could do to tooth enamel over time, and not being much of a drinker, Tooth Fairy accepted Punky's last offer. "Water's fine, thanks."

Punky almost looked disappointed as he turned to get Tooth Fairy his drink. "Not one for the booze, eh?"

Tooth Fairy tapped his thumb on the Formica bar top. "I'll have the occasional beer once in a while, but I go to work in a few hours."

Punky handed Tooth Fairy his water and studied his face. "I've seen that look a million times in this place. Something on your mind?"

Tooth Fairy liked Punky just fine, but he still didn't know him very well, and it really wasn't his story to tell. He wouldn't have appreciated it if someone blabbed his business after he'd confided in them, and he wasn't about to do something like that to Alpha. He accepted the glass with a nod. "Thanks. And yeah, but it's kinda personal. I'm sure it'll work out."

Punky nodded, moving off to wipe up a few mug rings the other customers had left behind. "Just thought I'd ask. You looking for Alpha?"

"Not really," Tooth Fairy put down the glass after having a sip. "I thought I'd drop by to see if she was here, but I know she's pretty busy these days."

"Yeah," Punky nodded, seeming displeased about something, which he voiced before Tooth Fairy could ask. "Well, as far as I know, most of the major hiccups here have been straightened out, so I don't see why she isn't delegating more of the small things to some of the others on the City Council."

"What do you mean?" Tooth Fairy frowned.

"I dunno, it's as if she feels like she has to micromanage everything, or the whole place will fall apart. It's almost like..." But Punky trailed off and shook his head, as if he realized he was saying too much.

"Like what?" Asked Tooth Fairy. He wasn't normally so nosy about peoples' personal affairs, but he thought he had a right to know what was going on with his own girlfriend, and Punky seemed to know something.

Punky leaned in so close that the Tooth Fairy could smell the peculiar 'roasted pumpkin' scent of his breath, and he spoke in a voice so low that the other man could hardly hear it over the newly-repaired juke box. "I'm only telling you this because you two are dating, and I can see you're as worried as I am. Maybe you'll be able to get through to her."

"Okay?" Tooth Fairy's figurative hackles were raised now. What is going on with her?

"Look, The Founders were lousy people, we all agree on that. And they didn't do the best job of running this place. We did most of that. And we still can. Things are better now than they've ever been. But Alpha seems to have it in her head that if the tiniest thing goes wrong, it's her fault. Someone else makes a mistake? She didn't do a good enough job explaining things to them. Someone loses an important document? She neglected to improve the filing system. She loses her temper and snaps at someone? It's not because they were being a pain in her sit-upon, and she should know better. She's over-compensating like crazy. Especially this week. I don't know what's up, but something's gotta change, or she'll be headed for a nervous breakdown." Punky didn't have to pause for breath, but he stopped speaking to let it all sink in.

Now Tooth Fairy's heart sank. As similar as he and Alpha were in many respects, personality-wise, he could see that she was handling her own mental health issues in a different way than he had..or hadn't. He had gone through the motions of going to work, and he barely had any memory of how those nights went. He had become a professional couch potato, living on take-out food and watching TV to pass the time until he was tired enough to sleep...or, rather, escape. And, to his shame, he had neglected his own personal hygiene. He simply hadn't felt like doing anything.

Alpha, on the other hand, seemed to be throwing herself into her work. Maybe work was her distraction, and while she was distracted she didn't have to deal with the awful memories those journals had dredged up.

Come to think of it, Tooth Fairy wondered when Alpha even found the time to sleep. He knew she usually slept nights, unless she had to hunt, but lately they had been texting back and forth when he would land to rest his wings or to have a light snack. He kept his phone on silent while he worked, but he checked it every now and then to see if anyone had tried to contact him. By her own account, she was at the library on those nights. He had assumed that, on those occasions, she slept during the day like he did, but now he wasn't so sure. A cat nap could only take you so far!

"Has she said anything specific to you? Given you any clues?" Tooth Fairy asked after taking another sip from his glass.

"No. I asked her, but she told me to mind my own business." Punky replied.

Tooth Fairy rubbed his chin, frowning at what he just heard and at the sandpapery rasp of his stubble. It was hardly visible, but it itched. "Wow...I've heard her talk to Robert like that when he's being a pest, but you? That's not like her at all."

"It's not," Punky turned to service another customer. "She apologized, but I took the hint. Something's eatin' her."

"Mm-hmm," Tooth Fairy's eyes grew distant, and he slugged back the rest of his water.

Punky narrowed his carved triangular eyes to slits. "You know something about this."

But Tooth Fairy shook his head. "Nothing I can share without breaking a confidence. I'll talk to her."

The bartender accepted this, and gave a nod. "Fair enough. Good luck."

"Thanks." He had a feeling he might need it.

Since Alpha seemed to spend a lot of time in the library these days, Tooth Fairy tried there next, and he found her sitting on the top step of a tall rolling ladder, book in hand. He fluttered up to say hello, and when his face peeked over the top of the cover she nearly hit him with it. He zipped backwards a few feet and held up his hands, surprised. "Whoa! Not the reception I usually get."

Alpha gaped at him, pale and clearly horrified by what she had almost done, but she had caught herself in time. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I didn't hear you! You all right?"

Tooth Fairy hovered close again, smiling and making a mental note not to repeat that mistake. He hadn't thought he was sneaking up on her; his wings were quiet, but they weren't that quiet! Then again, she had looked absorbed in what she was reading. "Yeah, I'm fine. I probably shoulda coughed or something, to get your attention. What're you reading? Hmm...'Handbook of Precision Agriculture'. That sounds...exciting."

"Och, it's about as riveting as watching paint dry. But still, it's new...well, new here, anyway. The gardens are doing fine, but there's always room for improvement. " She closed the book and waved him over, then gave him a peck on the lips. "What's new?"

"Eh...not much." Tooth Fairy would have shrugged, but that would have thrown off the rhythm of his wings, and he didn't want to end up doing a pratfall in front of her. "What're you up to, besides reading?"

Alpha put the book back where it belonged, and she was glad to do so. "I was about to drop by the apothecary and see how we are on medicine. Here, why don't you land, and I'll come down."

"Okey-doke," Tooth Fairy lowered himself to the floor, mildly startled when Alpha casually jumped down instead of using the stairs. She had to have been a good fifteen feet up! True, he had seen her jump off a rooftop before, but she hadn't been in her human form at the time. Still, she landed smoothly, as if this was something she was used to doing. Now that he thought about it, it probably was. "Doesn't that hurt?"

"What? Oh! No, I do it all the time." Alpha clasped her hands behind her back. She wondered if things were a bit weird between them after almost clocking him with a book, because now he almost looked cautious. "I'm sorry. I really didn't know you were there."

Tooth Fairy scoffed and waved a dismissive hand. "You already apologized, it's no biggie. It's not like ya followed through, right?"

"I guess," Alpha cocked her head. "What's with the look, then? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, with me everything's fine."

Alpha let this hang in the air between them, then narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. "All right...who spilled the tea?"

"Uhhh..." Uh-oh...

Seeing that no answer was immediately forthcoming, Alpha shook her head and turned to walk away. This was rude and she knew it, but she didn't want to lose her temper and yell. Not at him.

"Alpha, please don't walk away from me," Tooth Fairy followed, but at a distance. "He was just concerned, that's all. He didn't even say all that much."

"Punky, Robert, or Omen?" Alpha kept walking. In fact, she lengthened her stride in her hurry to get out of there.

"Look, I don't think-" Tooth Fairy swallowed his words when Alpha rounded on him. This was the first time he'd ever had her angry at him, although he had come very close in Dr. Hismus's clinic, and it was an awful feeling.

"Or maybe it was Silas? See, that's the drawback of livin' in a small town; everyone's in everyone else's business. And if he, whoever 'he' is, told you, who else did he tell?" Brown eyes snapped fire, but she still kept her voice down. "I cannae believe ye'd go behind me back like this! And ye won't even tell me who told ye!"

Tooth Fairy had the good sense not to tell her to 'calm down'. Never in his five hundred years on Planet Earth had he seen anyone calm down after being told to. He might have been more upset by this surprising little development if he hadn't remembered that he had snapped at her in the past when she didn't deserve it. The day they found Brinna's wings, he had gone into a full-on rant, and she had stayed calm the entire time. He could do the same. Besides, what couple didn't argue from time to time? In any case, he was determined never to let a little tiff or even a big fight go unresolved. Never again. "Is there somewhere else we can go? Somewhere more private?"

Alpha very nearly said, 'I don't want to talk to you right now', but she stopped herself. Was he even the one she was angry with? No. He just wanted to help her, and she was, in essence, shooting the messenger. What the hell am I doing?

She gave him a much-deserved apology. "I'm sorry...Ye didn't deserve that. Let's go to my house."

He smiled and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand as she called up a Fairy Ring to warp them straight there. He noticed that the purple color of her borrowed magic was becoming washed out to the point where it almost looked muddy. When had it begun to change over from purple to orange? Interesting. "Yer forgiven."

Tooth Fairy found himself in the dark, and he was almost alarmed, but then Alpha switched on the light. "Okay...I think we need to talk."

"Aye," Alpha clasped her hands behind her back again, ready to accept whatever he wanted to say to her after how she had treated him in the library.

"Wanna sit down first? This is kind of awkward, standing here like we're in the principle's office or something," He smirked, but she didn't smile back, and they went and sat at her table.

"Did ye want to be the one to start?" She asked.

"'Kay. First off, you had some questions; who told me, and who else did they tell. It was Punky, and I don't think he told anyone else. He said he only told me because the two of us are dating, and he kept his voice waaay down. He didn't even tell me all that much, to be honest. Just that you've been a little short-tempered, and he thinks you're taking too much of the blame when little things happen here and there."

Alpha nodded, looking rather sheepish. "Aye, that sounds like him. I'm sorry, Roy, I was way out of line."

Tooth Fairy waved a hand. "Forget about that; that's old turkey. What I wanna know is, why're you pushing yourself so hard?"

"I don't follow."

"I think ya do," He argued, "but you don't wanna say."

"Well, the question was a bit vague," She folded her arms. The walls were going up.

Tooth Fairy knew he was out of his element here, but he still had to try. She hadn't explicitly told him to stop this line of conversation, and he took that as a green light to continue. "Okay, why don't I tell you what I think?"

Alpha gestured for him to speak, but her body language was more closed off than ever. She didn't want to hear this.

"You might get mad," He warned her.

"I'm already mad," She informed him. "But I'm listening."

He nodded, accepting this, and gathered his courage. He didn't really have her way of softening the blow, although he really did try. Maybe if he was lucky, she wouldn't kick him out of her house afterwards. "You're terrified of screwing up-"

"And this is news how?" She quirked an eyebrow.

He exhaled slowly. Now he was a little annoyed. "Please, don't interrupt me, okay? I'm actually having a hard time getting this out."

"I'm sorry."

He nodded, and picked up where he left off. "You're terrified of screwing up, so you're trying to put yourself everywhere to keep from running this place into the ground. That can't be done. Ya get me? No one can be everything, and you'll drive yourself crazy trying. I can see the difference in you today. Your fuse is usually a lot longer than what I just saw. I get it; we all have bad days once in a while. But do you think you're helping these people by running yourself ragged, to the point where you're snapping at everyone? I mean...Robert's in Dutch with you because of a silly water gun? Come on...you're better than that."

Alpha opened her mouth to argue with him, but then she closed it again. He was right. He was holding up a mirror, and she had to admit, she didn't like what she saw. But she didn't like to be scolded either, and that was exactly what this felt like; a scolding. "Am I?"

"Well, I think so. What do you think?"

"I think you're patronizing me."

Tooth Fairy scratched the bridge of his nose with a forefinger. "That wasn't what I was going for. If I am, I'm sorry. My point is, if you don't take care of yourself, you're gonna burn out pretty quick."

Alpha finally uncrossed her arms and folded her hands on her lap, sighing and looking down. "I just...don't want to repeat their mistakes. Or mine."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Yours? What mistakes did you make?" When she only shook her head and looked away, he felt his heart turn over. "Alpha...please, talk to me."

So, she did. "There were just...so many things I could've done different. Times when I could've stepped in, but didn't. It never should have taken a kidnapping wake me up. I should have been suspicious when the ones I warned were sent up to die on Halloween. No, sometimes I was suspicious, but I didn't...I couldn't let my mind go there, because then I would've been responsible for it, and because I kept my head down, I became responsible."

"No..." He shook his head, but she wasn't finished.

"I was too focused on just surviving. Not just my people, but myself. I could've done more! I should've done more! I should've known those two were bad news the day I met'm! The timing was weird, and I felt it, but I just..." Alpha swallowed hard, willing herself not to cry, which was hard because Tooth Fairy looked like he was almost ready to do just that. "Instead of questioning them, I crawled inside a whiskey bottle, and I didnae come out until a few months later, when Silas introduced himself. Scared the life oot o' me, he did..."

Tooth Fairy nodded gently, remembering the odd river monster. "I bet he did..."

"Well...after talkin' with him, I realized it wasn't a cure, what they were givin' me tae drink. It was...more of a band-aid. Ye have tae sober up eventually, and then ye still have the problems ye started out with, plus yer heid feels like it wants tae hatch..." Alpha rubbed her face, focusing on her eyes, which still threatened to water. "After that 'Come to Jesus' meeting, I put down the bottle, and since then it's never been problem. But they knew they had me. I had nowhere else to go. I should've died with my family...but I didn't. And now...these people here are my family. And if I fail them now..."

Something broke inside Tooth Fairy when he heard her say she should've died with her family, and it was all he could do to keep his composure. He reached out but didn't touch her, mindful of her previous anger. "Can I hug you?"

Alpha's response was to hug him. "Ye never have to ask."

He hugged her tight, and they sat in silence for several minutes. Finally, still not letting go, he whispered, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Aye?"

"Don't ever say you should've died. No one should have died that day. Okay?" He ran his fingers through her hair when he heard her sniffle, and after she nodded he spoke again. "I know you're in pain, Alpha...Those books brought up a lot of stuff you buried long ago, didn't they?"

Again, she nodded. "I thought I already dealt with this...I was certain I was past it. But now, every time I close my eyes to sleep, all I see is...that day."

Tooth Fairy nodded and gently rubbed her back. He knew exactly what she meant. "So, you're not sleeping."

"I'm sleeping...just not much," Alpha sighed, her ear resting against his chest. She could faintly hear his heartbeat. Such a dear man. How could she have talked to him the way she did? "Looks like I'm still making a mess o' things..."

"Nah," He shook his head, relieved to have gotten to the bottom of things, despite how hard it was to hear. "You're struggling, that's for sure, but you're doin' the best ya can. Thing is...you're tryin' to do it by yourself. This here, and that out there. You know you can always come to me, right? Even if I'm going through something myself, I don't care. Talk to me. And you have people out there who know their stuff. You just gotta trust 'em. 'Cause they trust you. And return the water gun...Robert didn't mean any harm."

Finally, he got her to laugh. It was a small giggle, but it was still something. "He never does, but I had to walk around for an hour lookin' like I peed my pants."

"'Snerrrk'!" Tooth Fairy couldn't hold it in, and he began to laugh. "So, you're sayin' you were 'pissed'?"

Alpha sat back and lightly slapped his arm, joining in the laughter. "Language!"

"Aaand, a smile. Mission accomplished." He wiped her tears away with his hands. "I love you. And I'm gonna help you, if you let me."

"I love you, too. And you already are."

Note: Okay, as fights go, that one was more of a dud firecracker than a stick of TNT. A bit of a 'pop', but no earth-shattering kaboom.