"A Strange Bond"

Note: April 10th has a better 'feel' to it. TF kills some time (don't tell Father Time!) at Alpha's before dinner, and he decides to be a gentleman and help her fold her laundry. Gemma is just as nervous about having an outsider enter her home as Tooth Fairy is about making a good impression. After some awkwardness, TF manages to break the ice. Conversation eventually turns to the next day's City Council meeting.

Exposition over, I'm gonna talk to you guys for a moment. I'll be honest, it's been a really rough year. These stories have kept me going (until they didn't), but eventually life got in the way, and after a series of letdowns I FINALLY got a job! It was only seasonal, but I've really enjoyed it, and I was told I have a pretty good chance of being able to come back when there's a need. I was working fulltime hours, so I really haven't had time for writing, despite being in a much better place lately. Updates will be coming along again, though maybe not as frequently as before. Those of you who follow these stories, thank you SO much for taking the time to read them!

"Chapter 30: New Friends"

April 10th

At around three in the afternoon, Alpha sat cross-legged on her bed with a pile of clean laundry beside her. Roy hadn't dropped by that morning, but judging by their brief phone conversation he was feeling pretty much himself again. They had both said good night and gone to sleep, and now she was attending to some things she had let herself fall way behind on.

Laundry was one of her least favorite tasks, and she was currently wearing her last clean outfit. Before turning in for the morning, she had washed enough clothes to last her the week, including one outfit for the meeting with the Fairy mayor, and she had slept while her clothes hung on cheap wooden drying racks.

It was a welcome distraction when her phone started belting out 'I'm On My Way' by The Proclaimers. She grinned as she tossed aside a T-shirt and picked up her phone. "Hey, Wintergreen."

"Hiya, sweetheart. Whatcha up to?"

"Och, not much, just foldin' some laundry. I've been bad this week, and I let it fall to the wayside."

"Ooh..." There was a crunching sound. "Aww..."

"What was that?"

Tooth Fairy snickered and admitted, "Well, I forgot about the bag of chips I put down when I was looking for the remote, and my big ol' butt just crushed 'em."

Alpha laughed, not unkindly. "I've done similar things. One time I was using the light on my cell phone to actually look for my cell phone, so don't feel bad!"

"Goofball..." He teased.

"Oi, it takes one tae know one."

"Heh...Mind if I join ya? I woke up sooner than I'd planned on, and I'm just sitting here twiddling my thumbs." He offered.

Alpha almost said 'yes', but she hadn't sorted the laundry pile, and the thought of him seeing her undergarments made her cheeks go red. Which was silly, because they had already shared a bed three times! Not that they had done anything but sleep and talk...but she didn't want him to get embarrassed, and she thought he might if she didn't hide a few things! "Um...aye, give me five minutes, all right? Just...er...yeah, just go ahead and bypass the door, use a Ring. After five minutes."

Tooth Fairy paused, wondering why she was acting a bit odd all of a sudden, but he shrugged it off. Maybe she wasn't dressed yet, or something. "Alllllll righty...Five minutes, see ya then. Love ya."

"Love ye, too."

They ended the call, and Alpha hastily sifted through the heap of laundry as she watched the clock. There was no guarantee that he would be there in exactly five minutes; he wasn't Father Time, after all! What if he arrived early? She counted what she found, counted again, then paled. "I'm missing a bra..."

Alpha stashed what she'd found in her underwear drawer without folding them, then went back to searching. "Come on...where are ye? Bastard..."

She froze when she sensed a surge of now-familiar magic in the middle of her house, and she hastily composed herself when Tooth Fairy stepped out of the Fairy Ring he'd summoned.

He carried a small Dunkin' Donuts box in one hand, which he offered with a grin after she came over for a hug and a kiss. "Munchkin?"

"Sure, I'd love one! Thanks." She selected a glazed one and took a bite. They were just as good as she remembered! "Mm. I haven't had one of these in years. Did ye stop off to get these just now?"

"Heh heh, no. I got 'em on my way home this morning. They're a little too sweet for me, to be honest, so I only ate a couple." Tooth Fairy's gaze shifted to the laundry pile...and to something lacy and white on the floor beside her bed. She spotted it at the same time, and neither of them moved or spoke for a nanosecond before Tooth Fairy fought back a snicker and acted like he hadn't seen it. Instead, he turned to her bookshelf to hide the amused smirk he couldn't quite contain. "Ooh, is that a copy of Treasure Island? I've always wanted to read that!" Aaand that explains the weirdness! Must...not...laugh!

Alpha let out a sigh when he went over to take a look at the back cover. She was right; she'd picked a good man! "Aye, go ahead and take it home with ye. Couldn't get into it myself." She quickly snatched up her bra and shoved it under her pillow before sitting down to turn her messy laundry pile into tidy stacks of folded clothes.

"When do you find the time to read?" he asked her, thumbing through the book and being mindful of the spine. It was an old copy, judging by the yellowed pages, but other than that it was in very good condition. It seemed she hadn't been joking when she'd said she couldn't get into it.

"Nowadays, I don't, really. Sometimes I'll sneak in a chapter before bed. Currently, I'm re-reading 'The Hobbit'."

Tooth Fairy put the book on the table next to the box of Munchkins and went over to sit at the other side of the pile. "I've read that, it's pretty good. Humans have some interesting ideas about magic, though. Some of them are spot on, but others? Not so much!" He chuckled.

Alpha shook out a T-shirt and folded it. "That's a good thing. But wouldn't it be neat if they turned 'The Hobbit' into a movie?"

"They already did," Tooth Fairy joined in and began helping her fold her clothes. "There's a Rankin Bass cartoon version that isn't half bad."

"Aye, I've seen it. They changed a lot and left parts out, but I suppose they had to." She noticed what he was doing then. "Oh, you don't have to do that."

"I know, but it feels kinda rude to sit here and watch while you do the work. Unless you don't want me to." He handed her a folded T-shirt.

Alpha smiled and added it to her growing stack. "Well, if you're offering, I'm no' about to say no! Thanks."

"Uh-huh." Tooth Fairy grabbed another shirt and continued, "I think they actually are making a live-action movie version. Might be a two-parter. Knowing them, though, they'll try to make it into a trilogy so they can clean up at the box office, with lots of CGI and filler." He rolled his eyes. "I still wanna see it, though."

"Ooh, we'll have to make a day of it when it comes out!"

"Just don't ask me to go in costume!" he smirked, "Apparently, that was a thing with the Lord of the Rings trilogy."

"You mean I don't get to see you dressed up as Gandalf?" Alpha teased, and he promptly pelted her with a balled-up T-shirt. "Haha! Okay, no costumes."

"Hahahaha!" Tooth Fairy shook his head, then glanced around the room. Something had just occurred to him. "Say, Alpha, do you have a basement I don't know about, or something?"

"Uhhh...no? Why?"

"I'm just wondering where you keep your washer and dryer. I mean, I didn't see...Oh." Tooth Fairy realized that he had just assumed, and grew embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Och, don't worry about it. No, I've got an iron and an ironing board, but I wash my clothes in the bathtub and hang them up to dry. It's a bit tedious, but...well, ye gotta do what ye gotta do."

"But you don't have to do that," he told her, "You can just come over and use mine, if you want. Might be easier."

Alpha smiled and shook her head. "I haven't been cleared to visit yet, and laundry isn't that serious a matter. And none of the others here have a washer or dryer, so I wouldn't feel right using something they can't."

Tooth Fairy very nearly offered to change that. He could certainly afford it! For him, although he didn't like to let on that this was the case, money was no concern at all. He had chosen to live well below his means, mostly because he just couldn't justify spending a lot of money on himself, but due to the importance of his job he was actually very well off. But remembering how important it was to her and her people that they remain self-reliant after being The Founders' playthings for so long, he knew that such an offer would be rejected, and might even cause offense to some of them. He decided to let it be for now. "Well...if you ever change your mind, just let me know."

"No, but I appreciate it." She got up and put away her shirts, then sat back down to start folding her pants. "This is fun. Laundry day is usually a boring day!"

"Oh, yeah..." Tooth Fairy nodded. "I'm not a fan. Y'know, I remember this one time, a buddy of mine gave me this shirt for my birthday. I didn't like the shirt, but I did appreciate the thought, so I decided to 'grin and wear it'. So, I wash the darn thing, and I'm ironing it, and...well, let's just say I should have read the tag first."

"What happened?"

He grinned and handed her a folded pair of blue jeans. "Well...a football game was on, the Chicago Bears vs the Greenbay Packers, and it was really getting good. I was more into the game than ironing my clothes, and I used the high heat setting on my iron to kinda speed things along. So, this shirt was one hundred percent polyester. It was a green paisley button-down...and then it wasn't."

"Ooh..." Alpha laughed and shook her head. "That's a shame. What did you tell your friend?"

Tooth Fairy shrugged. "I didn't tell him anything. He never asked."

"Oh," Alpha nodded, then switched gears a bit. "When is your birthday?"

He wasn't expecting her to ask him that. He licked his lips, making a mental note to pick up a tube of Chapstick at some point. "September twentieth. I don't really celebrate it, to be honest. For me, it's just another day." He picked up a pair of black dress slacks, and he thought that they might be the same pair she'd worn on their bowling date. "Oh, do you fold these, or hang them up?"

"Here," Alpha held out her hand, then got up to hang them in her wardrobe when he passed them to her. "I don't celebrate mine, either. My mum would cook a special meal for the family whenever one of us had one, but birthdays were never a big to-do with my family. Anyway, it tends to lose its charm after a few centuries."

"Especially if your friends are busy, and..." Tooth Fairy cleared his throat. He'd almost said 'and your family's gone', but that was a sore spot for both of them. "I think kids enjoy it more anyway. So, when's yours?"

Santa had mentioned it, having used his Christmas magic to read her before she had officially joined the Council of Legendary Figures, but Alpha wasn't surprised that Tooth Fairy didn't remember. "October seventh."

"Ah, a Halloween baby," he teased.

"Aye, or close to it. You think you'd ever want to celebrate yours again?" she asked.

He shrugged, and it seemed to her that he had mentally taken a step back. "I dunno..."

"Okay...I'm sorry I brought it up."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and gave a little smile. "Actually, I think I brought it up. Birthdays, I mean. I don't know, maybe someday. I'm just not there right now, y'know?"

"Aye," Alpha nodded, and for a few moments they folded in silence. Between the two of them, they got the job done fairly quickly, and she gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for the help, luv. You're the best."

Tooth Fairy's slight frown melted into a genuinely happy smile. "Don't hear that very often."

"Well, ye are. A lot of people would have called attention to what was on the floor earlier." She smirked as she went to put the last of her clothes away.

It took him a second or two to remember, and he let out the laugh he'd held in before. "Hahahahaha! Well, I didn't want to embarrass you, but since you brought it up!"

"I thought you'd be embarrassed."

"If it was a pair of my boxers, then yeah, but I just thought it was funny." They were both chuckling now. "Look, don't worry about it. Ish happens."

"'Ish'?" Alpha was both amused and incredulous.

Tooth Fairy gave a rather defensive shrug. "I don't like to swear."

"Oh," Alpha sat down next to him. "Does it bother you when I do it?"

"Nah," He shook his head and linked his fingers through hers. "Personal choice. I'm around kids all the time with my job. Even though they're always asleep, some of them are very light sleepers. If I hit my shin on something or bump my head coming in the window, I don't want to accidentally say something their parents wouldn't want them to repeat. So, I avoided the habit."

"Ah," she nodded, giving his hand a squeeze. "That's probably a good idea. Kids are like wee little sponges; ye never know what they're takin' in until they decide to share their new vocabulary when company's over."

"Hehe, yeah...I remember Buddy giving his parents a bit of a shock when I was visiting last year, and it turns out he'd learned it from Charlie. One of those situations where you're nearly biting through your tongue, because you don't wanna laugh and encourage the kid." Tooth Fairy told her, forgetting that she had no idea who Charlie was.

"Is Charlie one of the Elves?" Alpha cocked her head.

"Oh!" He shook his head. "Sorry, I forgot you don't know him. He's Santa's son from his first marriage. Real nice kid. I mean...he's not a kid anymore, he's a senior in college, but I still remember the day I met him. He was eight or nine at the time. Heh...He didn't bat an eye when he found out the Tooth Fairy's actually a guy. He was just excited to meet me. And the rest of us, of course."

"Oh, I didn't even know Santa had other children."

"Just the one. And Charlie has a half-sister by his stepdad, Neil, as well. Lucy. Wow...she'd be about thirteen now!" Tooth Fairy shook his head. For a Fairy, a thirteen-year-old would still be a very small child, but for a human? At thirteen, Lucy would be a young lady now. "Still boggles my mind how fast humans grow..." And how short a lifespan they have...

Alpha didn't have to ask him why his expression turned a little sad; she had outlived nearly everyone she had ever loved, liked, or even hated, and it was a sad thing to think about. Every now and then, a special person would come along, and their loss always left a big hole behind. Our hearts must look like Swiss Cheese by now...

"Well...anyway, is there anything I should know about before we go to Sarah and Gemma's place tonight?" Tooth Fairy changed the subject, which had turned unintentionally grim.

"Hm? Oh! Well, Gemma will probably be a bit standoffish at first, but try not to take it personally. Newcomers here are usually...well...Most of the time, when we get someone new, it's because 'the local cryptid' has been spotted too many times on the surface. If it looks like there'll be a conflict between them and the humans, that's when we step in. That's how The Founders located most of the people they brought down here. Now it's the Vampires who do the locating, and it's only to offer a safer place to live. If we're satisfied that they aren't dangerous to us, that is."

"Uh-huh..." Tooth Fairy nodded, wondering how many innocent humans and monsters ended up in a bad situation out of mutual fear.

Alpha continued, "But you're a bit different. Aside from your wings, ye look human. So...she won't trust you at first."

"That's understandable, but..." Tooth Fairy shook his head, a crease appearing between his eyebrows.

"But?" Alpha urged him to continue with a light nudge.

He went on, hoping that what he said next wouldn't be in any way derogatory. "The Witches. They look human. Especially Pearl. She's the only one I've seen with...well, she's not green, or blue, or purple. Humans don't have green skin. Or any of the other colors I've seen here. Aside from that and the magic, they could be human."

Now Alpha gave a knowing grin. "That's because they are. Or, their ancestors were."

"What?" He couldn't conceal his shock.

"Aye," Alpha let go of his hand and shifted so that she was seated cross-legged and facing him. "The skin colors are a relatively new development, just within this past century. The Witches here are the descendants of the humans who were 'rescued' while the Salem witch trials were going on. Avery and Viola could sense who had real magic, whether they were aware of it or not, and those who had been falsely accused. They left the 'normal' humans to their fate..."

"That's horrible. And so like them..." Tooth Fairy shook his head. "So, why do you think the Witches are..."

"I don't know. It might be the slight genetic bottleneck down here, or it could be that their own magic was influenced by the magic in this place, and it's manifesting in their skin. Whatever the case, they no longer identify as humans. Pearl is the last living Witch with a 'human' skin tone." Alpha made 'air quotes'; Elves had the same variations of skin tone, and she imagined that other races might as well, but she couldn't think of another word for it, and he didn't take offense.

"Ahhh...so, I'm guessing it's more of an 'outsider who can pass as a human' than a 'looks like a human' thing."

"Mm-hmm. She'll come around. Just be your own, sweet self."

He chuffed softly through his nose and looked down, his cheeks burning.

She grinned. I love making him do that!

Sarah inhaled deeply through her nose, then let it out in an appreciative sigh. "Babe, that roast smells amaaazing! It's times like these I wish I could eat."

She was smiling, but Gemma wasn't. The Witch had her hair pulled back in a messy bun, and she was fretting over the stewed apples she had nearly burned.

After removing the pan from the burner and tasting it to make sure it was still okay, Gemma sighed in relief. But her relief was short-lived. "I don't even know if he likes venison. Oh my God, what if he's vegan? I never even thought of that!"

"I haven't seen too many vegans who are built like quarterbacks. Anyway, from what Alpha told me and from what I saw, he's a really nice guy. Don't worry." Sarah leaned back against the counter. "It'll be fun."

"Maybe. You think I should give him a tour of my macrame studio?" Gemma reduced the heat to low and put the pan back on, stirring a bit to keep it from sticking again.

"On the other hand, you don't want to come on too strong, or you'll scare him away and Alpha might turn you inside out." Sarah teased. Gemma swatted her with the dish towel.

"It's not funny. Don't make fun of my macrame."

Tooth Fairy walked silently beside Alpha as they approached one of the houses on Blood Drive. Gone was the red glow the street had back in November. White lampposts now alternated with the red ones, reminding Tooth Fairy of the stripes on a candy cane. Like the rest of the town, with the addition of white lights, the Vampire District was brighter and much more welcoming. He wondered if this was why Alpha didn't need her sunglasses up on the surface as much as she had before.

His palms were sweaty, and he hoped this wouldn't cause him to drop the bottle of merlot he carried. He nearly protested when Alpha took his free hand, but she either didn't notice how damp it was or didn't mind it. Either way, she made no comment, and instead asked him a soft question.

"All right, luv?"

"Yeah, why?"

Because your scent changed, Alpha nearly said, but then she would have had to explain how good her sense of smell was, even in her current form, and this wasn't the time. A human might not have picked up on the sour tang of anxiety, faint as it was, but she had scented it often enough over the centuries to know what it was. She gave his hand a double squeeze. "Just askin'."

"I look all right? Not...ya know, shabby?"

Alpha paused with her fist raised to knock, and turned towards him to look him up and down. "Hmm...Every hair in place. A close shave. A nicely pressed white shirt. New blue vest...matching coat and pants. Nice new shoes...You really went all out. Ohp!" She let go of his hand and straightened his tie, which didn't actually need straightening, and whispered in his ear, "You're always dressed nicely. What's important is what's in here."

Tooth Fairy felt her lay a palm on his chest, and his heart immediately began to hammer. "O-okay."

"It'll be fine. I promise." She gently pulled him in by his tie and kissed him.

And that was when the door opened, catching them in a mildly compromising position, and they quickly broke apart.

Sarah gave them a wry smile. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No." They both blurted out before exchanging an embarrassed look. Then they laughed. Had Sarah been watching for them from the window? Because her timing was impeccable!

"Well, what are you two still standing out there for?" Sarah reached out and grabbed them both by their forearms. "Get in here! Here, Roy, let me take your coat. Gemma, they're here!"

"Coming," Gemma called back from the kitchen. "I'm just taking it out of the oven, give me a minute."

Tooth Fairy thanked Sarah as he passed her his coat, straightened his tie, and cleared his throat. He gave a polite nod when Gemma came out to greet them. "Hi, Gemma. Dinner smells great. Uh...here." He awkwardly held out the bottle.

Gemma looked at it, then looked back up at him. He looked as nervous as she felt, and she carefully took the bottle. "Oh, uh...thanks. But...I don't have a corkscrew."

He grinned and fished around in his coat pocket before producing the one he'd bought two days prior. "Ya do now. You can keep it, if you want. I don't really drink, so..."

Sarah waved a dismissive hand. "Tonight, you do." Before he could protest, she continued, "I know, I know you have to fly tonight. How 'bout just a small amount for taste? Unless you don't like it."

"Oh, I like it just fine, I just...oh, well. 'Wine' not?" He grinned, and immediately wished he hadn't made such a horrible joke. Sarah didn't laugh, and instead looked mildly confused. Alpha held back a laugh; she liked puns. But Gemma just stared at him. Oh no, this is horrible. Why did I say that?

Gemma snorted. She covered her mouth. Her shoulders jiggled. She looked at Alpha, clearly more relaxed than before. "He's funny."

Alpha nodded, chuckling a bit. "Aye."

"Sure, I'm funny," Tooth Fairy brightened, and added, "But looks aren't everything."

Gemma finally began to relax. "Well, thank you very much. It should go well with the roast. I hope you brought your appetite."

Tooth Fairy's stomach chose that exact moment to growl, and they laughed again as they trooped into the dining room.

Sarah hadn't been kidding when she said Gemma could cook. Tooth Fairy had eaten venison before, and although he liked it well enough, it was usually dry and even a bit gamey. This meal was neither of those things. "Mm...This is incredible. You willing to share the recipe?"

Gemma's cheeks turned a slightly deeper green, and she pointed her fork at Alpha. "Thank you. Her recipe, though."

Alpha shrugged. "Originally, aye, but she's improved on it."

"All I did was add rosemary."

Sarah, who was busy opening the wine bottle, leaned over and kissed Gemma on the forehead. "Don't be so modest. I told you it smelled amazing."

Tooth Fairy turned to Alpha. Much like her with him, he had assumed that she didn't really know how to cook. The reason he'd thought that was because of the unusually small amount of food she always kept in the house, and the fact that it was more or less 'ready to eat'. But now he was rather excited to see what they could make. "We'll have to see what we can cook up together."

"We should!" Alpha agreed.

Sarah poured the wine, only giving Tooth Fairy about three quarters of an inch in his glass because that was when he'd held up a hand to signal for her to stop, and Gemma blushed again. Instead of wine glasses, they were using small jelly jars.

"I'm so sorry. I don't have any wine glasses," she apologized.

Tooth Fairy and Alpha heartily reassured her that it was fine, and Tooth Fairy added, "My cabinet's full of mismatched plastic cups with sports logos on the side. They still hold water just fine. These are nice."

Sarah lounged back in her chair while the others ate. "Fairies watch sports?"

"This one does," he grinned back, had a sip of wine (it was good!), and continued, "We have our own games, but some of us like to watch the humans play on TV."

Sarah, who had been balancing her chair on the back two legs, sat forward with a 'bump'. "Some of us bloodsuckers like to crash an occasional game. Usually something outside; it's easier for a bat to get in. We sit way above the seats, and no one knows we're there."

"Isn't that kinda stealing?" he asked.

"Not if you don't get caught!" Sarah winked. Then, seeing that he didn't approve (although he didn't say so), she shook her head. "It's not like we do it often. And they assume humans will be the ones sneaking in. We're not human, so it's fine."

Tooth Fairy didn't agree with her, but he nodded anyway. It seemed a relatively minor offense, and it was none of his business.

"You got a favorite sport?" Sarah asked him.

"Football."

Alpha sipped her wine, and teased, "The American version, or the real version?"

He affectionately brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "The 'not soccer' version."

Sarah nodded. "Cool. I prefer baseball, though."

"Better snacks?" He asked, thinking about the concession food they sold at these events. Then he caught himself and winced. "Oh, sorry...I keep forgetting, you guys don't eat."

Gemma shuddered. "She tried once, after Robert dared her..."

"Oh?" Tooth Fairy turned to her. "What happened?"

"The opposite of 'what goes up must come down'."

Alpha nodded. "I was there. Wasn't pretty."

Tooth Fairy made a face and debated pushing his plate away. Then he shrugged and took another bite. Nope, still hungry.

"Now, in my defense, my 'dinner' date that evening had had quite a bit to drink." Sarah refilled Alpha's wine glass, then Gemma's; Tooth Fairy shook his head when she offered, and she set the bottle down again. "These days, we don't even bite people."

"Oh?" Tooth Fairy was morbidly curious. "What do you do instead?"

Sarah and Gemma exchanged a look, and Sarah folded her hands on the table. "I've only been back at The Hollow for a little while; it's why you didn't meet me sooner. I didn't know those two dipwads were gone, and I had no way of getting back in. And none of the others knew where I was..."

Gemma picked at her food. "I thought I'd never see you again..."

"Aww, babe..." Sarah gave her hand a squeeze. "While I was out, I met a couple Vampires who...get this...worked on an IV team at a hospital! So, they knew how to draw a pint without the scent driving them crazy, and they taught me how to do it. And when I spotted Alpha out on a hunt, I brought them to meet her and she got us back home. Then we taught the others how to do it, and we haven't had a single 'accident' since. So, now it's very safe for the humans and our consciences."

"Oh, wow..." Tooth Fairy was impressed, but concerned. "But aren't those things 'single use only'?"

Sarah snapped her fingers. "Ah, you caught that. See...they're still working at that hospital. They love their jobs, and we can easily pass for human if we want to. They filed their fangs down, and they wear foundation to hide their pallor. But they only work nights."

Gemma chimed in, "They buy all their supplies with their salaries. And a few other things."

Alpha was gobsmacked. "This is the first I've heard about that."

"Yeah, well..." Sarah tapped her thumb on the table. "We weren't keeping it a secret. That was just one of the things I wanted to mention at tomorrow's Council meeting."

Tooth Fairy abruptly lost his appetite. There were only two pieces of carrot left on his plate, which he pushed away, and he downed what was left of his wine. He didn't react when Alpha touched his arm.

"What? What did I say?" Sarah looked between them in confusion.

"Nothing," Tooth Fairy shook his head.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "You're a sucky liar, no offense."

Tooth Fairy looked at Alpha as if to ask permission; after all, it was her place to bring it up, since she was on their City Council and he wasn't.

Alpha shrugged. She was leaving it up to him.

He sighed and rubbed his face before looking up. "My town's mayor wants to visit The Hollow...and Alpha was going to bring that up at the meeting as well."

"Wait, back it up, what?" Sarah squinted. "Alpha, are you keeping things from us?"

"It's not like that," Alpha assured her. "It only just came up. In a nutshell...outsiders aren't allowed in his town without permission, and I've been there three times. Two that they know of."

"Oh, he wants to make it even. That's fair, I guess..." Sarah still looked doubtful.

Tooth Fairy appreciated that Alpha hadn't brought his personal business into it, but these two had opened their home to him, a relative stranger, and he thought that they deserved to know the whole truth. "Alpha only went there to help me. I..."

"Ye don't have to, luv..." Alpha whispered.

"It's okay," he told her, "I can do this."

"Do what?" Sarah was completely serious now.

Tooth Fairy licked his lips. "It's because of The Founders that I no longer have a sister. She'd been missing for centuries, and I just found out the truth last November. They'd been using her magic..."

Sarah and Gemma didn't ask how The Founders were able to do this, and he was grateful to them for that. Instead of pushing for more details, they immediately offered their sympathies.

"Oh...we're so sorry," Gemma reached across the table and briefly touched his shoulder.

Sarah nodded slowly. "That must've been hard on you."

"Yeah. Still is." He cleared his throat, but didn't come anywhere close to losing his composure. This time, talking about it was his choice. And a rustic venison dinner with friends tasted a thousand times better than a posh prime rib dinner with a stuffy, two-faced old man! "But anyway, that's why Alpha was there. I was doing pretty bad for a while. And a few days ago, when she and I were out...not in my town, just out to see a movie...the mayor's nephew had a go at Alpha, and she defended herself."

"He still alive?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. She was kidding, but Alpha didn't look amused.

"Aye, and thanks a lot..." she muttered.

"So," Tooth Fairy concluded, "Mayor Kendrick wants to meet Alpha, to see for himself what she's like, and he asked to visit The Hollow. An 'act of good faith', he called it."

"Hm..." Sarah folded her arms. "Yeah, I don't know about that. You trust the guy?"

Tooth Fairy snorted. "Up until the other night, I did...He forced the same story I just told you out of me, only he wanted details, details, details..."

"Ugh..." Sarah shook her head.

"Alpha said it was necessary," Tooth Fairy sounded slightly bitter about it. "And after she explained why, I kinda agree. But I just can't give ya an unbiased opinion of the guy. Not after that."

"Mmm..." Gemma shook her head in sympathy. "You know what? If we do let them in, we'll have to make a good impression. Make sure the streets are swept, change any burned out bulbs-"

"Lock Robert in the pantry..."

"Sarah!" Gemma scolded.

"What?" Sarah feigned innocence.

"Sarah, no."

Alpha grinned. "Sarah, yes."

Tooth Fairy pressed his lips together to keep in a laugh.

Gemma pursed her lips to hide a smile. "Ignore them, Roy. We'll be the mature adults."

Alpha remembered the time he'd squirted her with a water pistol before she chased him through the park, and she snickered.

"If you give us a list of things he likes to eat and drink, and if the Council votes yes, we'll have refreshments waiting for him," Gemma spoke over Alpha and Sarah's giggles.

Tooth Fairy nodded. "I can do that."

"What a good idea!" Alpha drained her second glass of wine. "Prove 'em wrong. I like it!"

Tooth Fairy thought that the roses the wine had put in her cheeks made her look rather fetching, and he forgot what he was going to say next.

Sarah snapped him out of his trance. "Does anyone want seconds?" No one did. "No? Good. Let's get this stuff cleared away, and I'll get out the cards. Let's see if Roy here can hold his own! And I won't go easy on you, either."

He rubbed his hands together. "Good." Then, seeing Gemma making the rounds and stacking up the plates to take to the kitchen, he got to his feet. "Here, let me help you."

"Oh, thanks." Gemma smiled and the two disappeared into the kitchen.

Sarah came back with a deck of cards, and she nodded at Alpha. "You picked a winner."

"I did." She agreed.

"Now, it's time for both of you to lose."

Tooth Fairy poked his head out of the kitchen, holding a dishcloth in his hand; he had intended to wipe off the table, but Alpha held out her hands for it, and he tossed it to her. "Hey Sarah, I got a game we can play."

"What's that?"

"Fifty-two pick-up."

"Hahaha, no. Nice try; Robert already got me with that one."

"Hahaha!"

Later on, Tooth Fairy's phone alarm went off, giving him a thirty minute warning; after walking Alpha home, he would have just enough time to shower and change into his work clothes. They were in the middle of their fifth game of gin rummy, and there was a collective groan as he took out his phone to silence it. "Man, tonight went by so fast." And he didn't want it to be over!

In spite of her boasting, Sarah had actually done rather poorly at the game, but she was a good sport about it. "We'll have to do this again soon. I'll be able to beat you then!"

"I'll be there with bells on. Well...not literally; that'd just be weird." He grinned and held up a fist, and Sarah gave him a fist bump without asking what he was doing, as some people did.

Gemma, who had really come out of her shell, stepped forward and gave him a brief hug. "Roy, I'm so glad you stopped by! You're welcome in our home anytime."

"Oh, thanks. It's been a pleasure. A real pleasure. Thank you for inviting me." He linked hands with Alpha after she said her own goodbyes, and his new friends saw them both to the door.

"See?" Alpha let go of his hand and slid her arm around his waist as they walked. "I told you it would be okay."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "Never doubted ya for a second, sweetheart."