"A Strange Bond"
Notes: We meet The Hollow's (very informal) City Council, a decision is made, and they begin preparations. Tooth Fairy plays a prank on Alpha (just harmless fun), and he's been thinking very seriously about their relationship and where it's going. All this thinking causes him to get a little carried away, and they nearly throw their boundaries out the window before they remember themselves.
I like to imagine that TF was a bit of a class clown as a kid, and some of it carried over into adulthood. Mild content warning for Alpha and TF, but it's nothing major; just a close call. I'm keeping things PG-13, and nothing too risqué will ever happen on 'on camera'. Plus, they've got their morals! Hope you guys enjoy!
"Chapter 31: Decisions and Restraint"
April 11th
Alpha sprinkled salt into a huge pot of freshly buttered popcorn and stirred, and her heart hammered as she heard the din of several overlapping conversations approaching the closed door of Room C. Important decisions always got her adrenaline up. The anxiety that came with being a good leader (at least, she hoped she was a good leader) was made even stronger by the thought that they might vote 'no'.
This whole thing had poor Roy so stressed out that he'd been in tears two days ago, and she wasn't far behind. It meant so much to him for things to end well, and she wasn't sure if she could give him the outcome he needed and keep her people safe at the same time. She had promised him that he would always have a place in The Hollow, and she had meant it with all her heart, but she knew that it would be a small comfort if he was forced out by his own people. Even if he wasn't happy living in the Fairy Town, as seemed to be the case, she knew that a rejection like that would hurt him very deeply. Would he be kicked out after all, if the City Council voted 'no' on this visit?
He probably won't be...They'll probably just say no to me visiting there in response, which is fair. But Roy's going to be so disappointed if that happens, and...either way, there's The Hollow to consider...
On a certain level, it bothered her that The Hollow was beginning to take a back seat to her boyfriend's welfare, and she struggled to find a balance between the two. It was times like this that she wished someone else had wanted the leadership position, and that she felt she wasn't what her people needed. But there was no one else...
The people of The Hollow wished to remain hidden, as did she, and she didn't know what to expect from the Fairies. Would they prove to be a danger to them? Would they expose them to the humans somehow? Roy's anxiety was contagious, and she didn't know if she appreciated the heads-up, or if she wished he'd kept quiet about it. But it was too late now. The pressure was on. This was happening, today, and when Harry opened the door and came in she put on her 'game face'. She wasn't very successful. "Hey, Harry. Come in, everyone. Who's for popcorn?"
Harry grinned and gave Alpha a hug that lifted her feet off the ground. "Why so serious, boss-lady?"
"Oof!" Alpha gasped, then chuckled when he set her back down. "Didn't ye know, Joker? Popcorn is serious business."
"Hey, girl!" Sarah gave her a fist bump and walked over to where the folded card tables stood propped against the wall. Gemma went with her to set up the chairs.
After them came James the Skeleton and Nick the eight-limbed librarian, followed closely by Flint, an Orc who was (for his kind) a little on the short side. This put him at about seven feet even, but he walked with his chin held high, underbite and all.
Omen trotted in and jumped up onto Alpha's shoulder, accepting a piece of popcorn and discarding it after he'd licked all the butter off.
"Why don't I just set out the butter dish, Felix?" Alpha teased.
Omen swatted her face without using his claws. "Because you're stingy like that."
The last member of the City Council was a male Elf with tan skin and short wavy black hair, and his cheeks dimpled when he smiled and shut the door behind him. "Hey, Alpha. I've got some good news!"
"Hey, Chuck. Is it something I know about, or a surprise?" Alpha stood aside while those who wanted some popcorn (that is, those who could actually eat) got their helpings and sat down.
"You'll see."
They all got settled and began to speak in turn. Harry, who was the Secretary, briefly updated them on how they were doing in terms of stored resources, and all in all everything was fine.
"We just took inventory last week, and there has been a bit of theft at the warehouses. Nothing major, just a few outfits, some shoes, a large cork board, various office supplies...index cards, push-pins, a few balls of kitchen twine, Sharpie markers and so on...and some food has also turned up missing." Harry adjusted his square spectacles as he read from a clipboard. "Based on what was stolen, I think it's just a kid with sticky fingers. It's nothing that'll break the bank, but Nick, perhaps an assembly is in order?"
Nick, who had been caught mid-yawn, rubbed at his eyes. "They know not to steal, so what's the point in telling them again? I've got my hands full as it is, trying to get them to pay attention in class."
Flint laughed at the mention of 'hands'. "Yeah, you've only got six of those!"
Even Nick, who was a notorious grouch, had to laugh at that. "Okay, for all the good it'll do, I'll squeeze it in between Algebra and English."
Sarah, who was in charge of Law Enforcement and Scouting, went next, informing the Council about the change in Vampire feeding habits. It was very well received, and Gemma, who was the head of the Health Department there, had nothing to add.
Alpha said, "Letting the two newest Vampires continue to work at a human hospital is a bit of an exposure risk, to be honest. But we do want to avoid harming the humans if we can, and unless we can find another way to get the funds for your supplies, I see no reason why they shouldn't continue. For the time being."
After a general murmur of agreement, James was pleased to announce that there was such a surplus of produce coming up from the lower level that they might have to set up a canning facility.
Which brought them to Flint. "My men and I can get started as soon as we can gather the supplies for it. And if I can suggest a location-"
"No," Nick scowled, "We already put it to a vote, and we are not building where The Founders hung their hats."
"But it's good, solid ground, and-"
"It's a bad idea," James shook his head, and Gemma nodded.
"Can I finish, please? And you voted 'no' for building homes there, not business establishments, and-" Flint raised his voice as several of the others tried to talk over him, "Listen to me, it's my turn! And there is no reason why we can't reclaim it, and...Nick, I'm talking. Harry, don't...James, I'm trying to...I said LET ME FINISH!"
They could feel the sound waves from his booming voice reverberating in their chests like the beat of a kettle drum, and he forgot his strength as he pounded his fist on the table for emphasis. The table cracked down the middle, and popcorn flew in all directions. Gemma squeaked and scrambled out of her chair, and Harry got in Flint's face.
"Calm down! Look what you did." the Sasquatch pointed at the mess, and then gestured at Gemma, who had dissolved into tears. "She's crying now! Are you proud of yourself?"
Omen and Sarah hissed, James and Nick joined in with the scolding, and Gemma buried her face in her wife's shoulder.
Alpha stuck her finger and thumb into her mouth and blew a piercing note that got everyone's attention and surprised Gemma into composure. "Flint, that was unacceptable. We don't conduct ourselves in this manner."
"I'm...I'm sorry. I'm finished." Flint meekly went to get a broom while Harry picked up the remains of the table and Gemma and Nick got a replacement.
Alpha sighed, trying not to mentally obsess over the wasted food and the broken table. Those tables had been hard to get, and now they would be one short. "And it was Flint's turn to speak. We need to work on that."
They set things up again, some of them in a state of silent embarrassment, and finally all were seated and avoiding each other's eyes.
"Now," Alpha cleared her throat, "Chuck, you said you had news?"
"Oh! Right. I've been talking to Santa, and he's agreed to put a bug in Curtis's ear about including The Hollow in the North Pole Data Plan. Everyone who wants one will receive a cell phone, so if anyone gets into trouble on the surface, or is gone for too long...or if they just want to have a chat, they can be reached." Chuck grinned, looking quite pleased with himself. "I have a box of order forms back at my house for you to pass out, and production has already begun."
Nick pretended to write something down in an imaginary notebook. "Note to self: Ban the use of cell phones in the classroom..."
"That's wonderful, Chuck! Those will really come in handy." Alpha's smile abruptly dropped as she remembered one particularly shocking incident when she'd accidentally stumbled across something she wished she could unsee. Thankfully, Roy wasn't there for that; as bashful as he could be about certain things, she was fairly certain that she would have been able to fry an egg on his forehead! "Oh, can Santa include internet restrictions for some of them? Namely, the underage brigade?"
"Already on it," Chuck gave her a thumbs up.
"Good. Now..." Alpha's phone gave a text alert; the first eight notes of 'Deck the Halls'. She took out her phone, and snickered at the text Santa had sent her; it was a picture of a very angry Bernard arguing with Curtis in front of the Panagraph, with the text message, 'Curtis used Bernard's cell as a template, and accidentally wiped all his data. At least, I hope it was an accident. Send help!'.
She quickly texted back, 'Oh no!' and put her phone on silent. "Ahem...so, there's just one more order of business, but it's a big one, and it will require a majority vote. Sarah and Gemma are already aware of it."
The Council listened patiently while she explained, with Sarah and Gemma chiming in with little details here and there. Roy had previously given Alpha his permission to tell the Council about what The Founders had done to his sister (minus the wing stealing part, because he preferred not to advertise to non-Fairies outside of his tiny circle of trust that this was a thing), since it added context, and when Alpha was finished they looked uncertain.
"I don't like it," Nick shook his head.
"You don't like anything," Flint muttered.
Harry shook his head. "In a way, I get where this Mayor Kendrick is coming from. There was a safety breach in his town, and rules were broken, whether it was intentional or not. Then there was his nephew getting a bloody nose, so I get why he wants to meet you himself. I might have asked to visit them to make things even, if our situations were reversed, except I don't have any desire to go there..."
"But?" Alpha urged.
Harry removed his specs, since he had finished reading and they were giving him a headache. "It's very telling that Roy has reservations." There was a general murmur of agreement.
Sarah spoke up. "Everyone at this table has lost someone close because of those two. Parents, siblings, friends..."
"My wife," Harry looked down, then straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "So, what are you getting at, Sarah?"
"If any of us was forced to relive it blow by blow, I don't think we'd have much faith in the person who put us in that position. It was a crappy thing to do, but I get it. And it's for that reason that I'm taking Roy's misgivings with a grain of salt."
Alpha tried to conceal her surprise.
Flint's brow beetled in confusion. "But wouldn't Roy know him?"
Sarah sighed. Flint wasn't a bad sort when he wasn't going all 'Hulk smash', but he wasn't the most intelligent person seated at the table. "He's angry now, and hurt. Those things can cloud a person's judgment."
Alpha added her two cents. "Flint, when you weren't being listened to, you lost your temper. You weren't thinking clearly. Your anger got the better of you. Roy's...still figuring things out. He's reluctant to weigh in with his opinion, because he thinks it's a bit skewed."
"Hmm..." Flint drummed his thick fingers on the table. "Say we let the mayor in...I doubt he'll want to come alone. He'd want bodyguards."
Sarah blinked, and muttered, "Maybe not so dumb after all..."
"Huh?"
"Never mind."
Omen, who had been washing his face, decided to take part in the conversation once more. "It's a reasonable request, so long as we can keep them from just showing up whenever they want to."
Alpha nodded in agreement. "At least until we've established a rapport. And who knows? Things might yet work out. Until last year, we never thought we'd be friends with Santa. And that connection has been good for everyone involved."
Sarah smirked. "Except for those two shitheads and their cronies."
James folded his bony arms. "Can we tone it down on the language, please? Some of us weren't brought up in a barn."
"You were resurrected from some random graveyard when a Witch decided to dabble in something she shouldn't have, so..." Sarah smirked.
"Can I help that?"
Alpha interrupted. "We're going off the rails a bit. I'm going to meet with the mayor; that's my choice, and it's non-negotiable. The question is, do we allow him to come here? And if he feels safer with a few bodyguards, how many do we allow? So, let us put it to a vote. All in favor of allowing Mayor Kendrick to visit The Hollow, and get the measure of us?" And she raised her hand.
Harry raised his hand. Sarah and Gemma followed. Chuck, who was spending two thirds of his time at the North Pole with his new girlfriend, thought for a moment before shaking his head, "Since I'm not technically a member of The Hollow anymore, I recuse myself."
Alpha nodded, although she would have accepted his vote anyway. She still considered him to be a resident, but he was spending more and more time with Holly...and she supposed it was only a matter of time before he left altogether. "That's four. Omen?"
The cat began to wash behind his left ear. "I'm busy."
Sigh. "Okay, that's two opting out, and four in favor."
"Five," James finally raised his hand. Nick and Flint were silent.
Alpha looked at them. "All opposed?"
Flint shook his misshapen head and raised a hand. "It just seems too soon to me. Sorry, Alpha."
Alpha nodded, accepting his answer. "Mm-hmm. Nick?"
Nick raised all six of his hands.
Alpha had to stifle a grin when she found herself channeling Gimli, accent and all. "That still only counts as one. Then it's agreed, but not unanimous. Mayor Kendrick may visit. And I think two bodyguards is a good, even number."
"Uh-huh," Flint nodded. "Sounds good."
"Well, then, we have work to do," Gemma spoke up, taking out a list. Roy didn't tend to use cursive unless he was signing his name, and he wrote small, but his printing was very neat and legible. "Here is a list of foods Mayor Kendrick enjoys."
Nick rolled his eight eyes. "Did he demand to be fed, too?"
The Witch shook her head. "Nooo, nonono, this was my idea. I thought that if we made a good impression and things went well..."
Chuck cut in. "Sorry to interrupt, but from what I heard, the Fairy town isn't like Elfsburg. Just...make a good impression, yeah, but don't let your guard down. Roy's a great guy, but I'm starting to think he might be the exception, not the rule."
Alpha knew he had a point. "We're all individuals. Fairies, too. We'll give them a chance...but we'll keep our wits about us. And Flint, it is extremely important that we keep our tempers. Ye ken what I'm sayin'?"
Flint grinned, showing off thick, jagged teeth. "Was that a barb...ie?"
This cracked them all up, and the meeting ended soon after. They agreed that his visit would happen on the fifteenth of that month, and it was time to set their plans in motion. On the way out, Flint put his massive arm gently around Gemma's shoulders and gave her a side-hug. "Sorry I scared ya, hon."
"It's okay," Gemma patted his bicep as she moved off to join Sarah. "You're getting better, you know. Just keep at it."
Tooth Fairy sat on Alpha's roof as he waited for her to come home. They had missed April Fool's Day, and he knew that this meeting would be stressful for her, so he had a plan; he was going to make her laugh. Or get himself in trouble. Maybe both...probably both! He gripped the airhorn in his pocket, snickered to himself, then forced it back. He could see her approaching in the distance, and he flattened himself so that he lay prone and out of sight.
Lately, he'd been doing a lot of thinking about their relationship and where it was going. He knew that he loved her, and he knew that she loved him, but so far they'd just been playing it by ear. 'Winging it', so to speak. And he'd had some concerns up until the past few days.
He was mindful of the fact that his grief over Brinna and Alpha's grief over her family had been the catalyst for them getting together, and he had worried about whether or not it was a healthy way to begin 'forever'. Had they become too codependent? All that day, while he was waiting for Alpha to return to her home, he'd sat and thought very seriously about it.
He'd needed her. She'd needed him. And he thought to himself, If we didn't need each other, would we still want to be with each other like we are now? If all of that was taken away...would we still be in love?
His mind had turned to everything they'd had together besides their losses and the mutual giving and taking of comfort. And he had his answers.
There was togetherness. Sort of an easy, affectionate camaraderie that seemed a lot closer than any of the friendships he'd had.
While she had a bit of a dirty mind when compared to him (not that he minded it, or didn't think it was funny), their sense of humor was very similar. And then there was their mutual physical attraction (even though her attraction to him had only begun after she'd realized she loved him). There had been times when he'd found it very hard to concentrate on things because of a random, unseemly thought. They both loved kids. They both loved puns. They had been able to work things out relatively quickly when one of them had screwed up or gotten snippy.
There was trust. There was love. There was kindness and respect. There was humor and silliness. And he couldn't imagine his life now without her by his side. Even if he didn't need her, he would have wanted to be with her.
But does she feel the same way about me? Am I getting ahead of myself?
Maybe he was. But there was time to work towards that, and now he knew for sure what he wanted. He wanted to marry her.
But what she wanted was also very important to him. It had to be mutual. And he wasn't quite ready to pour his heart out and propose. Not just yet.
Alpha unlocked her front door, went inside, and locked the door behind her. Very few people in The Hollow actually locked their doors, but it was a habit she had gotten into when she and Alexander were lucky enough to have a roof over their heads. Only in those days, it was a wooden cross bar that came down and locked into a slot on the wall, not a latch and key.
Tooth Fairy was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard the door open and shut. Bicuspids, I was woolgathering again. But he grinned, fluttered his wings, and lowered himself down to stand at her front door. He knocked, then quickly flew back up to the roof and hid.
Alpha opened the door, but didn't come out. "Hello?"
No answer.
She discreetly sniffed the air, then rolled her eyes. She could smell his aftershave.
So, that's your little game, is it? Okay, Roy-me-boy, two can play at this!
She went back inside, and waited to see what would happen.
He frowned. She was supposed to come out! He flew back down, knocked, then hid again.
Alpha opened the door again. "Hello?"
He waited for to come out.
She closed the door again.
He frowned again and his wings gave an irritated buzz. She was spoiling his prank! He tried once more, flew back up, and peeked over the edge of the roof as he waited for her to come out.
This time, Alpha did come out, and she began to speak. "All right, I know it's you, so-"
FWEEEEEEEEEEEEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEEEEEEE!
"D'AAAH!" Alpha nearly shot up out of her skin and her hand flew to her chest. She was laughing before he was, and she covered her face. "Och, ye're terrible!"
"I'm s...I'm s...hahaha!" Tooth Fairy hugged himself as he curled in the fetal position and howled with laughter. He almost rolled off the roof.
"'Sorry', 'sorry', don't 'sorry' me." Alpha grinned and beckoned as she tried in vain to look angry. "Come doon!"
Tooth Fairy did as he was told, and they embraced. They would have kissed, but they were both laughing too hard, and they were basically propping each other up. As they wound down and went inside, she picked his pocket.
"I'm taking this," Alpha held up the air horn.
"That's fair." he chuckled.
"So, what was that all about?" She set the air horn on the table and folded her arms.
Tooth Fairy replayed the moment in his mind and snickered again. He'd gotten her good! "Just adding a bit of levity. Thought you could use it after today. I know it had you a little stressed out." He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "How'd it go?"
Alpha smiled and gently brushed the back of her hand against his face. He had shaved, but she could still feel a slight rasp from the unseen stubble, and it wasn't at all unpleasant. "It went." She sat down on her bed, and he joined her. "They've agreed to let your mayor visit, and he can bring two bodyguards of his choosing, but only two."
"Oh," Tooth Fairy nodded and lowered his head, looking mildly troubled. "When?"
"The fifteenth. It'll give us time to get things set up. Make sure things are tidy, and so on." She scooted a bit closer and lightly tilted his chin up to give him a peck on the lips. "So, that's a good thing. Most of them are on board."
"Most of them?"
"There were two who were opposed, and two others didn't cast a vote at all. Omen didn't have an opinion, and Chuck...well, I think he's seriously thinking about permanently moving to the North Pole to work for Santa." Alpha leaned her head against him as he put his arm around her.
"Oh? He doesn't like it here?" Tooth Fairy nuzzled her hair, taking in the vanilla scent of her shampoo.
She smiled. "More like he likes it better where his girlfriend is. It's only a matter of time."
"Mm..." Tooth Fairy could understand that very well! "I can't say I blame him."
"Mm..." Alpha nestled in closer, drawing comfort from his presence. The meeting (or, rather, the anticipation leading up to it) had taken a lot more out of her than she'd thought it would. She rested her hand on his chest and sighed. "So, I haven't seen ye all day. How was your night?"
Her hand on his chest electrified him, especially when she began to trace the design on his vest, and his heart began to pound furiously. What had she just asked him? "Huh?"
Alpha felt the sudden acceleration of his heartbeat through his clothes, and she sat back and looked at him in concern. "You all right?"
He tried to snap himself out of it. "Yeah, sorry...what was it you just asked me?
"I asked you how your night was..." Alpha was close enough to see how large his pupils had become, and her own heart began to pound. His scent had changed as well, and a wave of desire nearly took her breath away. The word 'pheromones' came to mind, but she pushed it away.
"Oh..." He said lamely, and tried to come up with an answer, but his mind had gone blank. He wanted to remove his arm from around her shoulders, but...at the same time, he also didn't. "Yeah."
He had unconsciously leaned in closer so that their noses grazed against each other, and she didn't stop him. Their heads tilted, and their lips met. Her arms went around him and her hands traveled up to grip the backs of his shoulders. He made a soft, involuntary sound as he cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss, and she grazed his wings as she pulled him closer. They couldn't get close enough. They were in the back room of the library all over again, but they didn't have the back of Tooth Fairy's chair in between them. And there was no Robert there to be a buzzkill.
But, coming to their senses, they killed their own buzz. Tooth Fairy had begun to lean forward, tilting her so that she was on her way to being on her back, when it clicked for both of them what they were about to do. They had only been dating for a few months, and while it might be right for some people to get intimate this early on or sooner, they both knew that it just wasn't for them. It was very important to him that they at least be engaged before doing something like this, and he still had yet to ask her where she stood on that matter. It wasn't time. They broke off the kiss with a gasp. "I can't do this," they said in unison. He rested his forehead against her shoulder, breathing hard. He added, "I'm sorry..."
"Oh, no, it was..." Alpha tried to catch her breath. "I shouldn't have...I let things get too far, and..."
"Nonono, it was me! I just...I...I got carried away, and...we didn't talk about it first, and I shouldn't have..." Tooth Fairy shook his head. Even though she had seemed to be into it, he hadn't checked with her before starting to make a move. He knew better. How could he have done that?
Alpha didn't feel at all like he had taken unwanted liberties with her, and she really wasn't upset about that. She was more upset at herself for letting things get that out of hand. "I didn't stop you. And I should have. You've said you weren't ready, and neither am I. Not really. I should have been thinking o' that..." She shook her head. "I wasn't thinking. We might want it, but we're not ready for that yet..."
He lifted his head, and they made eye contact. What they saw in each other's eyes made them both certain that this wasn't a huge transgression like they'd feared...but they also knew that if they stayed in the same room for much longer they would end up resuming their previous activity and following through to its conclusion.
"I'm sorry," Tooth Fairy's voice was husky with repressed passion, and he moved away from her so that they were no longer touching. "I want this. I do. But..."
Alpha didn't try to keep him from moving away, but it took an immense effort on her part not to reach for him. She nodded. "It's not the right time. Roy, it's okay."
Tooth Fairy looked away, ashamed of his behavior. He'd been thinking of his future with her and imagining...well, never mind what he had been imagining! "I just think we should wait until...or...I mean..." We're not even engaged yet! Roy, what the heck were you thinking?
"Roy..." Alpha smiled gently. "Look at me, please."
He did.
"You're worth waiting for."
The swell of love he felt for her right then nearly floored him. It overshadowed all physical desire, and peace washed over him. It was okay. They were okay. He smiled softly, began to reach for her to either hug or kiss her, or both, but there was enough lingering desire to give him pause and he thought better of it. "I should get going. Yknow, get ready for work." And take a freezing cold shower...
"Aye, and I should...well, there was something I'd planned on doing, but it doesn't seem so important now!" Alpha chuckled.
"Heh..." He shook his head, still wearing that besotted grin. "I love you, Alpha."
"I love you, too, Wintergreen. Now, get." Alpha playfully nodded towards her front door. She watched him leave from her seated position, then fell back on her bed with a sigh when she was alone.
God, I love that man...